No. 133.] 123 



excelled in Europe, many of them have not yet been equalled, 

 and they are constantly in the market at prices competing fairly 

 with the foreign product. It is a mystery to us what becomes of 

 the importation, since our own people know their respective me- 

 rits very generally, and reject the foreign product for their own 

 use ; at the same time, our tables of exports of foreign manufac- 

 tures, show that only $78,000 in value, of this large importation, 

 was exported. What becomes of it ? Can it be possible that it 

 went abroad again under the title of American manufactured ware? 



A. C. 



SILVER GILT MOULDINGS. 



Messrs. Black & Gramm, corner of Grand and Centre-streets,!^. 

 Y., exhibited specimens of mouldings manufactured by them for 

 picture frames, looking-glasses, kc. These mouldings are first sil- 

 vered and then covered with a lac prepared for the purpose, 

 which gives them the color and appearance of gold. The speci- 

 mens were very fine, and can be washed with water without im- 

 pairing their brilliancy. The silver medal of the Institute was 

 awarded toc them. a. c. 



BLAKK BOOK BINDING. 



Mr. C. S. Eoynton, of the city of New-York, exhibited a speci- 

 men of Blank Book Binding and Ruling, of novel appearance 

 and superior workmanship. It consisted of an imperial leger 

 of 1,000 pages; each page had a ruled border of twelve lines, 

 composed of five difierent colors of ink, with circular cor- 

 ners. The ruling was done on each page separately, by means of 

 ruling pens so arranged that the page is completed at One opera- 

 tiun, with the lines so perfectly joined as to leave no perceptible 

 break ; the wliole appearance of the ruled work was extremely 

 accurate and beautiful. The time consumed in bordering these 

 1,000 pages was thirty hours. This production very distinctly 

 marks the progress of improvement in this department of me- 

 chanism, as we can remember that about the commencement of 

 the present century, the time consumed by the best workmen of 



