the water must not be suffered to remain too short or too long a time, either in the steeper or beater; the beating itself must be nicely managed, so as not to exceed or fall short; and in the curing the exact medium between too much or too little drying is not easily attained.  Nothing but experience can make the overseers skilful in these matters.  There are two methods of trying the goodness of indigo; by fire and by water.  If it swims it is good, if it sinks it is inferior, the heavier the worse; so if it wholly dissolves in water it is good.  Another way of proving it, is by the fire ordeal; if it entirely burns away it is good, the adulterations remain untouched.”

Indigo to the extent of 220,000 lbs. per annum is grown in Egypt.  The leaves are there thrown into earthen vessels, which are buried in pits and filled with water; heat is applied, and the liquid is boiled away until the indigo becomes of a fit consistence, when it is pressed into shape and dried.  Many Armenians have been invited from the East Indies to teach the fellahs the best mode of preparation, and, in consequence, nine indigo works have been established belonging to the government.

The indigo plant is found scattered like a weed abundantly over the face of the country in the district of Natal, Eastern Africa.  It is said that there are no less than ten varieties of the plant commonly to be met with there.  Mr. Blaine submitted, in 1848, to the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, a small specimen of this dye-stuff, which had been extracted by a rude process from a native plant, which was pronounced by good authority to be of superior quality, and worth 3s. 4d. per pound.  Mr. W. Wilson, a settler at Natal, in a letter to the editor of the Natal Witness, thus speaks of the culture:—­

“My attention was first forcibly drawn to the cultivation of indigo by some seed imported by Mr. Kinlock, from India.  This seed, on trial, I found to grow luxuriantly; and after a few experiments I succeeded in manufacturing the dye.  The success which thus attended my first attempts has encouraged me to try indigo planting on a more extensive scale.  For this purpose I am allowing all the plants of this season to run to seed, and intend to plant equal quantities of Bengal and native indigo.

While my attention was engaged in these preliminary experiments, I observed that the country abounded in a variety of species of indigo, and by a series of experiments found it rich and abundant, and have since learnt that it is known and in use among the natives, and called by them Umpekumbeto.

This of course induced further inquiry, and on consulting different works I find that the Cape of Good Hope possesses more species of indigo than the whole world besides.  Now I take it for granted that if Providence has placed these materials within our reach, it was evidently intended that we should, by the application of industry, appropriate