Theclassofsubstancestowhichparchmentandvellumbelonghasalreadyreceivedsomeconsiderationbutisasubjectwellworthsomefurtherdiscussion。
Allusionsarefoundinsomeoftheclassicalwriterstoinscriptionswrittenontheskinsofgoatsandsheep;ithas,indeed,beenassertedbysomescholarsthattheBooksofMoseswerewrittenonsuchskins。
Dr。Buchananmanyyearsagodiscovered,intherecordchestofsomeHebrewsatMalabar,amanuscriptcopyofthegreaterpartofthePentateuch,writteninHebrewongoat’sskins。Thegoatskinswerethirty-seveninnumber,dyedred,andweresewntogether,soastoformarollforty-eightfeetinlengthbytwenty-twoinchesinwidth。Atwhatdatethiswaswrittencannotbenowdetermined,butitissupposedtobeextremelyancient。
TheHebrewsbegan,earlyaftertheinventionofparchment,towritetheirscripturesonthismaterial,ofwhichtherollsofthelawusedintheirsynagoguesarestillcomposed。
Scriptural,likemanyotherclassesofMSS。originatingprevioustotheeighthcenturyandinkwritteneitheronparchmentorvellum,orboth,areincapitalletterswithoutspacesbetweenwordsandexceedinglyrare。ThemoreimportantandvaluableofthemwhichapplytotheNewTestamentarerespectivelyknownastheSinaitic,theVaticanandtheAlexandrian,manyofwhosevarioustranslationsandreadingsareincorporatedbyTischendorfinhisLeipzigeditionoftheEnglishNewTestament。Thestoriesrelatingtothediscoveryandobtainingoftheserelicsofthefirstcenturiesofoureraarestartlingones。Thereputationandstanding,however,ofthediscoverers,andtheinvestigationssubsequentlymadebyknownscholarsoftheirtime,servestoinvestthemwithacertaindegreeoftruthfulness。
ThemostinterestingisthestoryabouttheSinaiticcodex,theoldestofanyextantandwhichisbesttoldbyMadan:
“ThestoryofthediscoveryofthisfamousmanuscriptoftheBibleinGreek,theoldestexistingofalltheNewTestamentcodexes,andinseveralpointsthemostinteresting,readslikearomance。ConstantineTischendorf,thewell-
knowneditoroftheGreekTestament,startedonhisfirstmissionlitteraireinApril,1844,andinthenextmonthfoundhimselfattheConventofSt。Catherine,atthefootofMountSinai。There,inthemiddleofthehall,ashecrossedit,hesawabasketfullofoldparchmentleavesontheirwaytotheburning,andwastoldthattwobasketshadalreadygone!Lookingattheleavesmoreclosely,heperceivedthattheywerepartsoftheOldTestamentinGreek,writteninanextremelyoldhandwriting。
Hewasallowedtotakeawayforty-threeleaves;buttheinterestofthemonkswasaroused,andtheybothstoppedtheburning,andalsorefusedtopartwithanymoreofthepreciousfragments。
Tischendorfdeparted,depositedtheforty-
threeleavesintheLeipsigLibrary,andeditedthemunderthetitleoftheCodexFriderico-Au-
gustanus,incomplimenttotheKingofSaxony,in1846。Buthewiselykeptthesecretoftheirprovenance,andnoonefollowedinhistrackuntilhehimselfwentonasecondquesttothemonasteryin1853。InthatyearhecouldfindnotraceswhateveroftheremainsoftheMSS。exceptafewfragmentsofGenesis,andreturnedunsuccessfulanddisheartened。
Atlast,heoncemoretookajourneytothemonastery,underthepatronageoftheRussianEmperor,whowaspopularthroughouttheEastastheprotectoroftheOrientalChurches。
Nothingcouldhefind,however;andhehadorderedhisBedouinstogetreadyfordeparture,when,happeningtohavetakenawalkwiththestewardofthehouse,andtobeinvitedintohisroom,inthecourseofconversationthestewardsaid:’I,too,havereadaSeptuagint,’andproducedoutofawrapperofredcloth,’abulkykindofvolume,’whichturnedouttobethewholeoftheNewTestament,withtheGreektextoftheEpistleofBarnabas,muchofwhichwashithertounknown,andthegreaterpartoftheOldTestament,allpartsoftheveryMSS。whichhadsolongbeensought!InacarelesstoneTischendorfaskedifhemighthaveitinhisroomforfurtherinspection,andthatnightFebruary4-5,1859
it’seemedimpietytosleep。’BythenextmorningtheEpistleofBarnabaswascopiedout,andacourseofactionwassettled。MighthecarrythevolumetoCairototranscribe?Yes,ifthePrior’sleavewasobtained;but,unluckilythePriorhadalreadystartedtoCairoonhiswaytoConstantinople。
BytheactivityofTischendorfhewascaughtupatCairo,gavetherequisitepermission,andaBedoninwassenttotheconvent,andreturnedwiththebookinninedays。Onthe24thofFebruary,Tischendorfbegantotranscribeit;
andwhenitwasdone,conceivedthehappyideaofaskingforthevolumeasagifttotheEmperorofRussia。Probablythiswastheonlypossiblepleawhichwouldhavegainedthemainobjectinview,andevenasitwastherewasgreatdelay;butatlast,onthe28thofSeptember,thegiftwasformallymade,andtheMSS。soonafterdepositedinSt。Petersburg,whereitnowlies。ThedateofthisMSS。issupposedtobenotlaterthanA。D。
400,andhasbeenthesubjectofminuteinquiryinconsequenceofthecuriousstatementofSimonidesin1862,thathehadhimselfwrittenitonMountAthosin1839-40。”
ConstantineSimonideswasaGreekwhowasbornin1824andisbelievedtohavebeenthemostversatileforgerofthenineteenthcentury。From1843
until1856hewasinevidencealloverEuropeofferingforsalefraudulentMSS。purportingtobeofancientorigin。
In1861Madansays:
“HeboldlyassertedthathehimselfhadwrittenthewholeoftheCodexSinaiticuswhichTischendorfhadboughtin1856fromthemonasteryofSt。
CatherineonMountSinai。Thestatementwas,ofcourse,receivedwiththeutmostincredulity;butSimionidesasserted,notonlythathehadwrittenit,butthat,inviewoftheprobableskepticismofthescholars,hehadplacedcertainprivatesignsonparticularleavesofthecodex。Whenpressedtospecifythesemarkshegavealistoftheleavesonwhichweretobefoundhisinitialsorothermonogram。
Thetestwasafairone,andtheMSS。,whichwasatSt。Petersburg,wascarefullyinspected。
EveryleafdesignatedbySimonideswasfoundtobeimperfectatthepartwherethemarkwastohavebeenfound。Deliberatemutilationbyanenemy,saidhisfriends。ButmanythoughtthatthewilyGreekhadacquiredthroughprivatefriendsanoteofsomeimperfectleavesintheMSS。,andhadmadeunscrupuloususeoftheinformation。”
Acuriouskindofdocument,whichlinkstheclassicaltimeswiththemiddleages,inrespecttotheweofparchment,isaffordedbythe“palimpsests。”ormanuscriptsfromwhicholdwritinghadbeenerasedinordertomakewayfornew。Awell-preparedleafofparchmentwassocostlyanarticleinthemiddleages,thatthetranscriberswhowereemployedbythemonasticestablishmentsinwritingoftenavailedthemselvesofsomeoldmanuscript,fromwhichtheyscrapedoffthewriting;suchadoubly-usedpieceofparchmentwascalleda“palimpsest。”Thispracticeseemstohavebeenfollowedlongbefore,butnottosogreatanextentasaboutthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturies,atwhichtimetherewerepersonsregularlyemployedas“parchment-restorers。”Thetranscribershadaregularkindofknife,withwhichtheyscratchedouttheoldwriting,andtheyrubbedthesurfacewithpowderedpumicestone,toprepareitforreceivingthenewink。SocommonwasthispracticethatwhenoneoftheemperorsofGermanyestablishedtheofficeofimperialnotary,itwasoneofthearticlesorconditionsattachedtotheholdingoftheofficethatthenotaryshouldnotuse“scrapedvellum“indrawingdeeds。Sometimestheoriginalwriting,byacarefultreatmentoftheparchment,hasbeensofarrestoredastobevisible,anditisfoundtobeparallel,diagonal,andsometimesatrightanglestothewritingafterwardsintroduced。Inmanycasestheancientwritingrestoredbeneathisfoundtobeinfinitelymorevaluablethanthemonkishlegendswrittenafterwards。
Cicero’sDeRepublicawasdiscoveredbyAngeloMaiintheVaticanlibrarywrittenunderacommentaryofSt。AugustineonthePsalms;andtheInstitutionsofGains,inthelibraryofthechapterofVerona,weredecipheredinlikemannerundertheworksofSt。Jerome。
Papyrus,parchment,andvellumweresometimesusedtogetherintheMSS。books。Thompson,authorof“GreekandLatinPalaeography。”observes:
“Examples,madeupinbookform,sometimeswithafewvellumleavesincorporatedtogivestability,arefoundindifferentlibrariesofEurope。
Theyare:TheHomiliesofSt。Avitus,ofthe6thcentury,atParis;SermonsandEpistlesofSt。Augustine,ofthe6thor7thcentury,atParisandGenoa;worksofHilary,ofthe6thcentury,atVienna;fragmentsoftheDigests,ofthe6thcentury,atPommersfeld;theAntiquitiesofJosephus,ofthe7thcentury,atMilan;anIsidore,ofthe7thcentury,atSt。Gall。AtMunich,also,istheregisteroftheChurchofRavenna,writtenonthismaterialinthe10thcentury。”
TherollsandrecordsconnectedwiththeearlyparliamentaryandlegalproceedingsinEnglandfurnishinterestingexamplesoftheuseofparchmentinwriting。
The“Records。”sooftenalludedtoinsuchmatters,arestatementsordetails,writtenuponrollsofparchment,oftheproceedingsinthosehighercourtsoflawwhicharedistinguishedas“CourtsofRecord。”Ithasbeenstatedthat“ourstoresofpublicrecordsarejustlyreckonedtoexcelinage,beauty,correctness,andauthoritywhateverthechoicestarchivesabroadcanboastofthelikesort。”
Therecordsaregenerallymadeofseveralskinsorsheetsofparchmentorvellum,eachsheetbeingaboutthreefeetlongandoftenninetofourteeninchesinwidth。Theyareeitherallfastenedtogetheratoneend,soastoformakindofbook,orarestitchedendtoend,soastoconstituteanextendedroll。Thesetwomethodsappeareachtohavehaditsparticularadvantages,accordingtothewayinwhich,andthetimeatwhich,themanuscriptwasfilledup。Someoftherecordsoftheformerofthesetwokindscontainsomanyskinsofparchmentthattheyformahugerollequalinsizetoalargebassdrum,andrequiringthestrengthoftwomentoliftthem。Someoftheseonthecontinuousplanarealsosaidtobeofimmensesize;one,ofmoderndate,isninehundredfeetinlengthandemploysamanthreehourstounrollit。Theinvaluableoldrecord,knownbythenameof“DoomsdayBook。”isshapedlikeabook,andismuchmoreconvenienttoopenthanmostoftheothers。Variousotherlegaldocuments,toanimmenseamount,are“filed。”orfastenedtogetherbyastringpassingthroughthem。
Itseemsaverystrangecontradiction,butitispositivelyassertedasafact,thattheparchmentemployedfortheserecordswasofveryfinequalitydowntothetimeofElizabeth,butthatitgraduallydeterioratedafterwards,insomuchthatthelatestaretheworst。
SomeoftheserecordsandrollsarewritteninLatin,someinNormanFrench,andsomeinEnglish。
Themodesofdepositingandcarryingtheancientrecordswerecurious,andthereseemstohavebeennoverydefinitearrangementinthisrespect。Greatnumberswerekeptinpouchesorbagsmadeofleather,canvas,cordovan,orbuckram;theyweretiedlikemodernreticules。Whensuchpoucheshaveescapeddamptheyhavepreservedtheparchmentrecordsforcenturiesperfectlycleananduninjured。Anotherkindofreceptacleforrecordswasasmallturnedbox,calleda“skippet。”andanotherwasthe“hanaper。”orhamper,abasketmadeoftwigsorwicker-work。Chests,coffers,andcasesofvariousshapesandsizesformedotherreceptaclesfortherecords。Themodeoffindingtheparticulardocumentrequiredwasnotbyasystemofpagingandanindex,asinamodernbook,becausethearrangementofthewrittensheetsdidnotadmitofthis,buttherewereletters,signs,andinscriptions,orlabelsforthispurpose;theyconstituteanoddassemblage,comprisingships,scales,balances,castles,plants,animals,etc。;inmostinstancesthesignsorsymbolsbearsomeanalogy,orsupposedanalogy,withthesubjectoftherecord,suchasanoakonarecordrelatingtotheforestlaws,aheadinacowlononerelatingtoamonastery,scalesononerelatingtocoining,etc。
Atatimewhenbookswerepreparedbyhandinsteadofbyprinting,andwheneachcopybecameveryvaluable,booksweretreatedwithadegreeofrespectwhichcanbehardlyunderstoodatthepresentday。Theclergyandthemonkswerealmostexclusivelythereadersofthosedays,andtheyheldtheotherclassesofsocietyinsuchcontempt,inallthatregardedliteratureandlearning,thatBishopdeBurg,whowroteaboutfivecenturiesago,expressesanopinionthat“Laymen,towhomitmattersnotwhethertheylookatabookturnedwrongsideupwardsorspreadbeforetheminnaturalorder,arealtogetherunworthyofanycommunionwithbooks。”
ItisstatedbyMr。Knight,inhis“LifeofCaxton:“
“Wehaveabundantevidence,whateverbethescarcityofbooksascomparedwiththegrowthofscholarship,thattheecclesiasticslabouredmostdiligentlytomultiplybooksfortheirownestablishments。
IneverygreatabbeytherewasaroomcalledtheScriptorium,whereboysandnoviceswereconstantlyemployedinmultiplyingtheservice-
booksofthechoir,andthelessvaluablebooksforthelibrary;whilstthemonksthemselveslabouredintheircellsuponbiblesandmissals。Equalpainsweretakeninprovidingbooksforthosewhoreceivedaliberaleducationincollegiateestablishments。”
Wartonsays:
“AtthefoundationofWinchesterCollege,oneormoretranscriberswerehiredandemployedbythefoundertomakebooksforthelibrary。Theytranscribedandtooktheirfoodwithinthecollege,asappearsbycomputationofexpensesontheiraccountnowremaining。Buttherearemanyindicationsthatevenkingsandnobleshadnottheadvantageofscholarsbyprofession,and,possessingfewbooksoftheirown,hadsometimestoborrowoftheirmorefavouredsubjects。”
Welearnfromanothersourcethatthegreatnotonlyprocuredbooksbypurchase,butemployedtranscriberstomakethemfortheirlibraries。ThemanuscriptexpenseaccountofSirJohnHoward,afterwardsDukeofNorfolk,showsin1467,ThomasLympnor,thatisThomastheLimnerofBury,waspaidthesumoffiftyshillingsandtwopenceforabookwhichhehadtranscribedandornamented,includingthevellumandbinding。Thelimner’sbillismadeupofanumberofitems,“forwholevignettes,andhalf-vignettes,andcapitalletters,andflourishingandplainwriting。”
Thesetranscribersandlimnersworkedprincipallyuponparchmentandvellum,fortheuseofpaperwasbynomeansextensiveuntiltheinventionoftheartofprinting。Someoftheoldmanuscriptscontaindrawingsrepresentingacopierortranscriberatwork,wherethemonkisrepresentedasprovidedwithasingularandtolerablycompletesetofapparatustoaidhiminhiswork。Thedeskforcontainingthesheetorskinonwhichheiswriting,theclasptokeepthissheetflat,theinkstand,thepen,andtheknife,themanuscriptfromwhichthecopyisbeingmade,thedeskforcontainingthatmanuscript,andtheweightforkeepingitinitsplace,——allareshown,withaclearnesswhich,despiteofbadperspective,rendersthemquiteintelligible。
Ofthetwosubstances,parchmentandvellum,beforetheinventionofpaper,anotherwordortwomaybesaid。Parchmentismadefromtheskinofsheeporlambs;vellum,fromthatofveryyoungcalvessometimesunbornones,buttheprocessofpreparingisprettymuchthesameinbothcases。Whenthehairorwoolhasbeenremoved,theskinissteepedinlimewater,andthenstretchedonasquareframeinalightmanner。Whilesostretched,itisscrapedonthefleshsidewithabluntiron,wettedwithamoistrag,coveredwithpoundedchalk,andrubbedwellwithpumicestone。Afteratime,theseoperationsarerepeated,butwithouttheuseofchalk;theskinisthenturned,andscrapedonthehairsideonceonly;
thefleshsideisthenscrapedoncemore,andagainrubbedoverwithchalk,whichisbrushedoffwithapieceoflambskinretainingthewool。Allthisisdonebytheskinner,whoallowstheskintodryonaframe,andthencutsitoutandsendsittotheparchmentmaker,whorepeatstheoperationwithasharpertool,usingasackstuffedwithflockswoolorhairtolaytheskinupon,insteadofstretchingitonaframe。
Respectingthequality,value,andpreparationofparchmentinpastages,itisstatedinthe“PennyCyclopaedia“thatparchmentfromtheseventhtothetenthcenturywas“whiteandgood,andattheearliestoftheseperiodsitappearstohavenearlysupersededpapyrus,whichwasbrittleandmoreperishable。Averyfewbooksoftheseventhcenturyhaveleavesofparchmentandpapyrusmixed,thattheformercostlymaterialmightstrengthenandsupportthefriablepaper。Abouttheeleventhcenturyitgrewworse,andadirtycoloredparchmentisevidenceofawantofantiquity。Thismaypossiblyarisefromthecircumstancesthatwritersofthistimepreparedtheirownparchment,andtheywereprobablynotsoskilledasmanufacturers。AcuriouspassagefromasermonofHildebert,ArchbishopofTours,whowasbornin1054,isavoucherforthisfact。Thesermonisonthe“BookofLife。”whichherecommendshishearerstoobtain:
’Doyouknowwhatawriterdoes?Hefirstcleanseshisparchmentfromthegrease,andtakesofftheprincipalpartofthedirt;thenheentirelyrubsoffthehairandfibreswithpumicestone;ifhedidnotdoso,theletterswrittenuponitwouldnotbegood,norwouldtheylastlong。Hethenruleslinesthatthewritingmaybestraight。Allthesethingsyououghttodo,ifyouwishtopossessthebookwhichIhavebeendisplayingtoyou。’
Atthistimeparchmentwasaverycostlymaterial。
WefinditmentionedthatGui,CountofNevers,havingsentavaluablepresentofplatetotheChartreuxofParis,theunostentatiousmonksreturneditwitharequestthathewouldsendthemparchmentinstead。”
CHAPTERXXX。
MODERNINKBACKGROUNDSTRUEPAPER。
WHENITWASTHATTRUEPAPERWASINVENTED——CITATIONS
FROMMUNSELLABOUTCHINESEANDOTHER
ANCIENTPAPER——ASHORTCHRONOLOGYFROMTHE
SAMEAUTHOR——LINENPAPERINUSEINTHETWELFTH
CENTURY——BOMBYCINEPAPER——DEVELOPMENTSOF
THEMICROSCOPE——METHODSEMPLOYEDINASCERTAINING
ORIGINOFLINENPAPERBYMEERMAN——SOME
OBSERVATIONSRELATIVETOTHEEVOLUTIONOFPAPER——
RAPIDIMPROVEMENTINQUALITYAFTERINVENTION
OFPRINTING——CURIOUSCUSTOMSINTHEUSEOFTHE
WATERMARK——NODISTINCTIONSINQUALITYOFPAPER
USEDFORMSS。OROTHERBOOKS——ANECDOTESAND
OBSERVATIONSABOUTTHEWATERMARK——ITSVALUE
INDETECTINGFRAUDS——INTERESTINGANECDOTEOF
ITSUSEINFABRICATINGAFRAUD——FULLER’SCHARACTERIZATION
OFTHEPAPERSOFDIFFERENTCOUNTRIES——WHEN
THEFIRSTPAPERMILLWASESTABLISHED
INEUROPEFORTHEMANUFACTUREOFLINEN
PAPER——DATEOFTHEESTABLISHMENTOFTHEFIRST
PAPERMILLINAMERICA——WHOFIRSTSUGGESTED
WOODASAMATERIALFORMAKINGPAPER——SOME
NAMESOFAUTHORSONTHESUBJECTOFPAPER——STORY
OFRAGPAPERINSTRUCTIVEASWELLASINTERESTING。
WHENitwasthatthegreatchangeoccurredandtruepapermadeoffibrousmatterorragsreducedtoapulpinwaterwasinventedhasbeenasubjectofconsiderablethoughtandinvestigation。Munsell,inhis“ChronologyofPaperandPaper-Making。”creditsittotheChinese,andestimatesitsdatetobeincludedinthefirstcenturyoftheChristianera。Heobserves:
“TheChinesepaperiscommonlysupposedtobemadeofsilk;butthisisamistake。Silkbyitselfcannotbereducedtoapulpsuitableformakingpaper。Refusesilkissaidtobeoccasionallyusedwithotheringredients,butthegreaterpartoftheChinesepaperismadefromtheinnerbarkofthebambooandmulberrytree,calledbythemthepapertree,hempenrags,etc。Thelatterarepreparedforpaperbybeingcutandwellwashedintanks。Theyarethenbleachedanddried;intwelvedaystheyareconvertedintoapulp,whichisthenmadeintoballsofaboutfourpoundsweight。Theseareafterwardssaturatedwithwater,andmadeintopaperonaframeoffinereeds;andaredriedbybeingpressedunderlargestones。Aseconddryingoperationisperformedbyplasteringthesheetsonthewallsofaroom。
Thesheetsarethencoatedwithgumsize,andpolishedwithstones。Theyalsomakepaperfromcottonandlinenrags,andacoarseyellowsortfromricestraw,whichisusedforwrapping。Theyareenabledtomakesheetsofalargesize,themouldonwhichthepulpismadeintopaperbeingsometimestenortwelvefeetlongandverywide,andmanagedbymeansofPulleys。
“TheJapanesepreparepaperfromthemulberryasfollows:inthemonthofDecemberthetwigsarecutintolengthsnotexceedingthirtyinchesandputtogetherinbundles。Thesefagotsarethenplaceduprightinalargevesselcontainingalkalineley,andboiledtillthebarkshrinkssoastoallowaboutahalfaninchofthewoodtoappearfreeatthetop。Aftertheyarethusboiledtheyareexposedtoacoolatmosphere,andlaidawayforfutureuse。Whenasufficientquantityhasbeenthuscollected,itissoakedinwaterthreeorfourdays,whenablackishskinwhichcovereditisscrapedoff。Atthesametimealsothestrongerbarkwhichisofafullyear’sgrowthisseparatedfromthethinner,whichcoveredtheyoungerbranches,andwhichyieldsthebestandwhitestpaper。Afterithasbeensufficientlycleansedoutandseparated,itmustbeboiledinclearley,andifstirredfrequentlyitsoonbecomesofasuitablenature。
“Itisthenwashed,aprocessrequiringmuchattentionandgreatskillandjudgment;forifitbenotwashedlongenough,althoughstrongandofgoodbody,willbecoarseandoflittlevalue;ifwashedtoolongitwillaffordawhitepaper,butwillbespongyandunfitforwritingupon。Havingbeenwasheduntilitbecomesasoftandwoollypulp,itisspreaduponatableandbeatfinewithamallet。Itisthenputintoatubwithaninfusionofriceandbreniroot,whenthewholeisstirreduntiltheingredientsarethoroughlymixedinamassofproperconsistence。Themouldsonwhichsheetsareformedaremadeofreedscutintonarrowstripsinsteadofwire,andtheprocessofdippingislikethatofothercountries。Afterbeingallowedtoremainashorttimeinheapsunderaslightpressure,thesheetsareexposedtothesun,bywhichtheyareproperlydried。
“TheArabiansintheseventhcenturyappeartohaveeitherdiscoveredortohavelearnedfromtheChineseorHindoos,quitelikelyfromthelatter,theartofmakingpaperfromcotton;foritisknownthatamanufactoryofsuchpaperwasestablishedatSamarcandabouttheyear706A。D,TheArabiansseemtohavecarriedthearttoSpain,andtohavetheremadepaperfromlinenandhempaswellasfromcotton。
“TheartofmanufacturingpaperfromcottonissupposedtohavefounditswayintoEuropeintheeleventhcentury。Thefirstpaperofthatkindwasmadeofrawcotton;butitsmanufacturewasbytheArabiansextendedtooldworn-outcotton,andeventothesmallestpiecesitissaid。Butastherearecottonplantsofvariouskinds,itwasnaturalthattheyshouldproducepapersofdifferentqualities;anditwasimpossibletounitetheirwoollyparticlessofirmlyastoformastrongsubstantialpaper,forwantofsufficientskillandpropermachinery,usingastheydidmortarsandrudehorse-mills。TheGreeks,itissaid,madeuseofcottonpaperbeforetheLatins。ItcameintoGermanythroughVeniceandwascalledGreekparchment。
“TheMoors,whowerethepaper-makersofSpain,havingbeenexpelledbytheSpaniards,thelatter,acquaintedwithwatermills,improvedthemanufacturesoastoproduceapaperfromcottonnearlyequaltothatmadeoflinenrags。”
AchronologyofpaperrelatingtotheearliestspecimensofthemcanalsobefoundinMunsell’sworkonthatsubject;severalareherecited:
“A。D。704。TheArabiansaresupposedtohaveacquiredtheknowledgeofmakingpaperofcotton,bytheirconquestsinTartary。
“A。D。706。Casiri,aSpanishauthor,attributestheinventionofcottonpapertoJosephAmru,inthisyear,atMecca;butitiswellknownthattheChineseandPersianswereacquaintedwithitsmanufacturebeforethisperiod。
“A。D。900。Thebullsofthepopesintheeighthandninthcenturieswerewrittenuponcottonpaper。
“A。D。900。Montfaucon,whoonaccountofhisdiligenceandtheextentofhisresearchesisgreatauthority,wroteadissertationtoprovethatchartabombycine,cottonpaper,wasdiscoveredintheempireoftheeasttowardtheendoftheninthorbeginningofthetenthcentury。
“A。D。1007。Theplenarium,orinventory,ofthetreasureofthechurchofSandersheim,iswrittenuponpaperofcotton,bearingthisdate。
“A。D。1049。TheoldestmanuscriptinEnglandwrittenuponcottonpaper,isintheBodleiancollectionoftheBritishMuseum,havingthisdate。
“A。D。1050。Themostancientmanuscriptoncottonpaper,thathasbeendiscoveredintheRoyalLibraryatParishavingadate,bearsrecordofthisyear。
“A。D。1085。TheChristiansuccessorsofMoorishpaper-makersatToledoinSpain,workedthepaper-millstobetteradvantagethantheirpredecessors。
Insteadofmanufacturingpaperofrawcotton,whichiseasilyrecognizedbyitsyellownessandbrittleness,theymadeitofrags,inmouldsthroughwhichthewaterranoff;forthisreasonitwascalledparchmentcloth。
“A。D。1100。TheAphorismsofHippocrates,inArabia,themanuscriptofwhichbearsthisdate,hasbeenpronouncedtheoldestspecimenoflinenpaperthathascometolight。
“A。D。1100。Arabicmanuscriptswereatthistimewrittenonsatinpaper,andembellishedwithaquantityofornamentalwork,paintedinsuchgayandresplendentcolorsthatthereadermightbeholdhisfacereflectedasiffromamirror。
“A。D。1100。TherewasadiplomaofRoger,kingofSicily,dated1145,inwhichbesaysthathehadrenewedonparchmentacharterthathadbeenwrittenoncottonpaperin1100。
“A。D。1102。ThekingofSicilyappearstohaveaccordedadiplomatoanancientfamilyofpaper-makerswhohadestablishedamanufactoryinthatisland,wherecottonwasindigenous,andthishasbeenthoughttopointtotheoriginofcottonpaper,quiteerroneously。
“A。D。1120。PetertheVenerable,abbotofClum,whoflourishedaboutthistime,declaredthatpaperfromlinenragswasinuseinhisday。
“A。D。1150。Edrisi,whowroteatthistime,tellsusthatthepapermadeatXativa,anancientcityofValencia,wasexcellent,andwasexportedtocountrieseastandwest。
“A。D。1151。AnArabianauthorcertifiesthatveryfinewhitecottonpaperwasmanufacturedinSpain,andCacimabenHegiassuresusthatthebestwasmadeatXativa。TheSpaniardsbeingacquaintedwithwater-mills,improvedupontheMoorishmethodofgrindingtherawcottonandrags;andbystampingthelatterinthemill,theyproducedabetterpulpthanfromrawcotton,bywhichvarioussortsofpaperweremanufactured,nearlyequaltothosemadefromlinenrags。
“A。D。1153。PetrusMauritiustheAbbideCluni,whodiedinthisyear,hasthefollowingpassageonpaperinhisTreatiseagainsttheJews;
’Thebookswereadeverydayaremadeofsheep,goat,orcalfskin;orofragsexrasaurisveterumpannorum,’supposedtoalludetomodernpaper。
“A。D。1178。AtreatyofpeacebetweenthekingsofAragonandCastileistheoldestspecimenoflinenpaperusedinSpainwithadate。ItissupposedthattheMoors,ontheirsettlementinSpain,wherecottonwasscarce,madepaperofhempandflax。Theinventoroflinen-ragpaper,whoeverhewas,isentitledtothegratitudeofposterity。
“A。D。1200。CasiripositivelyaffirmsthattherearemanuscriptsintheEscurialpalacenearMadrid,uponbothcottonandhemppaper,writtenpriortothistime。”
Abdollatiph,anArabianphysician,whovisitedEgyptin1200,saysthatthelinenmummy-clothswerehabituallyusedtomakewrappingpaperfortheshopkeepers。
AdocumentwiththesealspreserveddatedA。D。
1239andsignedbyAdolphus,countofSchaumburgiswrittenonlinenpaper。ItispreservedintheuniversityofRinteln,Germany,andestablishesthefactthatlinenpaperwasalreadyinuseinGermany。
Specimensofflaxpaperandstillextantarequitenumerous,averyfewofthemhavingdatesincludedintheeighthandninthcenturies。
ThechartaDamascena,so-calledfromthefactofitsmanufactureinthecityofDamascus,wasinuseintheeighthcentury。ManyArabianMSS。onsuchapaperexistdatingfromtheninthcentury。
Thechartabombycinabombyx,asilkandcottonpaperwasmuchemployedduringmediaevalperiods。
Themicroscope,however,hasdemonstratedconclusivelymanythingsformerlyindoubtandrelatingparticularlytothematterofthecharacteroffibreusedinpaper-making。Oneofthemostimportantisthenowestablishedfactthatthereisnodifferencebetweenthefibresoftheoldcottonandlinenpapers,asmadefromragssonamed。
ToascertainthepreciseperiodandtheparticularnationofEurope,whenandamongwhomtheuseofourcommonpaperfabricatedfromlinenragsfirstoriginated,wasaveryearnestobjectofresearchwiththelearnedMeerman,authorofanowexceedinglyrareworkonthissubjectandpublishedin1767。
Hismodeofinquirywasunique。Heproposedarewardoftwenty-fivegoldenducats,towhoevershoulddiscoverwhatondueexaminationshouldappeartobethemostancientmanuscriptorpublicdocumentinscribedonpapermanufacturedfromlinenrags。ThisproposalwasdistributedthroughallpartsofEurope。HislittlevolumecontainsthereplieswhichMeermanreceived。Thescholarswhoremittedtheresultoftheirinvestigationswereunabletodistinguishbetweenwhattheyestimatedascottonorlinenrags。Theydid,however,establishthefactthatpapermadeoflinenragsexistedbefore1308,andsomeofthemevensoughttogivethehonoroftheinventiontoGermany。TheyalsoassertedthatthemostancientEnglishspecimenofsuchapaperbelongedtotheyear1342。
Thetransformationofpapermadefromeveryconceivablefibrousmaterialintowhatiscommonlyknownas“linen“ortruepaperwasofslowgrowthuntilaftertheinventionofprinting。Followingthatgreateventitissurprising,how,insoshortaperiod,themanufacturersofpaperimproveditsqualityandthedegreeofexcellencewhichitlaterattained。
Theyimitatedtheoldvellumsocloselythatitwasevencalledvellumandissoknowntothisday。
Thisclassofpaperwasemployedbothforwritingandprintingpurposesandhasneverbeenexcelled,surpassinganylikeproductionsofmoderntimes。
Acuriouscustomcameintovogueduringtheearlyinfancyofthe“linen“paperindustry,whichisofsomuchinterestandpossessessocuriousahistoryastobewellworthmentioning。Itisthewatermarkasitiscommonlybuterroneouslytermedinconnectionwithpapermanufacture。
Itsorigindatesbacktothethirteenthcentury,thoughthemonumentsindicatingitsusebeforethetimeofprintingarebutfewinnumber。
Therealemploymentofthewatermarkmaybesaidtohavecommencedatthetimewhenitwasacustomofthefirstprinterstoomittheirnamesfromtheirworks。Also,itistobeconsideredthatatthisperiodcomparativelyfewpeoplecouldeitherreadorwriteandthereforepictures,designsorothermarkswereemployedtoenablethemtodistinguishthepaperofonemanufacturerfromanother。Thesemarksastheybecamecommonnaturallygavetheirnamestothedifferentsortsofpaper。
Theearliestknownwatermarkonlinenpaperrepresentedapictureofatowerandwasofthedateof1293。Thenextknownwatermarkwhichcanbedesignatedisaram’sheadandisfoundinabookofaccountsbelongingtoanofficialofBordeauxwhichwasthensubjecttoEngland。Itisdated1330。
Inthefifteenthcenturytherewerenodistinctionsinthequalityofpaperusedformanuscriptsorforbooks。IntheMentzBibleof1462aretobefoundnolessthanthreesortsofpaper。OfthisBible,thewatermarkinsomesheetsisabull’sheadsimply,andinothersabull’sheadfromwhoseforeheadrisesalongline,attheendofwhichisacross。Inothersheetsthewatermarkisabunchofgrapes。
In1498thewatermarkofpaperconsistedofaneightpointedstarwithinadoublecircle。Thedesignofanopenhandwithastaratthetopwhichwasinuseasearlyas1530,probablygavethenametowhatisstillcalledhandpaper。
ItappearsthatevensohighapersonageasHenryVIIIofEnglandin1540utilizedthewatermarkinordertoshowhiscontemptforandanimositytoPopePaulIII,withwhomhehadthenquarreled,gaveordersforthepreparationofpaper,thewatermarkofwhichwasahogwithamiter:thisheusedforhisprivatecorrespondence。
Alittlelater,aboutthemiddleofthesixteenthcentury,thefavoritepapermarkwasthejugorpot,fromwhichwouldappeartohaveoriginatedthetermpotpaper。Stillanotherbelongingtothisperiodwasthedeviceofaglove。
Atthebeginningoftheseventeenthcentury,thedevicewasafool’scapandwhichhascontinuedbynameastheparticularsizewhichwenowdesignatefool’scap。
Thewatermarkhascontinuedtoincreaseinpopularityandto-daymaybefoundinalmostanykindofpaper,eitherintheshapeofdesigns,figures,numbersornames。
Thecircumstanceofthewatermarkhasatvarioustimesbeenthemeansofdetectingfrauds,forgeriesandimpositionsinourcourtsoflawandelsewhere。
Thefollowingisintroducedasawhimsicalexampleofsuchdetectionsandissaidtohaveoccurredinthefifteenthcentury,andisrelatedbyBeloe,London,1807:
“ThemonksofacertainmonasteryatMessinaexhibitedtoavisitorwithgreattriumph,aletterwhichtheyclaimedhadbeenwrittenininkbytheVirginMarywithherownhand,notontheancientpapyrus,butonpapermadeofrags。Thevisitortowhomitwasshownobservedwithaffectedsolemnity,thattheletterinvolvedalsoamiraclebecausethepaperonwhichitwaswrittencouldnothavebeeninexistenceuntiloverathousandyearsafterherdeath。”
Aninterestingexampleoftheuseofwatermarksonpaperforfraudulentpurposesistobefoundinapamphletentitled“Ireland’sConfessions。”Thisperson,asonofSamuelIreland,whowasadistinguisheddraughtsmanandengraver,abouttheendoftheeighteenthcenturyfabricatedapretendedShakespeareMSS。,whichasaliteraryforgerywasthemostremarkableofitstime。PrevioustohisconfessionsithadbeenacceptedbytheShakespeareanscholarsasunquestionablytheworkoftheimmortalbard。ThefollowingisacitationfromhisConfessions:
“Beingthusurgedforwardtotheproductionofmoremanuscripts,itbecamenecessarythatI
shouldposses;asufficientquantityofoldpapertoenablemetoproceed;inconsequenceofwhichI
appliedtoabook-sellernamedVerey,inGreatMay’sbuildings,St。Martin’sLane,who,forthesumoffiveshillings,sufferedmetotakefromallthefolioandquartovolumesinhisshoptheflyleaveswhichtheycontained。BythismeansIwasamplystoredwiththatcommodity——nordidIfearanymentionofthecircumstancebyMr。Verey,whosequiet,unsuspectingdisposition,Iwaswellconvinced,wouldneverleadhimtomakethetransactionpublic;inadditiontowhich,hewasnotlikelyeventoknowanythingconcerningthesupposedShakespeareandiscoverybymyself,andevenifhehad,Idonotimaginethatmypurchaseoftheoldpaperinquestionwouldhaveexcitedinhimthesmallestdegreeofsuspicion。AsIwasfullyaware,fromthevarietyofwater-marks,whichareinexistenceatthepresentday,thattheymusthaveconstantlybeenalteredsincetheperiodofElizabethandbeingforsometimewhollyunacquaintedwiththewater-marksofthatage,Iverycarefullyproducedmyfirstspecimensofthewritingonsuchsheetsofoldpaperashadnomarkswhatever。Havinghearditfrequentlystatedthattheappearanceofsuchmarksonthepaperswouldhavegreatlytendedtoestablishtheirvalidity,Ilistenedattentivelytoeveryremarkwhichwasmadeuponthesubject,andfromthenceIatlengthgleanedtheintelligencethatajugwastheprevalentwater-markofthereignofElizabeth;inconsequenceofwhichIinspectedallthesheetsofoldpapertheninmypossession,andhavingselectedsuchashadthejuguponthem,Iproducedthesucceedingmanuscriptsuponthese,beingcareful,however,tominglewiththemacertainnumberofblankleaves,thattheproductiononasuddenofsomanywater-marksmightnotexcitesuspicioninthebreastsofthosepersonswhoweremostconversantwiththemanuscripts。”
Fuller,writingin1662,characterizesthepaperofhisday:
“Paperparticipatesinsomesortofthecharacterofthecountrywhichmakesit;theVenetianbeingneat,subtle,andcourt-like;theFrenchlight,slight,andslender;andtheDutchthick,corpulent,andgross,stickinguptheinkwiththesponginessthereof。Andhecomplainsofthe’vastsumsofmoneyexpendedinourlandforpaperoutofItaly,France,andGermany,whichmightbelessenedwereitmadeinournation。’“
UlmanStrotherin1390startedhispapermillatNuremberginBavariawhichwasthefirstpapermillknowntohavebeenestablishedinGermany,andissaidtohavebeentheonlyoneinEuropethenmanufacturingpaperfromlinenrags。
AmongtheprivyexpensesofHenryVIIoftheyear1498appearsthefollowingentry:“Arewardgiventothepapermill,16s。8d。”ThisisprobablythepapermillmentionedbyWynkindeWorde,thefatherofEnglishtypography。ItwaslocatedatHertford,andthewatermarkheemployedwasastarwithinadoublecircle。
ThemanufactureofpaperinEnglandprevioustotherevolutionof1688wasanindustryofverysmallproportions,mostofthepaperbeingimportedfromHolland。
ThefirstpapermillestablishedinAmericawasbyWilliamRittenhousewhoemigratedfromHollandandsettledinGermantown,Pa。,in1690。AtRoxborough,nearPhiladelphia,onastreamafterwardscalledPaperMillrun,whichemptiesintotheWissahickenriver,waslocatedthesitewhichincompanywithWilliamBradford,aprinter,hechoseforhismill。Thepaperwasmadefromlinenrags,mostlytheproductofflaxraisedinthevicinityandmadefirstintowearingapparel。
ItwasReaumer,whoin1719firstsuggestedthepossibilityofpaperbeingmadefromwood。Heobtainedhisinformationonthissubjectfromexaminationofwasps’nests。
MatthiasKoopsin1800publishedaworkon“Paper“madefromstraw,woodandothersubstances。
Hissecondeditionappearedin1801andwascomposedofoldpaperre-madeintonew。Anotherworkonthesubjectof“PaperfromStraw,&c……”
byPiette,appearedin1835,whichsaidworkcontainsmorethanahundredpages,eachoneofwhichwasmadefromadifferentkindofmaterial。
Manyothervaluableworksareobtainablewhichtreatofragpapermanufactureandthestoriestheytellareinstructiveaswellasinteresting。
CHAPTERXXXI。
MODERNINKBACKGROUNDSWOODPAPERAND“SAFETY“
PAPER。
SOMEGENERALOBSERVATIONSABOUTPAPER-MAKING
MATERIALS——PROBABILITIESASTOTHEFUTUREOF
THEPUBLICRECORDS——ESTIMATIONOFSUCHMATTERS
BYTHELATEPOPE——INVENTIONOFWOOD-PULPPAPER——
ITSLASTINGQUALITIES——THETHREEKINDSOFSUCH
PAPERDEFINED——DISCUSSIONOFTHESUBJECTOF
FUNGIINPAPERBYGLYDE——SOMETESTSTOASCERTAIN
THEMATERIALOFWHICHPAPERISCOMPOSED——
TESTSASTOSIZINGANDTHEDETERMINATIONOFTHE
DIRECTIONOFTHEGRAIN——ABSORBINGPOWERSOF
BLOTTINGPAPER——TESTSFORGROUNDWOOD——NEW
MODEOFANALYSTS——WHENTHEFIRST“SAFETY“
PAPERWASINVENTED——THEMANYKINDSOF“SAFETY“
PAPERANDPROCESSESINTHEIRMANUFACTURE——
CHRONOLOGICALREVIEWCOVERINGTHISSUBJECT——
SURVEYOFTHEVARIOUSPROCESSESINTHETREATMENT
ANDUSEOF“SAFETY“PAPER——ONLYTHREE
CHEMICAL“SAFETY“PAPERSNOWONTHEMARKET——
WHYITISPOSSIBLETORAISESOMEMONETARY
INSTRUMENTS。
PAPERmanufacturershavetriedallthepulp-makingsubstances。Thisstatementtotheunlearnedmustseemcurious,becauseintheveryearlytimestheywerecontentwithasinglematerialandthatdidnotevenrequiretobefirstmadeintotheformofpulp。
Whenthesupplyofpapyrusfailed,itwasragswhichtheysubstituted。Bythesimplestprocessestheyproducedapaperwithwhichourbestcannotcompare。
Insomecountriesgreatcareisexercisedinselectingthequalityofpaperforofficialuse,inothersnoneatall。
Whatwillbethestateofourarchivesafewhundredyearshence,iftheybenotcontinuallyrecopied?
Someoftheprintedpaperrotsevenmorequicklythanwritten。
ThelatePopeatonetimeinvitedmanyofthesavants,chemistsandlibrariansofEurope,tomeetatEinsiedlenAbbeyinSwitzerland。Herequestedthatthesubjectoftheirdiscussionsshouldbebothinkandpaper。Hevolunteeredtheinformation,alreadyknowntotheinitiated,thattherecordsofthisgenerationinhiscustodyandunderhiscontrolwerefastdisappearingandunlessthewritingmaterialsweremuchimprovedheestimatedthattheywouldentirelydisappear。ItisstatedthatatthismeetingthePope’srepresentativesubmittedanumberofdocumentsfromtheVaticanarchiveswhicharescarcelydecipherablethoughdatedinthenineteenthcentury。Inafewofthoseofdateslaterthan1873thepaperwassotenderthatunlesshandledwithexceptionalcare,itwouldbreakinpieceslikescorchedpaper。
Theseconditionsareinlinewithmanyofthosewhichprevailwithfewexceptionsineverycountry,townorhamlet。
Acontributorycauseasweknowisaclassofpoorandcheapinksnowinalmostuniversaluse。Theotheristheso-called“modern“orwood-pulppaperingeneralvogue。
Reaumur,asalreadystated,backin1719suggestedfrominformationgatheredinexaminationsofwasps’
nests,thatapapermightbemanufacturedfromwood。Thisideadoesnotappeartohavebeenacteduponuntilmanyyearslater,althoughintheinteriminventorswereexhaustingtheiringenuityintheselectionoffibrousmaterialsfromwhichpapermightbemanufactured。
Thesuccessfulintroductionofwoodasasubstitutefororwithragsinpapermanufactureuntilabout1870wasofslowgrowth;sincewhichtimevastquantitieshavebeenemployed。Inthiscountryalonemillionsoftonsofrawmaterialarebeingimportedtosaynothingofhomeproducts。
Itsvalueinthecauseofprogressofsomeartswhichcontributegreatlytoourcomfortandcivilizationcannotbeoverestimated,butneverthelessthewoodpaperisboundtodisintegrateanddecay,andthetimenotveryfardistanteither。Hence,itsuseforrecordsofanykindisalwaystobecondemned。
Therearethreeclassesofwoodpulp;mechanicalwood,sodaprocess,andthesulphite。ThefirstormechanicalwoodisaGermaninventionof1844,wherethelogsafterbeingcutupintoproperblocks,werethengroundagainstamovingmillstoneagainstwhichtheywerepressedandwiththeaidofflowingwaterreducedtoapulpyform。Thispulpwastransportedintosuitabletanksandthenpumpedtothe“beaters。”
Thesodaprocesswoodandsulphitewoodpulparebothmadebychemicalprocesses。ThefirstwasinventedbyMelinerin1865。Thepreparationofpulpbythisprocessconsistsbrieflyinfirstcuttingupthelogsintosuitablesectionsandthrowingthemintoachippingmachine。Thechipsarethenintroducedintotankscontainingastrongsolutionofcausticsodaandboiledunderpressure。
Thesulphiteprocessissubstantiallythesameexceptthatthechipsarethrownintowhatarecalleddigestersandfedwiththechemicalswhichformanacidsulphite。Therealinventorofthislatterprocessisnotknown。
Thechemicalsemployedinbothoftheseprocessescompelaseparationoftheresinousmattersfromthecelltissuesorcellulose。Theseproductsarethentreatedinthemanufacturingofpaperwithfewvariations,thesameastheordinaryragpulp。
Thesenowperfectedprocessesaretheresultsoflongandcontinuingexperimentationsmadebymanyinventors。
ThefollowingpaperwasreadbeforetheLondonSocietyofArtsbyMr。AlfredGlyde,inMay,1850,andisequallyapplicabletosomeofthewoodpaperofthepresentday:
“Owingtotheimperfectionsformerlyexistinginthemicroscope,littlewasknownoftherealnatureoftheplantscalledfungiuntilwithinthelastfewyears,butsincetheimprovementsinthatinstrumentthesubjectofthedevelopment,growth,andofficesofthefungihasreceivedmuchattention。
Theycompose,withthealgaeandlichens,theclassofthallogensLindley,thealgaeexistinginwater,theothertwoinaironly。Afungusisacellularflowerlessplant,fructifyingsolelybyspores,bywhichitispropagated,andthemethodsofattachmentofwhicharesingularlyvariousandbeautiful。Thefungidiffersfromthelichensandalgaeinderivingtheirnourishmentfromthesubstancesonwhichtheygrow,insteadoffromthemediainwhichtheylive。Theycontainalargerquantityofnitrogenintheirconstitutionthanvegetablesgenerallydo,andthesubstancecalled’fungine’
hasanearresemblancetoanimalmatter。
Theirsporesareinconceivablynumerousandminute,andarediffusedverywidely,developingthemselveswherevertheyfindorganicmatterinafitstate。Theprincipalconditionsrequiredfortheirgrowtharemoisture,heat,andthepresenceofoxygenandelectricity。Nodecompositionordevelopmentoffungitakesplaceindryorganicmatter,afactillustratedbythehighstateofpreservationinwhichtimberhasbeenfoundafterthelapseofcenturies,aswellasbytheconditionofmummy-cases,bandages,etc。,keptdryinthehotclimateofEgypt。Decaywillnottakeplaceinatemperaturebelowthatofthefreezingpointofwater,norwithoutoxygen,byexcludingwhich,iscontainedintheair,meatandvegetablesmaybekeptfreshandsweetformanyyears。
“Theactionwhichtakesplacewhenmoistvegetablesubstancesareexposedtooxygenisthatofslowcombustion’eremacausis’,theoxygenunitingwiththewoodandliberatingavolumeofcarbonicacidequaltoitself,andanotherportioncombiningwiththehydrogenofthewoodtoformwater。Decompositiontakesplaceoncontactwithabodyalreadyundergoingthesamechange,inthesamemannerthatyeastcausesfermentation。Animalmatterentersintocombinationwithoxygeninpreciselythesamewayasvegetablematter,butas,inadditiontocarbonandhydrogen,itcontainsnitrogen,theproductsoftheeremacausisaremorenumerous,beingcarbonandnitrateofammonia,carburettedandsulphurettedhydrogen,andwater,andtheseammoniacalsaltsgreatlyfavorthegrowthoffungi。Nowpaperconsistsessentiallyofwoodyfibre,havinganimalmatterassizeonitssurface。
Thefirstmicroscopicsymptomofdecayinpaperisirregularityofsurface,withaslightchangeofcolor,indicatingthecommencementoftheprocessjustnoticed,duringwhich,inadditiontocarbonicacid,certainorganicacidsareformed,ascrenicandulmicacids,which,ifthepaperhasbeenstainedbyacoloringmatter,willformspotsofredonthesurface。Thesameprocessofdecaygoesoninparchmentasinpaper,onlywithmorerapidity,fromthepresenceofnitrogeninitscomposition。
Whenthisdecayhasbeguntotakeplace,fungiareproduced,themostcommonspeciesbeingPeniciliumglaucum。Theyinsinuatethemselvesbetweenthefibre,causingafreeradmissionofair,andconsequentlyhastenthedecay。Thesubstancesmostsuccessfullyusedaspreventivesofdecayarethesaltsofmercury,copper,andzinc。Bichlorideofmercurycorrosivesublimateisthematerialemployedinthekyanizationoftimber,theprobablemodeofactionbeingitscombinationwiththealbumenofthewood,toformaninsolublecompoundnotsusceptibleofspontaneousdecomposition,andthereforeincapableofexcitingfermentation。Theantisepticpowerofcorrosivesublimatemaybeeasilytestedbymixingalittleofitwithflourpaste,thedecayofwhich,andtheappearanceoffungi,arequitepreventedbyit。Nexttocorrosivesublimateinantisepticvaluestandthesaltsofcopperandzinc。Foruseinthepreservationofpaperthesulphateofzincisbetterthanthechloride,whichistoacertainextentdelinquescent。”
Therearenumerouspapertestswhichincludethematterofsizing,directionofthegrain,absorbingpowers,characterofingredients,etc。Afewofthemarecited。
SIZING——Theeverydaytestsastohardnessofsizinganswereveryordinarypurpose:Moistenwiththetongue,andifthepaperisslack-sizedyoucandetectitoftenbytheinstantdrawingorabsorptionofthemoisture。Watchthespotmoistened,andthelongeritremainswetthebetterthepaperissized。
Lookthroughthespotdampened——thepoorerthesizingthemoretransparentisthepaperwhereitiswet。Ifthoroughlysizednodifferencewillbeapparentbetweenthespotdampenedandthebalanceofthesheet。Whenthereisaquestionastowhetherapaperistuborenginesized,itcanbeusuallydecidedbywettingtheforefingerandthumbandpressingthesheetbetweenthem。Iftub-sized,thegluewhichisappliedtothesurfacewillperceptiblyclingtothefingers。
TOTESTTHEINKRESISTINGQUALITYOFPAPER——
Drawaheavyinklineacrossthesheet。Ifthepaperispoorlysized,afeatheryedgewillappear,causedbyspreadingoftheink。Slack-sizedpaperwillbepenetratedbytheink,whichwillplainlyappearonthereversesideofthesheet。
TODETERMINETHEDIRECTIONOFTHEGRAIN——
Aneasybutsuretesttodeterminethedirectionofthegraininasheetofpaper,whichwillbefoundusefulandworthremembering,isasfollows:
Forinstance,thesizeofsheetis17x22inches。
Cutoutacircularpieceasnearlyroundastheeyecanjudge;beforeentirelydetachingfromthesheet,markonthecirclethe17-inchwayandthe22-inchway;thenfloatthecutoutpieceonwaterforafewseconds;thenplaceonthepalmofthehand,takingcarenottolettheedgessticktothehand,andthepaperwillcurluntilitformsacone;thegrainofthepaperrunstheoppositewayfromwhichthepapercurls。
ABSORBINGPOWERSOFBLOTTINGPAPER——Comparativetestsastoabsorbingpowersofblottingcanbemadebetweensheetsofsameweightperreambyallowingthepointedcornerofasheettotouchthesurfaceofadropofink。Repeatwitheachsheettobetested,andcomparetheheightineachtowhichtheinkhasbeenabsorbed。Awell-madeblottingpapershouldhavelittleornofreefibredusttofillwithinkandsmearthepaper。
TESTFORGROUNDWOOD——Makeastreakacrossthepaperwithasolutionofanilinesulphateorwithconcentratednitricacid;thefirstwillturngroundwoodyellow,thesecondwillturnitbrown。Igiveanilinesulphatethepreference,asnitricacidactsuponunbleachedsulphite,ifpresentinthepaper,thesameasitactsupongroundwood,viz。,turningitbrown。
Phloroglucingivesarose-redstainonpapercontainingsulphitewoodpulp,afterthespecimenhasbeenpreviouslytreatedwithaweaksolutionofhydrochloricacid。
Abouttheendoftheeighteenthcenturyitbecamenecessarytomakespecialpapersdenominated“safetypaper。”Theirmanufacturehascontinueduntilthepresentdayalthoughmuchlimited,largelybecauseoftheemploymentofmechanicaldeviceswhichseektosafetymonetaryinstruments。Suchsafetypapersareofseveralkinds。
1。Papermadewithdistinguishingmarkstoindicateproprietorship,aswiththeBankofEnglandwatermark,toimitatewhichisafelony。OrthepaperoftheUnitedStatescurrency,whichhassilkfibersunitedwiththepulp,theimitationofwhichisafelony。
2。Papermadewithlayersormaterialswhicharedisturbedbyerasureorchemicaldischargeofwrittenorprintedcontents,soastopreventfraudulenttampering。
3。Papermadeofpeculiarmaterialsorcolor,topreventcopyingbyphotographicmeans。
Anumberofprocessesmaybecited:
Onekindismadeofapulptingedwithastaineasilyaffectedbychlorine,acids,oralkalis,andismadeintosheetsasusual。
Watermarksmadebywirestwinedamongthemeshesofthewireclothonwhichthepaperismade。
Threadsembodiedinthewebofthepaper。
ColoredthreadssystematicallyarrangedwereformerlyusedinEnglandforpost-officeenvelopesandexchequerbills。
Silkenfibersmixedwiththepulpordusteduponitinprocessofformation,asusedintheUnitedStatescurrency。
Tigere,1817,treatedthepulpofthepaper,previoustosizing,withasolutionofprussiateofpotash。
SirWin。Congreve,1819,preparedacoloredlayerofpulpincombinationwithwhitelayers,alsobyprintingupononesheetandcoveringitwithanouterlayer,eitherplainorwater-marked。
GlynnandAppel,1821,mixedacoppersaltinthepulpandafterwardaddedanalkalioralkalinesalttoproduceacopiousprecipitate。Thepulpwasthenwashedandmadeintopaperandthereafterdippedinasaponaceouscompound。
Stevenson,1837,incorporatedintopaperametallicbasesuchasmanganese,andaneutralcompoundlikeprussiateofpotash,toprotectwritingfrombeingtamperedwith。
Varnham,1845,inventedapaperconsistingofawhitesheetorsurfaceononeorbothsidesofacoloredsheet。
Stones,1851。Aniodideorbromideinconnectionwithferrocyanideofpotassiumandstarchcombinedwiththepulp。
Johnson,1853,employedtheroughandirregularsurfaceproducedbythefractureofcastironorotherbrittlemetaltoformawatermarkforpaperbytakinganimpressiontherefromonsoftmetal,gutta-
percha,etc。,andafterwardtransferringittothewireclothonwhichthepaperismade。
Scoutteten,1853,treatedpaperwithcaoutchouedissolvedinbisulphideofcarbon,inordertorenderitimpermeableandtopreventerasuresorchemicalaction。
Ross,1854,inventedwater-liningorprintingthedenominationofthenoteincolorswhilethepulpwasyetsoft。
Evans,1854,commingledalaceoropen-workfabricinthepulp。
Courboulay,1856,mixedthepulpandappliedtothepapersaltsofiodineorbromine。
Loubatieres,1857,manufacturedpaperinlayers,anyorallofwhichmightbecolored,orhaveimpressionsorconspicuousmarksforpreventingforgery。
Herapath,1858,saturatedpaperduringorafteritsmanufacturewithasolutionofaferrocyanide,aferriccyanide,orsulphocyanideofpotassium,sodium,orammonium。
SeysandBrewer,1858,appliedaqueoussolutionsofferrocyanideofpotassiumorothersalts,whichformedanindeliblecompoundwiththeferruginousbaseofwritingink。
Sparre,1859,utilizedopaquematter,suchasprussianblue,whiteorredlead,insolubleinwaterandstenciledononelayerofthepaperweb,formingaregularpattern;thiswasthencoveredbyasecondlayerofpaper。
Moss,1859,inventedacoloringmatterpreparedfromburnedchinaorotherclay,oxideofchromiumorsulphur,andcombineditwiththepulp。
Barclay,1859,incorporatedwiththepaper:
1。Solubleferrocyanides,ferricyanides,andsulphocyanidesofvariousmetals,byformingdibasicsaltswithpotassium,sodium,orammonium,inconjunctionwithvegetable,animal,ormetalliccoloringmatters。
2。Saltsofmanganese,lead,ornickelnotcontainingferrocyanogen。
3。Ferrocyanides,etc。,ofpotassium,sodium,andammonium,inconjunctionwithinsolublesaltsofmanganese,lead,ornickel。
Hooper,1860。Employedoxidesofiron,eitheraloneordissolvedinanacid,andmixedwiththepulp。
Nissen,1860。Treatedpaperwithapreparationofiron,togetherwithammonia,prussiateofpotashandchlorine,whileinthepulporbeingsized。
Middleton,1860。Joinedtogetheroneportionofabanknoteprintedupononesheetofthinpaperandtheotherpartonanother;thetwowerethencementedtogetherbyindia-rubber,gutta-percha,orothercompound。
Theinteriorprintingcouldbeseenthroughitscoveringsheet,sothatthewholedeviceonthenoteappearedonitsface。
Olier,1861。Employedseverallayersofpaperofvariousmaterialsandcolors;themiddleonewascoloredwithadelebledye,whosecolorwaschangedbytheapplicationofchemicalstotheouterlayer。
Olier,1863。Preparedapaperofthreelayersofdifferentthicknesses,thecentralonehavinganeasilyremovablecolor,andtheexternallayerswerechargedwithsilicateofmagnesiaorothersalt。
ForsterandDraper,1864。TreatingpaperduringoraftermanufacturewithartificialultramarineandPrussianblueorothermetalliccompound。
Hayward,1864。Incorporatedthreadsoffibrousmaterialsofdifferentcolorsorcharactersintoandamongthepulp。
Loewenberg,1866。Introducedprussiateofpotashandoxalicacidorsuchotheralkalinesaltsoracidsintothepulp,inordertoindicatefraudintheremovalofcancellationstampsorwrittenmarks。
Casilear,1868。Printednumbersonafugitiveground,tintorcolorinordertopreventalterationoffiguresornumbers。
Jameson,1870。Printedonpaper,designswithferrocyanideofpotassiumandthensoakedthepaperwhendryinasolutionofoxalicacidinalcohol。
Duthie,1872。Madeagroundworkofwritinginkofdifferentcolorsbyanyknownmeansofpenruling。
Syms,1876。Producedgraduatedcoloredstains,whichweremadetopartiallypenetrateandspreadinthepulpweb。
VanNuys,1878。ColoredthePaperwithapigmentandthenprinteddesignswithasolublesulphide。
Casilear,1878。Unitedtwodistinctivecoloredpapers,oneafugitiveandtheotherapermanentcolor。
Hendrichs,1879。Dippedordinarypaperinanaqueoussolutionofsulphateofcopperandcarbonateofammoniaandthenaddedalkalinesolutionsofcochinealorequivalentcoloringmatter。
Nowlan,1884。Backedtheordinarychemicalpaperwithathinsheetofwaterproofpaper。
Menzies,1884。Introducediodideandiodateofpotassiumortheirequivalentsintopaper。
Clapp,1884。Saturatedpaperwithgallo-tanicacid,buttheinkusedonthispapercontainedferri-sesquichlorideorothersimilarpreparationofiron。
Hill,1885。Introducedintopaper,ferrocyanideofmanganeseandhydratedperoxideofiron。
Schreiber,1885。Coloredpapermaterialwithindigoandwithasubsequenttreatmentofchromatessolubleonlyinalcohol。
Schreiber,1885。Treatedfinishedpaperwithferric-
oxidesaltsandwithferrocyanidesinsolubleinwaterbutsolubleinacids。
Schlumberger,1890。Impregnatedwhitepaperwitharesinatedferroussalt,aresincompoundofplumbicferrocyanide,andaresincompoundofferrocyanideofmanganeseincombinationwithasaltofmolybdenumandaresincompoundofzincsulphide。
Schlumberger,1893。Dyedfirstthesplashfibersandmixedthemwiththepaperpulp。Second。Healsotreatedportionsofthesurfacewithanalkali,soastoformlinesorcharactersthereon,thenimmersedthesameinaweakacid,inordertoproducewater-marklines。
Carvalho,1894。1。Chargedthepaperwithbismuthiodideandsodiumiodide。2。Chargedthepaperwithabismuthsaltandiodideofsodaincombinationwithprimulin,congoredorotherpigment。3。Chargedthepaperwithabenzidinedyeandanalkalineiodide。
1895。Appliedacompound,sensitivetoinkerasingchemicals,AFTERthewritinghasbeenplacedonthepaper。
HoskinsandWeis,1895,asafetypaperhavingaddedtheretoasolubleferrocyanideandaper-saltofironinsolubleinwaterbutdecomposablebyaweakacidinthepresenceofasolubleferrocyanide,asandforthepurposedescribed。2Asafetypaperhavingaddedtheretoaferrocyanidesolubleinwater,aper-saltofironinsolubleinwaterbuteasilydecomposedbyweakacidsinthepresenceofaferrocyanidesolubleinwater,andasaltofmanganeseeasilydecomposedbyalkalisorbleachingagents,substantiallyasdescribed。
Areviewofthevariousprocessesfortreatmentofpaperinpulporwhenfinished,demonstratesthattime,moneyandstudyhasbeendevotedtotheproductionofaREALsafetypaper。Somecompositionsandprocesseshaveinameasurebeensuccessful。Itisfound,however,thattheingenuityofthoseevil-mindedpersons,tothedetectionofwhoseeffortstoalterthewritingindocumentsthisclassofinventionhasmoreparticularlybeendirected,findsareadywayofremovinginsomecasestheevidencewhichthechemicalreagentfurnishes。Thisbeingtruemostofthemhavebecomeobsolete,havingentirelyfailedtoaccomplishthepurposesforwhichtheywereinvented。
Therearebutthreeso-calledsafetypapersnowonthemarket,ifweexcludethosepossessingprinteddesignsinfugitivecolors。
Itisastrangeanomaly,neverthelessitistrue,that90percentormoreofthe“raised“checks,notes,orothermonetaryinstrumentswhichwereintheiroriginalconditionwrittenonordinaryorso-calledsafetypaper,nevercouldhavebeensuccessfully“putthrough“butforthegrossandattimescriminalnegligenceoftheirwritersbythefailuretoadoptprecautionsoftheverysimplestkinds,andtherebyavoidedplacingtemptationinthewayofmanywhounderothercircumstanceswouldneverhavethoughtofbecomingforgers。
Thereisnosafetypaper,safetyink,ormechanicalappliancewhichwillpreventtheinsertionofwordsorfiguresbeforeotherwordsorfiguresifablankspacebeleftwheretheforgercanplacethem。
CHAPTERXXXII。
CURIOSAINKANDOTHERWRITINGMATERIALS。
ARTIFICIALINKANDPAPEROWETHEIRINVENTIONTO
THEWASP——PHoeNICIA,“LANDOFTHEPURPLE-DYE“——
LINES,ADDRESSEDTOTHEPHoeNICIAN——OLDEST
EXISTINGPIECEOFLITERARYCOMPOSITION——WHERE
PAPYRUSSTILLGROWS——DUCANGE’SLINESONTHE
STYLUS——MATERIALSUSEDTOPROMULGATEANCIENT
LAWSOFGREECE——ANCIENTMETHODOFWRITING
WILLS——MATERIALSEMPLOYEDINANCIENTHEBREW
ROLLS——ANTIQUITYOFEXISTINGHEBREWWRITING——
OLDESTSPECIMENOFGREEKWAXWRITING——
WOODENTALLIESASEMPLOYEDINENGLAND——WHEN
WRITINGINGOLDCEASED——DATEOFTHEFIRSTDISCOVERY
OFGREEKPAPYRUSINEGYPT——PERIODSTO
WHICHBELONGVARIOUSSTYLESOFWRITING——ANECDOTE
ANDPOEMABOUTTHEFIRSTGOLDPEN——INTERESTING
NOTESABOUTPENSANDINK-HORNS——EMPLOYMENT
OFTHEPENASABADGEINTHEFOURTEENTH
CENTURY——SOMELINESBYCOCKER——THEOLDEST
EXISTINGWRITTENDOCUMENTSOFRUSSIA——WHEN
SEALINGWAXWASFIRSTEMPLOYED——PLINY’S
DESCRIPTIONOFTHEDIFFERENTKINDSOFPAPYRUS
PAPER——MODEOFPRESERVINGTHEANCIENTPAPYRUS
ROLLS——SUGGESTIONSRESPECTINGUSESOFINK——
COMPARATIVETABLEABOUTCOALTARANDITSBY-
PRODUCTS——COMPOSITIONSOFSECRETINKSANDHOW
TORENDERTHEMVISIBLE——CHARACTEROFINKEMPLOYED
FORMANYYEARSBYTHEWASHINGTONPATENT
OFFICE——FACTSELICITEDBYHERAPATHINTHEUNROLLMENT
OFAMUMMY——LINESFROMSHAKESPEARE
ANDPERSEUS——SEVENTEENTHCENTURYOBSERVATIONS
ABOUTSECRETINKS——CAUSEOFTHEDESTRUCTION
OFMANYANCIENTMSS——METHODSTOBEEMPLOYED
INTHERESTORATIONOFSOMEOLDINKS——
VARIATIONSINTHEMEANINGOFWORDS——THEPOUNCE
BOXPRECEDEDBLOTTINGPAPER——SOMEOBSERVATIONS
ABOUTBLOTTINGPAPER——ANECDOTERELATING
TODR。GALE——WHENWAFERSWEREINTRODUCED——
PERSIANANECDOTEABOUTTHEDIVES——EPISODES
RESPECTINGTHESTYLUS——DESCRIPTIONBYBELOE
OFANCIENTPERSICANDARABICMSS——CITATIONFROM
OLDBOSTONNEWSPAPERANDPOEM——METHODOF
COLLECTINGRAGSIN1807ANDSOMELINESADDRESSED
TOTHELADIES——METHODTOPHOTOGRAPH
COLOREDINKS——POEMBYISABELLEHOWEFISKE。
INconsideringtheimportantandkindredsubjectsof“gall“inkand“pulp“paper,wearenottoforgettheLITTLEthingsconnectedwiththeirdevelopmentandwhich,indeed,madetheirinventionpossible。
Thegall-nutcontainsgallicandgallo-tannicacid,andwhichacids,inconjunctionwithanironsalt,formsthesolebaseofthebestink。Thisnutisproducedbythepuncturesmadeontheyoungbudsofbranchesofcertainspeciesofoaktreesbythefemalewasp。Thissamebusylittleinsectwasalsothefirstprofessionalpapermaker。Sheitwaswhotaughtusnotonlythewaytochangedrywoodintoasuitablepulp,thekindofsizetobeused,howtowaterproofandgivethepaperstrength,butmanymoremarvelousdetailsappertainingtothemanufactureofpaperwhichintheirramificationshaveprovedofinestimablebenefitandservicetothehumanrace。
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TheGreekword“Phoenicia“meansliterally“thelandofthepurpledye。”andtothePhoeniciansisattributedtheinventionoftheartofwriting。
TOTHEPHOENICIAN。
“Creatorofcelestialarts,Thypaintedwordspeakstotheeye;
TosimplelinesthyskillimpartsTheglowingspirit’secstasy。”
TheoldestpieceofliterarycompositionknownintheoldestbookrollinexistenceistobefoundinthecelebratedpapyrusPrisse,nowintheLouvreatParis。ItconsistsofeighteenpiecesinEgyptianhieraticwriting,ascribedtoabouttheyearB。C。
2500。