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his 〃Chronology of Paper and Paper…Making;〃 credits

it to the Chinese; and estimates its date to be

included in the first century of the Christian era。 He

observes:



〃The Chinese paper is commonly supposed to

be made of silk; but this is a mistake。 Silk by

itself cannot be reduced to a pulp suitable for making

paper。 Refuse silk is said to be occasionally

used with other ingredients; but the greater part

of the Chinese paper is made from the inner bark

of the bamboo and mulberry tree; called by them

the paper tree; hempen rags; etc。 The latter are

prepared for paper by being cut and well washed

in tanks。 They are then bleached and dried; in

twelve days they are converted into a pulp; which

is then made into balls of about four pounds

weight。 These are afterwards saturated with

water; and made into paper on a frame of fine

reeds; and are dried by being pressed under large

stones。 A second drying operation is performed

by plastering the sheets on the walls of a room。

The sheets are then coated with gum size; and

polished with stones。 They also make paper from

cotton and linen rags; and a coarse yellow sort

from rice straw; which is used for wrapping。 They

are enabled to make sheets of a large size; the

mould on which the pulp is made into paper being

sometimes ten or twelve feet long and very wide;

and managed by means of Pulleys。



〃The Japanese prepare paper from the mulberry

as follows: in the month of December the twigs

are cut into lengths not exceeding thirty inches and

put together in bundles。 These fagots are then

placed upright in a large vessel containing alkaline

ley; and boiled till the bark shrinks so as to allow

about a half an inch of the wood to appear free at

the top。 After they are thus boiled they are exposed

to a cool atmosphere; and laid away for

future use。 When a sufficient quantity has been

thus collected; it is soaked in water three or four

days; when a blackish skin which covered it is

scraped off。 At the same time also the stronger

bark which is of a full year's growth is separated

from the thinner; which covered the younger

branches; and which yields the best and whitest

paper。 After it has been sufficiently cleansed out

and separated; it must be boiled in clear ley; and

if stirred frequently it soon becomes of a suitable

nature。



〃It is then washed; a process requiring much

attention and great skill and judgment; for if it

be not washed long enough; although strong and

of good body; will be coarse and of little value; if

washed too long it will afford a white paper; but

will be spongy and unfit for writing upon。 Having

been washed until it becomes a soft and woolly

pulp; it is spread upon a table and beat fine with a

mallet。 It is then put into a tub with an infusion

of rice and breni root; when the whole is stirred

until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed in a

mass of proper consistence。 The moulds on which

sheets are formed are made of reeds cut into narrow

strips instead of wire; and the process of dipping

is like that of other countries。 After being

allowed to remain a short time in heaps under a

slight pressure; the sheets are exposed to the sun;

by which they are properly dried。



〃The Arabians in the seventh century appear

to have either discovered or to have learned from

the Chinese or Hindoos; quite likely from the latter;

the art of making paper from cotton; for it is

known that a manufactory of such paper was established

at Samarcand about the year 706 A。 D; The

Arabians seem to have carried the art to Spain;

and to have there made paper from linen and hemp

as well as from cotton。



〃The art of manufacturing paper from cotton

is supposed to have found its way into Europe in

the eleventh century。 The first paper of that kind

was made of raw cotton; but its manufacture was

by the Arabians extended to old worn…out cotton;

and even to the smallest pieces it is said。 But as

there are cotton plants of various kinds; it was natural

that they should produce papers of different

qualities; and it was impossible to unite their

woolly particles so firmly as to form a strong substantial

paper; for want of sufficient skill and

proper machinery; using as they did mortars and

rude horse…mills。 The Greeks; it is said; made

use of cotton paper before the Latins。 It came

into Germany through Venice and was called Greek

parchment。



〃The Moors; who were the paper…makers of

Spain; having been expelled by the Spaniards;

the latter; acquainted with water mills; improved

the manufacture so as to produce a paper from

cotton nearly equal to that made of linen rags。〃



A chronology of paper relating to the earliest specimens

of them can also be found in Munsell's work on

that subject; several are here cited:



〃A。 D。 704。 The Arabians are supposed to

have acquired the knowledge of making paper of

cotton; by their conquests in Tartary。



〃A。 D。 706。 Casiri; a Spanish author; attributes

the invention of cotton paper to Joseph Amru; in

this year; at Mecca; but it is well known that the

Chinese and Persians were acquainted with its

manufacture before this period。



〃A。 D。 900。 The bulls of the popes in the eighth and ninth

centuries were written upon cotton paper。



〃A。 D。 900。 Montfaucon; who on account of

his diligence and the extent of his researches is

great authority; wrote a dissertation to prove that

charta bombycine; cotton paper; was discovered in

the empire of the east toward the end of the ninth

or beginning of the tenth century。



〃A。 D。 1007。 The plenarium; or inventory; of

the treasure of the church of Sandersheim; is written

upon paper of cotton; bearing this date。



〃A。 D。 1049。 The oldest manuscript in England

written upon cotton paper; is in the Bodleian collection

of the British Museum; having this date。



〃A。 D。 1050。 The most ancient manuscript on

cotton paper; that has been discovered in the

Royal Library at Paris having a date; bears record

of this year。



〃A。 D。 1085。 The Christian successors of Moorish

paper…makers at Toledo in Spain; worked the

paper…mills to better advantage than their predecessors。

Instead of manufacturing paper of raw

cotton; which is easily recognized by its yellowness

and brittleness; they made it of rags; in moulds

through which the water ran off; for this reason it

was called parchment cloth。



〃A。 D。 1100。 The Aphorisms of Hippocrates; in

Arabia; the manuscript of which bears this date;

has been pronounced the oldest specimen of linen

paper that has come to light。



〃A。 D。 1100。 Arabic manuscripts were at this

time written on satin paper; and embellished with

a quantity of ornamental work; painted in such

gay and resplendent colors that the reader might

behold his face reflected as if from a mirror。



〃A。 D。 1100。 There was a diploma of Roger;

king of Sicily; dated 1145; in which be says that

he had renewed on parchment a charter that had

been written on cotton paper in 1100。



〃A。 D。 1102。 The king of Sicily appears to

have accorded a diploma to an ancient family of

paper…makers who had established a manufactory

in that island; where cotton was indigenous; and

this has been thought to point to the origin of cotton

paper; quite erroneously。



〃A。 D。 1120。 Peter the Venerable; abbot of

Clum; who flourished about this time; declared

that paper from linen rags was in use in his day。



〃A。 D。 1150。 Edrisi; who wrote at this time;

tells us that the paper made at Xativa; an ancient

city of Valencia; was excellent; and was exported

to countries east and west。



〃A。 D。 1151。 An Arabian author certifies that

very fine white cotton paper was manufactured in

Spain; and Cacim aben Hegi assures us that the best

was made at Xativa。 The Spaniards being acquainted

with water…mills; improved upon the Moorish

method of grinding the raw cotton and rags; and

by stamping the latter in the mill; they produced a

better pulp than from raw cotton; by which various

sorts of paper were manufactured; nearly equal to

those made from linen rags。



〃A。 D。 1153。 Petrus Mauritius (the Abbi de

Cluni); who died in this year; has the following

passage on paper in his Treatise against the Jews;

'The books we read every day are made of sheep;

goat; or calf skin; or of rags (ex rasauris veterum

pannorum);' supposed to allude to modern paper。



〃A。 D。 1178。 A treaty of peace between the

kings of Aragon and Castile is the oldest specimen

of linen paper used in Spain with a date。 It

is supposed that the Moors; on their settlement in

Spain; where cotton was scarce; made paper of

hemp and flax。 The inventor of linen…rag paper;

whoever he was; is entitled to the gratitude of

posterity。



〃A。 D。 1200。 Casiri positively affirms that

there are manuscripts in the Escurial palace near

Madrid; upon both cotton and hemp paper; written

prior to this time。〃



Abdollatiph; an Arabian physician; who visited

Egypt in 1200; says that the linen mummy…cloths

were habitually used to make wrapping paper for the

shopkeepers。



A document with the seals preserved dated A。 D。

1239 and signed by Adolphus; count of Schaumburg

is written on linen paper。 It is preserved in the

university of Rinteln; Germany; and establishes the

fact that linen paper was already in use in Germany。



Specimens of flax paper and still extant are quite

numerous; a very few of them having dates included

in the eighth and ninth centuries。



The charta Damascena; so…called from the fact of

its manufacture in the city of Damascus; was in use in

the eighth century。 Many Arabian MSS。 on such a

paper exist dating from the ninth century。



The charta bombycina (bombyx; a silk and cotton

paper) was much employed during mediaeval periods。



The microscope; however; has demonstrated conclusively

many things f

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