210 
A JOURNEY FROM MADRAS THROUGH 
CHAPTER The workmen judge of the time, by taking up a few threads on 3 
stick, and putting on them a drop of cold water: whenever they 
June 22 , &c. appear of a proper colour, the silk must be immediately washed in 
clean water. 
To give the red dye with Lac take 1-J Maund (J8 T 6 ~ lb.) of Lac, 
cleared from the sticks, 1-f- Seer (0 T V-oV lb.) of Lodu bark, 1- Seer 
of Suja Cara , or soda , and two Dudus weight (12-Affo drams) of tur- 
meric. Put them into a narrow-mouthed pot, capable of holding 
80 Seers (5492 cubical inches), with 40 Seers (274 6 cubical inches) 
of water, and boil them four hours ; then decant the liquor, which is 
impregnated with the dye ; and, having to the same materials 
added 20 Seers (1 373 cubical inches) more of water, boil them again 
for three hours, decant this liquor into the former, and then, for 
three hours, boil the materials a third time, with 10 Seers (6S&£ 
cubical inches) of water. Decant this also into the two former, and 
preserve, in a covered pot, the whole liquor for eight days. At the 
end of this period the workman judges how much silk his materials 
will dye. If the Lac has been good, it will dye 5 Seers (3-jW o lb.) ; 
but if it be poor, it will not dye more than 3f Seers (2^j£&lb). 
For 5 Seers of silk take 20 Seers (lfc^lb*) of tamarinds, and for 
two days infuse them in 18 Seers (1235 cubical inches) of water. 
Then strain the infusion through a thick cloth, till about 5 Seers 
(343 cubical inches) of clear infusion are procured. Put this into 
a large open pot with the silk, and warm them, until they be rather 
too hot for the hand. Take out the silk, and pour into the warm 
infusion of tamarinds three quarters of the decoction of Lac, strained 
through a cloth. Then return the silk, and boil it for three hours. 
After this, examine the silk. If it have received a proper colour, no- 
thing more is added ; but if the colour be not deep enough, the re- 
maining decoction is strained, and added by degrees, till the colour 
is completed. The pot must then be taken from the fre, and from 
time to time this silk must be examined with a stick. If the colour 
be blackish, some tamarind infusion must be added. If too light, 
