tremely fine imported watch, made by the celebrated maker L. Audemar, took the first prize at the Centennial. In external appearance it is like an ordinary fine watch, with heavy hunting cases, but a glance at the works and movement shows its rare value. It strikes the hours like a clock, and after the quarterstrike repeats the hour-stroke. It is also a minute repeater at pleasure. There is but another watch of the kind in the country, and that was owned by the late Matthew Baird. It cost thirteen hundred dollars, but the one above referred to, a later make than that of Mr. Baird and with added improvements, could probably be had for three or four hundred dollars less.

FASHIONS.

Fashions, p. 195.-My father, when he was at Princeton College in 1798 and '9, in common with all the students, wore whitetop boots and short breeches; the boots had toes very sharp pointed, and sometimes they were made so long as to be turned up and fastened to the tops with chains, mostly of silver; various liquid washes were used to give the white tops a proper color and polish. They wore the hair tucked up behind with a small tortoise-shell comb, or queued. Boots were also worn over pants, which were then made as tight as the skin, frequently of elastic web. Swallow-tails ceased to be worn as street coats about 1844 or 1845.

66

P. 202. Some years ago, in going along our streets and reading the signs, frequently, in the case of tailors of the first class -such as Charles Watson, Robb & Winebrenner, and other well-known firms-they put upon their signs that they were mercers and tailors." At the present time many of these fabricators of garments call themselves "merchant tailors," while the ready-made clothing people call themselves "clothiers." The word "tailor" is descriptive of one who makes clothes for men, as "6 mantuamaker" refers to one who makes clothes for women. A "mercer" is one who deals in silks and woollen commodities. A "draper" is one who sells cloth. A draper might therefore be a cloth or silk merchant, neither of whom made up garments. At one time, when silk in breeches, waistcoats, and even in coats, was an ordinary material of men's wear, the mercer might very well be considered as of more than ordinary importance if he were also a tailor. But as silk has gone almost entirely out of fashion in men's costumes, there comes in the draper, who deals in cloth; and the draper and tailor may very well be used together. As for the term 66 chant tailor," it seems to have been employed to designate a person in the trade who considered himself above the slop-shop

mer

keeper. The "clothier" of the present day is the successor of the slop-shop keeper of the past. The latter had a small establishment which, when full, might hold three or four hundred garments. The clothier turns out coats, vests, and pants by thousands, and being therefore in his own estimation a more important man than the slop-shop keeper, he is entitled to another appellation.

The Ole Bull Hat.-Ole Bull first made his appearance in this city in December, 1843, and performed here in that month and afterward, and went to Europe in December, 1845. He wore a sealskin cap about half the size of a lady's muff at the present day-in shape quite common of late years on the heads of boys and young men. Being a novelty, and considered ugly by the rabble of the town, the wearers of "Ole Bull" caps were ridiculed and hooted at, and on a few occasions when the streets were full-notably on a Christmas Eve-the wearers were attacked and maltreated. The cap suddenly went out of fashion after that, to be revived again of late years, perhaps on account of the plenty and cheapness of seal's skin, until even the ladies adopted it. It is most convenient for gentlemen to wear to evening-parties, the opera, or theatre; it can readily be put into the overcoat pocket.

CARPETS, OIL-CLOTHS, AND PAPERHANGINGS.

They then had no carpets, p. 204.-The carpet industry is centuries old in England, and its origin in the East is lost in the obscurity of time. The manufacture of carpet was not introduced into this country, with the exception of the home-made rag-carpet, until some time after the Revolutionary War.

The first regular establishment in the United States was that of William P. Sprague in Philadelphia, founded in 1791. The census of 1810, less than twenty years after, reported the whole product of the United States in this class of goods at 10,000 yards, of which 7500 yards were made in Philadelphia. The census of 1870 shows that there were then 689 carpet-factories in the United States, employing 13,000 persons and $13,000,000 capital, paying annually $4,700,000 in wages, and producing annually goods to the value of $22,000,000.

A canvass of the carpet manufacturing business of Philadelphia made in July, 1876, shows that there were then 180 carpet factories in this city, employing 7325 hands and 1572 horsepower of steam, and producing for the year then ending 22,901,825 yards, valued at $13,929,392. The number of power-looms was 592, and of hand-looms 3517. The production was divided as follows:

Since these statistics were collected, McCallum, Crease & Sloan have added to their business the manufacture of Brussels, and Horner Brothers and Robert Cameron have commenced the manufacture of Axminster.

In addition to the above figures, it is estimated that there were made carpets not included in the above list of

Mr. Lorin Blodget, the well-known statistician, in considering these figures, in order to arrive as near as possible to what he deems the true production, adds to the

The founder of the manufacture of oil-cloths in the United States was Isaac Macauley, who began the business in Philadelphia about the year 1816 at the corner of Broad and Filbert streets. About the year 1820 he purchased the Hamilton country-seat, called "Bush Hill," upon which a mansion had been built in 1740 for Andrew Hamilton, and used in 1793 as a yellow-fever hospital. He converted the mansion into an oil-cloth factory, and erected in addition thereto large buildings on Eighteenth street and on Morris street, now Spring Garden street. The land included in this purchase extended southward from Spring Garden street to Pennsylvania avenue, and Mr. Macauley erected a fine mansion fronting on Hamilton street, with grounds extending from Seventeenth to Eighteenth streets, which were beautifully improved. His success as an oil-cloth manufacturer induced him to become a carpet manufacturer also, and the old

Hamilton mansion was fitted up under the supervision of skilled workmen from Kidderminster, who were brought over from England by Mr. Macauley, and who wove in this establishment the first Brussels carpet made in the United States. Mr. Macauley spun his own yarn for carpets, and also spun the yarn and wove the canvas twenty-one feet wide to make his heavy floor oil-cloths upon. He was a man of great energy and enterprise, and had stores in Philadelphia and New Orleans for the sale of his productions. In the financial crash of 1837, Mr. Macauley fell, and his woollen and carpet mills and oil-cloth factory were sold and passed out of his hands and those of his family. In 1848, Mr. Thomas Potter bought the oil-cloth manufactory at Eighteenth and Spring Garden streets from Mr. Charles Henry Fisher, the then owner. Mr. Potter had learned the business of making oil-cloths with Isaac Macauley, and had been engaged in that business in a factory erected in 1840 by Potter & Carmichael on Third street above Beaver, on the lot now occupied by St. John's Baptist Church. The firm of Potter & Carmichael was dissolved in 1853, Mr. Potter continuing the business at Bush Hill, where he enlarged the buildings, introduced new and improved machinery, and applied heat to the drying of the oil-cloths, thus greatly increasing the producing capacity of the factory. Mr. James Carmichael established an oil-cloth factory at Second street and Erie avenue, or Cooperville. In 1867 he died, and his factory was purchased by Mr. Potter in 1868. The widening of Spring Garden street in 1871 forced Mr. Potter to remove his whole business to the Second street and Erie avenue site, and the property at Eighteenth and Spring Garden was sold to Mr. Isaac Budd, who built thereon the beautiful private residences on Spring Garden, Eighteenth, and Buttonwood streets.

There are now but two oil-cloth manufactories in Philadelphia -that of Thomas Potter & Sons, at Second street and Erie avenue, and that of George W. Blabon & Co., at Nicetown Station on the Reading Railroad. The establishment of Thomas Potter & Sons covers nearly four acres of ground, and is the largest and most complete establishment in the United States, and probably in the world. It has a capacity equal to the production of 1,500,000 yards of furniture and carriage cloth, and 1,000,000 square yards of floor oil-cloth, annually, employing 250 hands and 50 horsepower of steam, burning five tons of coal daily for power and drying, and the actual product having a value of $800,000 per

annum.

The factory of Messrs. George W. Blabon & Co. is of recent establishment. It occupies six large buildings, employs 100 hands and 150 horse-power of steam, principally for heating and drying, no fires being used in the establishment except in the boiler-house All the kinds of floor, table, stair and carriage oil.

cloth, enamelled cloths, etc. are produced. The capacity for making floor oil-cloth is about 500,000 square yards annually, worth about $200,000, and for the other kinds about 2500 yards per day, or 750,000 yards per year of 300 working days, and valued at about $100,000. This firm are also the largest producers of painted window shades in the State of Pennsylvania, and perhaps in this country, having a capacity for making 50,000 pairs a month, in addition to their oil-cloth trade. The shades are made of muslin, saturated with oil paint, and having a border or other design on them.

The oil-cloth manufactories of Philadelphia excited much interest from the foreign commissioners visiting the Exhibition, and the result promises to be that the American goods will largely supersede the English in the continental markets. A visit of the Austrian commission to the Messrs. Potters' factory, resulted in an order for 1700 pieces of the furniture oil-cloth, so well known as a covering for desks, cushions, etc., to be sent to Leipsic. This class of goods was originated, and is yet almost exclusively made, in this country, and is known in Europe as American leather cloth." The heavy jute canvas or burlaps of which floor oil-cloth is made is nearly, if not quite all, imported from Scotland.

Papering of the Walls, p. 205.-Ryves and Montgomery commenced the manufacture of paperhangings during the Revolu tionary War. Anthony Chardon very early introduced paper hangings into Philadelphia.

WASHINGTON'S CARRIAGE.

The carriage of Washington, p. 209 and p. 582.-I have scen this carriage. It was brought from New Orleans, and exhibited on Chestnut street as a curiosity. Every one who was desirous of sitting where Washington had sat paid twenty-five cents for the privilege. It was then stored away in the lumber-room of a coach-factory, and was again exhibited in 1876, at the Centennial Exhibition. It is now at the Permanent Exhibition.

There were two coaches of Washington, as, although Watson and Lossing apparently describe the same coach, they give different statements of its origin and its end. Watson says it was either presented to him by Louis XVI. or was imported for Governor Richard Penn; while Lossing, in Mount Vernon and its Associations, says Washington, "soon after his arrival in New York to assume the duties of the Presidency, imported a fine coach from England, in which, toward the close of the time of his residence there, and while in Philadelphia, he often rode with his family, attended by outriders. On these occasions it was generally