374 
PAPER. 
having parted between the rollers of the vvet-prefs, is not 
of that confiftency and ftrength as would allow of its 
being removed from the machine and cut in ftieets, the 
new-made paper is caufed to detach itfelf from the wire, 
at the moment it comes to the extreme roller, over which 
the wire revolves, and is immediately received upon a 
fecond web of felt, which is, like the former, ftretched by 
two principal rollers and other fubordinate ones. By the 
revolution of this web, which mud have the fame velocity 
as the former, the paper is brought between two rollers 
of brafs or other hard metal, which are turned perfectly 
fmooth, and placed home di/lance from the wet-prefs 
cylinders, but exaflly parallel to them ; and, after parting 
through them, the paper is received and wound upon a 
reel, or roller, which is from time to time removed, 
and others applied in their room as they are tilled with 
paper. 
This is the general aftion of the machine; but there 
are a number of very ingenious movements, which we 
have not mentioned. The Jhaliivg-movement of the mould, 
which is fo neceflary to make the pulp coagulate into paper, 
is, in this machine, given to the wore thus: the frame of 
the roller on which the wire is extended at the end near 
the vat, is fo placed on the top of upright legs, which are 
movable on centres, as to admit the roller and wire with 
the deckle-ftraps to move fideways a ftriall quantity, and 
to return, in the manner of vibration, by the aftion of a 
crank. The number of thefe vibrations, or fhakes, ne¬ 
ceflary in a given time, and the fpace parted through by 
the w ire in each, will vary according to the quality and 
preparation of the pulp. The number, however, feems, 
by obfervation, to be limited to one or tw'o hundred per 
minute ; and the fpace, between a quarter of an inch and 
an inch. To enable the paper-maker readily to give a 
proper velocity to the crank according to his judgment, 
the fame is turned by a fmall independent water-wheel, 
the velocity of which, and confequent number of vibra¬ 
tions, are regulated, at pleafure, by the quantity of water 
admitted upon the wheel. The fliding-plate in the vat, 
which admits the pulp to flow out as firft mentioned, is 
regulated by a ferew, by which the circular aperture may 
bs opened or (hut in gmy intermediate degree, fo that the 
quantity of pulp required to run from the vat to the wire, 
may by this be regulated, and fo adjufted to the velocity 
ofthe wire, as to produce a fheet of paper of any required 
thicknefs. The whole machine is turned by a water¬ 
wheel, which is preferable to any other power, as by it is 
obtained the mod regular and uniform motion, and fuch 
as is bell; adapted for this purpofe, though other firft- 
movers might be ufed. 
As the paper is drawn off the endlefs wire by the 
motion of the revolving web of felt, it is neceflary to 
have the riggers, or band-wheels, which communicate the 
motion from the rollers of the dry-prefs to thofe of the 
wet-prefs, made upon an adjuftable principle, or capable 
of having their diameters increafed or diminirtied, as oc- 
cafion requires, whilft the machine is at work. By this 
sdjuftment, an exa£l corr.efpondence is obtained between 
the velocity of the revolving wire and that of the revolv¬ 
ing felting; for, fliouid one exceed the other in the fmalleft 
portable degree, the paper would either be torn afunder, 
or carried round upon the under fide of the web, and be 
fpoiled. It is effected by a very ingenious application of 
an expanding rigger. 
The machine will make paper of any required width 
alfo, by diminilhing the diflance between the deckles 
upon the wire; and for this purpofe, the rollers over 
which the deckle-ftraps are conltrudfed are adjuftable 
'fipon their fpindles. The long (fleet of paper, thus ob¬ 
tained, is unrolled from the reel upon a cutting-table, 
having grooves, with fteel edges, placed at a proper dif- 
tance ; and thus the ftieets, of the ufual fizes, are cut off, 
by means of fteel cutting-wheels running into the grooves 
of the table, and prefled down by a loaded carriage. The 
reel of paper is placed parallel to thefe grooves, which are 
fo much longer than the utmoft width of the (fleet, as is 
fufficient to let the carriage be retained on either fide 
while a (heet is taken oft’the table, and frefti paper drawn 
on ; in doing which, care is taken to keep the edges of 
the (fleet at right angles to the grooves, for which purpofe, 
direilion-lines are drawn upon the table. We have been 
informed by thofe who have feen tRefe machines at work, 
that this method of cutting has been abandoned ; and 
they are now worked with reels made adjuftable to the 
required width of the ftieet, and, when a fufficient quantity 
is wound on it, is cut off by a knife, which, by cutting 
through the folds, divides the paper into feparate ftieets, 
which are ready for the operation of the fecond prefs. 
The machines are conftrufled with a cloth, fo wide, that 
the continual (heet is cut up into two, and fometimes 
three, in width, by which means it produces an immenfe 
number of ftieets in a (liort time; but the greateft advan¬ 
tage is in making very large (fleets, which it wiil do to 
almoft any extent in length, and as much as two yards 
in width. 
But even this curious machine has been greatly im¬ 
proved upon by Mefirs. Dickinfon and Co. whofe mills 
are (ituated a little low'er down, between the villages of 
Two Waters and King’s Langley. They have an air- 
pump, which a«£ts on the machine in fuch a manner as to 
fuperfede the Jhulie there deferibed as fo neceflary; and, 
inftead of the wire feveral yards in length whereon the 
pulp is deferibed as running, it runs into a cylinder, and 
from thence on to the felt ; which reduces the fize of the 
machine fo much that it occupies but little more room 
than a mangle, while the others take up a fpace of ten or 
twelve yards in length. Many other improvements are 
made in thefe machines, (which we cannot fully explain, 
as no defeription of them is publilhed, and we have only 
the imperfedt obfervation of a perfon who had the pleafure 
of feeing them ;) one of which is, the original machines 
require the eye of fome perfon conftantly on the paper in 
its progrefs, left it fltould break or become thin and un¬ 
even; but thefe have a fmall bell fo fixed, that the lead 
imperfedlion caufes it to ring; therefore the man whofe 
duty it is to attend the machine can be employed in 
cutting the paper from the roller at the fame time. Mr. G. 
Dickinfon, we believe, obtained a patent for a picking- 
machine, which was fixed fo as to pick the paper while in 
its progrefs to the roller at the end of the machine ; but, 
fince that, Mr. Dickinfon has invented a new method of 
cleanfing the pulp itfelf, by bringing it through a body 
of water ; which method produces a paper much cleaner 
and better than can otherwife be produced, and eftedts a 
very material laving of labour and materials. 
The paper is now ready for the market. Not quite fo; 
for, previous to its quitting the mill, or warehoufe, the 
proprietors muft pay the 
Duties on Paper. —The principal adl by which the 
excife-duties on paper are nowcolledled, is the 43 Geo. III. 
c. 69. By the 43 Geo. III. c. 81. more duties were added to 
thole impofed by the former aid ; and by other fubfequent 
ftatutes other duties increafe the whole amount; and the 
particulars may be found in the fchedules annexed to the 
feveral aids. We (hall here fubjoin fome more permanent 
regulations. 
Paper which hath paid the duty may be exported, and 
alfo books; and drawbacks are to be allowed fubjeft to 
the regulations preferibed in feveral adls ; as 26 Geo. III. 
c. 78. 34 Geo. III. c. ao. 43 Geo. III. c. 69, fched. G. The 
officer attending the packing of paper for exportation, 
(hall take off the (lamps from each ream or bundle; and 
any perfon obftrudting him in this fervice (hail incur a 
forfeiture of 50I. (26 Geo. III. c. 77.) By 49 Geo. III. 
c. 98. certain importation-duties of cuftoins are alio pay¬ 
able upon papers; but old rags, old ropes or junks, or 
old fiftiing-nets, may be imported duty free, (11 Geo. I. 
c. 7.) By 32 Geo. III. c. 54. officers of the cuftoms lhall 
caufe any printed, painted, or ftained, paper, that is im¬ 
ported, to be marked ; and counterfeiting or forging the 
mark 
