and the letters are written as usual; when they are dry, a slight degree of stickiness is produced by breathing on them, upon which the gold leaf is immediately applied, and by a little pressure may be made to adhere with sufficient firmness. In the second method, some white lead or chalk is ground up with strong size, and the letters are made with this by means of a brush. When the mixture is almost dry, the gold leaf may be laid on, and afterwards burnished. The third method is to mix up some gold powder with size, and to form the letters of this by means of a brush.

Gilding the Edges of Paper.

The edges of the leaves of books and letter paper are gilded whilst in a horizontal position in the bookbinder's press, by first applying a composition formed of four parts of Armenian bole and one of candied sugar, ground together with water to a proper consistence and laid on by a brush with the white of an egg. This coating, when nearly dry, is smoothed by the burnisher. It is then slightly moistened by a sponge dipped in clean water, and squeezed in the hand. The gold leaf is now taken up on a piece of cotton, from the leathern cushion, and applied on the moistened surface. When dry, it is to be burnished by rubbing the burnisher over it rcpeatedly from end to end, taking care not to wound the surface by the point.

ON LACQUERING.

THE general nature of the compositions employed for lacquering has already been explained under the head of Changing Varnishes. I shall in this place give some

particular receipts for preparing the lacquers in most general use.

Lacquer for Brass.

Seed-lac, six ounces; amber or copal, ground on por phyry or very clean marble, two ounces; dragon's blood forty grains; extract of red sandal-wood, thirty grains; oriental saffron, thirty-six grains; pounded glass, four ounces; very pure alcohol, forty ounces.

Articles, or ornaments of brass, to which this varnish is to be applied, should be exposed to a gentle heat and then dipped into the varnish. Two or three coatings may be thus applied, if necessary.

Articles varnished in this manner may be cleaned with water and a bit of dry rag.

Lacquer for Philosophical Instruments.

Gamboge, an ounce and a half; gum sandrac, four ounces; gum elemi, four ounces; best dragon's blood,

two ounces; terra merita,* an ounce and a half; oriental saffron, four grains; seed-lac, two ounces; pounded glass, six ounces; pure alcohol, forty ounces.

The dragon's blood, gum elemi, seed-lac, and gamboge are all pounded and mixed with the glass. Over them is poured the tincture obtained by infusing the saffron and terra merita in the alcohol for twenty-four hours. This tincture, before being poured over the dragon's blood, &c., should be strained through a piece of clean linen cloth, and strongly squeezed.

If the dragon's blood gives too high a colour, the quantity may be lessened according to circumstances. The same is the case with the other colouring matters.

This lacquer has a very good effect when applied to inany cast or moulded articles used in ornamenting furniture.

Gold-coloured Lacquer for Brass Watch-cases, Watchkeys, &c.

Seed-lac, six ounces; amber, two ounces; gamboge, two ounces; extract of red sandal-wood in water, twenty-four grains; dragon's blood, sixty grains; oriental

Terra merita is the root of an Indian plant; it is of a red colour, and much used in dyeing. In varnishing, is only enployed in the form of a tincture, and is particularly well adapted for the mixture of those colouring parts which contribute the nost towards giving metals the colour of gold. In choosing it ve careful to observe that it is sound and compact.

saffron, thirty-six grains; pounded glass, four ounces; pure alcoho., thirty-six ounces.

The seed-lac, amber, gamboge, and dragon's blood must be pounded very fine on porphyry or clean marble, and mixed with the pounded glass. Over this mixture is poured the tincture formed by infusing the saffron and the extract of sandal-wood into the alcohol, in the manner directed in the last receipt. The varnishing is completed as before.

Metal articles that are to be covered with this varnish are heated, and, if they are of a kind to admit of it, are immersed in packets. The tint of the varnish may be varied in any degree required, by altering the proportions of the colouring quantities according to circum

stances.

To make Lacquer of various Tints.

For this purpose, make use of the receipt given under the head of Changing Varnishes.

To clean old Brass Work for Lacquering.

First boil a strong lye of wood-ashes, which you may strengthen with soap-lees; put in your brass work, and the lacquer will immediately come off; then have ready a pickle of aqua-fortis and water, strong enough to take off the dirt; wash it immediately in clean water, dry it well, and lacquer it.

BRONZING.

Tais art is nothing but a species of painting; but far from being of the most delicate kind. The principal ingredients made use of in it are the true gold powder, the German gold, the aurum mosaicum, (all before described,) and copper powder. This last may be procured by dissolving filings or slips of copper with nitrous acid in a receiver. When the acid is saturated, the slips are to be removed; or, if filings be employed, the solution is to be poured off from what remains undissolved. Small bars are then put in, which will precipitate the copper from the saturated acid, in a powder of the peculiar appearance and colour of copper; and the liquid being poured from the powder, this is to be washed clean off the crystals by repeated levigations.

The choice of these powders is, of course, to be determined by the degree of brilliancy you wish to obtain. The powder is mixed with strong gum water or isinglass, and laid on with a brush or pencil; or, a coating of goldsize, prepared with a due proportion of turpentine, is first applied; and when not so dry as to have still a certain clamminess, a piece of soft leather, wrapped round the finger, is dipped in the powder and rubbed over the work. When the work has, in either of these ways, been all covered with the bronze, it must be left