48 
ON COCHINEAL. 
the reason not only of the dulness of the colour, but also of 
the generally smaller grain. 
3. Mr. Innis told me further, that the more extensive culti- 
vators never kill the insect by immersion, but only by the 
basket being placed in heated rooms or stoves. The smaller 
and poorer cultivators use hot water, "by -which the insect 
is mostly burst open, and the 4 foxy' colour produced." 
"Foxy" is the technical London name for silver cochineal, 
rather reddish, and very different from the fine transparent 
red, which forms the finest black. 
As I am upon this article, I beg to add a few remarks, more 
strictly commercial : — 
1. The serons in Guatimala are made up to 150 lbs., a mule 
there not being able to carry more than 300 lbs. over the 
mountains. In Vera Cruz, the distance from shore is 300 
miles, but not being so mountainous, the mules carry 
400 lbs., the serons being made one-third larger than at Gua- 
timala. 
2. In London, every seron of cochineal, on its arrival, is 
turned out and sifted by the dock companies, filled into Eng- 
lish bags, on which the tare to the ounce is marked, the dust 
of a whole parcel (of 100 to 500 bags) being put together and 
sold separately from the grain. The invariable custom of sift- 
ing exists in no other port than in London. 
3. There still exists as an article of commerce, but 
only just still exists, the sort called "English-dyed black 
cochineal." 
When, in 1826, 1 established myself in London, this article 
was extensively shipped to India, Russia and Austria, and for 
a number of years my Price Current had the quotation of 
"English black cochineal;" and, in fact, being cheaper in 
many places, they would not have the genuine black. It was 
Mexican silver grain dyed, and prices were about the follow- 
ing: — Genuine black, 6s. 6d.] English dyed, 5s. 6d.) Hon- 
duras silver, 5s. 6d. ; Mexican silver, 5s. 
