See Ficus, Encycl.

BRITISH BARILLA, is the name given by Mr James King of Newcastle upon Tyne, to a material invented by him to supply the place of Spanish barilla in the making of crown window-glass, broad window-glass, and glass-bottles, as also in the manufacturing of soap Barilla, and alum. For these purposes he affirmed that it answered much better than any other material then in use; and in consequence of that affirmation he obtained a patent for his invention, dated March 4, 1780.

Though we can hardly allow to this invention all the merit claimed for it by its fond author, yet as it may be of use to different manufacturers, we shall lay before our readers his method of making the British barilla. It is as follows: "Take a certain quantity of ashes obtained by burning the loppings or branches of ash, oak, beech, elm, alder, or any other kind of green wood or bramble; Take an equal quantity of the ashes obtained by burning the green vegetables known by the name of fern, broom, bean and pea-straw, whins, common field and high-way thistles, the stalks of rape or mustard-seed, or the bent or rushes that grow by the sea shore." Though we know not in what qualities the ashes obtained from the former substances differ from those obtained from the latter, the author, as if the difference was very great, directs these equal quantities to be mixed together, sifted through a fine sieve, and laid upon a boarded floor, where a quantity of fumers waste-ashes, equal to the whole compound mass, is to be added to it, and well mixed with it by means of a shovel or other instrument. To this mixture of vegetable ashes and fumers waste-ashes is to be added a quantity of fine quick-lime, in the proportion of one hundred weight to twelve hundred of the blended ashes, and the lime and ashes are to be well mixed together. After this the whole is to be put into an iron pan, into which is to be poured a quantity of tea-water sufficient, says the author, to dissolve the ashes and lime; and the whole is to be stirred with an iron rake till it incorporate. This being done, a coal fire is to be lighted up under the pan, and kept burning for two days and two nights without intermission, additional quantities of tea-water being constantly supplied to impregnate the materials with saline matter sufficient for calcination in a reverberating furnace or calcar. In this calcar the saline mass, which was boiled in the pan, is by intense heat to be dissolved, and kept in a state of fusion for the space of an hour; during which time the volatile part flies off, and leaves remaining a fixed alkaline salt, which, cooled in iron pans, is the British barilla, and has the appearance of Spanish barilla. See BARILLA, Encycl.