DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1401#0421
THE ILLUSTRATED EXHIBITOR.
367
II
sion to remark it here incidentally, I have obtained at
Manchester authentic proofs of the remarkable change
whieh has manifested itself in England. One *f the most
eminent calico printers has shown us by his books the
prioe which he pays for various substances, all of which
evince a very advanced state of manufacture.
Upon the whole, Austria occupies a very distinguished
rank at the Universal Exhibition. There is, in the almost
encyelopsedic collection of her products, something mas-
culine and severe, characteristic of the nation itself—a
dissimilitude in strength as there is a diversity of races in
the empire. The Bohemians, the Hungarians, the Ita-
lians, the pure Germans, who have co-operated in form-
ing the union of Austrian industry, have each unquestion-
ably preserved their peculiar physiognomy, and have lost
nothing by being associated together.
It will be hereafter interesting to study the special
character of the labouring populations of all the countries
which have appeared at this Great Exhibition—Erench,
English, German, Spanish, American, and Oriental. You
will see what curious relations exist between the work-
man and the work, and how much the lot of the former is
connected with the success of the latter.
But who, until now, has occupied himself to know
exactly what is a workman? "Workmen are nattered
when they are strong—they are curbed when they abuse
their strength; but to study them, to admonish them—
who thinks of it ?
(Clpttrnl itttir ^Jtatrarafel $rntoxte k l\t d&pW ^kkxt
acre
«*'
We now come to notice the least attractive of all the
various classes into which the productions of the United
Kingdom have been divided—that devoted to Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Products. When, however, we reflect
on the great importance of chemistry, in its application to
the arts, manufactures, &c, as well as to the common
wants and purposes of life—its connexion with the heal-
ing art, and, what is of still more importance, its intimate
relation with those sanitary measures, the adoption of
which lead to the prevention of disease—when, we say,
we give a due consideration to these important points, we
shall be led to regard this class of products with feelings
of greater interest. With the exception of some speci-
mens of crystalline salts, there are few objects within the
range, wide though it be, of manufacturing chemistry,
which possess any attractive appearance at all commen-
surate with their real importance. We may, for instance,
look on a vase of sulphuric acid of the greatest purity,
and manufactured at the lowest price, without interest;
but wheia. we are told that 70,000 tons of this acid are
annually manufactured in this country—that there is
scarcely any branch of trade or manufacture in which,
either alone or in combination, it is not employed—when
we are told by Liebig that the prosperity of a country may
be measured by the quantity of this acid it consumes—■
we are enabled to appreciate the importance and value of
this department of British enterprise.
Soda is also an article of British manufacture, affording
another apt illustration of the great assistance rendered
by chemistry, not only to the arts and manufactures, but
to the every-day wants and uses of domestic life. There
is scarcely a cottage in Great Britain in which it is not an
inhabitant, in combination with tallow in the form of soap,
or in combination with the sand of the sea shore in the
form of glass. The total quantity of this article annually
manufactured in this country cannot be less than 200,000
tons; for, in 1850, 44,407 tons of this article were ex-
ported. From the quantity of soda in hard soap made in
this country last year, not less than 50,000 tons of soda
were consumed in that manufacture alone. Even the
glass of the Crystal Palace required 100 tons of soda in
its manufacture. Some very fine specimens of soda are
exhibited by the Jarrow and the Walker Alkali Companies,
also by Mr. Chance, in the department of British glass.
The various preparations of ammonia, now manu-
factured so chiefly from the refuse liquor of the gas works
are also represented in the Exhibition; whilst the large
masses of crystallised alum shown remind us of the varied
application of this salt in the arts and manufactures.
The sulphates of iron and copper exhibited in the che-
mical, as also in the mineral departments, are very fine,
and of good quality; their consumption in the arts and
manufactures is now reckoned by hundreds of tons
annually.
Phosphorus is another of the chemical products, the
consumption of which has enormously increased within a
few years. The principal use of this article is in the
manufacture of lucifer matches, of which it is calculated
that not less than 10,000,000,000 are annually manufac-
tured in this country; so that such is the demand for
phosphorus, that there are works in which this inflam-
mable material is manufactured to the amount of 20,0001bs.
weight per annum. A recent chemical discovery has en-
abled us to disarm this element of its dangers, and we are
now enabled to divest it for any given time of its
inflammable property, and to restore this quality when
required for use ; by these means large quantities of phos-
phorus can be kept in store or conveyed any distance
without danger.
Although the department of Chemical and Pharmaceu-
tical products contains not much above 100 exhibitors,
yet there is perhaps no section of the Exhibition for the
supply of which, the various quarters of the globe have been
so ransacked. The vineyards of Portugal, Spain, and Sicily
furnish the crude tartar whence the beautiful crystals of
Tartaric acid, shown in No. 1 of this class are manufac-
tured, of which many hundred tons are annually con-
sumed in the calico-printing establishments of Man-
chester and Glasgow; the lemons of Messina supply the
juice whence is manufactured Citric acid, also exten-
sively used in calico-printing, as well as in medicine.
The mines of Sweden and of North America yield the
chromate of iron, whence we obtain the Chromic acid,
which, when united with potash, produces those magnifi-
cent red crystals of Bichromate of Potash which form so
prominent a feature in the chemical trophy placed in the
western nave—largely used in calico-printing, &c, and
which, in combination with lead, furnishes the series of
chrome yellows, of varied tints, extensively employed in
the arts of dyeing, painting, &e. Naples and Sicily send
us sulphur, for our Sulphuric acid manufacture, and for
the fabrication of gunpowder, whilst the surface of the
367
II
sion to remark it here incidentally, I have obtained at
Manchester authentic proofs of the remarkable change
whieh has manifested itself in England. One *f the most
eminent calico printers has shown us by his books the
prioe which he pays for various substances, all of which
evince a very advanced state of manufacture.
Upon the whole, Austria occupies a very distinguished
rank at the Universal Exhibition. There is, in the almost
encyelopsedic collection of her products, something mas-
culine and severe, characteristic of the nation itself—a
dissimilitude in strength as there is a diversity of races in
the empire. The Bohemians, the Hungarians, the Ita-
lians, the pure Germans, who have co-operated in form-
ing the union of Austrian industry, have each unquestion-
ably preserved their peculiar physiognomy, and have lost
nothing by being associated together.
It will be hereafter interesting to study the special
character of the labouring populations of all the countries
which have appeared at this Great Exhibition—Erench,
English, German, Spanish, American, and Oriental. You
will see what curious relations exist between the work-
man and the work, and how much the lot of the former is
connected with the success of the latter.
But who, until now, has occupied himself to know
exactly what is a workman? "Workmen are nattered
when they are strong—they are curbed when they abuse
their strength; but to study them, to admonish them—
who thinks of it ?
(Clpttrnl itttir ^Jtatrarafel $rntoxte k l\t d&pW ^kkxt
acre
«*'
We now come to notice the least attractive of all the
various classes into which the productions of the United
Kingdom have been divided—that devoted to Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Products. When, however, we reflect
on the great importance of chemistry, in its application to
the arts, manufactures, &c, as well as to the common
wants and purposes of life—its connexion with the heal-
ing art, and, what is of still more importance, its intimate
relation with those sanitary measures, the adoption of
which lead to the prevention of disease—when, we say,
we give a due consideration to these important points, we
shall be led to regard this class of products with feelings
of greater interest. With the exception of some speci-
mens of crystalline salts, there are few objects within the
range, wide though it be, of manufacturing chemistry,
which possess any attractive appearance at all commen-
surate with their real importance. We may, for instance,
look on a vase of sulphuric acid of the greatest purity,
and manufactured at the lowest price, without interest;
but wheia. we are told that 70,000 tons of this acid are
annually manufactured in this country—that there is
scarcely any branch of trade or manufacture in which,
either alone or in combination, it is not employed—when
we are told by Liebig that the prosperity of a country may
be measured by the quantity of this acid it consumes—■
we are enabled to appreciate the importance and value of
this department of British enterprise.
Soda is also an article of British manufacture, affording
another apt illustration of the great assistance rendered
by chemistry, not only to the arts and manufactures, but
to the every-day wants and uses of domestic life. There
is scarcely a cottage in Great Britain in which it is not an
inhabitant, in combination with tallow in the form of soap,
or in combination with the sand of the sea shore in the
form of glass. The total quantity of this article annually
manufactured in this country cannot be less than 200,000
tons; for, in 1850, 44,407 tons of this article were ex-
ported. From the quantity of soda in hard soap made in
this country last year, not less than 50,000 tons of soda
were consumed in that manufacture alone. Even the
glass of the Crystal Palace required 100 tons of soda in
its manufacture. Some very fine specimens of soda are
exhibited by the Jarrow and the Walker Alkali Companies,
also by Mr. Chance, in the department of British glass.
The various preparations of ammonia, now manu-
factured so chiefly from the refuse liquor of the gas works
are also represented in the Exhibition; whilst the large
masses of crystallised alum shown remind us of the varied
application of this salt in the arts and manufactures.
The sulphates of iron and copper exhibited in the che-
mical, as also in the mineral departments, are very fine,
and of good quality; their consumption in the arts and
manufactures is now reckoned by hundreds of tons
annually.
Phosphorus is another of the chemical products, the
consumption of which has enormously increased within a
few years. The principal use of this article is in the
manufacture of lucifer matches, of which it is calculated
that not less than 10,000,000,000 are annually manufac-
tured in this country; so that such is the demand for
phosphorus, that there are works in which this inflam-
mable material is manufactured to the amount of 20,0001bs.
weight per annum. A recent chemical discovery has en-
abled us to disarm this element of its dangers, and we are
now enabled to divest it for any given time of its
inflammable property, and to restore this quality when
required for use ; by these means large quantities of phos-
phorus can be kept in store or conveyed any distance
without danger.
Although the department of Chemical and Pharmaceu-
tical products contains not much above 100 exhibitors,
yet there is perhaps no section of the Exhibition for the
supply of which, the various quarters of the globe have been
so ransacked. The vineyards of Portugal, Spain, and Sicily
furnish the crude tartar whence the beautiful crystals of
Tartaric acid, shown in No. 1 of this class are manufac-
tured, of which many hundred tons are annually con-
sumed in the calico-printing establishments of Man-
chester and Glasgow; the lemons of Messina supply the
juice whence is manufactured Citric acid, also exten-
sively used in calico-printing, as well as in medicine.
The mines of Sweden and of North America yield the
chromate of iron, whence we obtain the Chromic acid,
which, when united with potash, produces those magnifi-
cent red crystals of Bichromate of Potash which form so
prominent a feature in the chemical trophy placed in the
western nave—largely used in calico-printing, &c, and
which, in combination with lead, furnishes the series of
chrome yellows, of varied tints, extensively employed in
the arts of dyeing, painting, &e. Naples and Sicily send
us sulphur, for our Sulphuric acid manufacture, and for
the fabrication of gunpowder, whilst the surface of the