INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. ON THE GREAT EXHIBITION OF THE WORKS OF INDUSTRY OF IN taking a leisurely survey of a well-stored and well-arranged museum, the thoughtful observer cannot fail to be struck with the endless variety of forms, and the wonderful adaptations of means to certain pre-appointed ends, which abound in the kingdoms of nature. Every single specimen, whether it be of an animal, a plant, or a mineral, has a history to tell, full of design, abounding in instruction, and replete with beauty. All these varied forms, gathered from all parts of the earth, grouped with the method and order of a scientific mind, are, to a certain extent, exponents of the method and order of the Divine Architect, who, in planning the fabric and willing the existence of the meanest of His creatures, had in view certain wise and benevolent ends, which it is our duty and our privilege to study, and as far as possible to understand. It may in many cases be difficult to see the uses of the beings and objects on which so much care has been bestowed, and for whose propagation and preservation so many precautions have been taken; but we must bear in mind, that the use of an object does not always mean its direct application to the wants or the pleasures It doubtless has its uses in the great scheme of nature, and as such the naturalist regards its economic application as of secondary importance. Hence if rightly viewed there is not a single object, however mean, which does not in some way or other appeal to our sympathies, excite our interest, and confirm our belief in the constant care of a protecting Providence. of man. The majority of mankind, however, feel most interest in that which appeals to their daily experience, and to their human sympathies. The intellectual is not so likely to be popular as the practical. The fine arts have but a limited range; the useful arts are unbounded. Science can only be cultivated by the few; the applications of science can be, to some extent at least, appreciated by all. Moreover, the products of the useful arts, wherever practised, are full of meaning and suggestion to the unlearned as well as to the skilful. They are connecting links between the various scattered members of the great human family. The savage in the forest wild bakes his bread, brews a fermented drink, tans his leather, weaves his cloth, or carves his spear, by processes which are familiar to ourselves, and which form the basis of our more perfect and more extensive operations. In addition to the distinctive features impressed upon industrial products by climate, soil, political institutions and other causes, there is always impressed upon them the stamp of humanity-the action of the human mind, and the work of the human hand; and this excites our interest and awakens our regard. It was a grand idea to provide for the industrial arts that which had been so long and so well done for natural history and the fine arts, namely, a museum; to collect into one vast enclosure, and under one vast roof, the industrial products of all nations and of all climes ; to group and arrange these, as far as possible, according to a systematic method calculated to arrest and inform the observer. Our country has done this; and while she has pursued, with respect to her own products, her own plans of classification and arrangement, she has also allotted to other nations certain spaces to fill up and arrange, each according to the taste and fancy of its contributors. Such an idea, we repeat, was a grand one, and the carrying of it out has, under the Divine blessing, been no less grand, satisfactory, and we trust beneficial to the cause of peace and civilization. VOL. I. b SECTION I.-ORIGIN OF NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITIONS. The Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations may be regarded as the full and perfect development of an Institution, which during the last half century has greatly contributed to advance the arts and manufactures of France. This subject is so important in all its bearings and relations, that we cannot do better than lay before the reader a brief sketch of the origin and history of those Expositions of National Industry in France, in which the manufactured products and industrial resources of the country were at certain periods focalized, as it were, and brought under the notice not only of the public and of the manufacturers themselves, but of eminent scientific individuals, well calculated by their attainments to decide on the merits of the articles exhibited, and to report to government the progress made by the industrial population of the country. It appears from a statement made by the Marquis d'Avèze, that in the year V. of the Republic, 1797, that gentleman was requested by the Minister of the Interior to undertake the office of Commissioner to the Manufactures of the Gobelins (tapestries), of Sèvres (china) and of the Savonnerie (carpets). On visiting these establishments, the marquis found the workshops deserted; for the artisans had been in a starving condition for two years, while the warehouses were full of the results of their labours, and no commercial enterprise came to relieve the general embarrassment. It then occurred to the marquis that if these and other objects of industry of the national manufactures could be collected together in one large exhibition, a stimulus might be given to the native industry, and thus relief be afforded to the suffering workmen. The plan was approved by M. François de Neufchateau, the Minister of the Interior, and the chateau of St. Cloud was appropriated to the purpose. "In a few days the walls of every apartment in the castle were hung with the finest Gobelin tapestry; the floors covered with the superb carpets of the Savonnerie, which long rivalled the carpets of Turkey, and latterly have far surpassed them; the large and beautiful vases, the magnificent groups, and the exquisite pictures of Sèvres china, enriched these saloons, already glowing with the chefs d'œuvre of Gobelins and the Savonnerie. The Chamber of Mars was converted into a receptacle for porcelain, where might be seen the most beautiful services of every kind, vases for flowers,—in short, all the tasteful varieties which are originated by this incomparable manufacture." The 18th Fructidor was the day fixed for public admission, but previous to that time a number of distinguished persons in Paris and many foreigners visited the Exposition, and made purchases sufficient to afford a distribution to the workmen, whereby some temporary relief was afforded to their necessities. But on the very morning of the 18th, the walls of the city were placarded with the decree of the Directory for the expulsion of the nobility. The chateau of St. Cloud was given into the custody of a company of dragoons, the Marquis d'Avèze was in the proscribed list, and thus ended the scheme which had promised so well. Early in the following year, however, (1798,) on his return from proscription to Paris, the marquis resumed his labours. The place selected for the Exposition was the Maison d'Orsay, Rue de Varennes, No 667. The objects collected consisted of rich furniture and marqueterie by Boule, Riessner, and Jacob;' clocks and watches by L'Epine and Leroy; porcelain and china from the manufactories of Sèvres, of Angoulême and of Nast; richly bound books; silks of Lyons; historical pictures by Vincent, David, and Suvé; landscapes by Hue and Valencienne; flowers by Vandael, and Van Pankouck; and many other objects of an equally luxurious and aristocratic character; all tending to prove that in banishing the aristocracy from Paris, the Government had banished the chief patrons of French manufacture. The Exposition was exceedingly attractive and successful, and the Government accordingly determined to adopt the idea and to carry it out on a grand scale. An admirable opportunity was afforded on the return of Napoleon from the successful termination of the Italian wars. On the same spot in the Champ de Mars on which the army had celebrated the inauguration of the collection of Italian spoils, and only six weeks after that fête, the nation erected the "Temple of Industry," around which were arranged sixty porticoes filled with objects of use or of beauty. The (1) See the article Bunt wоaк, p. 258 of the Cyclopædia. Exhibition remained open only during the last three complementary days of the year VI. of the Republic; but it excited the greatest enthusiasm throughout the country. The merits of the several exhibitors were entrusted to the decision of a jury composed of nine men, distinguished in science and in art; and this plan was found to work so well, that it was continued in subsequent Expositions, the only change being, to increase the number of jurors. The names of some of the manufacturers in the prize list are of European reputation; as for example, that of Breguet, connected with the progress of watch and clock making in France; Lenoir, the inventor and maker of mathematical instruments; Didot and Herhan, who so greatly improved the art of printing; Dilh and Guerhard, whose manufacture of painted china rivalled that of Sèvres; Conté, celebrated as a mechanist and engineer, who first applied machine-ruling to engraving; Clouet and Payen, so well known for their chemicals; and Denys de Luat, among whose cotton yarns were some of the then extraordinary fineness of No. 110.1 The success of this Exposition was so complete that the Executive determined in future to have every year an Exposition, which should include the provinces. Accordingly, they addressed letters to the préfets of departments, requesting them to form committees whose office it should be to determine what local products were worthy of being forwarded to Paris at the public expense, and of becoming eligible to compete for a prize either of 20 silver medals, offered by the Government, or of one gold medal, to be awarded to any one who should have opposed the most formidable rivalry to British manufacture. Although it had been decided to have annual Expositions, yet there was an interval of three years between the first and the second Official Exposition. During this time the Consulate had succeeded to the Directory, and the First Consul preferred his title of " Member of the Institute" to any other. Accompanied by his illustrious friends Berthollet, Monge, and Chaptal, Napoleon visited the workshops and great factories of Paris, Rouen, Lyons, Milan, Brussels, Liège, and Aix-la-Chapelle, stimulating all to progress, and distributing rewards. The second Official Exposition took place in the Quadrangle of the Louvre, under elegant porticos erected for the occasion. Its chief features were the improvement in the quality of wool as a raw material. Cottons spun à la Mulljenny were exhibited. The carpets of Sallandrouze; the china of Sèvres; the earthenware of Sarreguemines; the morocco leather of Choisy-le-Roi, which surpassed in beauty that of Turkey itself; and the perfect printing of Didot, Herhan, and Piranesi, claimed the attention of, and were especially commended by, the jury. Two hundred and twenty exhibitors were admitted to the competition,—about double the number of those in 1798. Seven who had already obtained gold medals were set aside, and the eight best manufacturers placed in the second order in 1798 were separated from the list, in order to reserve the silver medals for their equals in industry. Hence arose the custom of voting only confirmation of previous rewards in favour of those who honourably maintained their already acquired position. Altogether 10 gold, 20 silver, and 30 bronze medals were awarded. It was on this occasion that JACQUARD obtained a bronze medal, and subsequently an annuity of 1,000 francs, which was ultimately increased to 6,000. The third Exposition took place in the following year, 1802. In this the number of competitors had again doubled, and the greatest exertion and activity were displayed to make the Exposition worthy the character of the nation. The Exposition had by this time lost its exclusive and aristocratic character. Articles in common demand were largely exhibited, and among the striking features of the collection were the extended application of mechanical and chemical science to facilitate production, and consequently to reduce greatly the price of articles in popular demand. Twenty-two gold medals were distributed for such capital inventions or improvements as the hydraulic-ram of Montgolfier; the stocking-frame of Aubert; the silkspinning-machine of Vaucanson, and the chemical products of Decroisilles of Rouen, and Amfry and Darcet of Paris. One of the immediate results of the extended popularity of these Expositions, was the establishment of the Société d'Encouragement, which has greatly assisted in developing the inventive genius of France, and in the application of abstract science to the wants and requirements of manufactures. In the origin of this society only four prizes of the (1) See COTTON, page 469 supra. |