PAPER. 
it remains mellowing a week, more or less, 
according to the weather. After this, the 
stuff is again put into clean mortars, and 
is beaten afresh, and removed into boxes, 
as before ; in which state it is called the 
second stuff. Tlie mass is beat a third 
time, till some of it being mixed with fair 
water, and strewed to and fro, appears 
like flour and water, without any lumps 
in it ; it is then fit for the pit mortar, 
where it is perfectly dissolved, and is then 
carried to the vat, to be formed into 
sheets of paper. But lately, instead of 
pounding the rags to a pulp with large ham- 
mers, as above, tliey make use of an engine, 
which performs tlie work in much less time. 
Tliis engine consists of a round solid piece 
of wood, into which are fastened several 
long pieces of steel, ground very sharp. 
This is placed in a large trough with the 
rags, and a sufficient quantity of water. At 
the bottom of the trough is a plate with 
steel bars, ground sharp like the former ; 
and the engine being carried round with 
prodigious velocity, reduces the rags to a 
pulp in a very short time. It must be ob- 
sei ved, that the motion of the engine causes 
the water in the trough to circulate, and 
by that means constantly returns the stuff 
to the engine. The trough is constantly 
fed with clean water at one end, while the 
dirty water from the rags is carried off at 
the other, through a hole, defended w'ith 
wire gratings, in order to hinder the pulp 
fiom going off with the dirty water. 
When the stuff is principally prepared 
as above, it is carried to the vat, and mixed 
with a proper quantity of water, which 
they call priming the vat. The vat is 
rightly primed, when the liquor has such a 
proportion of the pulp, as that the mould, 
on being dipped into it, will just take up 
enough to make a sheet of paper of the 
thickness required. The mould is a kind 
of sieve, exactly of the size of the paper to 
be made, and about an inch deep, the 
bottom being foiraed of fine brass wire 
guarded underneath with sticks, to prevent 
its bagging down, and to keep it horizontal ; 
and further, to strengthen the bottom, there 
are large wires placed in parallel lines, at 
equal distances, which form those lines visi- 
ble in all white paper, when held up to the 
light : the mark of the paper is also marie * 
in this bottom, by interweaving a large 
wire in any particular form. This mould 
the maker dips into the liquor, and gives it 
a shake as he takes it out, to clear the wa- 
ter from the pulp. He then slides it along 
a groove to the coucher, who turns out the 
sheet upon a felt, laid on a plank, and lays 
another felt on it, and returns the mould to 
the maker, who by this time has prepared 
a second sheet, in another mould ; and thus 
they proceed, laying alternately a sheet 
and a felt, till they have made six quires 
of paper, which is called a post; and this 
they do with such swiftness, that, in many 
sorts of.paper, two men make twenty posts 
or more in a day. A post of paper being 
made, either the maker or coucher whis- 
tles ; on which four or five men advance, 
one of whom draws it under the press, and 
the rest press it with great force, till all the 
water is squeezed from it ; after which it is 
separated, sheet by sheet, from the felts, 
and laid regularly one sheet upon another; 
and having undergone a second pressing, it 
is hung up to dry. When sufficiently dried 
it is taken off the lines, rubbed smooth 
with the hands, and laid by till sized, which 
is the next operation. For this they choose 
a fine temperate day, and having boiled a 
proper quantity of clean parchment or vel- 
lum shavings, in water, till it comes to a 
size, they prepare a fine cloth, on which 
they strew a due proportion of white vitriol 
and roch-alum, finely powdered, and strain 
the size through it, into a large tub ; in which 
they dip as much paper at once as they can 
conveniently hold, and with a quick mo- 
tion give every sheet its share of the size, 
which must be as hot as the hand can well 
bear it. After this tlie paper is pressed, 
hung up sheet by sheet to dry ; and, being 
taken down, is sorted, and, what is only 
fit for outside quires, laid separately : it is 
then told into quires, which are folded and 
pressed. The broken sheets are commonly 
put together, and two of the worst quiies 
are placed on the outside of every ream or 
bundle, and being tied up in wrappers, 
made of the settling of the vat, it is fit for 
sale. 
Paper is of various kinds, and used for 
various purposes : with regard to colour, it 
is principally distinguished into white, blue, 
and brown ; and with regard to its dimen- 
sions, into atlas, elephant, imperial, super- 
royal, royal, medium, demy, crown, fool’s- 
cap, and pot paper. 
Fig. 1, Paper Mill, is an elevation of atj 
engine paper mill ; (fig. 2) a plan ; and (fig, 
3) a section of it ; the same letters refer to 
all the figures. It is contained in a square 
wooden chest, ABDE, lined with lead; 
and divided in the middle by a partition, 
F F ; on the front and back of the chest. 
