CHAP. xxiv. USE OF GOLD AND SILVER.

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who formed the separate parts upon the principleof the division of labour, and left to the me-chanical artists the more delicate task of ad-justing those parts, and of regulating the rate oftheir movements. Instead of a watch being thedistinguishing appendage to a man of wealth andfashion, it has become the useful companion of allbut the poorest and idlest of the community.Among even the middle ranks it has grown intouse, not merely for the heads of the family, butfew of the junior members, or even of the do-mestic servants, are without them. The increasednumber of watches, especially since it has beenpermitted to form the cases of a lower degree offineness of the gold and silver than our standard,has been such that they must be counted bymillions.

The introduction of plating with silver oncopper, and especially since the manufacture hasbeen removed from London to Birmingham andSheffield, has caused a vastly increased consumptionof silver, especially from about the year 178O tothe present time. It was necessary to advert tothe fact in this part of the subject, though theextent of it will be more fully considered in asubsequent part of this inquiry.

The consumption of gold by the several de-scriptions of gilders towards the latter end ofthe period under consideration experienced a vastincrease. The number of goldbeaters was tripled

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