( S66 ) 
Art. VI.— - On the Extract of Mimosa Bark for the use of 
Tanners , imported from New South Wales. By Mr T. 
Kent *. 
In April last, the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, 
Manufactures, and Commerce, received a letter from R. Wilmot 
Horton, Esq. under Secretary of State for the Colonies, request- 
ing them to take into consideration the probable value of a new 
material for tanning, recently imported from New South Wales, 
by Mr T. Kent. A Committee of Colonies and Trade was accord- 
ingly appointed to investigate the subject. 
In consequence of the great extension of the British trade with 
South America, the importation of hides has of late years greatly 
increased. The excellence of British leather being fully acknow- 
ledged on the Continent, it might be expected that the South 
American hides would be all tanned here, and re-exported in the 
state of leather. This, however, is far from being the case, and 
many thousand hides are sent from London and other British 
ports in a raw state. This unsatisfactory state of things is pro- 
duced by two causes : First , By the regulations of the Excise, 
which forbid an union in the same persons of the businesses of 
tanning and currying ; and, Secondly , By a deficiency of tan- 
ning materials. Bark being a very bulky article, will not bear 
the expence of freight from distant foreign countries ; and the 
oak being a tree of slow growth, it has been found impossible to 
increase our domestic supply of this article, in proportion to the 
demand; while at the same time the supply of oak-timber is con- 
tinually diminishing. 
During the last year or two, establishments have been formed 
in Dalmatia, and in other parts of Europe, that abound in fo- 
rests of oak, for the purpose of condensing the active principles 
of oak-bark into the form of an extract ; and with the same ob- 
ject in view, Mr Kent, a resident in the colony of New South 
Wales, has employed himself in making similar experiments 
upon the bark of two species of Mimosa, in common use there 
as a material for tanning. Mr Kent has of late returned to Eng- 
land, bringing with him above two tons of this extract. 
From Journal of Arts. 
