half that required to make one hat, and is called a batt. 2. Hardening. The material being evenly disposed on the hurdle, is covered with a cloth, and pressed gently by the hands of the workman. In a short time the stuff acquires sufficient firmness to bear careful handling. The cloth is then taken off, and a sheet of paper, with its corners doubled in, is laid upon the batt, which last is folded over the paper as it lies, and its edges meeting one over the other, form a conical cap. The joining is soon made good by pressure with the hands on the cloth. 3. Working. This is effected by an apparatus called a battery, consisting of a kettle containing water (acidulated with sulphuric acid) and eight planks of wood joined together, and meeting in the kettle at the middle. The liquor being heated, the article is dipped from time to time, and worked on the planks with a roller, and also by folding or rolling it up, and opening it again. 4. Shape is given by laying the conical cap on a wooden block, of the intended size of the crown of the hat, and thus tying it round with a packthread, called a commander, and afterwards with a piece of irou, or copper bent for the purpose, they gradually beat or drive down the commander all around, till it has reached the bottom of the block, and thus is the crown formed; what remains below the string, being the brim. 5. Dyeing. After the hat has been shaped and fashioned, the nap of the hat is raised or loosened out with a wirebrush. It is dyed in a liquid prepared of logwood, and a mixture of green copperas and blue vitriol, the sulphates of iron and copper. The dyer's copper is usually very large, holding ten or twelve dozen hats. The hat is kept boiling for about three quarters of an hour, then taken *out and set to cool, and returned to the dye; and this ten or twelve times successively. 6. Stiffening. The workman has two boilers, the one containing the grounds of strong beer, which are applied to the inside of the crown to prevent the glue from oozing through. The glue stiffening is applied after the beer-grounds are dried, and then only upon the lower face of the flap, and the inside of the crown. 7. Steaming. The article is placed on the 'steaming-bason, which is a small hearth, or fire-place, raised three feet high, with an iron plate laid over it, exactly covering the hearth. On this plate they first spread cloths, which being sprinkled over with water to secure the hat from burning, the hat is placed on them with the brim downwards. When moderately hot, the workman strikes gently on the brim with the flat of his hand, to make the jointings incorporate and bind, so as not to appear; turning it from time to time, and lastly setting it on the crown. 8. Ironing. The hat is put again on the block, and brushed and ironed on a table or bench, called the stall-board. This is performed with an iron like that commonly used in ironing linen, and heated like it; which being rubbed over each part of the hat, with the assistance of the brush, smooths and gives it a gloss. The hat is then lined and trimmed for sale. HERRING-FISHERY. See Fishery. IRON MANUFACTURE. The iron manufactured in Great Britain is obtained principally from the Lancashire ore, of a dark purple colour-inclining to black,-the bog ore which resembles a deep yellow clay,-and from iron stones of an irregular shape, which are often intersected with veins of pit-coal. After the ore is dug out of the earth, it is crushed in a mill, and washed in a stream to separate the grosser particles of earth. It is afterwards melted in furnaces heated with coke, charcoal, peat, or turf; near the bottom of which, by means of a tap-hole, the liquid metal is discharged into furrows made in a bed of sand. The larger mass which settles in the main furrow is called by the workmen a sou, and the smaller ones pigs of iron. Cast Iron. Stoves, grates, &c. are formed by casting ladles full of the rough metal into proper moulds made of sifted sand. In this state it is called cast iron; but if cooled too hastily, it becomes brittle. To improve cast iron, the raw iron is now melted down a second time in another furnace, where a strong blast of air is impelled on the surface of the metal; by this process, its fusion is considerably facilitated, and the iron concretes into a mass called a loop, that is conveyed beneath a large hammer, raised by the motion of a water-wheel. The metal is there beaten into a thick square form, again heated, so as nearly to melt it, and then forged. By repeating this process, the iron is rendered perfectly malleable, and formed into bars for sale. Steel. Iron is converted into steel, either by fusionor cementation; the former method is employed for making steel immediately from the ore, or from the crude cast metal. In the process by cementation, bars of iron are placed in furnaces, with a stratum of charcoal between each, till the pile is raised to a sufficient height; the whole is then closely covered, to prevent the access of the air, when a strong fire is kindled, and uniformly continued. The surface of the metal, manufactured in either way, generally exhibits numerous vesicles, whence it is called blistered steel; but these may be removed by repeated ignition between red-hot coals and by forging. Cast steel is the best manufactured in Britain. It is prepared from the common blistered metal, which, being broken in pieces, is put into proper crucibles, with a flux; and, after the fusion is effected, the metal is cast into ingots, when it undergoes the operation of tilting, and is at length tempered by repeated heating and by immersion in water. ISINGLASS is a preparation from the sturgeon of Russia; it may also be produced from the air bladders of the cod, as well as from those of other fish inhabiting fresh water. The sinewy parts of the fish are first boiled in water till they are dissolved; the viscid liquor is then strained and suffered to cool. When cold, the fat is carefully taken off, the liquid again boiled to a due consistence, then cut in pieces and rolled into a semicircular twist, in which state they are suspended in a string, and carefully dried. It was calculated that the yearly consumption of isinglass in the breweries in the year 1765, amounted to 25 tons weight, for which 10,0001. annually was paid to the Russians. The finest and most transparent sorts of isinglass are consumed in making mock pearls, and in stiffening linens, silks, gauzes, &c. JAPANNING is the art of vanishing and painting ornaments on wood, metals, &c. in the same manner as is done by the natives of Japan. The substances which admit of being japanned are almost every kind that are dry and rigid, or not too flexible; as wood, metals, leather, and paper, prepared for the purpose. In some instances, a priming, composed of glue mixed with whiting, is employed: but from the use of this, the japan coats-are liable to crack, or be peeled off. When a priming is required, the work is prepared by being smoothed with fishskin or glass paper; and being made thoroughly clean, is brushed over once or twice with hot size, diluted with twothirds of water. The priming is then laid on as even as possible, and formed of a size, of a consistency between the common kind and glue, mixed with as much whiting as will give it a sufficient body of colour to hide the surface. This being repeated till the inequalities are completely filled up, the work must be cleaned off with Dutch rushes, and polished with a wet rag. When wood, leather, or metals are to be japanned, and no priming is used, the best preparation is to lay two or three coats of coarse varnish, composed of coarse seed-lac and resin, each two ounces, dissolved in one pint of spirits of wine, and strained. This varnish, as well as all others formed of spirit of wine, must be laid on in a warm place; and the work to be varnished should also be warm. When it is so prepared, proper japan ground must be laid on, which is best formed of shell-lac varnish and the colour desired, except white. LACE is composed of many threads of gold, silver, or silk, interwoven the one with the other, and worked upon a pillow with spindles, according to any designed pattern. The open work is formed with pins, which are placed and displaced, as the spindles are moved. The importation of gold and silver lace is prohibited. Bone Lace is made of fine linen thread, or silk, nearly in the same manner as that of gold and silver. The pattern of the lace is fixed upon a large round pillow, and pins being stuck into the openings, in the pattern, the threads are interwoven by means of a number of bobbins made of bone or ivory, each of which contains a small quantity of fine thread, in such a manner as to make the lace exactly resemble the pattern. There are several towns in England, and particularly in Buckinghamshire, that carry on this manufactures; but vast quantities of the finest laces have been imported from Flanders. LEATHER. See Tanning. LINEN. See Flax. LETTER-FOUNDERY. See Foundery. MALT. See Brewing. MUSLIN is loosely woven of the finest cotton yarn. ·All muslins were formerly imported from India; but very considerable quantities are manufactured in Manchester, Glasgow, Paisley, &c., which for fineness and durability are little inferior to those of the East. British muslins acquire a yellowish cast after they have been frequently washed; but the genuine India muslins retain their origi nal whiteness. NEEDLES. In the manufacture of needles, the first thing is to pass the steel through a coal fire, and under a hammer to bring it to a round form. This done, it is drawn through a large hole of a wire-drawing iron, and returned into the fire, and again drawn through a second hole smaller than the first, and thus successively, till it has acquired the degree of fineness for the purpose of needles; observing every time it is drawn to rub it with Jard to render it more manageable. The steel thus reduced, is cut to the proper length of the needles: these pieces are flatted at one end on the anvil, to form the head or eye; they are then put into the fire to soften, and thence taken out, and pierced at each extremity of the flat part of the anvil by force of a puncheon of well tempered steel, and laid on a leaden block, to bring out, with another puncheon, the little piece of steel remaining in the eye. The corners are then filed off the square of the heads, and a little cavity filed on each side of the flat of the head; this done, the point is formed with a file, and the whole filed over: they are then laid to heat red hot, on a long narrow iron, crooked at one end, with charcoal fire, and when taken out, are thrown into a bason of cold water to harden. On this operation a good deal depends; too much heat burns them, and too little leaves them soft: the medium is learned by experience. When thus hardened, they are laid in a shovel on a fire, more or less brisk. This serves to temper them, and to take off their brittleness. They are then straightened one after another with the hammer; and the next process is the polishing. They take 12 or 15,000 needles, and range them in little heaps on a piece of new buckram sprinkled with emery |