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The Art journal illustrated catalogue: the industry of all nations, 1851
(1851)

Hunt, Robert
The science of the exhibition,   pp. I#-XVI#


Page I#


                              THE SCIENCE OF THE EXHIBITION.
                                                     class of observations
man has ever avanced his knowledgoe.
                                                     Science has been the
staff by which he has been helped
                                                     forward, but for many
ages he was ignorant of the nature of
                                                     his aid. This progress,
as Coleridge says, was not like that of
                                                     a Roman road, in a right
line; it may be more jstl  mpar
                                                     to that of a river,
which both in its sm  er reaches and
                                                     larger turnings, is
frequently forced back towards its fountains,
                                                     by objects which cannot
otherwise be eluded or overcome; yet
                                                     with an accompanying
impulse that will ensure its advance-
                                                     ment hereafter, it is
either gaining strength every hour, or
                                                     conquering in secret
some badifficulty, by a  abur that
                                                     contributes as effectually
to further it in its course, as when
                                                     it moves forward uninterruptedly.
                                                       It has been by such
a devious course as thiis that man has
                                                       advanced to his present
position; like the river, he has cut out
                                                       his way through the
plains of nature, and in his further
                                                       advancement he must
toil in the same field, but he has
                                                       all the advantages
of that knowledge, which has been
                                                       gained by other labourers,
who having finished their work, rest
                                                       from their exertions.
                                                       We have long boasted
of our age as a most remarkable one;
                                                       the number of useful
applications which we have made within
                    113 1 TD in   this p           a comparatively limited
period, are no doubt more numerous
                                                      thanwere ever before
made within the same time. What has
             ' \4   progress of this Industrial Exhibitionbeen the cause
of this ?  Why have we such vast improve-
                                                      ments in steam machinery?
Why the electrotype, the electric
                                                      telegraph, and the
other aids of which we are so justly proud.
                                                      Watt observed a small
fact connected with the expansion of
                                                      steam; Daniel noticed
a peculiarity 'in copper precipitated
              By ROBERT HUNT, Esq.,                  under certain conditions;
(Ersted studied the movement of a
        Kceper of Mining Records museum of Practical Geology,  magnet, in
the proximity of a wire, through which an electric
                                 +                   ~~~~~~~current was traversing;
and from the observations of simple
                      PART mou                           g *8 produfacts
great lawsywere deduced, and great ends have beenattained.
                      PART-placed upon atnlcst d oe ord    The Exhibition
exhibits the beautiful results which have
                      T is a noble object to test by     been derived from
 the study of science, and it will also
                        actual experiment to what extent exhibit some-we
trust not many-of the mistakes which
                        the ingenuity and skill of the are made from the
attempt to apply physical force without a
                        nations of the earth has corres- knowledge of the
laws by which it is regulated. The inventive
                        cponded to the intentions of their genius, being
closely allied to imaginative power, must be
                        'Creator, and to   i        the restrained by aphilosophical
education to become of value to
                        adv a   ages  ic  eachcontry its possessor, or available
for the benefit of his race.
                        cban offe thg e oher in suyoing    Let us examine
the four great sections of the Exhibition-
                        the wants, and adding to the Raw Material and Produce,
Machinery, Manufactures, and Fine
                        happiness of mankind."           Arts-and see
how completely, in every stage of progress,
                          The depth of meaning which is Science lends her
aid to Art and Manufacture, confining our
                  this passage, part of an address de- attention, however,
principally to the mineral kingdom, since
                  livered by Sir Robert Peel, at one of the the other departments
will fall more properly into thedhands
                  Metropolian festivals, in honour of the of those, whose
studies have rendered them high authorities.
                            progess  f ths Inustral Ehibiion, The development
of our lithological treasures is materially
            -     ~~admirably fits it for the motto of an  aided by geology.ThbeuillmstnsoDryhr,
                  essay, the purpose of which is to examine and its fluiorspars,
which have been by the ingenious work-
                  andeventuallythe progress  made bo y t-he is ad mn of that
county, wrought into almost every, form of article
     D~~~~~the prtorhis          owmade by the indutryadmen
             intelligence of man, in rendering useful the rawfohosoeoainfh
ls             nwbtee          moihre
                      matrias o te sverl kngomsof atueand beautiful serpentines
of Cornwall and of Irelandowhcar
             moulding its productions into forms of beauty.dslydoessclunadlbradvss;thmrls
  Mlan-placed upon a strangely constituted globe, covered  of Devonshire,
the porphyries and granites of Scotland, of
with all that is necessary for the    sustenance of life-is Ireland,anofsuhwtenEgndcielditoihy
    compeled b  the  ecessities of his condition, to exert his ornamental
decorative forms, at once speak of the advantage
            intelecual owes indevsingmeas bywhih hemaybe of geological science
in developing the native resources of a
    shelteed frm  thesummer heats and     the  winter colds. country.
This impulsive power drives him to the study of nature-hehs    ae    xii
   ayilsrtv       xmlso        h
             cannt ceat, bt eeryhin  whih i crate  hecanfasionperfection
 of metal-casting  in bronze, brass, iron, silver,
        to hs dsir; bt todo hishe  ustobey the great physical and other metals.
Havng assed toin tto forms t whihat trac
        laws bywhic th  conitins o al mater is determined, and attention
as work  fAt  eaetoatt      ogtta     h
towobey themh they musdtibeonsOwn and mto bknwatrlvry perfection we admire
is due almost entirely to the con-
phenomena thmusthbe atentivelysbserved.oitionaofrude ore, as we find it exhibited
in Class I.         To
                _                                                       
                                 r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i
                                               ple of take bronze and brass
as our example, amidst the raw materials
      inducton,  oten obcure, and scavrcl   traen ablexasm u h   ft e miea
 iod m  we   find   Cornwall,  the   most   ancient
               but ponclos exminaionsuchit i~l e fund o hve ben.minig dstrict
of which history recorstefcotaiin
 Man witneslses eamfactosc it reus wginl and again, experience supplies the
tale, exhibiting its tin ores in all their vaiey
 thus gives him information concerning the things around him, Oxid' ftn 
n   upuetna mied frim    omntheilod, and ase
 andvetal-teporsiscm            ny slow,-he perceives it is found amid the
d'bris of the prmrhontisnthes
 that by the knowledge of that one fact, he may improve uponmealrilpocsisdpaydnmdlbywchts
          natur to  is ow  advntag.  Som  bakd cly  taught the mineral is
reducetohemalisae.Cproesfm
potueter   his usfuwat andv teaccdntalgusonofse-and the almost pure metal
as found deposited intesretn
instruted man infu   athe manufcture of glass. By   a  similar rocks of the
Lizard, and the whinstone of the North, to the
             instructed  man in the inanufa ~ ~  ~      I


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