attending carefully to stir it up repeatedly to keep it from lumping and sticking to the bottom. The vessel commonly is used in the form of a barrel or some sort of churn. When fully melted the stiff is ready for use by being thinned down to the desired consistency with additional alcohol and put into the hat with a stiff brush. A cheaper, called alkali-stiff, and much used for inferior hats, is-- 9 lbs. shellac, dissolved with 18 oz. of sal soda in 3 galls. water in a tin vessel. The vessel with the water is set into another containing boiling water, and heated; the soda is introduced gradually, and is soon dissolved, and the lac is then put in and stirred occasionally for about an hour, by which time the lac will be dissolved. The whole is then left for an hour or two, when it may be taken out and set to cool. It is better if allowed to remain a few days after having been made. When used, it is reduced to the required strength with more water, a hydrometer being employed as a test. The bodies are simply immersed in the liquor, and passed between a pair of rollers one by one, thereby sweeping off the superfluous compound, but leaving them completely saturated. The hats with this stiffening must be immediately and rapidly dried in the stove. This stiff is rendered the more popular by adding 3 oz. of common salt to the mixture before using it, as the salt neutralizes the soda, and the hats may be blocked immediately after being stiffened, thereby saving time and dispensing with the use of the stove. The two following receipts are given as good and reliable English methods of stiffening hats:-- 7 lbs. of orange shellac. 2 lbs. of gum sandarac. 4 ozs. gum mastic. 1/2 lb. of amber resin. 1 pint of solution of copal. 1 gallon of alcohol or of wood naphtha. The lac, sandarac, mastic, and resin are dissolved in the spirit, and the solution of copal is added last. This is called spirit proof, and like our own is put into the body with a stiff brush, and, being fully saturated, is set to dry. A cheaper stiffening, also like our own called alkali or water stiffening, is-- 7 lbs. of common black shellac. 1 lb. amber rosin. 4 ozs. gum _thus_. 4 ozs. gum mastic. 6 ozs. borax. 1/2 pint solution of copal. The borax is first dissolved in 1 gallon of warm water. This alkaline liquor is now put into a copper pan heated by steam, or it may be set into another vessel containing boiling water, and the shellac, _thus_, and mastic added. This is allowed to boil for some time, more warm water being added occasionally, until it is of a proper consistence, which is known by a little practice. When the whole of the gums seem dissolved, half a pint of wood naphtha must be introduced, and also the solution of copal, the liquor should be passed through a fine sieve, when it will be perfectly clear and ready for use. This stiffening is used hot with the following preparations.