NORMANDY.

193

adds, may earn fifteen. Previous to the Revolution the lace madeat Dieppe amounted to -100,000 francs annually. Rut Normandyexperienced the shock of 1790. Dieppe had already suffered fromthe introduction of foreign lace when the Revolution broke out inall its fury. The products of Havre, with the manufactures ofPont-l’ftveque (Rep. Calvados), Iiarficur, Eu, and more than tenother neighbouring towns, entirely disappeared. r l hose of Dieppeand ITonfieur alone trailed on a precarious existence.

CALVADOS.

.The

principal lace centres in the Department of Calvados are

°aen and Rayeux.

I' rom an early date white thread lace was made at Caen. ItWas not until 1743 that the blondes or silk lace3 made theirappearance. The first silk used for the new production was of itsnatural colour, “ ecrue,” hence these laces were called “ blondes.” 15After a time silk was procured of a more suitable white, and thoseeautiful laces produced which before long became of such com-mercial importance. A silk throwster, M. Duval, who died latelyat Caen, was in a great degree the originator of the success of theCaen blondes, having been the first to prepare those brilliantwhite silks which have made their reputation. The silk is pro-cured from Bourg-Argental, in the Cevennes. The Caen workersUjade the Chantilly lace, “ grille blanc,” already described, anda so the “blonde de Caen,” in which the flower is made with aof i^ ren ^ from that which forms the reseau. It is this kindlonde which is so successfully imitated at Calais.

astly, the“ blonde mate,” or Spanish, already mentioned. Inulher place, except Chantilly, have the blondes attained so pureas t/ °! Suc ^ l )er fect workmanship, such lightness, such brilliancywere 16 ^ oru ^ es Caen.” They had great success in France,ing 6 eXtensiyel y exported, and made the fortune of the surround-ever C ° Untry ’ where they were fabricated in every cottage. Noti 8 i 0Cf ;r aU Cau wor h at the white lace. Those who have whaty termed the “ haleine grasse ” are obliged to confine

--- Otis the thread was trow

,s “The silk came from Nankin, by ** VMUTe '

way of London or the East, tho blacksilk called ‘ grenadine ’ was dyed and

O