outside, and carefully inserted in the great
mould, so as to leave a hollow of the right
thickness, to be filled up with the metal. The
fourth is the "false-cored" casting. This is
used for irregular figures which must be cast
in one piece. If, for instance, a wreath of
leaves is to be cast, the ins and outs are
carefully taken off the pattern in masses of
pressed sand, which are cautiously transferred
to the mould, and pinned down in their right
places. "False coring" is practised also in
the casting of figures of men and animals, as
it is on a larger scale in the case of bronze
statues. Of course, much metal is saved by
this, and the inconvenience of excessive
weight is avoided. It may be added, that
duty is charged by weight, on such articles as
these, in foreign countries; and the utmost
reduction of their weight is therefore desirable.
The cores of sand are built up, like
bricks, before the casting, and are removed
afterwards by pushing out the sand through
holes left for the purpose.

When the pattern has made its complete
impression, and is removed, a channel is
scooped in the sand, from the impression to
the marginal hole in the mould; and the one
box, containing one side of the impression, is
screwed down upon the other, containing the
other half. When eight moulds are thus
prepared,—one containing, perhaps, a single
figure, and another as many as a hundred,—
there is enough for "a heat." Men bring the
molten metal from the furnace in ladles, and
pour it into the holes in the mould, till there
is a brimming over of the red stream at the
mouth of each channel. Before we turn our
backs on the casting process, we must observe
how the brass hook of a screw is fastened on;
for this is an article in such extensive use
that any saving of time and labour in the
production of it is of importance. Formerly,
the joining was done by hand,—each screw
being heated and hammered, and attended to
individually, as nails once were. Now, the
only thing necessary is to lay the screw,
prepared with a "nick," to dovetail, as it were,
the brass to itself, in a running stream of
molten brass. The figure of the hook is
impressed in the sand, and the screw is laid so
as to join it: then, when the metal enters,
the article makes itself, to the great saving of
time, and convenience of the manufacturer.

When the articles are cool, there is easy
work for the boys; breaking off the cast
articles from the metal in the channels, and
then poking out the sand from the "cored"
articles. They poke away, as if they liked
the business. The sand requires more
removing than this, however. There is a churn
in the yard, in which the articles are whirled
round, till all the sand is shaken out of them.

Here we have articles, and parts of articles,
rough, dull, and so dark that one would
hardly know them to be brass. The
ornamental brasses have their edges smoothed by
the file; and the commoner articles are
delivered over altogether to the file and the
turning-lathe, to be smoothed and made neat
and clean. The higher order of productions
are to be more respectfully treated; they are
to be pickled and dipped. This is one of the
prettiest processes of all. Heads of animals,
wreaths of flowers, statuettes, figured plates
of various sorts and sizes, may be beautiful in
form and device; but all are dark, with
oxidation, as well as oil and dirt. They are put
into a bath of acids and water. The acids
are nitric and sulphuric, which, mixed, are
aquafortis. In this diluted aquafortis they
lie, till the outer surface, with all impurities,
is eaten off. Then they are dipped in a
succession of tubs, till, coming at last out of
pure aquafortis, they are of the prettiest
colour that can be seen. It is a sad pity that
they cannot so remain; for, to change their
hue is really to half-spoil them. But it cannot
be helped. They would tarnish
immediately, if not secured against it by a process
which we shall see presently.

We must not tell all we witnessed of the
turning, and soldering, and polishing, because
we have described the same things before:
and though one sees the processes with fresh
pleasure, when applied to new kinds of
articles, that pleasure cannot be communicated
in print. For instance, it was like something
new to us to see holes drilled in a gas-burner,
and understand how the flame of the jet is
made twenty per cent. better by these holes
being drilled in the burner; but, to the
reader, the process is just the same as the
drilling of the four holes in a brace-button.
Again, if we were to describe the magnum
candlesticks which stood about like pillars, it
would merely put people in mind of the
Electro-plating establishment; as the cutting
the links of brass chains would of the gold
chain manufactory. But, oh! the beauty of
those candlesticks, and of the ornamented
parts of the gas-fittings, and of the most
massive of the chains! And the ingenuity too!—
the cleverness with which the tubing is
concealed in gas-furniture, and with which the
swinging of chandeliers is provided for, by the
rolling of the ball to which the chain is
fastened within another ball, so as to allow
perfect freedom without permitting the least
escape! And again, the endless variety of
lamps, and especially of solar lamps, which
are in great demand from foreign countries,
where oil of various qualities abounds! On
these things we must not enlarge, but rather
observe the finishing of the articles.

The technical term "finishing" means
putting together the parts to make the article
complete; but as the word slips from our
pen, it means putting the last finish of beauty.
The technical "finishing" is done by the
soldering with which we are familiar. As
for our meaning of the word, it leads us to
the counters of the burnishers. The
burnishers here are not women, as at some
establishments near. This work, of burnishing