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paper pulp from willow and other wood, — all for the manu- 
facture of paper. 
M. Flechey shewed at the Exhibition of 1851, specimens 
of paper made of the dwarf palm of Algeria; and M. Gratiot, 
specimens made of the fibres of the banana. 
The cow dung paper, made by the ingenious Dr. Lloyd, 
of Warwick, and which obtained for him the thanks of the 
Society of Arts, must be at present regarded simply as a 
curiosity. 
Dr. Forbes Royle has called the attention of scientific and 
mercantile men to the enormous quantity of raw material, 
fit for paper making, which could be obtained from the plants 
and weeds of tropical climes, and especially the British 
territories in the East Indies. Some attempts have been 
made both in this country and in France, to use the fibres of 
the plantain for this purpose ; but I have failed in obtaining 
samples of this paper, the manufacture of which has hitherto 
been attempted only on the experimental scale. 
All the various materials which have now been referred to, 
are in their native state of fibre, and many other plants, such 
as the common nettle, potato, and a host of others could be 
named as capable of furnishing pulp for the paper maker. 
The great question is the cost of the pulp, and its quality as 
compared with rag-pulp. Rags have already passed from fibre 
into fabric, and thus may be said to be paper half made, 
whereas the raw fibre has to bear the whole expense of con- 
version from fibre into paper. 
Large quantities of jute are annually sent to this country 
from the East Indies, in the shape of what are technically 
termed " gummy bags," or bags containing various articles 
of East Indian export ; this material, bleached by the patent 
process of Messrs. Smith and Holdsworth, of Langly Mills, 
near Durham, seems likely to be extensively employed in the 
manufacture of paper. The specimens of white paper, of 
