In the manufacture of paper the leaves are subjected to a great pressure, and the fragrance emitted from the crushed leaves is delicious, and considered very wholesome, so much so indeed that young children are often sent to reside near the place where the leaves are being crushed to inhale the fragrance.

The original moisture is removed by a substance, chiefly consisting of a very fine sand, beautifully compounded with other materials, and spread over a hard pliant stuff.  This laid on the pressed pulp sucks out all the original moisture.  The fine sand material, though possessing quite a smooth surface, is like a sponge in its power of suction, and, when used, is unrolled and pressed over the pulp by a machine.

This done, the plate containing the paper is moved to an adjoining part of the building, which is roofless, and is there exposed to the rays of the sun, which finishes the drying process and gives a beautiful glaze or polish to the paper.  Nothing so well dries the paper as the sun, as we have proved by frequent experiments.  After the sun, fire is the most efficacious agent; but this gives the paper a dead and chill appearance.

Our paper is as good as yours, though not better to write upon.  I have already informed you of some of the points of difference between them.  Paper can be made to almost any size, and without any seam.  One other peculiarity is that our paper makes no more noise when doubled up than a piece of linen.

The colour principally in use is that of cream or a very light yellow; for though we can produce a chalky white, we do not use it in our stuffs, except for linen.

There is a paper which we call “natural,” because its green colour exceptionally resembles that of the leaf, although it is purely artificial, being produced by the use of a powder obtained from a particular fruit which hangs from a tree in the shape of small eggs, and contains a white powder of a sticky consistency.  This powder is mixed with the leaves, and the paper thus prepared is very transparent.  At first it has a kind of primrose tint, but, when subjected to heat, or to the sun, turns green.  The egg called “Brulista Tavi,” or “Lime Egg,” follows a small blossom, but the fruit alone is used.  The trees are plentiful, growing on marshy ground, a long distance from, the city, for there are no marshes in its vicinity.

GOLDEN-COLOURED PAPER.

Some paper is of a pure gold colour, the result of a property inherent in the leaf itself and needing no extraneous application.

I have told you that the coarse paper is made with leaves of every description mixed together.  On one occasion some of the paper, when dried, became speckled with gold in different parts, presenting a beautiful appearance, which astonished the overseer and workmen.  The paper was brought to me, and I directed the overseer to endeavour to detect in future processes the cause of these beautiful specks.  Many trials were made, but he did not for months find any gold in the paper.