Page:The chemistry of paints and painting.djvu/42

8 of these fibres, are the only kinds with which water- colourists are practically concerned.

During his explorations of Chinese Turkestan, Sir Aurel Stein recovered many examples of early manuscripts written on felted vegetable fibre, that is, paper. In the British Museum are two scraps of such paper, with Chinese writing, which must be dated somewhere between the years 25 and 220. They are the most ancient specimens of paper known to exist in the world. But the manufacture of linen-paper in Europe has not at present been traced back farther than the second half of the twelfth century. Mr. W. H. James Weale, formerly Keeper of the Art Library in the Victoria and Albert Museum, informed me that the two first paper-mills in France were set going near Ambert, in the valley of the Valeyre, by men who, during their captivity in the Holy Land, were forced to work at the manufacture of paper at Damascus. One of these French mills was called 'Damascus,' the other 'Ascalon.' This was previous to the year 1189. To Mr. Weale I am also indebted for an opportunity of examining two early specimens, obtained from the 'Registre des Revenus de l'Evêché du Puy.' As one of the sheets contains contemporary entries of the year 1273—the other entries belonging to 1289—these papers are, at least, as early as the years named. Both papers present the creamy hue, the translucency, and the gloss of vellum. One hundred square inches of the earlier specimen weigh 127 grains ; of the later, 163. Both are heavily sized with paste made from wheaten starch. The use of starch for sizing paper has been revived of recent years, but animal size or jelly is still extensively employed. Some paper is, indeed, made from felted linen pulp alone without size; but it is blotting or filter paper, and is quite unfitted for