The chief export trade for carpets is to the United States of America; but they are also sent to most parts of the continents of Europe and America. By far the greatest quantity of Brussels is made in Kidderminster what are called Kidderminster or Scotch are made in the largest quantities in different parts of Scotland and the north of England.
Mr. Wood, of Damen, patented in 1850 an ingenious mode of making looped or piled (or what may perhaps be termed velvet) carpets. Under the ordinary circumstances of making velvet [VEr.vEr] wires are inserted at inter vals to assist in forming the loops ; and these wires have to be inserted and removed by hand. In Mr. Wood's plan of carpet making, however, wires are thrown in among the warp threads, and removed when the weft is formed, by ingenious mechanism attached to the loom.
There is a mode of imparting 6cdour to car pets, patented by Mr. Henshall, a carpet ma nufacturer of Huddersfield, in which some thing like the principle of calico-printing is applied to carpet-work. The object is to pro duce differently coloured spots, squares, or stripes, independent of the mere weaving pro cess. The warp threads are arranged side by side in a peculiar frame, so as to form an even horizontal layer ; and in that state they are drawn tightly over a printing table, and printed in colours by blocks in the usual way. When these warp threads (or they may just as con veniently be weft-threads) are applied to weav ing, a pattern is produced by the variation of the colour in each thread, in addition to the primary pattern which results from the weav ing process.
In a communication to the ntnes in 1845, a correspondent suggests the manufacture of cheap carpets from coarse cotton. ' There are many kinds of carpets made of cotton in India—stout, serviceable, handsome things ; generally they are termed serrigee. These are
of all sizes, from the small one, seven feet by three, which every man possesses ; to enor mous ones for rooms and halls. These are generally striped, red and blue, or three shades of blue, sometimes woven into patterns ; and I have often thought how useful they would be in England, these coarse kinds, for the poorer classes, for bed-rooms, AT. Again, what beautiful designs might not be manufac tured by the skill of English workmen,—how large a quantity of small ones for individuals, or large for halls, might not be made for ex portation to Africa, South America, and even India! AtWarungole, in the Nizam's country, beautiful carpets of the same description as Turkey—that is, with a nap raised—are made of cotton.
A patent has been taken out within the last few years, for a mode of manufacturing car pets by a felting process.
A carpet of a very remarkable kind is now being prepared for the Great Exhibition, by a committee of ladies of Westminster. It will be thirty feet long by twenty wide, and will consist of 150 pieces two feet square. For I each piece a design has been drawn by Mr. Papworth and Mr. Simpson,the full size ; and each lady, on payment of a guinea, has one design placed at her disposal, to work up into a piece of the carpet ; the work is to be execu ted by hand in Berlin wool, which is supplied bythe committee. There are to be 340 threads in each direction, in each piece ; and when completed, the whole of the pieces are to be joined edge to edge to form a carpet. The whole carpet will form — not a repetition of designs—but one comprehensive design, which it is supposed could not be imitated in the loom for less than 10001.