Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-08-03
NCuriosities of Commerce.

SuTlOSltlCo VI SOihhtSASOs
Turning over the pages of the Cyclopedia c
Commerce, just published, few matters attract
ed our attention,as curiosities, which we pro
pose to transcrbe for our readers. We wer
iookDg-forthe small things in commerce, mat
tiers thai,ip taking magnificent, broad AM
comprehensive view, would be overlooked-jus
as the inyenton of the greatest Importance fo
domestic purposes would be overlooked and un
noticed in its homely attire, when placed in ex
hibtion and surrounded by works OF polished
art, costly machinery and gorgeous furniture
An humble inventor once placed in such al ex
hibition few punches of friction matches
They were unDotced. Visiters went there look
ing for some great thing, not realizing that the
despised packages of splints, tipped with chem.
ical fire, was the greatest thing in that proud
collection, destined to work a revolution in the
means of procuring artificial light, and to be
come universal necessity, to be deprived OF
which would be one OF the greatest inconvenien'
ces that could happen.
| 1t is not more than twenty years ago since the
Under box was in universal use. 1t is abolished
now. The invention of the friction match
spread slowly but who, at this day. woula ven
ture to say that they could do without III In
significant as they appear to be, single factories,
with expensive machinery, cut up large RATS OF
timber annually for matches.
| Under the head of pin, We find that the man.
ufacture OF this Indispensable little instrument
was commenced in the United States, between
1912 and 1920, since which time the business
has extended greatly. and several patents for the
manufacture in England and other parts OF Eu-
rope, is conducted upon Improvements made IN
the United States. Notwithstanding the extent
of our own productions, the United States i'm
ported in 1856, pins to the value of $4O, ,225. -.
Still keeping our attention directed to small
things we find that the imports of needles into
this country for 1856 amounted to $246 oOO. IL
is said that the needles wer2. E-ssalade IN Eng
land in the time of the bloody Mary, by negro
from Spain; but he would not impart his secret,
it was lost at his death, and not recovered again
till 1866, in the reign Of Queen Elizabeth, when
a German taught The art to the English, who
have since brought it to the greatest perfection.
1t is stated that the construction OF needle re-
quires about l20 operations, but they are rapid
ly and unnterruptedly successive.
The temperance people will find an argument
to enforce their doctrines in the fact that Al
OIL ,636 bushels of grain, paying 2o,000,0O0
duty, are annually converted into malt in Great
Brinn for ale aud porter. 1t may reasonably
be inferred that great quantity of these beyer-
ages is drank there.
Ground nuts are quite an institution with
Young America, 800 tons having been imported
into the United States from Gambia in one year.
We however dissent from the encyclopaedia,
when he says they are most used here as dessert
roasted as chesnuts are elsewhere. But France
is the great market for ground nuts, where they
are used for oil, of which they contain large
opontitiao Tho inSipnifrapt hail la 81.
greeabe to the palate but so difficult to get, is
exported from Tarragona to the extent of 25,o00
or 10000 bags of four bags to the ton. A kind
of chocolate is prepared from them, aud they
sometimes have been made into bread. The
pressed oil of hasle.nuts is little inferior to that
of almonds.
The original inventor of the Ayreshire snuff
boxes was cripple, hardly possessing the pow
er of locomotion. They are made of wood, ad-
mirahly joined, painted and varhished, and were
first manufactured only sixty years since. In
stead OF taking out patent, the inventor en-
trusted his secret to joiner in the village, who
in q few years alnassed a great fortune, while
the other died Us he had lived, in the greatest
poverty. Speaking OF snuff boxes, snuff taking
took its rise in England, in 1902.
Under the head of Hair, the Cyclop@da says
that 100000 pounds weight of women's hair is
annually sold in France, and that the price psid
for it is usually six cents an ounce.
One hundred thousand roses are required to
give yield of 1873 grains of otter or oil OF ro-
ses
There are, doubtless, in this compendious
work many curious, interesting and instruc-
tive facts, il one had the time to search
them out And now, as we are closing, we no.
tice quite number of items, such as that bale
of Sea Island cotton weighs 333 pounds, and
measures 80 enbic feet, while bale OF East In
dia cotton weighs 1888 pounds, and only meas
ures Is cubic feet tact of great Importance in
the question of transportation. What makes
this great difference in cubic proportions