various attempts, by the assistance of a watchmaker of the same
village, who made the tools, in producing a similar box; and by his
success, not only laid the foundation of his own fortune, but greatly
enriched his native parish and province. For awhile, the Laurencekirk
boxes were most in demand; but Mr. Crawford and his neighbours in
Cumnock not only copied the art, but so improved and perfected it,
that in a very few years, for every box made in the north there were,
probably, twenty made in the south. In 1826, the Cumnock trade was
divided amongst eight master manufacturers, who employed considerably
more than 100 persons. The demand at that time equalled the supply,
and it was calculated that the trade yielded from 7,000_l._ to
8,000_l._ annually,--a large product for a manufacture seemingly
so insignificant, and consisting almost exclusively of the wages of
labour. Plane is the wood in common use, and the cost of the wood in
an ordinary sized box does not exceed 1d.; the paints and varnish are
rated at 2d.; and though something is lost by selecting timber of
the finest colour, the whole expense of the raw material falls
considerably short of 1/2 per cent. on the return it yields!

Snuff-box, like pin making, admits of subdivision of labour; and
in all workshops of any size three classes of persons are
employed--painters, polishers, and joiners. At the period alluded to,
an industrious joiner earned from 30s. to 40s. weekly, a painter from
45s. to 3_l._, and a polisher considerably less than either. When
Mr. Crawford first commenced business he obtained almost any price
he chose to ask; and many instances occurred, in which ordinary sized
snuff-boxes sold at 2_l._ 12s. 6d., and ladies' work-boxes at 25_l_.
But as the trade increased, it became necessary to employ apprentices,
who first became journeymen and then masters; and such have been the
effects of improvement and competition, that articles such as are