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others fymptoms that are met with in people the most of all others devoted to tea.

In treating of this fubject, I would not be understood to be either a partial advocate, or a paffionate accufer. I have often regretted, that tea fhould be found to poffefs any pernicious qualities, as the pleasure which arifes from reflecting how many millions of our fellow-creatures are enjoying at one hour the fame amufing repaft, the occafions it furnishes for agreeable converfation, the innocent parties of both fexes it daily draws together,and entertains without the aid of fpirituous liquors, would afford the moft grateful fenfations to a focial breaft. But juftice demands fomething more. It ftands charged, by many able writers, by public opinion, partly derived from experience, with being the caufe of many grievous diforders. All that train of distempers, included under the name of nervous, are faid to be, if not the offspring, at leaft highly aggravated by the use of tea. To enumerate all these would be to tranfcribe volumes. It is not impoffible but the charges may be partly true. Let us examine the cafe with all poffible candour.

The effect of drinking large quantities of any warm aqueous Irquor, according to all the experiments we are acquainted with, would be to enter speedily into the course of circulation, and pafs off as fpeedily by urine or perfpiration, or the increase of some of the fecretions. Its effects on the folid parts of the conftitution would be relaxing, and thereby enfeebling. If this warm aqueous fluid were taken in confiderable quantities,

its effects would be proportionable, and ftill greater, if it were fubftituted inftead of nutriment.

That all infutions of herbs may be considered in this light feems not unreafonable. The nation of tea, nevertheless, has these two peculiarities. It is not only poffeffed of a fedative quality, but all of a confiderable attringency; by which the relaxing power, afcribed to a mere aqueous fluid, is in fome measure corrected. It is, on ac count of the latter, perhaps lefs injurious than many other infufions of herbs, which, bendes a very flight aromatic favour, have very little if any ftypticity, to prevent their relaxing, debilitating effects,

So far therefore tea, if not too fine, if not drank too hot, nor in too great quantities, is perhaps preferable to any other vegetable infufion, we know. And, if we take into confideration likewife its known enlivening energy, it will appear that our attachment to tea is not merely from its being coftly or fafhionable, but from its fuperiority in taste and effects to moft other vegetables.

I fhall finith these remarks with fome reflections on this herb, confidered in another light.

Asluxury of every kind has augmented in proportion to the increafe of foreign fuperfluities, it has contributed more or less its fhare to wards the production of thofe low nervous difeafes which are now fo frequent. Amongft thefe caufes, excefs in fpirituous liquors is one of the moft confiderable; but the first rife of this pernicious cuftom is often owing to the weakness and debility of the fyftem brought on by the daily habit of drinking tea: the trembling hand feeks a tempo

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nary relief in fome cordial, in order to refresh and excite again the enfeebled fyftem; whereby fuch almoft by neceffity fall into a habit of intemperance, and frequently entail upon their offspring a variety of diftempers which otherwife would not probably have occurred." Another bad confequence refulting from the univerfal cuftom of tea-drinking particularly affects the poor labouring people, whofe daily earnings are fcanty enough to pro. cure them the neceffary convenien. cies of life and wholesome diet. Many of thefe, too defirous of vying with their fuperiors, and imitating their luxuries, throw away their little earnings upon this fafhionable herb, and are thereby inconfiderately deprived of the means to purchase proper wholefome food for themselves and their families.

I have known feveral miferable families thus infatuated, their emaciated children labouring under various ailments depending upon indigeftion, debility, and relaxation. Some at length have been fo enfeebled, that their limbs have become diftorted, their countenance pale, and a marafmus has clofed the tragedy.

These effects are not be be attributed fo much to the peculiar properties of this coftly vegetable, as to want of proper food, which the expence of the former deprived thefe poor people from procuring, I knew a family of this ftamp, confifting of a mother and feveral children, whofe fondness of tea was fo great, and their earnings fo fmall, that three times a day, as often as their meals, which generally confifted of the fame articles, they regularly fent for tea and fugar, with a morfel of bread to support nature;

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When tea is drank twice a-day, the annual expence amounts to l 12s. a head; and the fame judici ous writer estimates the bread neceffary for a labourer's family of five perfons at 141. 15s. gd. per annum: by which it the yearly expence of tea, fugar,&c, appears, that fortwo perfons, exceeds that of the neceffary article of bread, fufficient for a family of five perfons.

It appears alfo from a moderate calculation, that three million pounds of tea are annually confum. ed in England; and domestic experience teaches us, that with each pound of tea, ten pounds of butter at leaft are confumed. Hence the confumption of butter with this injurious aliment, if aliment it may be called, amounts annually to the amazing quantity of thirty millions of pounds. It is likewife to be premised, that at least five gallons

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of milk are necessary to procure one pound of butter. This being granted we may conclude farther: Suppofe one gallon of milk with bread would fuffice three labouring people for breakfaft and fupper, and that these meals conftitute half of their food, it follows, that from this fashionable cuftom of teadrinking, this kingdom cannot fupply food for fo many people as

it otherwife could, were the inhabitants to live in a more fimple manner, by at least one million. But fuppofing we allow half a million for the bread eaten with the milk, and the ufes of the milk after the butter has been taken from it, the deficiency still amounts to the amazing number of half a million of people!

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USEFUL

USEFUL PROJECTS.

A Method of dying Wool and Silk, of a yellow colour, with Indigo; and alfo with feveral other blue and red colouring Jubftances. Commu nicated to the Royal Society by Mr. Peter Woulfe; from the Philofophical Tranfactions for the Year 1771.

HE Saxon blues have been

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known for fome time; and are made by diffolving indigo in oil of vitriol, by which means the indigo becomes of a much more lively colour, and is extended to fuch a degree, that it will go very far in dying.

A receipt for making the best Saxon blue will, I dare fay, be agreeable to many; I will, therefore, give the following, which produces a very fine colour, and never fails of fuccefs.

Mix 31 of the best powdered indigo, with 34 of oil of vitriol in a glafs body or matrafs: and digeft it for one hour with the heat of boiling water, shaking the mixture at different times; then add 312 of water to it, and stir the whole well, and when grown cold filter it. This produces a very rich deep colour; if a paler blue be required, it may be obtained by the addition of more water. The heat of boiling water is fufficient for this ope

ration, and can never spoil the colour; whereas a fand heat, which is commonly ufed for this purpose, is often found to damage the colour, from its uncertain heat.

Indigo, which has been digested with a large quantity of spirit of wine and then dried, will produce a finer colour than the former, if treated in the fame manner, with oil of vitriol.

No one, that I know of, has heretofore made ufe of the acid of nitre, instead of the acid of vitriol; and it is by means of the former that the yellow colour is obtained: it was nevertheless natural to use it, on account of its known property of making yellow fpots, when dropped on any coloured cloth.

The acid of falt does not diffolve indigo, and therefore is of no use in dying.

Receipt for making the Yellow Dye.

Take 3 of powdered indigo, and mix it in a high glafs vetiel, with 3 2 of strong spirit of nitre, previoufly diluted with 38 of water; let the mixture ftand for a week, and then digeft it in a fand heat for an hour or more, and add 34 more of water to it; filter the folution, which will be of a fine yellow colour.

Strong

Strong fpirit of nitre it liable to Method of making folid and comby

fet fire to indigo; and it is on that
account that it was diluted with

water, as well as to hinder its fratof
ing up. 32 of strong spirit of
nitre will fet fire to 3 of indigo;
but, if it be highly concentrated,
a lefs quantity will fuffice.

If the indigo be digefted twentyfour hours after the fpirit of nitre is poured on it, it will froth and.. boil over; but, after ftanding a week or lefs, it has not that pro-: perty.

One part of the folution of indigo in the acid of nitre, mixed with four or five parts of water, will dye filk or cloth of the paleft yellow colour, or of any fhade to the deepest, and that by letting them boil more or lefs in the colour. The addition of alum is ufeful, as it makes the colour more lafting; according as the folution boils away, more water must be added.

None of the colour in the operation feparates from the water, but what adheres to the filk or cloth; of confequence this colour goes far in dying.

Cochineal, Dutch litmus, orchel, cudbear, and many other colouring fubftances, treated in this manner, will all dye filk and wool of a yel low colour.

The indigo which remains undiffolved in making Saxon blue, and collected by filtration, 'if digefted with fpirit of nitre, dyes filk and wool of all fhades of brown inclining to yellow.

Cloth and ilk may be dyed green with indigo; but they must firit be boiled in the yellow dye, and then in the blue.

Pot-ajh.

quantities of foreign all es, imported into this kingdon from Ruffia, Spain, &c.

HERE are very confiderable

But we have only two kinds of afhes made in our country, viz. folid, or hard; and comby, or light' afhes, and both in den and for home confumption.

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The fubjects, of which the different kinds are made, are as follow.

Wood-afhes, which are princi-" paliy made in farm houfes, &c. where wood is burnt a fuel, are bought up by the pot-afh burners, from fix-pence to eight-pence, and fometimes ten-pence, per oufhel, corn meafure*, and carried to the pot-afh office, in which are erected large fats, or vats (containing from four to eight fcore bushels of woodafhes), with under-becks, and are wrought by threes; fo that there are either three, fix, or nine vats in every office, and for this reafon:

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The athes being trod down into the vats, a fufficient quantity of water is continued to be laid on till it runs through the ashes into the under beck. The liquor running from the first is laid on the fecond vat, which is one third ftronger than the first; and the iquor of the fecond vat is laid on the third, which is alfo one third ftonger than the fecond. When it has thus run through the third vat, the lees, as the liquor is then called, is fuppofed to be ftrong enough for burning; but the firength is proved by weighing the lees in fmall quantities.

* Wood-afhes in Effex are bought up for this purpose from five-pence to seven-pence per bushel.

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