Proceedings of the Committee of Commerce and Agriculture / Royal Asiatic Society.

  • Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Committee of Agriculture and Commerce.
Date:
[1840]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Proceedings of the Committee of Commerce and Agriculture / Royal Asiatic Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    20/30 (page 154)
    Probably the Lodu bark described by Dr. Buchanan Hamilton. It yields an astringent brown-coloured solution, and may be employed alone as a dye-stuff; forming various shades of brown, grey, and chocolate. Its use in dyeing red, as practised in India, is probably merely as an astringent, and similar in its action to the bath of galls employed in this country in the dyeing of Turkey red. P.B. Munjit. The root of Rubia Munjista. This dye-stuff is well known to dyers; but it has not nearly so good a reputation as it appears deserve, as exceedingly good colours may be dyed with it by proper management; though it is usually considered as very far inferior to madder, and only suitable for the commonest kinds of dyeing. It has long been under a considerable disadvantage in being subjected to the same duty as madder; and, as it contains less colour than that dye- stuff, it has, of course, been proportionably higher taxed. P.D. Kossumba, or Safflower. The samples of this dye are of in- ferior quality, and worth in consequence only about 85. per cwt. P.E. Maen, or Sacklur. A berry used for mixing with cochineal to heighten the colour. This, though called a berry, has more the appearance of being an exudation formed on the young leaves or buds of some tree by an insect, and similar in nature to the gall-nut. It is perhaps the gall of the Tamarisk. It forms a pale greenish-coloured solution in water, which is very astringent and slightly acid; when added to a solution of cochineal, it precipitates the animal matter and acts as a feeble acid, the solution becoming in consequence slightly darker and clearer. The quantity of astringent matter contained is very large, and hence this substance would, if not too expensive or difficult of collection, form a very good substitute for galls for many purposes in the arts where galls are now employed. It dyes a good black with iron mordants, and makes excellent writing ink. Its most important constituents are tannin, gallic acid, and colouring matter. P.J. Hurda. The dried fruit of a species of Terminalia, called Myrobolans, and used in India in dyeing yellow, and in tanning. They contain a large proportion of tannin associated with gallic acid, gum, and a yellow colouring matter. Although very little known to British dyers, they are by no means new, having been introduced a considerable time ago by the Society of Arts; they do not, however, seem to have much attracted the attention of manufacturers. With iron mordants they form durable and very beautiful black dyes. The greatest draw- back to their use is the comparatively large quantity of useless matter which they contain, as the stone which occupies a large portion of the centre of the fruit, and constitutes a great part of its weight, is wholly