CHAP. xxiv. USE OF GOLD AND SILVER. 



who formed the separate parts upon the principle 

 of the division of labour, and left to the me- 

 chanical artists the more delicate task of ad- 

 justing those parts, and of regulating the rate of 

 their movements. .Instead of a watch being the 

 distinguishing appendage to a man of wealth and 

 fashion, it has become the useful companion of all 

 but the poorest and idlest of the community. 

 Among even the middle ranks it has grown into 

 use, not merely for the heads of the family, but 

 few of the junior members, or even of the do- 

 mestic servants, are without them. The increased 

 number of watches, especially since it has been 

 permitted to form the cases of a lower degree of 

 fineness of the gold and silver than our standard, 

 has been such that they must be counted by 

 millions. 



The introduction of plating with silver on 

 copper, and especially since the manufacture has 

 been removed from London to Birmingham and 

 Sheffield, has caused a vastly increased consumption 

 of silver, especially from about the year 1780 to 

 the present time. It was necessary to advert to 

 the fact in this part of the subject, though the 

 extent of it will be more fully considered in a 

 subsequent part of this inquiry. 



The consumption of gold by the several de- 

 scriptions of gilders towards the latter end of 

 the period under consideration experienced a vast 

 increase. The number of goldbeaters was tripled 



VOL. II. P 



