The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1874-10-31
Leatherette-A New Material.

The British TRADE Journal, describes the
above tftieiie-at new patent imitation Of
leather-as follows:
1t is SO good an imitation that super
fetal observer would, in nine cases out of
ten, take it for the real article. The grains
OF the different kinds of leather, such as ba-
sill, seal, morocco, ETC., are reproduced with
a fidelity that is remarkable. In the pro-
cess of '.graining," real skin of leather of
any given description, which it may be de-
sired to initiate, is taken as a mould, and
from this an impression is obtained on
sheets of fbrous pulp by the exercise Of
enormous pressure. Thus the grain of the
imitation article is an actual fac-simile of
that of the real. Leatherette is obtainuble
in any color, and, while it is only about
one-eight the cost of leather, possesses some
manifest advantages over the latter which
will scarcely fail to make it commercial
success. For instance, it is stronger than
leather of the same thickness, and it is of
uniform quality, so that forty OF fifty forms
may be cut at a time, while the blemishes
that occur in leather necessitate each form
being cut singly, and that by experienced,
and therefore expensive hands. 1t is not
so prone to soil, and is waterproof. The
scope afforded in different trades for the
utilization of such an article is obviously
purse makers, bookbinders, etc., may,
among others, turn it to useful account.
For book-binding it is admirably adapted,
and probably in this branch of trade will
work no small revolution, seeing that it af-
fords handsome and realistic bindings at
such q reduced cost There can be no
doubt that leatherette is all important in
Vention.
OLDEN TIMEs.-Who among our extrav-
agant young ladies in these boastful times
ever gave her lover, as Cleopatra did, a
pearl dissolved in vinegar Cor undissolved)
worth $400, 900? Then there was a Paul.
ma, one of the ton in Rome, who used to
wear Jewels, when she returned her visits,
worth 100000 Cicero. who was compare
| lively poor man in those times, gave ST.
500. 600 for his establishment in the Pala-
tine; while Messala gave $2,000,000 for the
house of Antony, Seneca, who was just a
| plain philosopher, was worth $120, GOO, 600.
Tiberius left property of nearly $120, ,000,-
| 600 Cesar and Marc Antony both owned
wonderful fortunes Why, they talk about
mans falling in New York for a million
dollars as if it were big thing. Caesar, be-
fore he entered any office, when he was a
young gentleman in private life, owed one
million dollars and he purchased the friend
ship of Quesor for two million five hundred
thousand dollars. Marc Antony owed one
million five hundred thousand dollars Oh
the Ides of March and paid it before the
Kalends of March. This was nothing he
squandered seven hundred and twenty mil
lions of public money. And these fellows
lived well. Esopus, who was a play actor,
paid four hundred thousand (?) for a single
dish. Caligula spent four hundred thous-
and dollars on a supper Their wines were
often kept for two ages, and some of them
were sold for twenty dollars an ounce.
Dishes were made of gold and silver, set
with precious stones. The beds of Heliog,
abulus were of solid silver, his tables and
plates were of pure gold, and his mattrass-
es covered with carpets of cloth and gold,
were stuffed with down from under the
wing of the partridge. 1t took eighty thous-
and dollars year to keep up the dignity Of
Roman Senator, and some of them spent
five million dollars a year. And yet they
talk of the extravaganza of modern times.
-Er.