A Catechism of Familiar Things - Anonymous

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and other figures; it is said to have received its name from d'Iper, now Ypres, a town of Belgium, situated on a river of the same name, where it was first made.

      What is Holland?

      A fine, close, even, linen cloth, used for sheets, &c. It obtained its name from being principally made in Holland.

      What is Canvas?

      A hempen cloth, so loosely woven as to leave interstices between the threads, in little squares. It is used for working in patterns upon it with wools, &c.; by painters for a ground work on which they draw their pictures; for tents, sails, and many other purposes. There are several sorts, varying in the fineness of their texture.

      What is Damask?

      A sort of silken stuff, having some parts raised on its surface to represent flowers or figures. It took its name from Damascus, in Syria, whence it was first brought.

      Is there not another sort of Damask?

      Yes, made from linen; and so called because its large flowers resemble those of damask roses. It was first made in Flanders, and is used for table linen, &c.

      What is Flannel?

      A slight, loose, woollen stuff, used for warm clothing; it was originally made in Wales, where it still continues to be manufactured in great perfection.

       Table of Contents

       Table of Contents

      Of what form is the tree which bears those large nuts, called Cocoa nuts?

      It is tall and straight, without branches, and generally about thirty or forty feet high; at the top are twelve leaves, ten feet long, and half a foot broad; above the leaves, grows a large excrescence in the form of a cabbage, excellent to eat, but taking it off kills the tree. The cocoa is a species of Palm.

      Is not the Indian liquor called Toddy, produced from the Cocoa Tree?

      Yes, between the leaves and the top arise several shoots about the thickness of a man's arm, which, when cut, distil a white,sweet, and agreeable liquor; while this liquor exudes, the tree yields no fruit; but when the shoots are allowed to grow, it puts out a large cluster or branch, on which the cocoa nuts hang, to the number of ten or twelve.

      Distil, to let fall in drops.

      Exude, to force or throw out.

      

THE CATHEDRAL OF MILAN, ITALY.

      How often does this tree produce nuts?

      Three times a year, the nuts being about the size of a man's head, and of an oval form.

      Of what countries is it a native?

      Of Asia, the Indies, Africa, Arabia, the Islands of the Southern Pacific, and the hottest parts of America.

      What are the uses of this Tree?

      The leaves of the tree are made into baskets; they are also used for thatching houses: the fibrous bark of the nut, and the trunk of the tree, are made into cordage, sails, and cloth; the shell, into drinking bowls and cups; the kernel affords a wholesome food, and the milk contained in the shell, a cooling liquor.

      From what country was the Cherry Tree first brought?

      From Cerasus, a city of Pontus, in Asia, on the southern borders of the Black Sea; from which place this tree was brought to Rome, in the year of that city 680, by Lucullus; it was conveyed, a hundred and twenty-eight years after, into Great Britain, a.d. 55.

      What is the meaning of A.D.?

      A short way of writing Anno Domini, Latin words for in the year of our Lord.

      Who was Lucullus?

      A renowned Roman general.

      Is the wood of the Cherry Tree useful?

      It is used in cabinet-making, for boxes, and other articles.

      What is Bark?

      The exterior part of trees, which serves them as a skin or covering.

      Exterior, the outside.

      

      Does it not undergo some change during the year?

      Each year the bark of a tree divides, and distributes itself two contrary ways, the outer part gives towards the skin, till it becomes skin itself, and at length falls off; the inner part is added to the wood. The bark is to the body of a tree, what the skin of our body is to the flesh.

      Of what use is Bark?

      Bark is useful for many things: of the bark of willows and linden trees, ropes are sometimes made. The Siamese make their cordage of the cocoa tree bark, as do most of the Asiatic and African nations; in the East Indies, they make the bark of a certain tree into a kind of cloth; some are used in medicines, as the Peruvian bark for Quinine; others in dyeing, as that of the alder; others in spicery, as cinnamon, &c.; the bark of oak, in tanning; that of a kind of birch is used by the Indians for making canoes.

      What are Canoes?

      Boats used by savages; they are made chiefly of the trunks of trees dug hollow; and sometimes of pieces of bark fastened together.

      How do the savages guide them?

      With paddles, or oars; they seldom carry sails, and the loading is laid in the bottom.

      Are not the savages very dexterous in the management of them?

      Yes, extremely so; they strike the paddles with such regularity, that the canoes seem to fly along the surface of the water; at the same time balancing the vessels with their bodies, to prevent their overturning.

      Dexterous, expert, nimble.

      Do they leave their canoes in the water on their return from a voyage?

      No, they draw them ashore, hang them up by the two ends, and leave them to dry; they are generally so light as to be easily carried from place to place.

      Were not books once made of Bark?

      Yes, the ancients wrote their books on the barks of many trees, as on those of the ash and the lime tree, &c.

      Which part did they use?

      Not the exterior or outer bark, but the inner and finer, which is of so durable a texture, that there are manuscripts written on it which are still extant, though more than a thousand years old.

      Is it not also used in Manure?

      Yes, especially that of the oak; but the best oak bark is used in tanning.

      What is Cork?

      The thick, spongy, external bark of the Cork Tree, a species of oak. There are two varieties of this tree, the broad-leaved and the narrow: it is an evergreen, and grows to the height of thirty feet. The Cork Tree attains to a very great age.

      Where is the Tree found?

      In Spain, Italy, France, and many other countries. The true cork is the produce of the broad-leaved tree.

      What are its uses?

      Cork is employed in various ways, but especially for stopping vessels containing liquids, and, on account of its buoyancy in water, in the construction of life boats. It is also used in the manufacture of life preservers

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