NEEDLE MANUFACTURE. This is one of the most remarkable industrial pursuits of our country, both technically and locally. In a technical point of view it is striking for tho number of processes which every individual needle passes through ; while it is not less noteworthy on account of the grouping of the manufacture in and around the town of Red ditch in Worcestershire ; where it has been calculated there are 60 to 70 millions of need les made every week ! In commencing the manufacture of a needle, soft steel wire of the required thickness is first cut into lengths of about five inches, and these lengths being placed together in a bun dle, are bound together by means of iron rings, five jnohes in diameter, placed at each end of the bundle. This bundle is then pigged on a east-iron table, and rolled to and fro upon it, under the pressure of a flat bar of iron, by which means the wires are made perfectly straight. About a de4en and a half or two dozens of these wires are then taken by the grinder, and together are pointed, en a small dry grindstone. This, like the dry grinding pf the Sheffield cutlers, is a very deleterious am, ployment, towards the amelioration of which the workmen render very little assistance, un fortunately for themselves.
When the pointing is finished, the wires are cut into the required lengths, and the holes or eyes are perforated, This ePeration is usually performed by females. ,The tech employed are, a small anvil fixed en the work, bench, a hammer, a finely-pOinted end tempered steel punch, a pair of pliers, a Me, and a block of lead. The woman first slightly flattens the unpainted end by a stroke of the hammer, then makes an indentation en one side by means of the punch and hammer; the needle is then taken from off the anvil, and being placed with the indented aide down, wards on the block of lead, the perforatiell is completed by striking with the punch and hammer on the opposite side of the needle, Holding then the needle in the pliers, the head is somewhat bent, and with the file the guttering is performed, which is the forming of the channel that may be seen on each side where the perforation is made, The head is then smoothed by passing the file over it. Needles to which the name drilled-eyed is eon plied are perforated in the manner here de= scribed, but the additional process is used of smoothing the eye by means of a drill after it is perforated.
For making the eyes and gutters in large needles, machinery is employed. The wires used for making these needles are pointed at both ends, and the ohannels and eyes are formed in the middle, when the two needles thus made are cut asunder, and their heads smoothed with a Ale.
These operations being performed when the steel wires are in a soft state, they are More or less bent, and must be straightened, which is done by rolling them on one plate of metal under the weight of another. The needles
are then placed, many thousands together, in a kind of crucible, and covered over with ashes, when they are put into a close furnace and exposed to a cherry-red heat. When this de gree of heat has been obtained, the crucible is withdrawn, and the needles are dropped into cold water, from which they are taken out and put upon an iron plate almost red hot, where they are turned about so as to cause the heat to apply equally to aU, and as fast, as the needles become of a blue ealour„ they are removed as being of a proper temper.
Such of the needles as now appear crocked SW straightened on a small anvil by blows front a hammer, The needles are next ranged in parallel rows nPOlt a coarse cloth, which has been smeared with a mixture of (41, soft soap, and fine emery powder, In this cloth from 40,000 to eQ,00Q needles are rolled up, and several of these rolls are placed together in a machine like a mangle, The rolling to which they are here subjected is continued, by means of steam or water power, for two and soraetimes three days, during which time the cloth wrap, pars, being worn out, require to be once OF twice replaced by new IMP, When talon out, after this rolling, the needles are perfectly bright, They are finally sorted, packed, and papered, VAPAIlli. This remote country of India, situated 010§Q to the Himalaya gpuntains, yields a, fair supply of vegetable produce in the river valleys, It also contains several motels in abundance, especially iron, lead, popper, and *illtit the 4rst three are worker} rather
Oold is found in the sand of some river, Qf the inhabitants of the country, the bTewara' are mostly cnitivators pf the soil, and exercise many arts and trades, They Make coarse
and work very well j9 iron, copper and brass, and are ingeniella jn carPentrY. The trade with Tibet is mostly in the hands of the tribe called the nhott who transport their goods on the hacks of sheep or men over the mountain passes, They bring from Tibet to Nepanl Sheep, inuslf• skins pf the mush-deer, chowry, tails, qniclisilver, laprez, sal ammoniac, Chi• nose silk sniff% paper, drugs, gold and silver; and they carry back rice, wheat, oil, iron, cop pal% Cotten ale% eatechu, juniper hoards (which are used in fine Cabinet-work), Pepper, spies; indigo, tobacco, otter-sldns, anger, and some smaller articles, Nepaul exports tq British l