The planks already mentioned are seven or eight feet in height, from four teen to fifteen inches broad, and three or more in thickness ; their interior surfaces' are pierced into holes the whole length, for the admission of thick pieces of iron with hooks at their ends, which are in tended to support what is called the stave ; those irons are also pierced to re ceive pins, by which the stave is con tracted or expanded at pleasure. The coat-stave, three inches in diameter, ex tends the whole length of the loom, and on it are fixed the coats or threads, and thus the threads to the warp cross each other, in this particular having nearly the same effect with the spring-stave and treddles in the common looms. The coats, as they are called, are threads fastened to each thread of the warp by a sliding knot ; those keep the warp open, and thus the broaches bearing the ma-, terial for weaving are passed freely through, according to the will of the workman ; besides, the process is further facilitated by small pieces of wood, which are used to make the thread of the warp intersect each other, and that those may keep their due situation, a packthread is run among the threads above the stick.
We will now suppose the loom pre pared with the warp, the operator then proceeds to sketch the principal outline on the threads composing it from the pic ture or design to be copied, and this is done by placing the painting, or a car toon, on the back of the intended tapes try, and tracing it with a black-lead pen cil ; after accomplishing the transfer, the original is rolled on a cylinder, and plac ed behind the workman, who unrolls it in the same progression with which he weaves. Exclusive of the instruments already mentioned, a broach, a reed, and an iron needle, are required for introduc ing the silk or wool of the woof amongst the threads of the warp ; the first is about two-thirds of an inch thick, and seven or eight inches in length, terminating at one extremity in a point, with the other form ed into a kind of handle, and is made of hard wood ; this broach, as it is termed, serves as a shuttle, the silk, wool, gold, or silver thread, being wound on it. The
reed is a kind of comb, made of wood, eight or more inches in length, and an inch thick at the back, tapering thence to .the teeth, which vary in their distance from each other, according to the fine ness of the tapestry. The needle varies from the common instrument of that name only in its size, and its use is to press the material close in those parts where any defect is observed. The most singular part of the weaving of tapestry is the position of the weaver, who works on the wrong side of the piece, and with his back to the picture he is to imitate ; con sequently, he is frequently compelled to leave his position and pass to the oppo site side of the loom, to ascertain whether he has been correct in his pro ceedings. When he is about to put the material in the warp, he turns and ex amines the original ; then having furnish ed the broach with the colour required, he introduces it amongst the threads of the warp, which he brings across each other with his fingers, through the as sistance of the coats or threads secured to the staff, and this operation is repeated with every change of tint. After the wool or silk is placed, he presses it close with the reed or comb, and examining the picture, he makes the necessary amendments with the needle. Those subjects which are very large may be worked upon by more than one weaver at a time The method we have describ ed is called the high warp ; another, the low warp ; though rather different in the manner of weaving it, so nearly resem bles the tapestry of the high warp, that it is unnecessary to describe it.