GLASS (ante), in some of its coarser forms, was manufactured in this country in the colonial period. John Smith's History of Virginia alludes to the subject, and expresses the opinion that in this as in other things the " labor of the colony." as early as 1615, "had been misdirected." Seven years later, a building begun in Jamestown, Va.. for this manufacture, was abandoned on account of troubles from the Indians. Somewhere about 1754, a Dutchman named Bamper established a glass factory in Brooklyn, N. Y., and the first bottle he made is preserved among the curiosities of the Long Island his torical society. Another factory of the same kind was established in Temple, N. H., in 1779 or 1780, but was shortly burned down and never rebuilt. Another was estab nshed by a company of which Albert Gallatin was one, on the 3Ionongabela river, above Pittsburgh in 1789, and tradition asserts that there was one also in New Haven, Conn., in 1789, or before. The first glass factory in Pittsburgh, was built in 1795, and in it the production of window-glass was first begun in this country. Other factories were soon afterwards built in the same place, also in Rensselaer and King counties, N. Y., and in New Jersey and Massachusetts. From this time onward, the manufac ture kept pace with the growth of the country, until, in 1830, the number of furnaces for the manufacture of crown-glass was 21, of flint-glass 23. The value of the flint glass annually produced was estimated at $1,330,000. In 1840, the number of estab lishments had increased to 81, giving employment to more than 3,000 people, and a capital of more than $2,000,000. The increase in next 20 years was very coniderable, the number of glass works in 1860 being 112, employing over 9,000 men and more than $6,000,000 of capital. In 1870 the number of glass factories of every kind was 201; the number of people employed 15,822 (11,505 men. 715 women, and 3,602 children):
capital invested, $14,111,642; wages paid $7,846,425; raw material used, $6,183,168; annual product, $19,235,862. Of whole number of factories 35 were devoted to the production of window-glass, 11 of them in New Jersey, 10 in Pennsylvania, 7 in New York, and the others in Massachusetts, Maryland. and Illinois. The establishments devoted to the manufacture of glass-ware of all kinds was 114, producing goods valued at $14.300,949. Forty-two of these factories were in Pennsylvania, 32 in New York, 11 in Massachusetts, 8 in New jersey. Gin Ohio, and the others in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, and West Virginia. Eighteen establishments were producing stained glass to the value of $297,480; 29 were employed in the produc tion of cut-glass, the goods annually being valued at $470,875. Five plate-glass estab lishments reported an annual product oe$355.250. The census of 1870, however, is believed to be deficient in its statistics of glass production, falling far below the actual truth. Since that time the business has developed rapidly. The value of the glass pro duced in this country in 1880 can hardly he less than $30.00,000, and may be much more. We are exporting glass hollow-ware largely. American table glass is not inferior to that of England and France. American window-glass (not plate) finds a ready market abroad as well as at home. American plate-glass is inferior to that of Europe, but is not likely to remain so long. The importations hither of foreign glass are rap idly diminishing. The total importation in 1872-73 was $7,420,044; in 1873-74, $6,257,978—a reduction of more than $1,000,000 in a single year.