ioS HISTORY OF THE [book. v. 
“ Let a small hole be made in the steeper, six 
or eight inches from the bottom, exclusive of the 
opening or aperture for drawing off the impregna¬ 
ted water; let this hole likewise be stopped with a 
plug, yet not so firmly but that a small stream may 
be permitted to ooze through it. After the plants 
have been steeped some hours, the fluid oozing 
out will appear beautifully green, and at the lower 
edge of the cistern from whence it drops into the 
battery, it will turn of a copperish colour. This 
copperish hue, as the fermentation continues, will 
gradually ascend upwards to the plug, and when 
that circumstance is perceived it is proper to stop 
the fermentation. 
“ During the progress of this part of the busi¬ 
ness, particular attention should be paid to the 
smell of the liquor which weeps from the aper¬ 
ture; for should it discover any sourness, it will be 
necessary to let the fermented liquor run immedi¬ 
ately into the battery, and lime water of sufficient 
strength must be added to it, until it has lost its 
sourness. As it is running off, it will appear green, 
mixed with a bright yellow, or straw colour, but 
in the battery it will be of a most beautiful green.” 
The tincture being thus discharged into the bat¬ 
tery, it is there churned or agitated, until the dye 
begins to granulate, or float in little flakes on the 
water. This was formerly done in Jamaica with 
manual labour, by means of paddles, and, in the 
French islands, by backets or cylinders fixed to 
