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8o INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1876. peculiar to the cashmere fibre. The pile is developed on the surface by battage, or beating the moistened cloth with elastic rods. Formerly, only the long hair of the cashmere goat and camel were used, besides wool, for making pile fabrics. In 1850, Mr. Benjamin Crosland, of Huddersfield, England, invented or rediscovered a process by which the short hairs of the cow and calf could be used in the manufacture of imitation seal-skins. The mean feature of his process consisted in boiling the fabrics for a long time in water, which devel ops the lustre of the fibre. These fabrics were for a long time im ported into the United States under the pretence that they contained no wool, being thus subjected to a less duty. A rigorous microscopic examination by the National Academy of Sciences, made quite re cently, under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, seems to have established the fact that the short hairs of the cow and calf are spun with at least enough wool to carry the fibre,—a successful spinning seeming otherwise impracticable. The cow-hair seal-skins, which are an important specialty in England, were illustrated by beau tiful specimens at the Exhibition. Another animal product, which is not strictly a textile fibre, because it cannot be spun like those above referred to, must be considered in this connection,—that is, horse-hair, the material of the fabric ordi narily known as “ haircloth.” This material, as a covering for furni ture, a century ago was held in high consideration. The wife of Benjamin Franklin, describing the furniture of her mansion in Phila delphia, says it was covered with black haircloth, “as handsome as padisoy" (Padua silk). Modern fashion has driven this material from fashionable drawing-rooms, but its durability still causes it to be re tained in unambitious apartments. There were two conspicuous ex hibits of this material. Ranking first in elegance was an exhibit made by Edward Webb & Son, Worcester, England. These haircloths were woven in stripes of rich blues, scarlets, and crimsons, with whites, and in simple but rich colors, brocaded and figured. They possessed all the elegance which could be given to this material, and for certain purposes, as for summer apartments and houses in tropical regions, possess adaptations found in no other upholstery materials. The Pawtucket Haircloth Company, of Rhode Island, made an exhibit of this fabric, the peculiarity of which was that it is the result of the first successful weaving of haircloth by power, the hand-loom being, so far as known, used by all other manufacturers of this fabric at home or abroad. The success of the company referred to is due to their achievement of the work of picking up, and applying auto matically, each individual hair which is to compose the texture of a