The first lead pencils are supposed to have been manufactured in England in the second half of the sixteenth century. The raw plumbago, or "wad," as it was locally termed, was subjected to the following treatment: "On reaching the surface it was sawn into strips of the required size, and these, without any further manipulation, were inserted into the wood. Strange though it may appear, the lead pencils first manufactured in this manner are acknowledged to have been the best--and even at the beginning of the present century they remained unsurpassed upon the score of the softness and fine tone of the lead. Although the Cumberland lead pencils were in great demand owing to the fact that they were the first to successfully meet a long-felt want, they nevertheless owed their permanent and wide-spread reputation-- more especially in artistic circles--to their excellent quality. Towards the end of the last century the black-lead pencil industry was introduced into France, where with some restrictions it soon developed. With the removal of all restrictions on industrial freedom in 1795, the idea was entertained of using clay as a binding medium for black-lead. This method offered several advantages, for not only did the addition of clay cause a saving of a large percentage of the valuable mineral, but it greatly facilitated the method of manufacture, so that lead pencils could now be offered at greatly reduced prices. By these improvements a new era in the manufacture of lead pencils was begun in France. Still, there remained much to be done in the field of black- lead pencil making in order to do justice to the increasing demands of art and the requirements of more civilized life. It is true, different kinds of lead pencils of various degrees were produced, but they did not comply by a long way with the different uses for which they were needed. The manipulation of the brittle material required not only deep study, but also conscientious and skillful workmen, in order to impart the necessary standard of perfection to the lead pencil. Among the various German industries the manufacture of black-lead pencils occupied but a very modest place. The first traces of its existence are to be found at Stein, a village not far from Nuremberg. As far back as the year 1726 the church registers mention marriages between "black-lead pencil makers," and, at a later date references are found in the same registers to "black-lead cutters" of both sexes. The manufacture of black-lead pencils, however, occupied a position on the very lowest rung of the industrial ladder.