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 VI T. y4 Letter from Mr, John Relnhold 
 Forfter, F. R. S. to William Watfon, 
 M. D» giving fome Account of the Roots 
 tifecl by the Indians, in the Neighhourf. 
 
 « hood £/' Hudfori's-Bay, to dye Porcupine 
 
 'J 
 
 ■i: V 
 
 N** 2, Somerfet Stable-yard, Strand, 
 Jan. i6, 1772. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 :n 
 
 Read Feb. 27, 
 1772. 
 
 AMONG the curiofities prefentcd 
 by the Hudfon's Bay Company to, 
 the Royal Society, is a fpall parcel of porcupine 
 quills, dyed by the wild natives, fome red and fomq 
 yellow, together with the roots of fome plants they 
 ufe for that purpofe, 
 
 . I examined them carefully, at your defire, and , 
 found that they are probably of the fame kind witl^ 
 ihofe mentioned by Prof. Kalm, vol. iii. p. 14. and 
 J 60 of the Engllfh tranflatipn. The one root, dying , 
 yellow, is called by the French in Canada, Tifavoy- . 
 annejaunei the other, dying red, has the name of. 
 Tifavoyaone rouge. Prof. Kalm declares the latter i 
 to be a new plant, belonging to the genus of Galium, ] 
 and received by Dr. Linnaeus in his Species Plan- \ 
 trum, p. 153. by the fpecific name of Tindtorium, ^ 
 
[ 55 ] 
 
 bn account of Its dying quality. It grows in woody, 
 moift places, in a fine foil. Kalm obferves, " that 
 " the roots of this plant are employed by the In- 
 «« dians in dying the quills of the American Por- 
 «< cupine red, which they put into feveral places of 
 <« their work : air, fun, and water, feldom cliange 
 " this cdlour. The French women in Canada 
 " fometimes dye their cloth red with thefe roots, 
 *« which are but fmall, like thofe of the Galium 
 " luteum or yellow bedftraw." 
 
 bi-. Linnaeus defcribes this plant, as having fix 
 narrow linear leaves at each knot of the ftem, and 
 fdur at the branches j commonly two flowers are en 
 each ftalk, apd its feeds are fmooth. The roots, 
 when dry, are of the thicknefs of a crow quill, brown 
 on the outfide, and of a bright purple red, when 
 broken, on the in fide. 
 
 The fecond plant, or the Tifavoyanne jaune, is 
 according to Prof. Kalm, vol. iii. p. i6o. " the 
 " threeleaved Heflebore {^Helleboriis trifolius Linn.) 
 *' grows plentifully in woods, in mofly, not too wet, 
 
 places. Its leaves and ftalks are employed by the 
 
 Indians to dye yellow feveral kinds of their work, 
 
 made of prepared fkins. The French learned 
 ** from them to dye wool and other things yellow 
 " with this plant." 
 
 Among the roots fent as a fpecimen from Hudfon'S' 
 bay, I found feveral leaves, which I feparated, and 
 found the plant undoubtedly to be the threeleaved 
 Hellebore. ' 
 
 In the 4th vol. of Dr. Linnaeus's Amoenitates 
 
 Academicae is a figure of this plant, which upon 
 
 comparifon I found by no means to be accurate : for 
 
 *" ' . ,. > ,- . . , . -. . - . the 
 
 c< 
 
 <c 
 
 cc 
 
'tV- 
 
 i, . 
 
 '*-. '■ 
 
 [56} 
 
 the leaves in our fpecimens, and in thofc col]e<fted by. 
 a gentleman wlio favored me with the fight of 
 the plant, are far more pointed, than in the engraved 
 fif^urc. The ftalks have conllantJy but one flower. 
 
 The dyed porcupine-quills iznt along with the 
 roots from Iludfon's-bay, are of the brighteft red and 
 vellow : and this circumftance fuggeiled to me the 
 thoughts of trying whether thefe roots might not 
 be ufefully employed in dying. I mentioned it to 
 you, and was encouraged to make fuch a trial, as 
 the finall quantity of the roots would permit. 
 
 I boiled a piece of flannel in a folution of half 
 fait of tartar and half alum : the wet flannel was 
 hereupon put into the decodion of the threeleaved 
 Hellebore-roots, and boiled in it for the fpace of 
 about 1 2 or 1 5 minutes j the flannel, when extracted, 
 was dyed with a bright and lafl:ing yellow dye. A 
 white porcupine quill, boiled in the fame decodlion, 
 became nearly of as bright a yellow, as thofe lent 
 over from Hudfon's-bay. This experiment made 
 me believe, that I had hit upon the right method 
 of dying with the threeleaved Hellebore ; and will, 
 I hope, prompt the diredors of the Hudlon's-bay 
 Company to order larger quantities of this root from 
 their fettlements, as it will no doubt become an 
 ufelul article of commerce. 
 
 The flannel, boiled in fait of tartar and alum as 
 above-mentioned, v/as likewife immerfed and boiled 
 for nearly the fame fpace of time as in the former 
 experiment, in a decodion of the root of the Ga- 
 lium Tindorium, but it would dye only a dull and 
 faint red. A porcupine quill boiled with it be- 
 came yellow, but by no means red. This opera- 
 
t57} 
 
 lion convinced fne, that the Indians muft certainly 
 have fome method or other to extradt the bright 
 and laftmg colour, which I could not perform. 
 They ufc perhaps the root quite frefh, which circum- 
 ftance probably makes them fucceed in their dying 
 procefs. If it could be brought about, to extraS 
 and afterwards to fix on wool the dye of this root» 
 it would, no doubt, on account of its bright colour, 
 be a valuable acquilition for our manufadures : and 
 I do not in the lead doubt of the probability to fuc- 
 ^ed in the attempt, as the wollen fluffs are ani-^ 
 mal fubftances as well as the porcupine quills, and 
 therefore eafily fufceptible of any dye. 
 
 The diredtors of the Hudfon's-bay Company will^, 
 we hope,, order their fervants at the fettlements tp 
 examine carefully and minutely, the method em- 
 ployed by. the Indians in dying red with this root,, 
 and to fendc an account thereof, and greater quan-* 
 tities- of this root over, that feveral chemifls may 
 be enabled to make experiments at large with them ; 
 for often, in dying, the experiments will not fucceed>, 
 when tried/ in fmall quantities. 
 
 The wild inhabitants of North America are cer- 
 tainly poffefTed of many important arts; which,. 
 i;i^en thoroughly known^ would enable the Euro- 
 peans to make a better, . and more extendve ufe 
 of many, unnoticed plants, and productions of this 
 vafl continent, both in phytic, and in improv<» 
 iBg our manufadures, and ereding new branches^ 
 of commerce. 
 
 To give an inflance of this, I will only mention,, 
 that the Spaniards of Mexico have but lately learnt 
 of the inhabitants of . California, . the art . of dying.; 
 Vol. LXII.. 1. the. 
 
 
 li 
 
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fcx. 
 
 V, 
 
 C 58 ]' 
 
 ihe depeeft and mod lafting black, that ever was ytft 
 known. They call the plant they employ for that 
 purpofe Cafcalote J it is arboreous, with fmall leave* 
 and yellow flowers; its growth is ftill flower than 
 • that of an oak ; it is the lead corrofivo of all the 
 known fubftances employed in dying, and ftrikcf 
 the deepeft black ; fo that, for inftance, it penetrate* 
 a hat to fuch a degree, that the very rags of it are 
 thoroughly black. The leaves of the Gafcalote are 
 'iimilar to thole of the Hufiaoke, another plant like- 
 wife ufed for dying black with, but of an inferioo 
 quality. The latitude of California lets us hope, 
 that the country near the Miffiflippi, or one of tho 
 Florida's, contains this Cafcalote, the acquifition of 
 which would be of iuiinite ufe in our manufac-p 
 •tures. • '■ *••-' 
 
 Were Natural Hiftory thus employed in applying 
 "the natural produflions for procuring the neceflaries, 
 •or adding to the comforts and ornaments, of human 
 life, it would for the future free this fcience fr6m 
 the vulgar opinion, that it is merely fpeculative, and 
 ►incapable of being of the leaft utility in common 
 life; a prejudice which gains more ground by the 
 injudicious and unprofitable manner, now chiefly in 
 'Vogue, in fludying this branch of human knowledge; 
 and which might be removed, if powerful trading 
 companies would encourage the effortsof the naturalift, 
 by enabling them to fearch the treafures of nature, 
 in the various countries fubjed to the Britifh Crown, 
 and connected with its fubjeds by trade and com* 
 merce Pardon, Sir, that I detain you fo long on 
 a point of which you are fo well convinced, and 
 
 which 
 
tS9l 
 
 which you have frequent opportunities toconvincr 
 others of*. I am, with the trucft regard^ 
 
 SlR» 
 
 Your mod ohedient. 
 
 humhle fervan^. 
 
 J|>ha Reinhold Fbrftec« 
 
 
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