II AIN AULT.

HI

execution, permitted the least skilful to work them with success,and proved a means of rendering them afterwards excellent work-women. At present, the best market for our laces is in I* ranee;a few also are sent to England.” He continues to state that, sincethe interruption of the commerce with Spain, to which Ghentformerly belonged, the art has been replaced by a trade in cotton;but that cotton-weaving spoils the hand of the lace-makers, and,if continued, would end by annihilating the lace manufacture. 64

Grammont and Engliien, ten years back, only manufacturedcheap white thread lace, now entirely replaced by laces of black silk.The lace of Grammont of late years has greatly developed, but thelace has not the beauty of the French, the bobbins are more oftentwisted in making the ground, which deprives it of its elasticity,and the silk is weakened by the quantity of dye, which gives it adull appearance. The quality of the silk is good, and the pricemuch less than that of the Normandy manufacture. Grammontmakes no small pieces, but shawls, dresses, &c., principally for theAmerican market.

The lace industry of East Flanders is now most flourishing ;it boasts ‘200 manufactories directed by the laity, and 450 schoolsunder the superintendence of the nuns.

HAINAULT.

The laces of Mon3 and those once known as “ les figures deChimay,” both in the early part of the eighteenth century, enjoyeda considerable reputation. The author, on visiting Chinmv lastyear, could find no traces of the manufacture, beyond an agedlace-maker, an inmate of the hospice, who made black lace, “ pointde Paris;” and she said that, until within these last few years,Brussels lace has been also made at Chimay.

Binche was, as early as 1686, the subject of a royal edict,leading one to infer that the laces it produced were of someimportance. In the said edict, the roads of Verviers, Gueuse,and Le Catelet, to those persons coming from Binche, are pro-nounced “ faux passages.” 65 Savary esteems the products of this

“ Answer to Sir John Sinclair,” by Mr. H. Sclioulthem, concerning the manu-factures of Ghent. 1815. * 5 Arch. Nat. Coll. Kondoneau.