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SIR,

To the Editor of the Bee.

Stockport, May 16th, 1791. I received your polite letter, and am forry, that, for various reasons, I cannot, at prefent, make public my new process in bleaching. I should have been glad to have been able to indulge you in this refpect, as I think you are entitled to the esteem of the world, for the ardour with which you inquire into fubjects of general utility. What follows, is all that I would wish to communicate concerning it at present.

The method, which I have lately devifed, fuperfedes every former procefs, and must be confiderably cheaper than that which is recommended by Mr. Berthollet, as the materials employed are lefs expenfive than his. The process itself is alfo more fimple.

That my liquor is effentially different from his, will be apparent from the following confideration. His, unlefs when combined with an alkali, deftroys every colour which is put into it; but mine, without the ufe of any alkaline fubftance, preferves the blue in the fel vages of British Calicos; and, as far as my experiments have gone, it does no injury to any other fixed colour.

My preparation is fo fafe, that I have taken cotton cloth, which had been steeped in ftrong liquor, and without washing it, have dried it both in the open air, and at the fire, and found that the fabric was not impaired. There is also another procefs, peculiarly fuitable for ftrong goods, where there are no dyed colours to be retained.

I would not be understood as boafting of what I have done. I would afcribe my fuccefs to a little attentive observation, aided by a concurrence of fortunate circumftances. The prefent is a time of difcovery, and

June 8, big with important events. Rays of light break through on every fide, and direct us in the way of improveThe lovers of science are invited into the field of investigation. The friend of truth is encouraged to inquire and perfevere. I am, Sir, with fentiments of respect, your very humble fervant,

ment.

J. WILSON.

Remarks on useful Vegetable Juices infpissated, that are the Native Productions of Europe.

As a fupplement to the account that was given of the elaftic refin or coutchouc in a late number of this work, (vol. ii. p. 100.) it will be proper to mention some of the vegetable productions of Europe, that have been found to afford juices that poffefs fome of the qualities of that subftance.

In Sweden, they obtain a juice from the Vifcum Album Linn. the white mifletoe, which is faid to poffefs many of the properties of the Coutchouc.

Mr. Faujas de St. Fond tried the glue of the Holly, which we call birdflime, for that purpose. This is prepared at Abbeville in France, from the inner bark of the Holly, as an article for fale. In the ftate it is offered for fale, he obferves it contains a fuperabundance of water, and does not burn like elastic gum, when thrown upon a red hot coal, but by boiling it for about an hour, it becomes then inflammable, and burns with a clear flame, emitting a smell fimilar to that of elastic gum when burning. This fubftance is infoluble in water, or in ardent fpirits. It can be dif folved both in expreffed and effential oils. With the first, when prepared with litharge (usually called drying oils) it forms a varnish, in fome refpects analagous to the claftic gum, long indeed in drying like the coutchouc varnish; but filks covered with it have the fame brilliance, tranfparency, flexibility; the fame inpermeability, and the fame facility of developing the electric fluid, as if they had been covered with coutchouc, which makes it very proper for covering the

filk of those large electrical machines which now are found to produce fuch great effects.

There is found in Provence (a fouthern province of France) at the roots of the Chondrilla Funeca Lin. very common in fteril land, a kind of glue produced by an exudation of a kind of milky juice from that plant, which greatly refembles the elaftic gum. The milky juice of the fig-tree, of feveral kinds of Tithymalis and Apocynium, produce alfo, we are told, particularly in the meridional parts of France, a substance which has a great analogy with the elastic gum.

Mr. Faujas de St. Fond gives the following receipt for making a varnish that may be employed for covering baloons, electrical filken cylinders, or other filks, impenetrable by water, which will prove nearly as good as that of elastic gum (diffolved in oil), and is much lefs expenfive.'

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Take, says he, a pound of glue *; put it in a new earthen pot; make it boil ilowly for about an hour, till it ceases to bubble, or, what comes to the fame thing, till, upon trial of a drop of it takes fire, when thrown upon a live coal. Pour then upon the glue a pound of spirit of turpentine, ftirring it well with a wooden fpatula, and removing the pot from the flame, left the whole fhould take fire ;-let it boil for five or fix minutes; pour then upon it three pounds of boiling oil, that has been prepared with litharge. Walnut oil, linfeed oil, or poppy oil, may be employed at pleafure. Stir it well, and allow it to boil for a quarter of an hour; and the varnish is made.

"When it has flood 24 hours, and the fediment has fallen to the bottom, pour off the clear into another veffel. When you are to use it, let it be warm, and lay it on with a flat pencil, upon filk, well stretched. One good coat is enough. Allow it to remain thus ftretched out in the open air to dry."

This, though not expreffed in the receipt, I prefume means the glue of Holly, or birdflime above described, t

VOL. III.

Z

SIR,

To the Editor of the Bee.

You lately favoured us with a review of Mrs. Gunning's Pamphlet. If a future edition fhall be required, I beg leave, through the channel of your paper, to suggest to the lady the following quotation from Shakefpeare, as a motto for her title page:

"Orla. O but fhe is wife."

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Rof. Or elfe fhe could not have the wit to do this; the wifer the waywarder."

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Rof. You shall never take her without her an"fwer, unless you take her without her tongue. O! "that woman that cannot make her fault her husband's “occafion, let her never nurse her child herself; for "the will breed it like a fool!"

TUMBLEDOWN.

To the Editor of the Bee.

IF you think the following worthy of a place in your mifcellany, please infert it.

A Receipt for killing Rats.

In 1783, a premium of five guineas was given by the Dublin Society for the following receipt to kill rats.

Take 1 quart of oat meal, 4 drops of oil of Rhodium, 1 grain of musk, 2 nuts of nux vomica powdered. Mix the whole together, and place it where the rats frequent; cor inue to do fo while they eat it, and it will foon destroy them, be they ever fo numerous.

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G. R.

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For the Bee.

Ode to Maria.

WHAT is beauty? tis a flower
Born to perish in an hour;'
'Tis a fhadow flying fleet
On the nimble courfer's feet;
'Tis a creature of the spring,
Spoiling on its wanton wing,
Scarcely feen beneath the fun,
When its rapid race is run.

No! Maria, though our fight
Gaze a moment with delight;
Think not that the foul is caught
By a thing fo void and naught:
'Tis the graces of the mind,
Not to time or place confin'd,
That we ever fond admire,
That we ardently defire.

No! Maria, though thy eye
With the diamond's luftre vie;
Tho' thy cheeks the bloom difclofe
Of the lily and the rofe;
Tho' fweet fmiles thy lips adorn,
Sweet as blushes of the'morn;
It is not thefe :-It is thy truth
That lures the love of every youth;
It is thy foft and tender heart;

It is thy ease, devoid of art.

CN F———K.

Extempore on a young lady being displeased at the colour of her hat.

No wonder you're mad,

Your hat looks fo bad,

When your cheeks the colour outvies;

Thofe roses that grace

That sweet pretty face,
Must all imitatation despise.

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