THE INDUSTRY OF ALL NATIONS.

Birmingham has recently made great progress
in the production of the better sort of plated

and silver manufactures, so much so, indeed, as
to have become a formidable rival to Sheffield,

a town whose supremacy in this department of
business was, till now, indisputable; however,

there is ample room for the manufacturers of both these important places
to display their ingenuity and skill to the best advantage, and so contend
for the palm of excellence. We engrave on this page some of the works
contributed by the establishment of Messrs. Prime & Son, of Birmingham.
The first subject represents a Butter-Knife; the handle is in the Italian

style, and the blade is ornamented with an open floriated pattern. The
Liquor Stand that follows offers considerable novelty in its design, which
shows the utmost harmony in the ornamentation of its several component
parts. To this succeeds a Cake Basket, the form of which is decidedly
good, and the chasing in excellent taste. The Toast Rack shows also a

very meritorious design; and the Tray underneath it is equally entitled
to commendation. Lastly, the Asparagus Tongs, which complete the page,
are sufficiently enriched with ornament to render them an elegant appendage
to the dinner-table. We believe that all these manufactures are executed in
magneto-plated silver. The results of scientific research, when applied to

the industrial arts, are in nothing more manifest than when seen in

metallic manufactures. The various processes of electrotyping, magneto-

plating, and others, have greatly tended to produce this satisfactory result.

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