ation and consumption here; so that there is a premium of 8s. per barrel, which Irish beef consumed in Britain, has over that of Britain It is further to be observed, that after consuming a barrel of beef or pork cured with foreign salt, there is found in the barrel, at an average, about a quarter of a bushel of unconsumed salt. The duty on this quantity is about 2s. 6d. which the revenue loses on Irish beef and pork, consumed in Britain; as this salt is used, and very proper for culinary purposes. The memorialists have stated the disadvantages under which the British merchant at present labours, in curing beef or pork, either for exportation, the use of his ships on their voyages, or home consumption: And they humbly hope they are only necessary to be pointed out, to induce the Legislature to give the necessary redress and relief, especially for the two first mentioned objects; as nothing is more certain, than that this branch of trade, if an adequate and proper encouragement is given to it, will not only greatly advantage the revenue in the duties upon salt, but there will also be much money kept in the country, which is sent elsewhere for salted provisions, tallow, and hides; and, in time, these two last articles, so necefsary to the poor, after being manufactured into soap, canIdles, and fhoes, &c. will thereby become cheaper in Great Britain. Your memorialists, therefore, humbly pray your Lordfhips, to take the premises into consideration; and that your Lordships will be pleased to give your countenance and support to a bill, which may put the merchant who cures beef or pork, upon the same footing with the curers of herrings, as to the duties upon sult; allowing him, in the same manner, to receive home-made salt from the pans, and foreign salt from the cellars, where it may be lodged under (Signed) GALLOWAY. STAIR. KEITH STEWART, J- HUNTER BLAIR. NEW DISCOVERIES RESPECTING THE CAOUTCHOUC. THE reader may perhaps recollect that in the second volume of the Bee, p. 101 many hints were given of the uses that might be made of the Caoutchouc, or elastic gum as it has been called in arts. however be got in Europe in its As that gum cannot fluid state, we have not as yet had it in our power to apply it to almost any of the purposes there mentioned; but men by turning their attention to that object, begin to find that it may, by various contrivances be converted to some use. following are instances of this sort. Hand's patent leather. The A gentleman of the name of Hand in Birmingham, as I am informed, has of late obtained a patent for preparing leather in a certain way that he has discovered, by means of which, leather is said to be rendered perfectly Impervious to water, and when soiled, requires only to be wiped with a spunge to restore it to its original lustre. The glaze and polish of that leather is indeed surprisingly fine, and far exceeds any thing of the sort we have een, where the flexibility of the leather is preserThis glasing we are afsured consists of nothing else than a varnish made of caoutchouc in oil of turpentine or some other oil, and then exposing it to the air until the oil be entirely evaporated. This, though a much more expensive procefs than the employing the native juice by itself, and probably much lefs perfect also than that would be, may still be of use in many cases. ved. Leather prepared as above is so much enhanced in price, as to render a pair of shoes made of it about nine fhillings dearer than if made of common leather, which must necefsarily confine the use of it to a very few only. Pieces of Caoutchouc cemented into an uniform mafs. As all the modes that have yet been discovered of ma king a solution of this gum, so as to permit it to be employed in a fluid state, are attended with great expence, various efforts have been made to try if the gum in its solid state could be so moulded as to be applied to economical uses, and in consequence of attention and repeated experiments, one gentleman has at length succeeded so far as to be ablę to join pieces of it together, which adhere so firmly as that if overstretched it will give way as readily in the solid parts as at the joining, and by that means he thinks many uses may be made of it. His process is very simple and not expensive. The caoutchouc is brought over to Europe in the form of small bottles. He takes one of these bottles, and with a sharp instrument cuts it down into a long fpiral slice, so as to form one continued narrow ribbon, if you please to give it that name. He then puts it in boiling water for the some space of a quarter of an hour or 20 minutes. It is thus in measure softened, tho' not dissolved; and acquires a kind of transparency towards the edges. He then rolls it up firmly upon a mould prepared for the purpose, so as to make the edges overlap each other a little, and cover the whole mould with an uniform unbroken coating, and imme diately wraps it all over with a piece of ribbon or tape, so as to comprefs the whole very firmly. In this state he allows it to remain till it be quite dry; and then, on taking off the bandage, he finds that the whole forms an uniform compact coating, which retains the thape of the mould after it is withdrawn, and has the same kind of flexibility with the caoutchouc in its natural state. When the mould is a smooth cylinder like a wire, which he employed, he found it could be withdrawn merely by dipping the whole for a few minutes in boiling water, and then pulling it out. t In this way he thinks catheters, &c. may be formed as good as those that have hitherto been made by a solution of caoutchouc in æther, and at a much smaller expence; and in the same way. may be constructed tubes and cases of various forms, for many purposes in economy and arts, a few of which shall be here briefly specified, Pumps for acids, and tubes of various sorts. It has been long a desideratum among those who deal in acids, to find a pump that could be conveniently employed for taking them from one vefsel into another. Perhaps it may be pofsible to supply that want by the contrivance above specified. For this purpose let a cylinder of the size wanted be provided; cover it as far as the length of the tube required. To give the tube the firmness required, in the bore of a pump take a pipe of thin tin plate formed cylindrically, but having several small slits along its surface, the whole way of the precise breadth wanted without being cemented. Let it then be laid over the cylin der covered with the caoutchouc, and firmly bound round 302 it the whole way, by a small wire, pafsed spirally around it. Then cover this plate directly with another coating of the same caoutchouc, laid over it in the same manner as before, taking special care that the plate be somewhat shorter at both ends than the caoutchouc coating. When thoroughly dry, let the mould be withdrawn, and you have the cylinder required, the metal being so entirely coated as to preserve it effectually from the acids. You will easily perceive that the use of the small slits in the metal was to allow the two coatings of caoutchouc to touch each other in these places, so as to make the whole. adhere firmly together, and keep the tube closely encased. By making holes of a sufficient size in the plate, wherever you want to have an opening, you will be enabled there to pierce the caoutchouc without touching the metal, and thus to insert other tubes either formed in the same manner, or of glass, where circumstances admit of it. By the same mode, the stalk of a piston may be entirely coated; and valves of any kind formed with the utmost facility. Where a tube is wanted still to retain its elasticity, without danger of collapsing, the metal case may be omitted, and a spiral wire of a size suited for the occasion, substituted in its stead. Where the tube is long so as that it might be difficult to withdraw it, if it be of a considerable size, a mould may be made of tallow, or wax, which can be dissolved by immersing the whole in hot water; by the same means may be formed irregular moulds which could not otherwise be withdrawn; or such moulds may be made of clay, which can be softened by means of water, and washed out. |