many distinctions in the fabric originally as at present, though they were content to veil their separate claims to notice under the one general and national denomination. The discriminating spirit of later times has not been satisfied with so indefinite a classification, and the various orders of lace now manufactured in Belgium are known by the names of the several towns which produce them. Brussels, which has during several centuries maintained a reputation wider and more extended than any other place, may certainly in the present day be said to support and, if possible, extend the renown of its lace; of this there are two distinct varieties, easily recognisable by the initiated in such matters. The more valuable and beautiful kind is that called pointe à l'aiguille, or, more commonly, Brussels point; it is worked wholly with the needle, and is, as its name implies, a very refined descendant of the ancient family of the points. It was very much in vogue among the wealthier classes in England during the reigns of Charles I. and several succeeding monarchs, and has been immortalised in Vandyck's portraits of the martyr-king, under the form of the beautiful pointed collar and cuffs which were dignified by the name of the artist. Fashion has, in this case, been more constant than usual, since the taste for Brussels point has continued so decidedly among us, that we still monopolise a large proportion of the whole quantity made; the other variety, called Brussels plait, being more extensively used in France, Spain, Russia, and other countries. In the latter description of lace, the flowers for the pattern are made separately on the pillow, and afterwards attached to net. It differs, in fact, but little from the best English Honiton, of which I shall speak hereafter.

Although some cotton is employed at Brussels, the material used for the more recherché laces is the finest thread, made from flax grown at Hal and Rebecque. It is chiefly handspun, the Belgians having a prejudice against machinery as applied to this purpose; and when we consider the extreme delicacy of the operation, it does indeed seem impossible that the dexterity of human fingers so well versed in their business, should ever be successfully emulated by artificial means. The finest quality of this thread is made chiefly in Brussels, and in damp underground rooms, for its tenuity is so great, that immediate contact with the dry air above is found to be injurious; and in order to supply it in good working order, it is kept for some time in a humid subterraneous atmosphere. It may be easily imagined that the life of a Belgian thread-spinner is unhealthy, and in every respect unattractive, and the price of her labour is therefore proportionably high. The whole process demands from her the most vigilant and uninterrupted attention. She closely examines every inch of thread as it is drawn from the distaff, and when the slightest inequality occurs, stops the wheel, breaks off the defective piece of flax, and then continues her work; the pieces so removed being laid carefully aside, to be applied to some other purpose, as the value of the

material is too great to permit the slightest waste. Every artificial assistance for the eyesight is necessarily adopted. A background of dark paper is placed against the flax, to throw out the slender thread; and the scene of labour is often so arranged as to admit only one single beam of light, which finds entrance through a small aperture, and falls directly on the work. This concentration of light is found very useful in the production of this wonderfully fine and even thread, so necessary for the effect of the lace.

Before machine-made net had arrived at its recent great perfection, the plain groundwork of the Brussels laces was made by hand on the pillow in narrow widths; these were afterwards united so dexterously, that the join was imperceptible to the eye. Trimming-laces of moderate width, some three or four inches perhaps, then extended in price from four to ten guineas the yard, and veils varied from thirty to one hundred guineas each; but since the improvements at Nottingham have enabled excellent net to be supplied at a moderate cost, these prices have greatly diminished, and the consumption has proportionably increased. The different processes connected with the manufacture of Brussels lace vary so much, that each is intrusted solely to women especially versed in their own branch of the business. One class, known by the name of the platteuses, are continually occupied in making the flowers for the pattern on the pillow, after our English method, or, as it is authentically termed, making them in plait. Others, again, are educated to work them in point with the needle; and these, when attached to net, form the lace properly described as Brussels appliqué, which resembles in its general features the pointe à l'aiguille. Another division of the labour consists in making the real net-groundwork, to which I have referred as being in great measure, though not entirely, superseded; those who still devote themselves to it are called drocheleuses. The striqueuses are perpetually employed in attaching the flowers to the net; whilst, by the name of attacheuses, is described a distinct class, whose sole occupation consists in uniting the different portions of a pattern, so that it should appear to be made entire. Last, but not least in importance, must be mentioned the faiseuses de pointe à l'aiguille, to whose unrivalled skill our English élégantes are so largely indebted. The number of persons who find constant employment in Belgium by lacemaking is computed at 100,000; and we should be tolerably correct in estimating the body so engaged in or about the capital at 30,000.

In the lace called Mechlin, made at Malines and Antwerp, there are some of those nice distinctions which render an account of the various productions of Brussels unavoidably rather complicated. Mechlin lace is made entirely on the pillow, and in one piece; it can therefore be applied only to articles of limited size. Lappets or trimmings are the forms under which we generally see it; and in these the exquisite delicacy of its texture can be thoroughly

appreciated. The chief peculiarity consists in the filmy lightness of the ground, and in a thick plait-thread, as it is called, following the outline of the pattern, and giving the effect of embroidery. Few branches of the lace manufacture have suffered more from fluctuations in taste and fashion than the one in question. During the eighteenth century, it obtained the most enthusiastic appreciation in this country, as well as on the continent. No ruffles but those of Mechlin could satisfy the fastidious taste of the gentlemen, and no lappets but Mechlin were deemed worthy appendages to the ponderous head-dresses of the ladies of that age. But of later years a revolution has taken place; and although too good and expensive to be despised, it is at least neglected. This may in some measure arise from the fact that, from the quality of the thread used, and the time and labour necessary for the construction of so fine a web, the price continued higher than that of more effective laces. A few discoloured specimens are generally to be seen among the attractions of a curiosity-shop, where, amidst old armour, antique chairs, and dingy china, they help to point a moral on the effects of time and the fluctuations of fashion. A wonderful and interesting example of the perfection, both in design and execution, to which, notwithstanding the slight encouragement it receives, Mechlin lace can be brought in the present day, was displayed at the Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations in 1851. The pattern consisted of birds, flowers, and trees; and it is doubtful if any other article in that rich assemblage, how much soever more important or pretentious, deserved more completely the title of a work of art.

The next class of Belgian lace, called generally Valenciennes, will be familiar to most of our readers; but they may be scarcely aware that the contributions of each of the six towns in which it is chiefly made offer some distinctive peculiarity, which would enable a person accustomed to compare them to decide with certainty upon their birthplace. The finest description is that which comes from Ypres. This town is acknowledged to excel in laces of the finest square ground and in the widest and most expensive kind; its productions have been known in some instances to produce as much as L.50 the yard. The trade of lacemaking was commenced at Ypres about the year 1656; but so gradual was its progress that, according to a census made by Louis XIV., there were, some twenty-five years afterwards, only one manufacturer and sixtythree workers established there. It is chiefly since the year 1835 that this business has become so extensive. It is now estimated that the dealers of Ypres purchase the work of 20,000 people, living either in the town or its vicinity. The greater part of this manufacture is exported to England, France, and Germany, and commercial relations in regard to it have also been opened with the United States. The produce of the town of Ghent is also good in quality, but differs from that of Ypres in being chiefly of narrow or medium widths; for these, as being cheaper and more generally available,

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there is of course a constant market; and 12,000 persons are kept continually employed in its manufacture. The Bruges lace is of a good serviceable quality, and very popular in England. That of Alost is inferior to its rivals in colour; and although the town can boast excellent workers, the deficiency of good designs tends to lower its reputation. Besides these places, Valenciennes lace is made in large quantities at Menin, Courtrai, and at many villages in the neighbourhood of the towns above referred to. This lace is now more generally used than any other kind, probably in some measure on account of its extreme durability and facility of adaptation to the demi-toilette dress which has of late become so universal. The price depends as much on the quality as even on the width; but it may be regarded as the cheapest of the good foreign laces. The only remaining seat of the manufacture in Belgium important enough to require notice is that of Grammont, chiefly remarkable for its silk-laces, generally termed blondes. This branch of the trade is, however, so essentially French, that an account of it must be deferred until we examine in detail the productions of that country.

That Holland and Belgium should, from time immemorial, have been distinguished for the perfection to which their fostering care has raised this beautiful fabric, is by no means astonishing, when we consider that for ages the inhabitants of those countries held the raw material in their own hands. In distributing it over other parts of the continent, it is not unnatural that they should have reserved for their own use an ample share of the choicest and best descriptions, to which their unrivalled skill as spinners enabled them to do full justice. A convincing proof of the perfection to which they have brought the preparation of thread, is afforded by the circumstance, that it has been made of a quality so fine as to exceed when manufactured ten times the value of standard gold. More than one instance has occurred in which so large a sum as 10,000 francs has been given for one pound of this yarn; but the average prices vary from 60 to 1800 francs. With the perpetual endeavour after advancement in this art as in all others, it is very possible the time may come when our descendants shall regard as commonplace and unworthy of notice trophies of skill which appear marvellous in our own eyes; but it seems impossible for us, even in these days of progress, to realise a greater degree of perfection than has been already attained in this manufacture.

Although Belgium is and ever has been the lacemaking country par excellence, it is not to be supposed that the proverbial taste and love of adornment which characterise the French nation have been without very fruitful results in this respect. In tracing the history of the art in their country, we see another instance, and only one in a thousand, of the interest so consistently displayed by the respective governments in the establishment and advancement of different branches of manufacture. From very early times, they justly regarded the various trades which tended to the prosperity

of the land, as not unworthy the practical superintendence and encouragement of its rulers, instead of leaving them, as elsewhere, dependent on the enterprise and support of private individuals, and allowing them to fluctuate and struggle on as they best might. For the introduction of their most beautiful and expensive lace, the French were indebted, as for many other benefits, to Colbert, the minister of Louis XIV., who, in the year 1660, invited over artisans from Venice, which, from this circumstance, would appear, even then, not to have lost altogether its ancient reputation. They were established in the town of Alençon, and soon organised an extensive manufacture of the Point de Vénise, afterwards called Point de France, and, finally, Point d'Alençon. It is said, that about the same time, the Comte de Marsan, youngest son of the great Comte d'Harcourt, brought over from Brussels to Paris an old nurse named Dumont, with her four daughters, and procured for her the exclusive right to establish and carry on lacemaking in that capital. In a short time, Madame Dumont collected upwards of 200 women, many of them belonging to good families, whose work was scarcely inferior to that imported from foreign countries. There is, however, no trace now remaining of this once flourishing establishment; whether it altogether decayed, or adjourned to some scene more congenial to so delicate and sedentary an occupation, is uncertain. The Point d'Alençon, the chef-d'œuvre of the art, still exists in all its glory, to attest the service rendered by Colbert to the manufacturing interests of his country. This lace, as we see it at the present day, bears but slight resemblance to the original Point de Vénise, being of much finer texture; and it differs, indeed, in the manner of its construction, from every other variety, inasmuch as sixteen workers are employed on the smallest piece and simplest design of Alençon, so various are the stitches employed, whilst only one person is required to produce the richest laces of other kinds. Some general idea of the mode in which all this labour is applied may not be unacceptable.

The design is, in the first place, engraved on copper, and afterwards printed off in divisions, on pieces of parchment, some three or four inches wide, and from five to twelve long. These are

numbered, according to the order in which they will be required, and small holes are pricked along the outlines of the flowers; each piece of parchment is then laid on one of coarse linen, and a sort of guiding thread, or fil de trace, as it is called, of which the proper place is indicated, is sewn on with fine stitches, which unite thread, parchment, and linen in one. Two flat threads, held beneath the thumb of the left hand, are then guided along the mazy edges of the flowers, and are fixed by minute stitches passing through the holes in the parchment. Here, then, is the skeleton of the lace, and the next thing is to make the groundwork that fills up the flowers. For this, the worker supplies herself with a long needle and very fine thread, which she fastens securely to