produced that enormous piece of copper-work, the ball and cross of St. Paul's Cathedral, which is referred to and illustrated in another chapter. [Illustration: FIGS. 32 AND 33.--COPPER WATER JUG AND WATER POT.] [Illustration: FIG. 34.--COPPER WATER JUG AND COVER. FIG. 35.--BRASS TWO-HANDLED WATER VESSEL.] There is yet another reason given why so many of the old copper pots and pans are irregular in shape and are often fitted with apparently unsuitable handles. It is that most of these old vessels at one time or another have undergone repairs, and were frequently treated by unskilled workmen. Among the street cries of London one of the oldest was: "Any pots or pans to mend?" The travelling tinker was a repairing coppersmith, too, and much of his time was occupied in mending the copper and brass cooking utensils used at the farmhouses and in the villages through which he passed. His methods of dealing with the vessels entrusted to him for repairs were not always the best, as museum relics testify. Drinking cups, tankards, and flagons constitute another very important section of collectable curios. They were, however, chiefly made of pewter in the days before glass and earthenware became general. Some were undoubtedly of copper. This metal, however, was chiefly used for large jugs in which water and other liquids were carried. Water vessels vary in shape, although certain characteristics are frequently noticeable. The typical English-made jug and water vessel, such as those shown in Figs. 32, 33, 34, and 35, are very graceful in shape, the handles being light and very suitable. They make remarkably welcome additions to a collection of metal, and are appropriate ornaments on an old oak sideboard. The Houseplace. It is not a far remove from the kitchen to the houseplace, and it is there that some of the more decorative brasswork of eighteenth-century workmanship is chiefly to be found. Just as copper and brass formed a prominent feature in the equipment of the kitchen, so in the old houseplace they were considered the best for ornamental purposes. The polishing of the metal-work throughout the house in the good old days must have been a considerable item in the duties of domestic servants, but no doubt it well repaid the labour, for from the old ornaments and usable curios of the houseplace which have come into the hands of collectors, especially when housed in a reconstructed eighteenth-century room, the effect is excellent. The metal-work of the best parlour was not so extensive, although there were many beautifully polished coal-vases and fender frets. Indeed, in both rooms mentioned the chief attraction would appear to have centred on the fireplace. [Illustration: FIG. 36.--A FINELY-PIERCED BRASS TRIVET, DATED 1668.] [Illustration: FIG. 37.--BRASS-TOPPED TRIVET, WITH ADDITIONAL LEG STAY. FIG. 38.--BRASS-TOPPED TRIVET, WITH TURNED WOOD HANDLE.]