a town of Lancashire in England, seated near the river Derwent. It takes its name from the brook Blackwater which runs through it. W. Long. 2° 15' N. Lat. 53° 40'.

**BLacking** is sometimes used for a factious black; as lamp-black, shoe-black, &c. A mixture of ivory or lamp-black with linseed-oil makes the common oil blacking. For a thinning blacking, small-beer or water is used instead of oil, in the proportion of about a pint to an ounce of the ivory-black, with the addition of half an ounce of brown sugar, and as much gum arabic. The white of an egg substituted for the gum makes the black more shining; but is supposed to hurt the leather, and make it apt to crack.