BAMBOO, 
117 
the paper is not made of wire, as in Europe, but 
of bamboo ; and when they want to make their 
leaves of an extraordinary size, they use a reservoir 
and frame in proportion. 
Besides the gum-water with which the paper is 
impregnated, they sometimes dip every leaf in a so-? 
lution of alum. This operation prevents the paper 
from sinking, and gives it likewise the polish which 
is sometimes so conspicuous on the Chinese paper. 
They have places on purpose for drying the leaves, 
where they are subject to a degree of heat that eva- 
porates their moisture almost as soon as they are ex- 
posed to it. 
In this manner they conduct the operation of 
paper-making; and with this account we shall now 
conclude the history of the bamboo, which, for the 
various uses to which it is applied, has hardly its 
equal in the whole range of the vegetable kingdom. 
