6.6.16

A Treatise on Calico Printing, Of Colour-Making, Enlargements on the preceding, being a more chymical discussion of it; or, in which the agency of chymistry is more exemplified, both theoretically and practically.

A Treatise on Calico Printing, VOL. I-II
Printed for C. O'Brien, Bookseller, Islington, and fold by Bew, Paternoster-row: Richardson, Royal Exchange: Murray, Fleet-Street: And the Booksellers of Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, &c.
1792

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(55) Called the new nomenclature, which at a proper time is intended to be given with new opinions, experiments, &c. included in what is intimated note 7 to preliminary suggestions.

* Among absurd phrases ia general use, are killing acids, opening indigo, verdigrease, and the like. The abuse of the term colour has been mentioned, — see note 1.

(56) And has given so flight and imperfect a compendium of chymistry as to omit some of the metallic substances, most of the acids, and intirely the gasses, though important primary agents in the new chymistry.

To those who have least spare time, are recommended as a selection of works on chymistry, first Nicholsons Elements, then Fourcroy's and Lavoisier's, but chiefly Berthollet's Memoirs, of which the writer has often availed himself in this work.

(57) Probably the present distracted state (1790) of France, may cause some of her scientific artists to migrate; of course, where they go, they will carry science with them, and callico printing in this country may be bettered by it.
Having attempted to give a general view of preparing and colouring processes, as accommodatory to the state of philosophical knowledge among those to whom the work is addressed, as perhaps can be done, the writer now, in order to lead them  as it were step by step  to the point he wishes them  to attain, will en deavour to be a little more scientific, and speak more particularly of the operations of nature in those processes, in view of rendering them  useful or subservient to the operations of art. And, as failures in practice are as much owing to improper qualities in the articles employed, as well as in the unions and applications of them, he will subjoin some certain modes of analyzing them, partly from  experience and partly from  respectable printed documents: but still expressing himself in as familiar terms and language as he possibly can: — as what he has said respecting coppermen (note 34 to maddering) may be said respecting the mass of colour-makers (he speaks here from certainty and dares refutation) for being little solicitous about principles or causes, and little acquainted wish the proper names of articles which they use, the modes of analyzing them, or the true signification of chymical terms in general, it probably would be of little advantage, nay it would appear like vanity and affectation, to use the new terms of chymistry (55) expatiate on new theories, or display certain new opinions, or even facts, though relative to the subject. (56)

The time however he trusts is hastening when philosophical principles will be cultivated (57) the necessity of it becoming every day more evident. He will even venture to say, when this crude treatise is scanned, and he has sufficient reason to suppose it will be by many in the prosession, however cavalierly he treats them, that a desire for better information will commence, and, of course, an endeavour to obtain that knowledge which is the proper basis of practice, and which as such is so often spoken of in this work.

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