Towards the end of last century the manufacture of leadpencils was introduced into _France_ and soon attained to an extensive developement. Hardly were the last restrictions upon industrial freedom removed in that country, when in the year 1795 the idea was started of making use of clay for the purpose of binding the blacklead together. This process soon found favor on account of its many advantages for by this commixture a great portion of the costly blacklead was saved and at the same time the manufacture rendered materially easier, so that the leadpencils could be supplied at a very much cheaper rate. By these novel improvements a fresh era in the manufacture of leadpencils was commenced in France. Notwithstanding this however, there was yet very much to be done in the department of blackleadpencil manufacture in order to keep pace with the increased requirements of advancing art and more civilised life. True, various degrees of hardness and different sorts of pencils were thus obtained but these were by no means proportional to the various modes of use. The manipulation of the brittle material demanded deep study, and conscientious laborers in order to give the pencil the requisite perfection. If we now turn to _Germany_, it will in the first place be necessary to cast a glance at the developement of German industry and German leadpencil manufacture, it being then shown under what circumstances it had to develope itself and with what rivals it had to enter into competition. It is not to be denied that from the very first German industry found itself in a more disadvantageous position. France and England had already become intrinsically industrious countries. They possessed immense facilities for foreign trade, the greatest internal freedom of motion for the industrial element, a legislature which took cognizance of all the requirements of industry, in short both countries were, in comparison with Germany, favored by certain circumstances which are indispensably necessary to render industry flourishing and which were then already fulfilled, whereas in Germany political division and animosity and the pressure of the guilds operated most perniciously upon industrial enterprise. For these reasons industry could only develope itself in Germany later and then but slowly. The transition from the old to the new state of things appeared much more difficult, as many long since antiquated forms, which had become endeared to us by use, had first to be abolished. The Saxon spirit, which, on the other side of the Channel had attained to such glorious results, had to sustain many a conflict in its native land, and many a praiseworthy attempt suffered shipwreck on the many obstacles, which the splitting up of the nation and the retention of unfeasable arrangements opposed to every great idea.