160 D Y : 
To facilitate the folution, the foda and dung are pounded 
in a mortar. The proportions of thefe ingredients are, 
one occa of dung, fix of foda, and forty of water. When 
the ingredients are well mixed, the liquor expreffed from 
them is (trained, and being poured into a tub, fix occas 
of olive-oil are added to it, and the whole is well (tirred 
till it becomes of a whitifli colour, like milk. The cot¬ 
ton is then fprinkled with this water, and when the fkeins 
are thoroughly moiftened, they are wrung, preffed, and 
expofed to dry. The fame bath mult be repeated three 
or four times, becaufe it is this liquor which renders the 
cotton more or lefs apt for receiving the dye. Each bath 
is given with the fame liquor, and ought to continue five 
or fix hours. It is to be oblerved that the cotton, after 
each bath, mud be dried without being wafhed, as it 
ought not to be rinfed till after the la ft bath. The 
cotton is then as white as if it had been bleached in the 
fields. 
The bath of (keep’s dung is a practice long peculiar 
to the Levant. It may be fuppofed that the dung is of 
no utility for fixing the colours ; but it is known that 
this fubftance contains a great quantity of volatile alkali, 
in a difengaged ftate, which has the property of giving a 
rofy hue to the red. It is therefore probable that it is 
to this ingredient that the red dyes of the Levant are in¬ 
debted for their fplendour and vivacity. This much, at 
any rate, is certain, that the Morocco leather of the Le¬ 
vant is prepared with dog’s dung; becaufe it has been 
found that this dung is proper for heightening the co¬ 
lour of the lack. The bath of dung is followed by the 
procefs of galling. The galling is performed by immerf- 
ing the cotton in a bath of warm water, in which five oc¬ 
cas of pulverifed gall-nuts have been boiled. This ope¬ 
ration renders the cotton more fit for being faturated 
with the colour, and gives to the dye more body and 
ftrength. After the galling comes aluming, which is 
performed twice, with an interval of two days, and which 
confifts in dipping the cotton into a bath of water in which 
five occas of alum have been infufcd, mixed with five 
occas of water alcalifed by a ley of foda. The aluming 
mud be performed with cave, as it is this operation which 
makes the colouring particles combine beft with the cot¬ 
ton, and which fecures them in part from the deftruiitive 
aCtion of the air. When the fecond aluming is finifiied, 
the cotton is wrung ; it is then preffed, and put to foak 
in running water, after being inclofed in a bag of thin 
Cloth. 
The workmen now proceed to the dying. To compofe 
the colours, they put in a boiler five occas of water and 
thirty-five occas of a root which the Greeks call ali-zari , 
or painting colour, and which in Europe is known under 
the name of madder. The madder, after being pulve¬ 
rifed, is moifiened with one occa of ox or (beep’s blood. 
The blood (Lengthens the colour, and the dofe is in- 
creafed or lelfened according to the (hade of colour re¬ 
quired. Thus the (keep’s dung and the blood a£t as 
an animalifation of the cotton. An equal Tieat is main¬ 
tained under the boiler, but not too violent; and, when 
the liquor ferments, and begins to grow warm, the (keins 
are then gradually immerfed before the liquor becomes 
too hot. They are then tied with packthread to fmall 
rods, placed croffwife over the boiler for that purpofe, 
and when the liquor boils well, and in an uniform man¬ 
ner, the rods from which the ikeins were fufpended are 
removed, and the cotton is fuffeyed to fall into the cop¬ 
per, where it muff remain till two-thirds of the water is 
evaporated. When one-third only of the liquor remains, 
the cotton is taken out and walked in pure water. 
The dye is afterwards brought to perfection by means 
of a bath alcalifed with foda. This manipulation is the 
1:10ft difficult and the mod delicate of the whole, becaufe 
it is that which gives the colour its tone. The cotton 
is thrown into this new bath, and made to boil over a 
fteady fire till the colour afi'umes the required tint. The 
whole art confifts in catching the proper degree ; a care- 
N G. 
fill workman, therefore, muff watch with the utmoft at¬ 
tention for the moment when it is neceflary to take out 
the cotton, and he will rather burn his hand than mifs 
that opportunity. It appears that this bath, which the 
Greeks think of fo much importance, might be fupplied 
by a ley of foap ; and it is probable that faponaceous 
water would give the colour more brightnefs and purity. 
When the colour is too weak, the Levantines knoiv how 
to (Lengthen it by increafing the dofe of the colouring 
fubftances ; and, when they wifli to give it brightnefs and 
fplendour, they employ different roots of the country, 
and, in particular, one named fajfari, fpecimens of which 
have been fent to France. 
The ali-zari, which is tine principal colouring matter 
employed in the Greek dye-houfes, is collected in Na- 
tolia, and is brought to Greece from Smyrna: fonre of 
it comes alfo from Cyprus and Mefopotamia. The fu- 
periority of this Levantine plant to the European mad¬ 
der, is acknowledged by all thofe acquainted with the 
art of dying, and may arife from two caufes ; the manner 
in which it is cultivated, and the method employed for 
its deficcation. As the ali-zari appears to be of a weaker 
conftitution than the common madder; as its branches 
are more delicate, its leaves fmoother and tenderer, and 
its ftem more fragile, it is fupnorted by fticks, as peafe 
are among us. A well-nouri(hed ftem acquires in this 
manner more confidence, and fends forth more roots. It 
is the woody part of the roots which affords the greateft 
quantity of colouring particles. The ali-zari is not col¬ 
lected till the fifth or lixth year, that is to fay, when it 
has acquired its full ftrength ; while in France and Zea¬ 
land, where land is of more value than in the Levant, the 
inhabitants wifli to reap too foon, and colleCt the madder 
before it comes to complete maturity. 
The method employed in the deficcation contributes 
alfo to improve the quality of the ali-zari. The Levan¬ 
tines dry it in the open air; and this operation is eafy in 
a country where great drynefs prevails in the atmofphere, 
while, in our damp climates, we are obliged to dry the 
madder by ftoves. Hence it happens that the fmoke, 
which mixes itfelf with the cold air, and penetrates the 
roots, impregnates them with fuliginous particles, which 
alter the colouring fubftance ; an accident which does 
not take place when the madder is dried without the af- 
fiftance of fire. It is, however, pofiible, that the ali-zari 
and madder may never produce the fame tone of colour, 
notwithftanding all the care that may be employed in 
the culture and drying of the latter; becaufe there may 
be as much difference between thefe t,wo plants, fo like 
to each other, as between the goats of Wales and thofe 
of Angola. It is probable, alfo, that the fuperiority of 
the ali-zari over madder may arife only from its ftem be¬ 
ing tenderer, and by its confequently having a greater 
difpolition to transform itfelf into fueculent roots. In 
that cafe, feveral plants of the family of the rubiae might 
be fubftituted in its place with advantage ; fuch as the 
gallium luteum and gallium flore alio, found in abundance 
on the hills of Poitou, and the madder, which grows on 
both fides of the Alps, and which has been diftinguiftied 
by the name of rubia la:vis Tourinenfium. All thefe plants 
give a red as beautiful and as mire as the beft madder; 
but whether the quantity of their colouring matter is 
equal to their beautiful quality, remains yet to be en¬ 
quired. 
The chief manufactories for dying fpun cotton a Tux 
key red, are in Theflaly. There are fome at Baba, Rap- 
fani, Tournavos, Lariffa, Pharfalia, and in all the villages 
fituated on the fides of Ofl'a and Pelion. Thefe two moun¬ 
tains may be confidered as the alembics that diftil the 
eternal vapours with which Olympus is crowned, and 
which diftribute them throughout the beautiful valleys 
fituated around them. Of thefe valleys, that of Tempe 
has at all times been diftinguiftied by the beauty of its 
(hady groves and of its ftreams. Thefe dreams, on ac¬ 
count of their limpidnefs, are very proper for dying, and 
fupply 
