DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1401#0422
368
THE ILLUSTEATED EXHIBITOR.
soil of India produces the saltpetre, which forms another
ingredient in that destructive compound, which produces
effects far different from the peaceful emblems which the
Waltham Abbey Government Gunpowder "Works have
comprised in their tableau, formed of the sulphur, charcoal,
and saltpetre, of which the article they manufacture is
composed. Peru and Chili send us- the efflorescent
products of the ground, in the shape of Cubic Nitre, or
Nitrate of Soda, largely used for various purposes in che-
mistry and in agriculture,—529,012 cwts. of saltpetre and
nitrate of soda were imported in 1850. Those singular
phenomena, the lagoons of Tuscany, supply us with
boras and boracic acid; Canada, America, and Russia,
send us pearlashes to the annual amount of 150,000 cwt.
Of the various medicinal articles exhibited we will take
a hasty glance. Peru and Chili send us Peruvian bark,
whence we obtain the valuable preparations of quinine.
The British territories in India supply us with castor-oil, of
which 1,084,272 lbs. were imported in 1849. Turkey
and Egypt are the sources whence we derive our supplies
of the valuable but often much abused opium, the basis of
the valuable salts of Morphia exhibited; 105,724 lbs. of
opium were imported in 1849. Quicksilver, from which
the calomel, corrosive sublimate, and other mercurial pre-
parations exhibited, are prepared, we at present obtain
principally from Spain. Rhubarb, the production of
Chinese Tartary, comes to us from two quarters; the
best, via Russia, is commonly called Turkey rhubarb,
because we formerly received it via Turkey, and the infe-
rior sorts we import from China. Of this useful drug
94,914 lbs. were imported in 1849. The British West
India Islands, Chili, Brazil, Mexico, and other parts of
South America, send us the sarsaparilla we require, to the
extent of 118,934 lbs. in 1849; whilst Egypt, Arabia, and
the British territories in India supply us with senna, of
which we imported 541,143 lbs. in 1849.
Under this department come the
various pigments and
colours which the artist *nd the house decorator employ
Specimens of the former of these are exhibited by Winsor
and Newton, and of the latter by Blundell and Spence •
but these, with little exception, call for no particular
notice. Here are the various greens which have copper
for their basis—the lakes, with madder and cochineal—
the prussian blues, with iron for their base—and the
yellows, formed of chromate of lead. We would, how-
ever, call attention to the oxide of zinc, or zinc white, the
introduction of which as an innocuous white paint' in-
stead of the injurious and poisonous white lead, 'is a
great boon to the health of the community. Indepen-
dently of the question of health, this paint possesses the
great desideratum, of remaining untarnished when exposed
to the sulphurous vapours emanating from our open coal
fires, which speedily communicates a dirty, dingy colour
to the purest white lead.
Under this head we must not omit to notice the speci-
mens of ultramarine exhibited. This beautiful colour was
at one time dearer than gold, being obtained from the
lapis lazuli, a very rare mineral substance ; moreover, it
seemed impossible to form it artificially, and analysis long
sought in vain for the colouring ingredient. It was ascer-
tained to be composed of silica, alumina, and soda—three
colourless bodies—with sulphur, and a trace of iron—the
one a yellow, the other a brown substance ; and no other
body could be detected in it, to which its beautiful blue
colour could be ascribed. Yet now we find that, by com-
bining in proper proportions the ingredients above men-
tioned, thousands of pounds' weight are now manufactured.
This artificial ultramarine is even more beautiful than the
natural, while for the price of a single ounce of the latter
we may obtain many pounds of the former. Such is one
of the many and great advantages conferred by chemistry
on the industrial arts and manufactures.
agrirttlftmtl Smpbrate in tip dtet ixjjihiittnt--
-No. I.
So vast, so important, so various, and so curious are the
instruments exhibited in Class IX., that we must perforce
give them the prominence in our pages which they
possess in the Exhibition of All Nations. Without at-
tempting, then, to give anything like a list of the vast
assemblage of agricultural instruments exhibited, we
shall from time to time revert to this very interesting
class of objects. On all occasions we shall confine our-
selves to the most remarkable objects exhibited.
The first place among the agricultural machinery in the
Crystal Palace must be accorded to our cousins from the
other side the Atlantic. A short notice, therefore, at
PATENT CORN AND SEED DROPPING MACHINE.—MESSRS. RANSOMES AND MAY, IPSWICH.
THE ILLUSTEATED EXHIBITOR.
soil of India produces the saltpetre, which forms another
ingredient in that destructive compound, which produces
effects far different from the peaceful emblems which the
Waltham Abbey Government Gunpowder "Works have
comprised in their tableau, formed of the sulphur, charcoal,
and saltpetre, of which the article they manufacture is
composed. Peru and Chili send us- the efflorescent
products of the ground, in the shape of Cubic Nitre, or
Nitrate of Soda, largely used for various purposes in che-
mistry and in agriculture,—529,012 cwts. of saltpetre and
nitrate of soda were imported in 1850. Those singular
phenomena, the lagoons of Tuscany, supply us with
boras and boracic acid; Canada, America, and Russia,
send us pearlashes to the annual amount of 150,000 cwt.
Of the various medicinal articles exhibited we will take
a hasty glance. Peru and Chili send us Peruvian bark,
whence we obtain the valuable preparations of quinine.
The British territories in India supply us with castor-oil, of
which 1,084,272 lbs. were imported in 1849. Turkey
and Egypt are the sources whence we derive our supplies
of the valuable but often much abused opium, the basis of
the valuable salts of Morphia exhibited; 105,724 lbs. of
opium were imported in 1849. Quicksilver, from which
the calomel, corrosive sublimate, and other mercurial pre-
parations exhibited, are prepared, we at present obtain
principally from Spain. Rhubarb, the production of
Chinese Tartary, comes to us from two quarters; the
best, via Russia, is commonly called Turkey rhubarb,
because we formerly received it via Turkey, and the infe-
rior sorts we import from China. Of this useful drug
94,914 lbs. were imported in 1849. The British West
India Islands, Chili, Brazil, Mexico, and other parts of
South America, send us the sarsaparilla we require, to the
extent of 118,934 lbs. in 1849; whilst Egypt, Arabia, and
the British territories in India supply us with senna, of
which we imported 541,143 lbs. in 1849.
Under this department come the
various pigments and
colours which the artist *nd the house decorator employ
Specimens of the former of these are exhibited by Winsor
and Newton, and of the latter by Blundell and Spence •
but these, with little exception, call for no particular
notice. Here are the various greens which have copper
for their basis—the lakes, with madder and cochineal—
the prussian blues, with iron for their base—and the
yellows, formed of chromate of lead. We would, how-
ever, call attention to the oxide of zinc, or zinc white, the
introduction of which as an innocuous white paint' in-
stead of the injurious and poisonous white lead, 'is a
great boon to the health of the community. Indepen-
dently of the question of health, this paint possesses the
great desideratum, of remaining untarnished when exposed
to the sulphurous vapours emanating from our open coal
fires, which speedily communicates a dirty, dingy colour
to the purest white lead.
Under this head we must not omit to notice the speci-
mens of ultramarine exhibited. This beautiful colour was
at one time dearer than gold, being obtained from the
lapis lazuli, a very rare mineral substance ; moreover, it
seemed impossible to form it artificially, and analysis long
sought in vain for the colouring ingredient. It was ascer-
tained to be composed of silica, alumina, and soda—three
colourless bodies—with sulphur, and a trace of iron—the
one a yellow, the other a brown substance ; and no other
body could be detected in it, to which its beautiful blue
colour could be ascribed. Yet now we find that, by com-
bining in proper proportions the ingredients above men-
tioned, thousands of pounds' weight are now manufactured.
This artificial ultramarine is even more beautiful than the
natural, while for the price of a single ounce of the latter
we may obtain many pounds of the former. Such is one
of the many and great advantages conferred by chemistry
on the industrial arts and manufactures.
agrirttlftmtl Smpbrate in tip dtet ixjjihiittnt--
-No. I.
So vast, so important, so various, and so curious are the
instruments exhibited in Class IX., that we must perforce
give them the prominence in our pages which they
possess in the Exhibition of All Nations. Without at-
tempting, then, to give anything like a list of the vast
assemblage of agricultural instruments exhibited, we
shall from time to time revert to this very interesting
class of objects. On all occasions we shall confine our-
selves to the most remarkable objects exhibited.
The first place among the agricultural machinery in the
Crystal Palace must be accorded to our cousins from the
other side the Atlantic. A short notice, therefore, at
PATENT CORN AND SEED DROPPING MACHINE.—MESSRS. RANSOMES AND MAY, IPSWICH.