Brief Directions How to Tan Leather according to the New Invention of the Honourable Charles Howard of Norfolk, Experimented and Approved of by Divers of the Principal Tanners Using Leaden-Hall Market

The P. Estanzei faith, he could not establish any Thing certain touching the true Magnitude of this Comet, because it lasted but a little Time, and stood always near the Horizon. Meantime he observed, that it passed more swiftly than Venus, which possibly, at the Beginning of this Phenomenon, might have past the tenth Degree of Aries. Whence he infers, that it was under Venus; yet the Anticipation was not so great, that it could be believed to be under the Moon, as he would have it; adding, that it could not be seen by all the Inhabitants of the Southern Hemisphere, nor of the Europeans unto the 78th deg. of the Northern Pole, to whom it was Horizontal, and therefore hardly visible by Reason of the Vapours of the Atmosphere. It may be taken Notice of, that a Month before, upon a Report that a Comet had been seen towards the Morning in the Horizon of the rising Sun, and certain Carmelites, that live upon a Hillock of the said Town, having affirmed, that they had observed it several Times; our P. Estanzei began to doubt, whether the Comet, he saw, were not the same, which, more swift than the Sun, according to the Succession of the Signs might within that Time have got clear of the Solar Rays; and his Suspicion grew the stronger; because the Heads was then turned towards the Sun, and the Tayl towards the West, opposite to the same. It may also be noted, that at St. Salvador this Comet appear'd not so long, as at Rome and at Goa; but then, the Head thereof was seen in Brasil, which was not not possible to be seen elsewhere. Brief Directions how to Tan Leather according to the New Invention of the Honourable Charles Howard of Norfolk, experimented and approved of by divers of the principal Tanners using Leaden-hall Market. Every Part of the Oak-tree, of what Age or Growth soever, and all Oaken Copice-wood, of any Age or Size, being cut and procured in Barking Time, will Tan all Sorts of Leather as well, at least, as Bark alone. This Material being gotten in its proper Season, it must be very well dried in the Sun, and more than Bark; then housed dry, and kept dry for Use; and when it is to be used, the greater Wood may be shaved small, or cleft fit for the Engine, by and by to be described; and the smaller to be bruised and cut small by the same Engine: Which done, it must again be dried very well upon a Kiln, and then ground, as Tanners usually do their Bark. Such Wood as is to be used presently after 'tis gotten, will require the better and more drying upon the Kiln; otherwise it will blacken and spoil the Leather. Where Oak is scarce, Thorns may indifferently well supply that Scarcity. Birch ordered and used instead of Oak, is very fit for Soal-Leather. As these Ingredients will Tan better than Bark alone, and that with far less Charge; so may this Invention save the felling of Timber when the Sap is up; which, when 'tis done, causes the outside of the Trees to rot and grow Worm-eaten; whereas, if the Trees had been felled in Winter, when the Sap was down, they would have been almost all Heart (as they call it,) and not so subject to Worms. Besides, that this Invention will greatly improve the Value of Under-woods. The Description of the Engine above-mentioned, for Beating and Cutting the Materials of Tanning. This Engine in Tab. 1. fig. 1. and 2. consists of a long square wooden Block, and of some Pieces of Iron, to be fastened on it and used about it, viz. an Anvil, a Hammer, an Iron holding the Wood to be bruised and cut, and a Knife to cut the same. Oak or Elm is accounted best for the said Block, the Dimensions whereof are these; A B, in fig. 1. the Length of the Block, about 4 Foot. C D, the Breadth thereof 15 or 16 Inches. E F. the Depth, 8 or 10 Inches. The Iron Pieces are; G H I K, in fig. 1. a square Cavity to receive a Plate of Iron, serving serving for an Anvil, to beat and bruise the Tanning Stuff upon; which Anvil is to be about 4 Inches deep, 9 Inches broad, and 12 Inches long. L M N O, in fig. 1. the Iron for clasping and holding fast the Materials to be bruised and cut; which Iron must lye cross the Engine about the middle of the said Piece of Timber; and it may be about 3 Inches broad. It hath two Hooks at one End thereof, P Q, which are turn'd upwards, and must be hook'd into the Loops of the two Hinges that are let in and fasten'd to the Side of the Engine, R S, in such Manner that this clasping Piece may have Liberty to be a little raised for putting the Tanning Stuff under it. At the other Side, T, in fig. 2. is a single Hook, likewise turn'd upward, to hang a Weight upon whilst the Stuff is bruising upon the Anvil, or cutting by the Knife. The Button in Fig. 1. serves to take up this Piece by: a a a a, on the other Side of the Block in Fig. 2. are the Places for the 4 Feet to set this Engine upon, which are to be of a convenient Height to work upon it; b; the Hammer, in Fig. 3. for beating and bruising the Stuff; which may be of 6 l. Weight, and have the Head about 3 Inches square, to work with both Hands; but to work with one Hand, or for a Youth to use, let it be of about 3 l. Weight, and the Head about two Inches square. The Surface of one End of these Hammers is best to be smooth; but that of the other, dented, the better to enter into the Stuff for quicker Dispatch. They are to be well steeled at both Ends. The Handles of these Hammers may be about a Foot long; the bigger ought to be somewhat longer. e. d. The Knife in Fig. 1. to cut the bruised Stuff; which must be broad 8 or 9 Inches, and near as much in Depth, made like a Tobacco-knife, with a Handle to work. This Knife must be fastened to the Block at the two opposite Sides, that are to be hollow'd by two Grooves, e f g h. in Fig. 2. and i k l m, in Fig. 1. and this fastning is to be performed by two Pieces of Iron, to be fitted in the said Grooves, to hold and guide the Knife in working; the one Piece, n o p q in Fig. 1. is to be fasten'd to the End of the Knife c by a Pin r, passing thorough 3 Holes, and this End is to be screw'd into the Groove e f g k in Fig. 2. by a couple of Screw-pins; the other Piece, s t u v w x y z in Fig. 1. being forked, is to receive receive the other End of the Knife \(d\); and the solid square Part thereof, \(i k l m\), is to be fasten'd in the Groove that is under it, by two Iron-plates \(\alpha \alpha, \varepsilon \varepsilon\), under which it must run in the said Groove, so as that it may be flipp'd out from under it, and laid by, when the Engine is not used; at which Time also the Piece at the other End may be unscrew'd and laid up. The two long Squares upon one End of the Block, in Fig. 1. viz. 5. 6. 7. 8. are two Iron-plates to be fasten'd, where the Knife, moving in a fit Cavity, is to cut the bruised Stuff between them. And of these Plates that, which lies next the End, is to be laid a little lower, the Block being there pared accordingly, that so the Stuff may fall off from the End of the Engine the quicker, as your left Hand furnishes the Knife with the bruised Materials, whilst the right Hand is cutting them. Let the hollow Place, where the Knife cuts, be, as near as may be, so big only, that the Knife may easily fall and rise; and let the Block be hollow'd under the cutting Hole, and sloped off at that End, for the Stuff to fall off as the Knife cuts it. An Extract of a Letter of Mr. Martin Lister concerning the first Part of his Tables of Snails, together with some Quare's relating to those Insects, and the Tables themselves; sent to the Publisher from York, March 12. 1673. I Herewith send you the first Part of our Tables of Snails, and some Quare's upon that Subject; also the lively Figure of each Shell for Illustration, done by Mr. Lodge. I reserve by me the Sea-shells and Rock-stones. That Part, I send you at present, being at a Stand with me, those other increase upon my Hands daily; which though that be not a Sign of Perfection (for there is undoubted Work for many Ages,) yet is of good Advancement and Progress; this other of the Copiousness of the Subject. Again, in that Part of the Tables, you have from me, Authors are very little concern'd; in the other of Sea-shells and Stone-like Shells there are many Authors, which are to be consulted and taken in, if possible we can understand them treating of the same Species. As for Rock-shells in particular, they come in to me in greater Numbers, than I could ever have imagined. And I can assure