among painters, signifies the burnt oil extracted from the foot of wood.

It is of a brown transparent colour, having much the same effect in water-painting, where alone it is used, as brown pink in oil. Though this colour is extremely serviceable in water colours, and much valued by those who know and can procure it; yet it is not in general use here, perhaps on account of its not being easily procured of a perfect kind; hardly any of it being good, except that imported from France. Perhaps the principal reason for this is, that dry beechwood affords the best foot for making it: and it is not easy to procure such here without mixture of the foot of green wood, or other combustibles that deprive it for this purpose: or it is possible that they who have pretended to prepare it, have been ignorant of the proper means; there not being any recipe or directions in books that treat of these matters, from whence they could learn the proper process.

Bistre may, however, be prepared with great ease in the following manner.—Take any quantity of foot, of dry wood, but let it be of beech wherever that can be procured. Put it into water in the proportion of two pounds to a gallon; and boil them half an hour: then after the fluid has stood some little time to settle, but while yet hot, pour off the clearer part from the earthy sediment at the bottom; and if on standing longer it forms another earthy sediment, repeat the same method, but this should be done only while the fluid remains hot: then evaporate the fluid to dryness: and what remains will be good bistre, if the foot was of a proper kind.—The goodness of bistre may be perceived by its warm deep brown colour, and transparency when moistened with water.