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jg INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION,, 1876. following firms, who furnished excellent varieties in shape and in color (purple, red, and green): Maine Slate Company, Skowhegan, Maine; Chapman Slate Company, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania ; Lehigh Slate Company, Slatington, Pennsylvania; and the Peach Bottom Slate-Mining Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; from whose ex hibits an excellent impression could be obtained of the materials, facilities for quarrying, polishing, sawing, and preparing slate for the market. The sheet-iron tiles used in Europe some ten years ago do not appear to have held their ground against older and tried systems of roofing. The Garry Roofing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, exhibited one of the best methods of sheet-iron roofing. The joints are well made, both when plain and intersecting; it is easily laid, and without solder, and adequate allowance is made for expansion. There were also various exhibits of composition roofings, composed of gravel, ashes, slag, tar, etc., unsuitable, however, for any other than temporary and inexpensive structures, where economy rather than durability is desired. The leaders, or water-conductors, used on most of the Exhibition buildings are square instead of round, and are strongly to be recom mended as offering greater resistance to the repeated strain of freezing and thawing. Their use, however, is by no means new. The attention paid to the manufacture of the following articles, especially in England and the United States, has led to great improve ments; but as their durability, cleanliness, and consequent healthi ness depend so much on their use and abuse, their relative worth can only be determined after long trial. The English exhibit of earthen ware for traps, drains, and kindred purposes, from the manufactories of Henry Doulton and others, was interesting for the variety of its products as well as its perfect finish. Very fine work of this descrip tion is also done at Chicago and other places in this country. The pottery-ware for bath, water-closet, and wash-basin contriv ances, as exhibited by Jennings, London, England, was very complete and extensive. Weaver & Pennock, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also offered a very fine exhibit in this line. Copper-work of rare excellence was exhibited by H. Steiger, New York, N. Y, and C. A. Blessing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The soapstone exhibit of the Philadelphia Soapstone Works was unexcelled. The exhibits of iron- and metal-work for constructive and decorative purposes were numerous and satisfactory. That made by Belgium of rolled and riveted iron beams, from the Forges de la Providence,