is a front elevation of the bead lams and their standards, representing their position when the open sheds are formed; a, is the shaft of the upper bead lams, and o, that of the under ones; e, and i, are the back and fore standards respectively. In the shed here exhibited, which is opened by the treadle marked 4, (see Fig. 59) both the upper and under lams are slack, and after crossing two dents of gauze and one of whip, the former are sunk and the latter raised by the whip which is now acted upon entirely by the back leaves. That is, the upper lams cross from their standards at u, to the interval, where they are sunk; and the under ones from d, to c, where they are raised (see Fig. 60.) The treadle 2 (see Fig. 59) draws both the upper and under lams tight to their standards, by which the former are sunk and the latter raised; at the same time the ground forms the open shed. In the shed formed by treadle 1, the upper lams are tight and sunk by their standards, while the under ones are slack and raised by the whip, the ground forming the cross shed. All this will plainly appear by an attentive perusal of the two Figs. 59 and 60

PRINCESS ROYAL NET.

This net is woven in a mounting the very same as that of Night Thought, but with a small difference in the order of taking the whip through the headles and tying up the treadles.

But as these are distinctly marked on the plan Fig. 61.

manner as in the preceding net.

DROPPED NETS.

The whip and mail nets are frequently ornamented with a variety of figures, which are formed on the cloth merely by preventing the crossings of certain portions of the whip, for one or more picks of weft, which leaves open spaces in the ground larger than the common meshes of the net; this may be effected either by preventing part of the upper bead lam whip from sinking, or of the under bead lam whip from rising, in the open shed, by means of additional back leaves applied for that purpose.

These examples, it is presumed, will be sufficient to explain the nature and process of net weaving, and to show that by changing the order of the draught, cording and treading, considerable variety may be produced in these fabrics. Among the ancient Egyptians the art of netting was generally connected with that of weaving. It will be seen from the annexed engraving, that the process did

not differ very much from that which is in use at the present day. But the Egyptians not only made nets for useful purposes, but also for ornamental. Netted purses, curtains, and upper dresses are common on the monuments, and several of them are exquisitely beautiful. Indeed the Egyptian ladies seem to have been always anxious to display their charms, and to obtain fabrics of thin and light texture. The Egyptian muslins were so delicate as to receive the name of "woven air," the limbs appear through them, and the whole form is distinctly displayed. We have already mentioned the use of "wrought gold" both in the weaving and the embroidery of Egypt. It is sufficiently evident, from what has been said in the introductory part of this work, that the art of dyeing had made as great progress as that of weaving.

* Vide Wilkinson's "Manners and customs of the Ancient Egyptians" Vol. III. p. 134.

SECTION FIFTH.

FIGURED WEAVING.

We've heard of labyrinths and gordian knots,
And other things which try your men of skill;
But here we for a time shall turn our thoughts
To something even more complicated still.

Having described in the preceding sections the elementary principles of weaving, and developed some of their most useful combinations, with the necessary illustrations to make them perfectly understood, it now devolves upon us to show how these principles may be extended beyond the scope of leaves of headles, by aid of the draw loom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAW LOOM.

The frame AA is

called the carriage, from its use in supporting the harness; and rests on the capes of the loom, which are seen in section at A'A'. On the top of this frame is fixed the pulley box E2 which contains the

pulleys over which the tail cords run when any part of the harness is raised to form a shed, or sheds.

This box, a horizontal view of which is given in Fig. 64,

is placed in a slanting position sufficient to allow the tail cords BB to sink in opening the sheds, without obstruction from the frame or pulleys below.

The harness is composed of the following parts; namely, the neck twines, which extend from the neck of the harness, as pointed out by the figures of reference 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, to the knots at EE; the sleepers,* which connect the neck twines with the mails at DD; the mails, which are the substitutes for the eyes of headles, through which the warp threads are drawn, and of which a more distinct view will be found in Fig. 65;

* The name usually given to that part of the cords or mountings which passes through the board CC, commencing at the knots EE, and ending at the mails DD.