Those of the chamois, kid, lamb, dog, doe, and many other animals.

What are Furs, and how are they prepared?

Furs are the skins of wild animals, dressed with the hair on, and used as apparel, either for warmth, ornament, or distinction of rank or dignity.

Name a few of the principal furs in use.

The fur of the ermine, an animal inhabiting the cold regions of Europe and America, is highly valued, and much used for ornamental purposes.  In summer, the upper part of the body is of a yellowish-brown color; the under parts white, slightly tinged with yellow.  It is then called a stoat.  In winter, the fur is closer and finer, and is of a snowy white color; the tip of the tail is black throughout the year.  In Europe the fur is much used for ornamenting the state robes of sovereigns and nobles.  The sable is another animal much prized for its rich fur; it is a native of Northern Europe and America.  The skins of the marten, found in North America, as well as in Northern Asia and the mountains of Kamtschatka; and also of the bear, fox, raccoon, badger, lynx, musk-rat, rabbit, hare, and squirrel, which are all procured in North America, are valuable.  One of the most valuable descriptions of fur is that of the seal.

How is it procured?

By hunting the animals, which is the employment both of natives and settlers from other countries; the hunters sell the skins for money, to a company established for the purpose of trading in furs, or more frequently exchange them for clothes, arms, and other articles.  The Alaska Commercial Company of San Francisco is granted by the United States Government the exclusive privilege of catching the fur seal.

What is Alum?

A kind of mineral, of a strong, sharp taste.  It dissolves both in cold and boiling water, but best in the latter.  It is of some use in medicine; a principal ingredient in dyeing and coloring, neither of which can be well performed without it, as it sets and brightens the colors, and prevents them from washing out.  It is also extremely useful in many arts and manufactures.

Are there not different sorts of this material?

The principal kinds are native alums:  viz. those prepared and perfected underground by the spontaneous operations of nature; as the roch, commonly called rock alum, from Rocha, in Syria, whence it is brought.

     Spontaneous, unassisted by art.

     Orientals, inhabitants of the Eastern parts of the world.

What is Ink?

A liquor used in writing on paper or parchment, made of copperas, galls; and gum arabic[6] mixed together.  There are likewise several plants that may serve for the making of ink, as oak-bark, red roses, log-wood, &c.  It is also made from an infusion of oak galls and iron filings:  there are also many other ways, as well as materials, employed in the making of this useful article.  Ink is the name applied to all liquids used in writing, of whatever color they may be, as red, blue, &c., though black is the most used for common purposes.  The ink of the ancients seems to have been of a thick, oily nature, unlike the modern ink; it consisted of nothing more than a species of soot, or ivory black, mixed with one fourth of gum.