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New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 58, 17 February 1843, Page 3

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CORRESPONDENCE. (copv.) No. 1. Silt,—Having been most unceremoniously and insultingly" ordered by you never to enter the Public Billiard Room kept by you, whilst about to play a game f of Billiards with a friend this morning, and that before a public company, I demand, with little ceremony, to , know the reason for your acting in such a manner, in order that I myself, and others, may know upon what authority you act. Had I ever injured the table, or appeared in that room in a disorderly or riotous manner, . so as to annoy or insult any one that might be then present, there then might have been some grounds for your acting towards me in the manner in which you did this day. But as such has never been the case (snd I defy you or any one else to say so) I am bound to defend my character as a man and a gentleman before the public, and depend upon it I shall do so. If you do not choose to give me a sufficient explanation of your conduct, you will hear more of it from a quarter you may least expect. Trusting you will give me a fair and manly answer to this imperative question, I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, Hauold Macleod.

G. B. Virtue, Esq. Wellington, Thursday, February 9, 1843. (Answer.) No. 1. Sir, —I am sorry that an angry word should have induced me to desire your entire absence from the Billiard Room, before other parties. I had intended requesting it, not only from you, but your particular friend, Mr. France, Martineau, &c,, &c., not from any intention of iusulting you, but merely for my own pleasure. The Table, tho’ in a measure a public one, I intend for my friends, and not the public. Circumstances alone forced the disagreeable, veto made before others on your entering the Billiard Room. 1 am, Sir, . Your obedient Servant, G. Blair Virtue. H. Macleod, E-q., Wellington. February 11th, 1842, (Copy.) No. 2.

Sm, —In answer to your letter which I duly received on Friday last, I have to observe that you have passed over the particulars on which I demanded specific information, and have sent me an evasive reply, implicating at the same time friends of mine. I demanded of you the reason for your having insultingly ordered me from a public Billiard Room, and the answer I receive is a paltry excuse for attacking, not only myself, but my friends, by saying “ that circumstances alone forced the disagreeable veto made before others, on my entering the Billiard room again.” This, Sir, I consider nothing but an addition to your uncalled-for and aggravating insult, for which you will be called to account, not only by myself, but by others who consider themselves, by your remarks, implicated in the case, and allow me to remark, that unless you give me a decided answer to each of these following queries, viz—The reason you ordered me to leave the room, as also what the circumstances were which forced you to do so ? I shall adopt measures which may terminate in an unplea-

sant mamier. Allow me also to observe, that I shall publish the correspondence which has taken place between us, unless you feel inclined to act in the manner 1 have requested as above, and in the event of your non-com-pliance with my desire, I shall consider all correspondence at an end, and proceed as I may think the case requires, so as to vindicate my character. I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant. Harold Maclkod. G. B. Virtue, Esq. Wellington, February 13, 1843. (Answer.) (No. 2.) Sir, —You have already had my answer to your first letter, and it is not my intention to make any addition to it, as I do not consider myself bound to explain any reasons for refusing you, or any other person, admittance to my own premises. I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant, G. Blair Virtue. H. Macleod, Esq., Wellington, Tuesd y Morning.

In a recent publication we laid before our readers an account of the manufacture of Glass Waistcoats and other materials at present in England. We have now the pleasure, through the kindness of a friend, to give an account of the mode of weaving Glass into fabrics.

VOUILLON’S PATENT FOR WEAVING GLASS FIBRES IN ORNAMENTAL FABRICS. (Abstract of Specification.)

The invention relates to the application of fine fibres of glass as ornamental weft, in weaving either fabrics of silk, wool, cotton, or other fibrous material. The looms I prefer for weaving, are what are called Jacquard looms ; but the invention is equally applicable to other looms, wherein ornamental or figured fabrics are woven. And I woulif here state, that the invention does not alter the mechanism of the loom, nor the arrangement of the threads of the warp, and the mode of working may be assimilated to working with two or more colours, where two or more shuttles are used. And in order to make the mode of working most clear, I will suppose that a Jacquard loom is fitted up for weaving silk damask of two colours, blue and gold colour; and that the general ground or surface is to be satin, with ornamental figures of the yellow : in such case the warp would be arranged suitably for that purpose, and the pattern either worked by separate cards, or by the same card as the ground, all which is well understood in weaving; and I will suppose, that in place of having the gold colour in silk yarn (in -a suitable shuttle, to be used in conjunction with the shuttle for the weft of the same colour as the warp, for conjointly producing the ground of satin fabric), I am to employ fibres of glass of a gold colour as the ornamenting weft; and I will suppose that the loom has been at work, and that a shed of the warp is opened, into which a weft of glass fibres is now to be brought across from selvage to selvage, taking care that the weft of glass fibres is somewhat wider than the fabric, in order to leave the ends of the weft protruding beyond either selvage, till the fabric is woven, when the same are to be cut off. And in order conveniently and readily to place the weft of glass fibres in the shed, when open to receive it, the workman with his right hand passes a hook, from the right-hand selvage, through the opened shed, beyond the left-hand selvage, and takes the end of a weft of glass fibres in his left hand, places it in the hook, and continues to hold the end of the weft over the hook: he then with his right hand draws the hook, together with the weft, through the shed, till the other end of the glass weft reaches beyond the right-hand selvage, when he disengages the hook, and gently moves the glass weft up the reed; another shed of the warp is next to be opened by the workman, and a weft of silk thrown across by the shuttle : and the same is to be beaten up by the workman with the reed; and it will be seen, that by such means the glass weft will be materially protected from the action of the reed by the weft of silk. The workman then proceeds to introduce another weft of glass fibres in a shed, according to the pattern, and again a weft of silk is thrown across ; and so on, till the fabric is completed. And it should be remarked, that whatever be the pattern woven, care should be observed in beating up, that a weft of silk or other yarn should be introduced between the reed and the ornamental weft of glass, before fully beating up. And although I have mentioned satin as the ground of the fabric, any other colour may be used; and I have only mentioned satin as an instance, as I might equally have taken any other class of weaving; for it will now be seen, that the invention does not materially interfere with the process of weaving a particular fabric, other than in respect to the material employed as the ornamenting weft. Although I have also described the weft as proceeding from selvage to selvage, it. will readily be understood, that if the ornamenting pattern only requires to be at particular places, and not requiring the weft to run from selvage to selvage, in such cases the woikman uses a shorter hook ; and where the shed is opened for the ornamental pattern, he draws a length of weft through the shed, suffi-

ciently long to protrude at the buck of the fabric, beyond the shed so opened, taking care that the warp is suitably arranged to lie in such wefts; as is the case when using small handshuttles in making like descriptions of ornamental weavings. The glass having been spun into any desired length, according to the width of the fabric, and into exceedingly fine fibres, it undergoes the following process to prepare it for use : Bundles of the glass fibre are placed on glass bars, in a strong closed vessel, communicating with a steam boiler, by means of which the glass may be slightly damped from time to time, by admitting very small quantities of steam at short intervals of a few minutes. Connected with the closed vessel, are also two glass bulbs; one containing four ounces of liquid ammonia (a saturated solution of ammonia), and the other, a mixture of three Ounces of sulphuric acid, and two and a half ounces of spirits of wine, about fifty-four over proof. A spirit lamp is placed under each of the bulbs, and the vapours generated are conveyed through glass pipes into the vessel, and the fibres acted on for half-an-hour or more, till there appears white vapours in the bulb containing the acid, &c. This operation cleanses the fibres, and renders them more pliable. The quantifies of materials above given, are for ten pounds of glass fibres. In using glass fibre as weft in spinning, the workman divides the bundles of fibres into as nearly equal parts as possible, each part to constitute one weft; and the quantity so used as a weft should be such as to be equal, when woven into the fabric, to the thickness of silk or other yarn, which would otherwise be used.In employing fibres of glass as an ornamental weft, various colours of glass may be used, depending on the taste of the manufacturer; and it will be evident, that various coloured wefts of glass may be used in forming a particular ornamental pattern or part of a pattern ; for it will be readily understood, that in producing ornamental weaving, various colours of silk and other yarns, according to the fabric which is to be made, may be used conjointly w T ith weft of glass in forming ornamental patterns, in like manner to what is at present practised, in weaving with several colours of weft. When the fabric is taken out of the loom, it is placed in a frame having a horizontal roller at each end, with ratchet-wheels and clicks or catches to retain the rollers in any position. The fabric is wound on to one of the rollers and made fast to the. other, whereby the fabric can be wound off the full roller on to the empty one. The rollers are about six feet apart, and the fabric between the rollers is finished off in the following manner When the fabric is stretched out, the workman picks off any knots or ends of the warp and weft, and then, with a smooth surface of soft leather, he rubs the fabric all over, and, with a brush, he removes all loose fibres ; and in order that no loose fibre of the glass may remain, he passes a dry sponge over the surface :

the quantity of surface so acted on is then wound up, and a fresh surface is then treated. These operations are performed first on the back surface of the fabric, and then on the front surface.