The operations of the glass blower have been too often described to need redescription here. One or two points, however, deserve notice. One is the large use made of wooden moulds. In these are formed all kinds of circular articles, such as tumblers and lamp glasses. The moulds are in halves, and are kept soaked with water to prevent them from burning. Inside they become lined with charcoal. The glass blower, getting a knob of glass on the end of his blowing rod, blows a very thick, small bulb; this he then places on the mould, which is closed by a very small boy; in but too many cases mere children, seven or eight years old, are employed. The child holds the two sides of the mould together while the blower rotates the bulb within, blowing all the time. The work is turned out very true. Up to a comparatively recent period the tumbler was cut to the proper depth while hot with a pair of scissors, but this has been abandoned, and an extremely ingenious little machine is now used for cutting lamp glasses, tumblers, etc. The article to be cut is placed vertically on a stand. At the proper height above the stand is fixed a sharp steel point, and by touching the glass against this a very small scratch is made. At the same level is fixed a little mouthpiece through which issues, under pressure, a tiny gas flame, not thicker than a sheet of note paper. This falls on the glass, which is turned round by the woman attendant. The glass is heated in an extremely narrow band all round. The touch of a moistened finger suffices for the complete separation of the two parts of the glass round the heated girdle. In fact, this is a very elegant application to manufacturing purposes of the well known hot wire method of cutting glass so often tried with indifferent success by the enterprising amateur. Glass grinding is carried out on a very large scale at Val St. Lambert in huge well lighted shops. There are four grinderies at Val St. Lambert, and one at Herbatte, the total number of which is 800, and the floor space occupied is no less than 24,000 square feet. The first steam engine was put down to grind glass in 1836. A great deal of engraving is done with fluoric acid, the vessel to be engraved being protected with wax in which the design is etched. Tilghman's sand blast is also employed, as well as the old copper disk system; flats are ground on tumblers by automatic machinery.