In the very interesting and valuable historical contribution of Professor Henry Mercer on "The Decorated Stove Plates of the Pennsylvania Germans," published by the Bucks County Historical Society, all the half-tone illustrations, twenty-three in number, are from castings made east of the Susquehanna. It is an interesting question not only when and where such castings were first made west of the Susquehanna, but also how they might be related in design and craftsmanship to those in the eastern part of the State. In the " Postscript" to the original paper Professor Mercer alludes very briefly, without illustration, to a plate which has an interesting bearing on this question. What seems to be a duplicate of the one alluded to has been added, recently, to the local historical collection at Carlisle, Pa., ~ taken from the back of a fireplace.
It is about 24~: x 27ΒΌ inches, with a narrow flange all around, and bears the date " 1764, '' and the words "Carlisle Furnace," and what is intended for the names Thornburgh and Sanderson, misspelled and clumsily executed. The design, on the other hand, of the twisted column, arch, and tulip pattern is well executed and bears such a marked general rcsemblance to Fig. z6, of the brochure alluded to, as to suggest identity. Inspection, however, soon shows variations in details ; but the panel containing the name of the furnace, the figures of the date, and some other details seem, so far as comparison with a half-tone instead of the original will permit, to justify the inference of identity of portions of * Presented to the Hamilton Library Association o| Carlisle, Pa., by Miss Emma Aberle.