P A 
cotton; feven thoufand are employed in hofiery; and 
the Parifian manufactory of porcelain rivals that of Sevres. 
Even the earthenware is more elegant than ever; and al¬ 
kalis, mineral, acids, and falts, are manufactured at a 
cheap rate. Taffetas, gauzes, and linen, are rendered 
water-proof, and alfo impenetrable by the humidity of 
the air. Richnefs of colouring, and the moft beautiful 
defigns, are alfo feen in the ftained paper for houfes. The 
workmen of the Faubourg St. Antoine give to fteel arti¬ 
cles almoft all the beauty of Engliffi polifli. The manu- 
faCture of cutlery and fire-arms has alfo improved in the 
fame proportion. The productions of the goldfmiths and 
jewellers have long maintained confiderable credit in Eu¬ 
rope ; but now, favoured by the progrefs in the art of 
defigning, and afiilted by the fineft models of antiquity, 
the talle, elegance, and richnefs, of their works, has no 
precedent. About 3000 workmen in thefe branches 
manufacture to the amount of 27 millions of francs. 
Breguet, Janvrer, and Berthoud, ftill maintain the repu¬ 
tation of the clock and watch makers of Paris ; and the 
optical, mathematical, and mufical, inffrumentsare made in 
the belt ftyie. A time-piece in France is a much more fre¬ 
quent article ofornamental furniture than in England; and 
the numberof new watches madeannually in the kingdom 
is not lets than 300,000 ; all together, the value of thefe 
different kinds of workmanfhip amounts to 1,500,000k of 
which more than the half is made in the capital. The 
works in bronze, belong ftill more particularly to the capi¬ 
tal; and form,in their different branches andltages,of which 
gilding is the chief, a farther annual value of 1,500,000k 
fterling. We fhall now defcribe a few of the chief ma¬ 
nufactures more particularly. 
1. The Royal Manufactory of the Gohelins. —This ma¬ 
nufactory hands at the fouthern extremity of Paris, on 
the margin of the little river Bievre, fo well known from 
the numerous mills of every de.fcription which are fet in 
motion by its current. It was originally founded by one 
Gobelin, a dyer, from Rheims, who eftablifhed himfelf 
at Paris in the reign of Francis I. He however confined 
himfelf to Amply dyeing the worfteds. The celebrated 
Colbert eftablifhed the grand work, the weaving of tapef- 
try in imitation of that of Flanders ; and it is but juf- 
tice to fay, that the tapeftry of the Gobelins now infi¬ 
nitely furpaftes that of which it was at firff an humble 
imitation. 
The principal fubjeCts on which their looms are em¬ 
ployed, are copies of the moft celebrated paintings of 
the French and Italian fchool: and, for brilliancy of co¬ 
lour and delicacy of execution, their productions are 
often not far inferior to the originals. The fimplicity 
of the machinery, and the grandeur of the building, are 
well worthy the attention of the inquifitive traveller. 
A tingle piece of tapeftry fometimes requires the labour 
of two years, and has colt nearly 300I. fterling; even 
then the manufacturers are inadequately remunerated 
fotr their fkill, induftry, and expenfe. 
There is a fimilar manufactory at Beauvais, which is 
laid to rival the parent inftitution. 
At Quai Billy, is a manufactory of carpets, on the 
fame principle, and of very great ingenuity. Both this 
and the Gobelins are open to the infpeCtion of the public 
every day, from ten o’clock until one. The productions 
of thefe elegant eftablifhments are necefiarily confined to 
the houfes of the moll opulent claffes of fociety ; or rather, 
in the prefent impoverilhed ftate of France, they are car¬ 
ried on by the government at a lofs; and both are now 
on a reduced l'cale, the articles being far too coftly for 
private individuals, who are more frequently purchafers 
of paffementerie, by which is underftood artificial flowers, 
fringes, gold and filver lace, with a variety of trifling but 
tafteful articles, all fufficiently adapted to a city where fo 
much more is thought of difplay than of utility. 
2. Manufacture des G laces, Manufactory of Plate Glafs; 
Rue de Reuilly.—In this eftabliffiment are polilhed and 
perfected thofe large plates which are formed at St. Gobin, 
3 
II I S. 401 
and Cherbourg. Colbert eftablifhed this manufactory 
alfo ; prior to which, plate-glafs was only to be procured 
at Venice ; but now the largeft fizes are the production 
of French artifans. In his time, indeed, the manufactory 
ok St. Gobin was confined to blown glafs, the greatell 
fize of which did not exceed ten or twelve fquare feet; 
but fince M. de Nehou has invented a method of calling 
the plates, they are fometimes produced ten feet in length 
and fix or feven in breadth, containing fixty or feventy 
fquare feet, and valued at 250k or 300k fterling. All the 
curious procefles of this manufactory are open gratis to 
the public; a ftaircafe entirely of glafs is among the 
wonders of the place. 
3. Royal Porcelaine Manufactory, at Sevres, near St. 
Cloud.—The exquifite productions of this eftablifliment 
are well known. A few of them have found their way 
to Great Britain, particularly the fervice of china pre- 
fented to lord Liverpool by Bonaparte. In delicacy of 
execution and brilliancy of colour, except perhaps in a 
deep rich purple, fome of the Englifti manufactories 
equal that at Sevres. 
A manufactory refembling that at Sevres, and not a 
great deal inferior to it, may be feen at M. Dilh’s, Rue du 
Temple. A third eftablifliment belongs to M. Olivier, 
Rue de Reuilly. It refembles that of Wedgewood, and 
in fome refpeCts equals or even furpifles it. M. Olivier 
is principally celebrated for his imitation of Etrufcan and 
other ancient vafes, and for porcelain figures, which are 
accurate copies, in miniature, of fome ot the moft exqui¬ 
fite ftatues of former times. 
4. Manufactory of Cryftals, Rue Montorgueil.—In 
this place may be feen entire hiftoric fubjeCts, cut on 
vafes, cups, and ewers, of the moft elegant forms ; and, 
like the moft fkilful engraving, a finifh is given to the 
drawing of the naked figure, to the folds of the drapery, 
and even to the expreffion of the countenance. The art 
of engraving on glafs has never been carried to a higher 
degree of perfection. 
5. Manufactory of Painted Papers, in Rue Louis le 
Grand.—Two hundred workmen are daily employed in 
this manufactory, who execute, in the greateft perfection, 
every ornament refembiing painting, fculpture, or archi¬ 
tecture. Thefe productions are in much requelt, for 
adorning public chambers, galleries, and theatres. The 
fancy-papers of the moft celebrated London makers are 
greatly inferior to thofe at Paris. 
6. Manufactory of Arms. —The fineft eftabliffiment of 
this kind in Europe was that of Verfailles, where the 
ltranger was much gratified by infpeCting the various de¬ 
partments of the manufactory, and the celerity with 
which the artifans completed the feveral engines of de- 
ftruCtive warfare. It was deltroyed by the Pruffians on 
their fecond occupation of Paris. It is, however, again 
re-eftabliffied, but not on its former fcale of magnificence. 
The Pruffians likewife deltroyed the manufactory of 
powder at Elfone, and carried oft’ all the machines and 
implements, fome of which were of a new and improved 
conftruCtion. 
7. Wine and brandy (not beer) are the chief drink of 
the French. But there are at Paris a number of eftabliih- 
ments very recently formed for the Angular purpofe of 
diftilling from potatoes a fpirituous liquor which (Chaptal, 
vol. ii. p. 197.) has been generally approved, and has 
been brought into competition with brandy. 
To judge of the activity and indultry of the inhabitants 
of Paris to its full extent, the ltranger Ihould vifit the 
Faubourg St. Antoine, l’Enclos de la Trinite, and the 
quarters of St. Denis and St. Martin ; and there he will 
fee the houfes from the top to the bottom occupied by a 
gay patient crowd, continually employed in the fabrica¬ 
tion of a number of articles calculated to adminiller to 
luxury and frivolity. 
Labour in Paris is as much dearer relatively to the pro¬ 
vincial towns of France, as labour in London relatively 
to thofe of England. It ftill remains for us to remove 
from 
