292
Trunk and Box Making _The demand for travelling and other
trunks is considerable in Scotland ; and many kinds of fine goods,as muslins, tapes, threads, &c. are exported in trunks, great num-bers of which are consequently made. They are constructed offir, and covered with horse and other skins, which are importedchiefly in a dried state from South America . Trunks being ea-sily locked and opened, are more convenient, and preserve theircontents better than packing-boxes; of which, however, greatquantities are made. The number of workmen employed inmaking trunks and boxes is very considerable, and they are to hefound in all the larger towns in Scotland .
Baskets and Wicker Work .—Since the introduction of the cot-ton and flax trade into Scotland , a great quantity of baskets arerequired for holding cardings, rovings, copes, bobbins, &c. Thedemand for these, as well as for market baskets, cradles, creels,and all other articles composed of wicker work, has of late yearsmuch increased. There has lately been introduced at Leith a newmanufacture of basket-work, formed of whalebone, which, fromits toughness and elasticity, is wrought to considerable advantagein hats, chair bottoms, sieves, See. This manufacture, togetherwith its application in brush-making, are new channels for theconsumption of whalebone, which was formerly used in little elsethan in the construction of umbrellas, parasols, and ladies’ corsets.
Brush-Making .—This manufacture has considerably increasedof late years in Scotland; and it is carried on at Edinburgh ,Glasgow, Falkirk, Dundee, and Aberdeen . About 200 handsare employed; and a journeyman may earn at this business from25s. to 30s. weekly, though the general average wages is about22s.
Besides hearth, and other brushes for clothes, shoes, and va-rious domestic purposes, large quantities are made for the different cotton and flax works; and weavers’ brushes also form a con-siderable branch of this manufacture.
Native birch, plane, elm, ash, and several other kinds of hardwood, besides mahogany, are used in brush-making. The bris-tles of many of the brushes are wrought into the wood with wiffiand those of others are fastened with pitch. The bristles are ob-tained from the Russian, and other ports of the Baltic; andtbebest quality is sold so high as from 24/. to 27/. per cwt. A sub-stitute, however, has been lately introduced under letters-patent,and whalebone is now much used. It is heated and sliced downinto small fibres, resembling bristles, and found to answer i° rmost purposes. The use of this substance, of which great qua"'tities are annually obtained from Greenland and Davis’s Straits,has tended to prevent bristles from rising higher than they a re -At one of the brush-works in Glasgow , a steam-engine is emp'°T'ed for driving the machinery, which consists of turning lathb c!!>cular saws, slicing tools, and other instruments.