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[' L M of all ations which therto be exa...
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QUEDAII. Qziedah; or, Stray Leaves from ...
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The Pauis Universal Exhibition-. Luyorts...
products n were e one . < jolossal Annex , which stretched more than three-quarters of a mile ^ along the banks of the Seine and stole a glorious promenade from , the Parisians , is no longer deafened with the whirl of machinery . The Galerie des ^ tableaux has been spoiled of its splendid riches of art , and its monuments of sculpture and its treasures of painted canvas are returned to the depositories -whence they came . All the materiality of the Great Exhibition of 1855 ias vanished from the scene . But the impressions which it created will Jong outlive the objects which produced them . Mind was there represented by matter , the invisible by the visible , the intellectual by the passive , the ' -creative by the forms it called into existence . The development and progress of the Fine , as well as the Industrial Arts , in different countries could there be distinctly traced . Each national peculiarity , or , as we should more *^
properly term it , style , became boldly defined by their close juxtaposition and their strong contrast ; and the defects of the one were prominently indicated by the perfections of the other . Artists learnt from artists , and in the race of competition stimulated all their faculties to achieve their cliefsd ' ceuvre . Such a combination of educated and educating minds could not but be productive of beneficial fruits- The short interval that elapsed between the Exhibition in Hy de Park and that in the Champs Elysees proved the influence which one style exercised upon another , and the same progressive influence may be noticed as in operation at the present time . In no instance , perhaps , is this recognizable more than in that of Design as applied to Manufactures . "W e must not , however , be deceived . ¦* . ' In these Exhibitions , " observes Mr . lledgrave in his Report , " the Manufacturers of all countries are striving to compete , not so much in works of ordinary excellence as in the production of such as shall outvie each other . and be considered markedly in advance pf the taste and skill of the times ,
and the result of these competitive struggles must ' , be an advance to real . excellence , or a retrograde movement towards decline , as they are made on sound or on ill-understood principles . " One false principle may lead to the greatest extravagances . Nothing is so easily vitiated as taste . This might easily be shown , in a review of the different orders of style as illustrative of different epochs . Feeling the necessity of a just standard of taste , by t which to-mete the purity of style , Mr . lledgrave has laid down five propositions on the elements of design , by which to regulate his judgment , tie -considers in the first place that style , implying some dominating influence xeflecting the mind of" the age in all its works , presumes also a certain unity of character throughout ; secondly , that the primary elements of style are constructive , and that utility must have precedence of decoration . He proceeds to show , fourthly , that the designmust be bad which applies indiscrhninately the same constructive forms or ornamental treatments to materials differing in their nature and application ; and fifthly , that the building should determine the style .
On thequestion as to-whether England can boast of any style , he observes : — " Ahhoughto . Englishmen there appeared so little originality in the art applied to our own manufactures at Paris , so as to incline us to regard them as devoid of any peculiar character , "we were less at a loss to perceive a nationality in those produced in Germany , France , or Spain . It was some satisfaction , therefore , on various occasions , to hear the same remark from Frenchmen and others on the manufactures of their own land , namely , that they could recognize national characteristics and many indications of novelty and unity of style in British goods , these qualities being absent to them in "their own ; a subject which seemed most justly a cause of regret on their part . Oar mutual remarks are therefore somewhat encouraging to each other , a-nd we may hope that there are influences at work to raise us above the rank of mere imitators of the men of other lands and other times—and as imitators
necessarily short-comers— and to impress the national character of our age and people on . our art and our works . The great effort that is now-made towards a wide-spread development of art , education in Great Britain—and this not alone for the upper and middle classes but for all , even the poorest —must tell upon the rising generation . Once properly instructed , there is very little doubt that the plain good sense , the energy of will , and the dislike of mere display of our countrymen will result in works of much higher excellence in decorative art than has yet been attained in this country , while
• the artisan will add to his admitted manual dexterity and thorough workmanship the knowledge and taste that will enable him to add beauty to excellence , and to carry out the labours which the advanced taste of the general public will demand at his hands . " May wo not rather hope that he slmll attain to Buch excellence that , instead of being the servant of the public taste , lie shall be its guide and instructor ? The Paris Universal Exhibition differed from all others which had pre'Cededit in the extent of its productions , the variety of its objects , and the facilities afforded for the disposal of the exhibited articles at a fair market price . In fact , it was an immense bazaar , from which micrht be selected
¦© very description of manufacture and almost every kind of produce . The ¦ pveelmnical department brought out especially the English strength . Our superiority over other countries in mechanical contrivances was strikingly displayed as well , it-mu st be confessed , ns our deficiencies . We had no moan antagonists to compete with . France , Belgium , and America vied with us ior the honours of a prize . We regret to find then that in our mining and metallurgical productions , Britain was inadequately represented . It was supposed that the exhibition of such specimens would scarcely counterbalance the inconvenience and cost of extraction and carriage . A general 4 uteewarmn « es prevailed amongst the owners and workers of mines , since it was uncertain whether the expenses incurred in the removal of specimens "woiua be ever repaid . Thus , observes Mr . Smyth , " wliat our neighbours S lory , we hesitate to commenceunless assured it will ' '"
w i , pay . n o Jiavo somo curious statistics on tho subject of coals and iron in these £ 3 » m W * " ; that in 1854 , 04 , 0 ( 51 , 401 tons of coal ware produced ihTJl mincsof Great Britain and Ireland , representing at the mouth of downttr « £ ! £ rag 0 ^ - of 14 > > < - The number of collieries is put minefl iJS emPlovmS abO"t 220 , 000 persons . Franco possesses 286 h ^ we v ^ U ? lng - OUtfromC ' ' t 0 7 , 000 , 000 tons annually . This , However , is insufficient for her consumption , and she is indebted to her
, , , , , ton * Belgium produces 8 , 000 , 000 tons , Prussia 34 , 000 , 000 , Austria 1 "frtSX and Spain about 242 , 550 tons . Several of the other European fn 2 exhibited isolated specimens of mineralfuel , most of them of the clas ofr S or brown coal . Southern France , Italy , Styria , and Greece sent " sam ? te The rapid progress of the manufacture of iron , will be apparent from tlT duction of . that mineral in the following years . In 1740 wereprodu ^ l \ n * ? » tons , in 1840 , 1 , 248 , 7 S 1 , in 1854 , . 3 , 069 , 833 . This was the produce of Iw 555 furnaces . The . annual production of the iron works of Prance mated at 700 , 000 tons . Prussia produces an almost inappreciable nuii ^ t whilst Belgium , by enlarged operations , within the last few years has S the annual amount to upwards of 200 , 000 tons . The produce ofVT aouoies tnis amount , * ^
neany . Sweden , Spain , and Ital y were also r sented , and though the latter exported , in 1854 , 35 , 000 tons—seven-twelfth * p f its production—the quantities are too small to deman d enumeration M . Tilor , remarking on metal work , observes with much truth that "in country was Ornamental smiths' work more appreciated than in ' HiMa n < ? during the last century ; yefc , during the first half of this century tliereiq probably no country which was satisfied with so low a quality of ' material design , and execution of the iron work . " It is lamentable to see with what little taste public works are executed . As an example , we mav take th newly-introduced street letter-boxes . Instead of their being elegant columns structures , ornamented with leaves , and scrolls , and ilowel-s , such ' as we see in Paris , they are unshaped , square blocks , apparently placed in the position they occupy to prevent an omnibus ' or . runaway cab'from invadin" * the nave nieiit . ° " We have no room to notice particularly Sir David Brewster's report on optical instruments , Dr . Arnott on warming and ventilating , - Captain ! Fowke on civil and naval constructions , M . Le ' on Arnoux on cera ° nic
manufactures , Sir William Hooker on vegetable products , and Dr . Royle on Indian and -colonial products , & c . The reader will find much interestin « - and instructive information in the three volumes of Reports presented to bofcii Housrs of Parliament .
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Quedaii. Qziedah; Or, Stray Leaves From ...
QUEDAII . Qziedah ; or , Stray Leaves from a Journal hi Malayan Wateis . By Captain Sherard Osborn , R . N ., C . B . Longman and Co . Indian Archipelago literature is on the increase . A library of excellent books has been published since JTames-Brooke wrote ' -his first account of Sarawak—a history , a gazetteer , several narratives of travel , more than one noble volume of illustrations , paptain . * Osbprn ' s experiences are not of recent date , but they are interesting , nevertheless ..- He has been , ho-tells us , a self-taught man , who has made his own way to knowledge , and , let us add , to distinction . The lively diarist of Arctic adventure , the intelligent historian of the discovery of the North-West passage , he finds the far'East , warmed by incessant summer , as congenial to his sympathies as the deep North , buried in unmelting winter . He admires an iceberg , but he admires also a starry island ; along the coasts ' of . a frosty continent , or in a . goldea Indian moonlight , he voyages Avith equal enthusiasm .
Twenty years ago the small state of Quedah , on the Malay peninsula , was guaranteed to Siam by the English , and attacked by the IVlal . iys , wlo preferred a rival claim . The English took part . ' with the Siamese , and thus it happened that Captain Osborn , then a . midshipman ,, entered , into the warfare of the Archipelago , roved among its beautiful islands , * xi ' nd learned something of its kings , pirates , vessels , villages , and social miscellanea . Ee had a variety of uncommon adventures to narrate , and he possesses a particular power of description . His sketches on sea and land are among the most picturesque , while they are among the most truthful that we have met with in a traveller ' s book for a considerable time . He saw Singapore when that Queen of Malaya was still young , but even then the activity inspired by Stamford Raffles had developed itself in a nourishing town , a jn-olitaljle trade , and a large concourse of population . In . front . of the busy ( jimys , at
a distance of a mile , lay a fleet of huge junks , glittering with variegated colours , and between these and the shore thousands of pruhus crowded the waters , leaving only narrow channels through which the light sampans and miniature junks threaded their rapid way . The Chinese , Sir . Osborn tells us , have but one fashion in marine architecture—the junk—the shape of which is traditionally derived from mi imperial slipper . The l ? gend _ is this : a great Chinese emperor of ancient days having cut oil' l * i .- > empire from the rest of the continent by building a vast frontier wall , vsis unxiou 3 to discourage navigation , in order that China might enjoy the safety of political solitude . However , he could not prevail over tho r . estk-ss enterprise of his subjects , and when a daring inventor submitted to him the ^ model of a perfect ship , he took a slipper from his foot , and decreed , in liis irritation , that it should be the type of every floating thing in the Plowury Land .
From Singapore Mr . Osborn went to Quedah , in command of a gunboat , which , with another vessel of the same class and an armed pinnace , blockaded the water approaches to the town . For a time his adventures were chieily among bees , pelicans , and alligators . Sometimes , by night , hu hail to follow the stealthy prahus of tho Malays , which , moved by lcl ' iy unit siuls that caught tho ' fain test -wind , ami steering through the shadows of the coast , continually escaped capture . On all occasions he made the bo ,. * t use ol his opportunities , visited every interesting locality within reach , imd collected useful information . Ho was successful in exploring a . birds ' -ncst cave , aud writes pleasantly on that well-worn subject : — Ono person largely engaged in tho trade assured mo flint , on an average , Wo out of iivo men employed in birds ' -nesting inut witli a violent death ; and , inukT those circumstances , it is not to be wondered at that n catty ( or pound and . •* qiiiirUsr J'J 1-gliah ) of the best nests costs generally forty dollarsor about nine rounds Mi-rUng !
, Tho valuo of tho nests depends upon tliuir translucent whitunasa and IVeiiiloni lrom feathers or dirt ; tho first quality being those which evidently luivo not Ihjisii lineu , or used , by the unfortunate little swallows . Such nests mo nothing but h inoiwl oi pure gelutino ; and having often eaten tliom in their nutivo utalo , 1 can vouch lor 11 » oir perfect tustolesaneas ; indeed , upon ono occasion , after being twonty-1 ' oui' hour * vituout food , I enjoyed birds ' -ncsts boiled down in cocoa-nut milk .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 7, 1857, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_07031857/page/18/
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