________________
APRIL, 1877.)
PAPER-MAKING IN THE HIMALAYAS.
others.
Naini Tal, the well-known sanitarium in Ku answer as well); a fireplace, however rude; maon, and has had a garden, must well know and lastly quant. sufficit of slips of the inner the Daphne plant, the bark of which, as the bark of the paper tree, such as is peeled off the plant grows ready to hand, is stripped off and plant by the paper-makers, who commonly used for tying up plants, securing trellis-work use the peelings when fresh from the plant, of rangál (or small bamboos), and for all kindred but that is not indispensable. With these 'apuses. Many a sportsman, too, has been saved pliances and means to boot,' suppose you take from an unpleasant slide by catching at its tough four sers of ashes of oak, put them into the basket twigs, off which, however, the bark sometimes above mentioned, place the earthen receiver slips in the hand, leaving a white slippery core. or vessel beneath the basket, and then gradual. Still I fear that where a large quantity would |ly pour five sers of clear water upon the ashes, be required, as for export, it would be very hard and let the water drip slowly through the ashes to obtain.
and fall into the receiver. This juice of ashes I will now, however, without further digres- must be strong, of dark bark-like red colour, sion, proceed firstly to detail the accounts of and in quantity about two pounds; and if the
first filtering yield not such a produce, pass In Jour. R. As. Soc. vol. I. p. 8 is a paper the juice through the ashes a second time. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., Nipal, on the native Next, pour this extract of ashes into the metal method of making the paper denominated in 1 pot already described, and boil the extract; and Hindustani Nipalese. It is extracted entire, so soon as it begins to boil, throw into it as many as it is not susceptible of abridgment:
slips or peelings of the inner bark of the paper “For the manufacture of Nipalese paper the plant as you can easily grasp, each slip being following implements are necessary, but a very. about a cubit long and an inch wide in fact rude construction of them suffices for the end the quantity of the slips of bark should be to in view :
the quantity of juice of ashes such that the "1st.-A stone mortar, of shallow and wide former should float freely in the latter, and that cavity, or a large block of stone, slightly but the juice shall not be absorbed or evaporated smoothly excavated. 2nd.-A mallet or pestle with less than half an hour's boiling). Boil of hard wood, such as oak, and in size propor. the slips for about half an hour, at the expira. tioned to the mortar, and to the quantity of tion of which time the juice will be nearly abboiled rind of the paper plant which it is desired sorbed, and the slips quite soft. Then take the to pound into pulp. 3rd.--A basket of close softened slips and put them into the stone mor. wicker-work, to put the ashes in, and through tar, and beat them with the oaken mallet till which water will only pass drop by drop. 4th. they are reduced to a homogeneous or uniform --An earthen vessel or receiver, to receive the palp, like so much dough. Take this pulp, put juice of the ashes after they have been watered. | it into any wide-mouthed vessel, add a little 5th.-A motallio open-mouthed pot, to boil the pure water to it, and churn it with a wooden rind of the plant in. It may be of iron, or cop- instrument, like a chocolate mill, for ten mi. per, or brass, indifferently; an earthen one would nutes, or until it loses all its stringiness and hardly bear the requisite degree of fire. 6th.-A will spread itself out when shaken about under sieve, the reticulation of the bottom of which water. Next, take as much of this prepared is wide and open, so as to let all the pulp pass pulp as will cover your paper-frame (with a through, save only the lumpy portion of it. thicker or thinner coat, according to the 7th.-A frame with stout wooden sides, so that strength of the paper you need), toss it into it will float well in water, and with a bottom of such a sieve as I have described, and lay the a cloth only so porous that the meshes of it will sieve upon the paper-frame and let both sieve stay all the pulp, even when diluted and diffused and frame float in the cistern; agitate them in water, but will let the water pass off when and the pulp will spread itself over the sieve; the frame is raised out of the cistern.
the grosser and knotty parts of the pulp will “The operator must also have the command remain in the sieve, but all the rest will ooze of a cistern of clear water, plenty of firewood, through into the frame. Then put away the ashes of oak (though I fancy other ashes might sieve, and, taking the frame in your left hand
