Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition - Volume I, A-B.pdf/669

 B L A B L E ing of a horn, and was introduced into heraldry as a BLAYE, a fortrers of Guienne, in France, fituated on term denoting the defcription of things borne in arms, the river Garonne, about twenty-one miles north of with their proper fignifications and intendments, from Bourdeaux; W. long. 4.5', and N. lat. 45° 70'. ancient cuftom the heralds, who were judges, had The intention of it is, to hinder any Ihip from go- ofan winding an horn at jufts and tournaments, when ing to Bourdeaux without permiffion. they explained and recorded the atchievements of BLAZE, a white fpot in a horfe’s face. knights. Blaze. See Blare. in the anatomy of plants, the inner rind or bark. BLAZONING, or Blazonry, in heraldry, the decy- BLEA, See Agriculture, parti. phering the arms of noble families. The word originally fignified the blowing or windBLEACHING. BLEACHING is the art of whitening linen cloth, thread, <bc. ; which is conduced in the following manner by the bleachers of this country. After the cloth has been forted into parcels'of an equal finenefs, as near as can be judged, they are latched, linked, and then fteeped. Steeping is the firft operation which the cloth undergoes, * and is performed in this manner. The linens are folded up, each piece diftindt, and laid in a large wooden veffel; into which is thrown, blood-warm, a fufficient quantity of water, or equal parts of water and lye, which has been ufed to white cloth only, or water with rye-meal or bran mixed with it, till the whole is thoroughly wet, and the liquor rifes over all. Then a cover of wood is laid over the cloth, and that cover is fecured with a poll betwixt the boards and the joifting, to prevent the cloth from rifing during the fermentation which enfues. About fix hours after the cloth has1 been fteeped in warm water, and about twelve in cold, bubbles of air arife, a pellicle is formed on the furface of the liquor, and the cloth fwells when it is not prefieddown. This inteftine motion continues from thirty-fix to forty-eight hours, according to the warmth of the weather; about which tin^ the pellicle or fcum begins to fall to the bottom. I^eTore this precipitation happens, the cloth muft be taken out; and the proper time for taking it out, is when no more air-bubbles arife. This is allowed to be the jufteft guide by the moft experienced bleachers. The cloth is then taken out, well rinfed, difpofed regularly by the felvage, and waihed in the put-mill to carry off the loofe duft. After this it is fpread on the field to dry: When thoroughly dried, it is ready for bucking ; which is the fecond operation. Bucking, or the application of falts, is performed in this manner. The firft, or mother lye, is made in a", copper, which we (hall fuppofe, for example, whert full, holds 170 Scots gallons of water. The copper is filled Three fourths full of water^ which is brought to boil: juft when it begins, the following proportion of allies is put into it, viz. 30 lb. of blue', and as much white pearlafbes ;> aocelb. of Maicoft allies, (or, if they have not thefe, about 300 lb. of Cafhub,} ; 300'fb. of Mufcovy, or blanch allies; the three laft ought to be well pounded. Vol. I. Numb. 24. 3

This liquor is allowed to boil for a quarter of an hour, ftirring the alhes from the bottom very often ; after which the fire is taken away. The liquor muft ftand till it has fettled, which takes at leaft fix hours, and then it is fit for ufe. Out of their firft, or mdther-lye, the fecond, or that ufed in bucking, is made in this manner. Into another copper, holding, for example, 40 Scots gallons, -are put 38 gallons of water, 2 lb. fbft foap, and 2 gallons pf mother-lye ; or, for cheapnefs, in place of the foap, when they have lye which has been ufed to white linen, called 'uibite-linen lye, they take 14 gallons of it, leaving out an equal quantity of water. This is called bucking-lye. After the linens are taken up from the field dry, they are fet in the vat or cave, as their large veffel is called; in rows, endwife, that they may be equally wet by the lye; which, made blood-warm, is now thrown on them, and the cloth is afterwards fqueezed down by a man-with wooden (hoes. Each row undergoes the fame operation, until the veffel is full, or all the cloth in it. At firft the lye is put on milk-warm, and, after ftanding a little time on the cloth, it is again let off by a cock into the brcking-copper, heated to a greater degree, and then put on the cloth again. This courfe is repeated for fix or feven hours, and the degree of heat gradually increafed, till it is, at the laft turn or two, thrown on boiling, hot. The cloth remains after this for three or four hours in the lye; after which the lye is let off, thrown away, or ufed in the firft buckings, and the cloth goes on to another operation. It is then carried out, generally early in the morning, fpread on the grafs, pinned, corded down, expofed to the fun and air, and watered for the firft fix hours, fo Often, that it never is allowed to dry. Afterwards it is allowed to lie till dry fpots appear before it is watered.. After feven at night it gets no more water, unlefs it be a very dr'ing night. Next day, in the morning and forenoon, it is watered twice or thrice if the day be very dry; but if the weather be not drying, it gets no water : After which it is taken up dry if the green be clean ; if not, it is rinfed, mill-waftied, and laid out to dry again, to become fit for bucking. This