42.5 
LEATHE Pi. 
our coaft, which, from its great affinity with the fhenan, 
might be prefumed to have the fame qualities.] Light a 
lire under a copper; and, when the water has boiled about 
a quarter of an hour, take out the bag of Ihenan, and pour 
into the boiling fluid, or lixivium, two drams of alum, 
two drams of pomegranate-bark, three quarters of an ounce 
of turmeric, three ounces of cochineal, and two ounces of 
loaf-fugar. Let the whole mixture boil about fix mi¬ 
nutes; then cover the fire, and takeout a quart of liquor, 
putting it into a flat earthen pan; and, when it is as cold 
as new milk, take one (kin, folded lengthwife, the grain- 
flde outwards, and dip it in the liquor, rubbing it gently 
with the hands. Then, taking out the Ikin, hang it up 
to drain, and throw away the luperfluous dye. Proceed 
in the fame manner with the remaining three Ikins ; re¬ 
peating the operation of each Ikin feparately eight rimes, 
fqueezing the Ikins by drawing them through the hands 
before each frelh dipping. Lay them now on one fide of 
a large pan, fet Hoping, to drain off as much of the moif- 
ture as will run from them without preffure, for about 
two hours, or till they are cold; then tan them in the 
following manner : 
Powder four ounces of the bed: white galls in a marble 
mortar, fifting it through a fine fieve. Mix the powder 
with about three quarts of water, and work the ikins well 
in this mixture for half an hour or more, folding up the 
Ikins four-fold. Let them lie in this tan for twenty-four 
hours; when they mult be worked again as before; then 
taken out, l'craped clean on both fides from the firft galls, 
and put into a like quantity of freth galls and water. In 
this frefli mixture they mnit be again well worked for 
three quarters of an hour; then folded up as before, and 
left in the frefh tan for three days. On the fourth day 
they mult be taken out, walked clean from the galls in 
l'even or eight frefh quantities of water, and then hung 
up to dry. When the Ikins have been treated as above, 
and are very near dry, they fliould be fcraped with the 
proper inftrument or fcraper on the flelh-fide, to reduce 
them to a proper degree of thicknefs. They are then 
to belaid on a fmooth board, and glazed by rubbing them 
with a fmooth glafs. After which they mult be oiled, 
by rubbing them with olive-oil, by means of a linen rag, 
in the proportion of one ounce and a half of oil for four 
Ikins ; they are then to be grained on a graining-board, 
lengthwife, breadthwife, and cornerwife, or from corner 
to corner. 
Preparations with Galls, for the Skins to be dyed Yellow. 
After the four Ikins are taken out of the drench of bran, 
and clean-walhed as before directed in the fecond article, 
they mult be very well worked, half an hour or more, in 
a mixture of a pound and a half of the belt white galls, 
finely powdered, with two quarts of clean water. The 
Ikins are then to be feparately doubled lengthwife, rolled 
up with the flelh-fide outwards, laid in the mixture, and 
clofely preffed down on each other, in which Hate they 
mult continue two whole days. On the third day let 
them be again worked in the tan; and afterwards fcraped 
clean from the galls, with an ivory or brafs inftrument, 
(for no iron mult touch them.) They mult then be put 
into a frefh tan, made of two pounds of galls finely pow¬ 
dered, with about three quarts of water, and well worked 
therein fifteen times. After this they mult be doubled, 
rolled up as before, and laid in the fecond tan for three 
days. On the third day a quarter of a pound of white 
fea-falt mult be worked into each Ikin; and the Ikins dou¬ 
bled-up as before, and returned into the tan till the day 
following, when they are to be taken out, and well walhed 
fix times in cold water, and four times in water luke¬ 
warm. The water muft be then well fqueezed out, by 
laying the Ikins under preffure, for about half an hour, 
between two boards, with a weight of about two or three 
hundred pounds laid upon the uppermoft board, when they 
will be ready for the dye. 
Preparation of the Yellow Dye, in the proper proportion for 
four Skins. Mix fix ounces of cajjiari gehira, or the berries 
Vol. XII. No. 841. 
of the eaftern rhamnus, with the fame quantity of alum; 
and pound them fine in a marble or brafs mortar, with a 
brafs peftle. Then, dividing the materials, thus pow¬ 
dered, into three equal parts of four ounces eayh, put one 
of thofe three parts into about a pint and a half of water, 
in a china or earthen veil'd, and ftir the mixture toge¬ 
ther. Let the fluid ftand to cool, till it will not fcald the 
hand. Then, fpreading one of the Ikins flat on a table, in 
a warm room, with the grain-fide uppermoft, pour a fourth 
part of the tinging liquor, prepared as above cl ire fled, 
over the upper or grain fide, fpreading it equally over the 
fkin with the hand, and rubbing it well in. Afterwards 
do the like with the other three Ikins, for which the mix¬ 
ture firft made will be fufficient. This operation muft be 
repeated twice more on each (kin feparately, with the re¬ 
maining eight ounces of the powder of the berries and 
alum, with the above-meriVsoned due proportions of hot 
water, put to them as before directed. 
The ikins, when dyed, are to be hung up on a wooden 
frame, without being folded, with the grain-fide out¬ 
wards, about three quarters of an hour, to drain ; when 
they muft be carried to a river or ftreatn of running wa¬ 
ter, and well walhed therein fix times or more. After 
this they mull: be put under preffure for about an hour, 
till the water be well fqueezed out; afterwards the (kins 
muft be hung up to dry in a warm room. This being 
dene, the (kins are to be drafted and grained as before di¬ 
rected for thofe dyed red ; except the oiling, which mult 
be omitted. 
Method of Dying Leather of a Saxon Green, from the Journal 
de Phvfque, vol. xvi. The (kins, after being prepared in 
the ufual way to receive the dye, are dipped and foaked 
feveral times in a ftror.g decoction of the wood of the 
barberry, (Berberis vuig. Linn.) By this means they ac¬ 
quire a deep and permanent yellow ; they are then dried, 
and afterwards dipped in a bath of Saxon blue till they 
become of the defired tint of green. The bath of Saxon 
blue is nothing more than a dilute folution of fulphat of 
indigo, prepared by digelting indigo in ftrong vitriolic 
acid, aflifted by a gentle heat till it is diffolved ; in this 
Itate the liquor is black ; but, by largely diluting it with 
water, it becomes of a beautiful blue, called'the Saxon 
blue. The tint of this is far more vivid than can be pro¬ 
duced in the common indigo-vat; but it has the difadvan- 
tage, when ufed by itfelf, of being much lefs permanent. 
The molt approved compofition lor keeping leather black 
and gloffy has been given under the word Blacking, 
vol. iii. p. 78. We (hall here add a receipt to clean the 
tops of boots : One quart of milk ; two ounces of oil of 
vitriol ; one ounce of gum tragacanth ; one table-fpoon- 
ful of lavender-drops ; and two table-fpoonfuls of fpirit 
of wine. Firft mix the lavender-drops with the fpirit of 
wine. Diffolve the gum in boiling water ; then mix them 
with the milk cold ; and put in the oil of vitriol lall. 
Strain the whole through a fieve. 
Stat. 27 Hen. VIII. c. 14, direCIs packers to the ap¬ 
pointment of leather intended to be tranfported ; but.the 
18 Eliz. c. 9, prohibits the (hipping of leather, on penalty 
of forfeiture, See. By flat. 20 Car. II. c. 5, tranfporta- 
tion of leather was allowed to Scotland, Ireland, or any 
foreign country, paying a cuftom or duty ; which ftatute 
was continued by divers fubfequent adds. No perfon 
(hall ingrofs leather to fell again, under the penalty of 
forfeiture; none but tanners are to buy any rough hides 
of leather, or calves’-lkins in the hair, on pain of forfeiture; 
and no perfon (hall foreftall hides, under the penalty of 
6s. 8d. a hide. Leather not lufficiently tanned is to be 
forfeited. In London, the lord-mayor and aldermen are 
to appoint and fwear fearchers of leather, out of the com¬ 
pany of fhoemakers. See. and alfo triers of fufficient lea¬ 
ther; and the lame is to be done by mayors, &c. in other 
towns and corporations; and fearchers allowing infuffi- 
cient leather, incur a forfeiture of 40s. 
Hides of leather are adjudged the ware and manufac¬ 
ture of the currier, and fubjeft to fearch, &c. All per- 
5 Q Ions 
