, 1880-06-24
An Ancient City.

One of the busiest lictle cities IN
Europe, ii not The most beautiful and
picturesque, !. Geneva situated at the
foo, nf Lake Leman, and nestled like a
nicturs b5tween the lofty mountain
ranges Of the Mount Blanc and the
JuIn IL IL old in history, its chronicles
extending back TO years anterior to the
Caesars Evidences have been discovered
from time to time in the way OF ancient
walls, old puttery, jade tools, rude in
plemenrs Of agriculture Fnd manufSc.
ture and household utensils, which give
presumptiye proef Of prehistoric date.
The city at the present time has pop
ulation Of something over 10000, and !
may safely say that the greater part oi
the inhabitants who are not keeping
hotels and pensions are engaged in the
manufacture If watches and music
boxes. Ii is for these two branches OF
industry, especially that Of watches, for
which the city is noted. and from which
in years gone by its great wealth has
been accumulated. For q great many
years, and it was not many years ago
either, Geneva held the sole monopoly
of the manufacture and sale of watches
for nearly all parts of che world, reap
ing such enormous profits that other
countries, especially France, England
and the United States, were induced to
commence the manufacture and enter
into competition with the Genevese in
supplying home and foreign markets
with these useful and Indispensable
articles. Notwithstanding that the sale
of Swiss watches has been materially
lessened in the countries above named,
other markets have opened to them in
those out-of-the-way places of the world,
where until lately watches were never
worn and never heard Of, such as the
new settlements of Australia, Queens
land Tasm ania, New Zealand, India,
and even in Persia and Turkey--so that
the demand is rather increasing instead
of diminishing. The United States
have until recently been the best Gus
toners for Swiss watches. It is said
that more people in the United States
carry watches, according to the popula.
tion than la any other country. What
the Genevese or the Swiss dread most in
the future is the competition with the
American machine-made watches. They
claim, and it is policy and self.interest
that prompts them to make the assertion,
that handmade watch is preferable
and will keep better time than a machine.
made watch whereas the skilled me-
chanic, who speaks from experience and
the Knowledge he has gained in the use
of tools, machinery, etc, Just pro
nounces in favor of the machine-made
watch, cleaning that its complicated in
terror Of delicate wheels, pivots, screws,
springs, etc, can be made more true and
with greater nicely and precision by the
aid of machinery than by the clumsy
fingers of the operative. Since the
manufacture of watches in the United
States by machinery has gradually
gained such vast proportions, and is so
rapidly Increasing. the. demand for
Geneva watches mas sraHily decreased,
as will'be seen by the following stats
tics In the year 1871 the value of
watcheslexported to the United States
from Geneva amounted to $675,650 ;
in 1873 the exports had declined to
$97, ,256, showing falling off in seven
years of S579,394. During the year
1879, owing to the revival of trade in
the United States, the exports have
shown small increase amounting to
$ll4,l20, But this is small figure as
compared to what they have been in the
past, and it is evident that the sales in
the future will diminish rather than an
crease. Springfield Republican. y lj TO