CHEVALIER CLAUSSEN'S FLAX-WORKS.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 672, 22 September 1852, Page 4

CHEVALIER CLAUSSEN'S FLAX-WORKS.

Chevalier Clausscn's flax-works, at Slepney Green, were opened a few days ago to public inspection. His intention may be classified under I the following heads : — The preparation of long flax for (he linen manufacturer ; the conversion j of flax and hem,) into substances resembling | coKon, wool, and silk, capable of Luing spun ! and manufactured upon existing machinery ; and j bleaching vegetable fibres, yarns, and fabrics, j It must be understood, before giving a brief de- i scrip (ion of the different processes employed, that Chevalier Clausscifs patent terminates with the chymical part, and that his object is to produce llax and cotton (that is, a substance resembling collon) in a stale fitted for the operation of existing flax, cotfon, or woollen machinery. To comprehend the advantages of the invention, we must allude occasionally to the present system employed. At present (he flaxstraw is steeped in streams or pits of water. By these means it is fermented and the woody part separated horn the fibre. This process occupies from ten lo twelve days, and great care has lo be observed to prevent the fermentation, being carried to too great a height, in which case the fibre ilself would be partially destroyed. To shorten the lime steeping in hot water has also been tticd, and the separation has been effected in GO hours, but the risk of injuring (he fibre is perhaps augmented. The straw of the flax is of course lost, and the operation tedious. Chevalier Clausscn by his method takes the flaxstraw as it comes from the field, but he proposes that the farmer should mechanically separate (he straw from the fibre by the use ol a very simple machine which pounds or breaks the straw and effects their separation ; this reducos the subfance to one-half its bulk, and the straw may be returned to the soil, or, mixed with cake, crushed seeds, &c, be used as cattle food. Now, the stem of the flax plant consists of three parts — the shove or wood, the pure fibre, and the gum resin, or glutinous mailer which causes these fibres lo adhere together. The first has been got rid of by the farmer by the process described, and it remains to remove the third cnnslilucnl.namely, the glutinous substances. Chevalier Claus&en contends that the present system of steeping in water, either hot or cold, -will not effect this, as a large portion of them are insoluble in water, but he has recourse to chymical agents. The fibre is cilher boiled in weak caustic soda, or steeped in a cold solution for 24 hours. It is then ''scoured" in a bath consisting of 500 parts of water to one of sulphuric acid, washed, dried, and furl her cleaned, scutched, and so on, through the ordinary modes of manufacture. The flax obtained in this way, being free from all colouring matters, may be bleached afterwards -with greater ease, and as the plant need i.ol be cut (ill ripe the grower has (he advantage

of fu!!}' ripened seed, and a greater weight per acre of pure fibre. It k calculated lhal from four tons of flavstraw of one fibre maybe obtained. From tins 15 per cent, of long fibre is prepared by the method described, leaving 75 per cent., which, with a fuilher reduction of 15 per cent, in the ensuing processes, may be converted inlo GO per cent, of flax-cotton at a value oI'SOL per (on. On (he old system five tons of straw will yield one of fibre, from which also 15 per cent of long fibre may be obtained, but the remainder is not woith uioie than 11. a (on. We Mill now pass to the most interesting part of Chevalier Clausseifs imention- the conversion of (his 75 per cent of fibre into a substance resembling cotton. The fibre is first cut into short lengths by a circular-knivcd cutting machine. The appliances for the metamorphosis of flax into cotton are very simple, consisting of four wooden vats, containing solutions which Mill piesently be named, and an open wooden box, or cage rather, made of strips of wood, which by means of a rope and blocks is suspended from a small carriage running along a tranverse beam overhead, and thus can be lowered and raised, successively into and from (he four vats. The cage being partly filled with the cut tlax or waste u low," is lowered into the first vat, containing a solution of cold water and 10 per cent, of common carbonate of soda. )l remains in (his about a quarter of an hour, by which time the liquid has permeated by capillary attraction every part of the small lubes. The cage is then hoisted up and lowered inlo the next vat, containing one part of sulphuric acid to 200 parts of water. The acid by its superior affinity to soda form a sulphate of soda with it, and liberales the carbonic add, which in its escape acts mechanically by its elastic force, and separates the fine flax filaments from each other. Mr. Hudson, in his report to the Royal Agricultural Society on this experiment, explains the action very graphically. He says " The flax fibre soaked in the solution of sub-carbonate of soda was no sooner immersed in the vessel containing the acidulated water than its character became at once changed from that of a damp rigid aggregation of flax to a light expansive mass of cotifuiy lc\!sire, increasing in size like leavening dough or an expanding sponge." It is then immersed in a second hidh o£ carbonate of soda nolufion, and if only required fo be used in an unbleached state, m.ty be washed and dried. If, however, it is to be bleached, il is immersed hi a| fourth vat, containing a solution of hypochlorito of magnesia, and in about 15 minutes attains the colour, as in a previous similar lime it had acquired the texture of cotton. In fact, it goes in brown flax, and in less than one hour comes out white cotton. It is then washed, drained in baskets,dried in cakes.hanging across iron horses in stoves heated to 98 ° Fahrenheit, and is then ready to be tortured by "devilling," " combing," and all the other operations incidental to cotton manufacture. The timo of draining and drying is not more than 12 to 15 hours, so that the whole process, from (he time the flax is brought to the pounding machine to when il is converted inlo a cotton similar to say, a bale just landed from America, allowing the cold sleeping process, would not exceed 48 hours. Chevalier Claussen affirms that this " British cotton" may be manufactured as low as 2}d. per lb., which would readily sell for 4d. or 6d. per Ib. ; and to show the field open- to flax-growers, gives the following statislics of importation in his paper read before the Royal Agricultural Society. The value of flax fibre imported he places at 5,000,000 Z. ; seed for crushing, l,800,000Z. ; seed for sowing 200,000/. : oilcake, GOO,OOOZ. ; and hemp, 1,500,000*.; making a total amount of 9,100,000*. With regard to the profits of cultivation, Mr. Druce, on a piece of land in Oxfordshire, found il amount to 81. 6s. 2d. per acre on sa. 2r. 56p. grown in (lax. Chevalier Claussen, in "his pamphlet on the subject, adduces al length the different advantages, and points out the superiority of his process over any of those already used ; hut even an enumeration of them beyond what we have said would occupy too much space, and as the further processes of manufacture do not belong to his invention, we will, having brought flax into the stale used by manufacturers and, by further change, into the state of an American hale of cotton just landed on our shores, con elude our description.

Fr.Ax C'n roy. — 'i he /Yew Ymk Journal of Comma cc ] says: — "The flax cotton movement will surprise the woi Id yet. It would seem that Chevalier Claussen's mode of converting the flax into cotfon, ready for the ordinary cotton machinery has fully succeeded. It will be, however, a greater boon to this country than to Europe. Jn England and Ireland the soil is too valuable for the product of food to admit of raising flax. It will lie better for them to look to our Arneiican cotton at its ordinary price for their material than to flax cotton for their own production. But this country will soon become largely productive of flax, and the raw material, as well as the fabrics from it, will no doulit become one of our cheif articles of export. Either tie statements and estimates as to the cost of the preparation of the cotton from flax are erroneous, or it is certflin that flax cotton must soon become one of the great staples of the Western and middle States, llighis have been purchased already for the preparation of the article in the states of New England, New York, ami Illinois. It is thought that Virginia will be partiularly benefitted by the introduction of the culture of flax. It will give all the advantages of a cotton-grow-ing Slate. She will not only produce the article, but manufacture it. The fabrics from flax cotton, whether pure or mixed with other materials, are very strong and handsome. Among the fabrics now on exhibition at the Capital are pnntaloon stuffs and army clothing all very strong. The plain linen cloth is also excellent, sa aie also the specimens of linen and cottou hosiery. The flax cotton can be sold to the manufacturers at six cents per pound, and leave an ample margin for the profits of those who produce the flax and prepare it."

The Planets Imiabited. — We hare something more than the mere magnitude of the planets to allege in favour of the idea that they are inhabited. We know that this earth turns round upon itself; and wo observe that all those celestial bodies that are acessible to such an observation, have tbe same movement. We know that the earth performs a yearly revolution lound the sun ; and we can detect, in all the planets which compose our system, a revolution of the same kind, and under the same chcumstances. They have the same succession of day and night. They have the same agrceahle vicissitude of seasons. To them light and darkness succeed each other; and the gaiety of summer is followed by the dreariness of winter. To each of them the heavens present as varied and magnificent a spectacle ; and this earth, the encompassing of which would require the labours of years from one of its puny inha . bttants, is hut one of the lesser lights which sparkle in their firmament. To them, as well as to us, God has divided the light from tbe darkness ; and the darkness H« has called night. He has said, Let there be lights in the firmament of their heaven, to divide the day from the night ; and let them be for signs, nnd for seasons, and for days, and for years ; and let them be for lights in the fii. manient of heaven, to gire light to earth ; and it was so. To all of them He has given a sun to rule the day ; and to many of them He has given moons to rule the night. To them He has made the stars also. And God has set them in the firmament of heaven, to give light upon their earth, and to rule over the day and over tbe night and to divide the light from the darkness j and God has seen that it was good. — Dr. Chalmers.

TnACTAUUNisM.— A correspondent says: Some exotemeiH lias been caused in Exeter tlus week in consequrnce of the vagaries of certain of the tiactnrian clergymen. On Sunday morning (being Easter Sunday) tit five o'clock, the Perpetual IncumbPnt of St. Sid well's (a parish lendered notorious as the scene of " The suiphce war") administeied " holy communion" to ahout fifty persons, The "altar" was decorated with evei greens, and to render the scene as imposing and Romish as possible five clergyman officiated in the ceremony. The incumbent (the Rev. J. L. Galton)

' lias recently preached agnntt the Queen's surpremacy, and is exceedingly *' high" in bis chuicli notions. 'Ihe lev. gentleman's wife attends the catholic chapel in the city, and it i& reported (hat she has latdy become a communicant tuere. A great deal of observation has been made upon this, inasmuch as the Bishop of Exeter some yeais since interfered with a clergyman in Cornwall for allowing his wife to attend a Weblnjan chapel. —Daily News, April 14. To be sold, a thrashing machine, in good \vo»kin;r outer, iias biich cane, and snap barrels. War ranted to lick a sdiool of fifty boys in twenty minutes ; distinguishing (heir offences in the liteiaiy, moral, and impei tment. Only pancd with because the ownei has flogged al! his school awiy, and his sons aie too big to be beat. Apply at the College of Preceptors.— lndianopolis Join nal.