D Y 
about an inch fqnare. This is called a crofs, and is ufed 
to prevent the wool or fluff from falling and mixing with 
the grounds at the bottom. Another utenfil called a 
rake, is made of a (trong femicircular piece of wood, with 
a long handle, and is ufed for ftirring the vat; that is, 
for mixing the grounds with the liquor, and for raifing 
the fediment from the bottom. It is alfo ufed for dafliing 
or plunging the vat, that is, to pufh the furface quick 
and forcibly towards the bottom, which by introducing 
the air, forms little bubbles, or a kind of froth, by which 
the date of the mixture or dye is to be judged of previous 
to the operation. 
The indigo vat is generally five feet high, and at the 
top two feet in diameter. It grows narrower downwards, 
and meafures only eight or ten inches at the bottom. - It 
is funk a foot or a foot and a half in the floor, for the 
conveniency of working. There is a cylindrical wall 
built round it, as high as the vat, upon which the edge 
of the vat is fupported. This wall being perpendicular, 
and quite flraight at the inflde, confequentlv cylindrical, 
and the vat which it furrounds being of a conic form, it 
is evident there rauft be a fpace at the bottom. In this 
fpace the coal and cinders, requifite for keeping the vat 
properly heated, are depofited, and for this purpofe there 
is a little door or opening to put in the coal which is 
puflted all round the vat, to preferve, as much as poflible, 
an equable degree of heat. The indigo'immediately 
falls to the bottom ; but by this method of fetting the 
vat, the fire is conftatuly above the indigo, fo that it can 
neither burn, nor lofe any of its quality. The fame pre¬ 
caution flrould be obferved with regard to the Dutch 
paftel vats. As the fire muft not be extinguifiled too 
fuddenly, there is fixed an iron or (tone funnel where the 
coal is depofited, reaching from the bottom to the top of 
the vat. This funnel, for the greater conveniency, fhoulcl 
be carried along the wall, againft which the vat is com¬ 
monly fupported. For ftirring the liquor of this vat, 
there is a rake, of a fmaller fize than that ufed for the 
paftel vat. It may alfo be ufed with or without a crofs, 
fimilar to that above mentioned. The paftel vats are 
managed precifely in the fame manner. 
Betides the vats, there is a feries of boilers or cop¬ 
pers, of different fizes, according to the quantity of work 
that is intended to be performed. They may be made 
either of copper or brais ; but the copper is preferable, 
being lefs apt to fpot where it touches, or when the wool 
or fluff is fuffered to remain in it for any length of time. 
It is alfo advifeable to have a pewter vefiel for fcarlet, 
becaufe in pewter, the worded or fluffs never fpot, whereas 
the contrary is much to be dreaded from a copper boiler. 
The dyers who make ufe of the latter for fcarlet, take 
care to have a net of cords, or an open wicker bafket, in 
the infide, to prevent the fluffs from touching the copper. 
The diameter of the net or bafket, being much fmaller 
than the diameter of the cauldron, there confequently 
remains a confiderable diftance between them. But not- 
withflanding all thefe precautions, many are of opinion, 
that fcarlet dyed in copper, is neither fo bright nor fo 
lively as when dyed in a pewter vefiel. Thefe coppers 
fhould be fixed contiguous to each other, and, as nearly 
as poflible, of the fame height, fo that the deeped vefiel 
fhould be funk the lowed. They fhould Joe furrounded 
by a wall made of brick and clay, the outfide of which 
fhould have a coat of plafter ; and, to preferve the whole, 
the wall fhould be coped with wheel-felloes, held toge¬ 
ther by iron cramps. The flat edge of the cauldron 
fhould be nailed to the felloes with brafs nail's, becaufe 
iron nails would fpot the fluffs. Thefe felloes ferve alfo 
to prevent the water, when it boils over, from carrying 
dirt into the copper. For the fame reafon a plank fhould 
be fixt between the coppers, that, when two are employed 
at the fame time, the liquor of the one may not fall into 
the other. But this caution will be needlefs where there 
is room enough to place the coppers at a tolerable diftance 
from each other. Thefe cauldrons are heated uuder- 
N• G. 143 
neath ; and for the greater conveniency, the hearths of 
all the coppers, as well as the flues, are inclofed under 
the fame chimney. The flues are openings, by which 
the fmoke and part of the flame is carried off; the fize 
of thefe openings, that of the hearth, and the depth of 
the furnace (viz. the diftance of the bottom of the cop¬ 
per from the hearth where the fire is made), are deter¬ 
mined by the fize of the coppers ; but the mantle-piece 
of the chimney fhould always cover every opening, and 
fhould project to the edge of the copper, in order to re¬ 
ceive all the fmoke, fo that none may remain in the dye- 
lioufe. 
For the purpofe of dying a whole piece of fluff, or feve- 
ral pieces at a time, a winch is made ufe of. This is a 
wooden axis with a handle, upon which axis are fafteried, 
four flat pieces of wood, at equal diftances. This machine 
is turned with the hand, refling the two extremes of its 
axis on two iron forks, fixed into holes in the wooden 
felloes by which the edge of the copper is fupported. 
The piece to be dyed is rolled round this winch or reel, 
and when the whole is wound on, it is to be turned the 
contrary way, rolling off the fluff, into the copper or vat, 
till the whole is dyed as even as poflible. If there arc 
many pieces to dye of the fame colour, the ends are fewed 
together, and the reel is put through the middle, and 
turned as above-mentioned. To dye wool before it be 
fpun, there is a kind of wooden ladder, or barrow, very 
broad, and as long as the diameter of the copper. The 
crofs-bars of this utenfil fhould be very near each other. 
On this barrow, placed upon the copper, the wool is put, 
in order to drain, or to change the liquor. It were need¬ 
lefs to mention the neceflity of keeping this barrow and 
reel very clean. The fame attention muft be obferved 
with regard to the coppers, and to all the different uten- 
fils ufed in the art of dying; for without this attention 
the work will be conftantly foiled, and the brightnefs of 
the colour tarnifhed. 
A dye-houfe was eredted in the year 1S00, by Meffrs. 
Gott and company at Leeds, on a noble and much im¬ 
proved plan, which not only reflects the high eft reputa¬ 
tion on the profellional abilities of the proprietors, but 
does honour to the age and country in which we live. 
In this extenfive manufactory the coppers are very nu¬ 
merous, and of different fizes ; and as thefe veffels, fome 
of which are very large, are diftiibuted promifeuoufiy 
about, apparently without any order in their arrange¬ 
ment, in two fpacious rooms, (each copper appearing to 
be infulated, and to have no connection whatever with 
the others,) all of them together form a very ftriking ap¬ 
pearance. The rooms are paved with flat (tones, and the 
brims of all tlie coppers, great and firiall, are placed at 
tire fame height, about three feet, above the pavement. 
Some of thefe coppers contain upwards of 1800 gallons ; 
and they are all heated by fleam from only one fleam- 
boiler, which is fituated in a corner.of one of the rooms. 
The horizontal tubes, which ferve to conduct the fleam 
from the fleam-boiler to the coppers, are fufpended juft 
below the ceiling of the rooms : they are made, fome of 
lead, and fome of caft iron, and are from, four to five 
inches-in diameter. The vertical fleam-tubes, by which 
the fleam paffes down from the horizontal fleam-conduc¬ 
tors into the coppers, are all conitruited of lead, and are 
from three quarters of an inch to two inches and a half 
in diameter ; being made larger or fmaller according to 
the fizes of the coppers to which they belong. Thefe 
fleam-tubes all pafs down on the outfides cf their cop¬ 
pers, and enter them horizontally at the level of their 
bottoms. Each copper is furniflied with a brafs cock for 
letting off its contents ; and it is filled with water from a 
ciftern at a diftance, which is brought to it by a leaden 
pipe. The coppers are all furrounded by thin circular 
brick walls, which ferve not only to fupport the coppers, 
but alfo to confine the heat. The rapidity with which 
thefe coppers may be heated, by means of fleam, is trffy 
aftonilhing. One of the larged of them, containing 
