284 A Walk from 



struct a machine which should pass between its fingers 

 a broad belt of leather and a fine thread of wire, prick 

 rows of holes across the breadth of the leather, bend, 

 cut off, and insert the shank ends of the teeth clear 

 through these holes, and clinch them on the back side, 

 and pour out a continuous, uninterrupted stream of 

 perfectly-teethed belt, all ready for carding, this, I 

 fancied, was the ne plus ultra of mechanical inventions. 

 But it is quite surpassed by the lace-weaving looms 

 of Nottingham, that work out, to exquisite perfection, 

 all the flowers, leaves, vine and vein-work of nature. 

 It was wonderful to see the ductility of cotton, as 

 here exemplified. The bobbins, which, I suppose, are 

 a mere refinement upon the old hand-thrown shuttle, 

 are of brass, about the size of half-a-crown. A groove 

 that will just admit the thin edge of a case-knife, 

 is cut into the rim of the little wheel, about one quarter 

 of an inch deep. A cotton thread 120 yards in length, 

 and strong enough to be twitched about and twisted 

 by a score of vigorous, chattering, iron fingers, is wound 

 around in this groove. But it would be idle to attempt 

 a description of either the machinery or the process. 



I went next into a large establishment for dyeing, 

 dressing, winding and packing the lace for market. 

 It was startling to see the acres of it dyed black for 

 mourning. Really there seemed enough of it to drape 



