S62 Plated and Silver Goods, 



much of it is plated on both sides; besides whicli, the small 

 beading which surrounds the edges oi' the plated goods, is form- 

 ed of silver alone, which, though from its weight not chargeable 

 with the duty, yet in the whole manufacture consumes a large 

 portion of silver; The plated substances rolled by the flatting 

 mills in London, have commonly more silver applied to the sur- 

 face. Much of it is used by the platers to form ornaments for 

 coaches and for coach-harness. As these ornaments suffer by 

 friction from the frequent cleaning they require, it is necessary 

 to have a much thicker coating of silver than is required for 

 some other purposes. As far as can be ascertained by inquiries 

 of the platers, of the owners of flatting mills, and of the manu- 

 factures of plated goods, we are disposed to estimate the silver 

 used for that particular purpose in Birmingham and Sheflield, 

 including with it that used at Walsale and its neighbourhood, 

 chiefly for the saddlers, and ironmongers, at about 750,000 

 ounces annually. That which is for rolling in London, though of 

 much better quahty, being far less in quantity, may be safely 

 estimated at 150,000 ounces. 



There is another apphcation of silver to which only conjec- 

 ture can be applied. Many articles are fabricated of that metal 

 below the weight which is amenable to the assay and the duty. 

 Silver thimbles are annually made by hundreds of thousands, 

 all below the accountable weight. Silver chains, either for eye- 

 glasses or for watches, or for any part of the dress, are formed 

 of links, each of which as a single object is below the taxable 

 weight ; pencil-cases, necks of smelling-bottles, locks to pocket- 

 books, to instrumental cases, to portfolios, and small portions to 

 the handles of pen-knives and razors, and other personal and 

 domestic ornaments, when added together must form a large 

 annual amount of silver consumed, but not liable to the stamp 

 tax. The gold-beaters use some large portions of that metal 

 for making leaf silver for gilding. According to the best ac- 

 count we have been able to collect, silver \\\ leaf can scarcely be 

 made thinner than two and a half times the substance of leaf 

 gold; as eight pennyweights of gold will make a thousand 

 books, whilst it requires one ounce of silver to make that num- 

 ber. The use of leaf silver is certainly much less extensive than 

 that of leaf gold, but considering the greater weight of each 



