350 Gold-Beaters. 



for consideration. The several modes have been attentively in- 

 quired into among the chief persons employed in the several 

 Beats of the manufactures in this kingdom, and, on a great part 

 of them, the information obtained has been tolerably definite. 



The various branches of gilding cause a great annual con- 

 sumption of the finest gold, or of gold with such minute propor- 

 tions of alloy as do not lessen its value more than 1 per cent., it 

 being not more than two or three grains in the ounce. 



The gold-beater's trade is chiefly carried on in London ; to 

 an inferior extent in Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, 

 Liverpool, and some other places. The numbers of this branch 

 are about eighty in London, and twelve or fourteen in the other 

 places. One of the largest makers of leaf-gold stated his weekly 

 use of that metal to be twenty ounces ; another, who may be con- 

 sidered a medium manufacturer, shewed, by reference to his ac- 

 counts, which were kept with apparent regularity, that he had 

 used sixteen ounces and a quarter weekly. Several were conversed 

 with, who did not use weekly more than three or four ounces, 

 and some who worked up still less, and that chiefly by their own 

 family, with the help of one or two apprentices. It cannot be 

 very incorrect, considering that the greater numbers engaged in 

 this branch of trade, are of a class that can scarcely earn more 

 than the wages of a good journeyman, if we estimate the ave- 

 rage rate of the whole ninety gold-beaters at three ounces week- 

 ly. A corroboration of this estimate has been obtained by cal- 

 culating the rate of wages, and comparing it with the given 

 quantity of gold. 



The leaf-gold, when finished, is placed between paper, in 

 leaves of three and three-eighth inches square, twenty of which 

 form a book. These books are sold by the thousand, at various 

 prices, according to the thickness of the leaves. It was found 

 that eight penny weights of gold could be converted into a thou- 

 sand books of the cheapest, that is, the thinnest, kind. The cost 

 of the gold, at 87s. per ounce, amounted to 29s., and the cost of 

 the labour on it amounted to 23s. ; and the thousand books 

 thus produced were sold at L. 2, 15s. ; thus leaving an appa- 

 rent profit of no more than 3s. to the manufacturer. He de- 

 rives another, and, perhaps, his chief profit, from the portions 

 of gold that are saved as clippings, in reducing the leaves to 



