226 On Hat Making.[April then beat on by the bruſh at the kettle till it ſticks; and by ſhak-

ing in the boiling liquor and beating alternately, the flax is ſhook of and lefr ſwimming on the water in the ketile, the fine ftuff reimaining on the hat;‘then the gplaîite, for ſuch it is then called, is blocked,-&c. as above., The few alterations that the fuff-men uſe are the following: the wool-men divide by the eye their bowed wool into four bats; the ſtuff-men into two, and thoſe with a pair of ſcales; the wool-maker baſons his hat on an iron as deſcribed before; the ſtuff-maker on the hurdle with an inlayet of cloth about 20d. per yard, and 1 foot wide, and 2 feet long; the wool-maker uſes only water 1n his kettle to work his hats with, the maker of uff hats adds oil of vitriol and dregs of ale, porter, or any other fermented liquor, the wool-maker lays en his covering of cod-wool or goat’s-hair juſt before planking» the other lays on his covering(whether of prime hairor beaver) when the hat is nearly ſhrunk up to the ſize they want. To finiſh the parallel, the ſtufff hatter robs his maſter of 1s, 1s 6d, or 25, of beſt ſtuff and beaver from each hat, whilſt the poor wool- man can only fleal about 3d. or 4d. from each, To remedy ſuch inconveniences, Meſſrs. Wells and Chatterton, of Brenchley in Kent, and Méfſrs, Cooper, Bibly, and Downal, of Lea-wood, near Cranford, in Derbyſhire, ſet themſelves to work to erect engines. They have ſucceeded, amidſt the curſes of the journey- men, and the ſneers‘of the maſters, who can ſcarce yet be brought to believe that engines can efec the purpoſe.

Having now attended each diviſion of hat-making to its conclu- fion, let us proceed to the other branches. From the makers they are given when dried; from blocking to the dyer, who alſo raiſes the nap with a card, called a jack card,(a large card with a handle in the middle like thoſe in which wool, cotton, or tow are‘carded, but with much finer teeth) or“a hatter’s card,” which is nearly ſquare, with teeth the ſame quality as the jack card. The hat is now ftrung again on a block for dying, where with their blocks they are put into a large kettle, generally ca- pable of holding from 4.to 40 dozen at once. When as many as the kettle can contain have been in one hour, they are taken out and others put in, which ſtay the ſame length of’ time, and ſo on alternately; if for wool hats three ſuits’; if ſuf, four, five, or more, by ſuits,(we mean hours ſlow boiling) after this they are waíhéd oút with cold water till it rxns cléar from them, then boîled about half an hour in clean ſoft water, to diſengage any dict that may remain, or particles of roſin from the dye wood; the dyers uſe logwood,, and verdigreaſe, according’ to their own diſcretion; and ſometimes galls are added: they are then dried in a ſtove which is built circular, having 2 fire-pan in the centre and a tube to convey the fmoke from it. When perfe&ly dry, they are laid in a cool place to loſe their heat and the criſpinefs of their nap, and then well beat to clear them ſtill