The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-01-29 00:00:00

BLANDFORD.

THE CONVERSAZIONE AT THE BLAHDPORD

INSTITUTION.

A tea-drinking, intellectualized by educational
speeches, and fashionably designated a soiree, has
been successfully achieved in our enterprising little
town; but a conversazione, where Relent*, art, anp
literature, have not only to be looked at, but to be
talked about, war a few days since a success so
hazily defined to the most intemperate imagination
amongst us, that failure, rather than success, was gene•
rally anticipated. Uncertain, however, as the future
appeared, native ability, tact, perseverance, and the
private ri sources of a neighbourhood, more than
usually rich in the rare products of the brain and the
hand, gave to Thursday evening's efforta • gratifying
success, that must have surpassed all that the most
sanguine amongst us could have anticipated. 260
ladies and gentlemen, dressed in evening costume,
hem the uppermost and middle classes of our town
and neighbourhood, assembled in the Corn Exchange
soon after six o'clock ; and, when Lord Portman, the
president ••f the institution, stepped upon the Oat.
form, ant formally ••pelied the proceedings, no Eng.
fish assembly in ally socially favoured locality in the
I provinces could have surpassed the conversational
and drawing-room characteristics, presented by the
room at this time. The walls—covered with paint.
lugs, photographs, and engravings, interspersed here
and there with tiger skins, crossed with shields and
weapons of war, cases of stuffed birds and animals,
flanked with rare China vases, or surmounted with
massively-framed wool work, towering upwards,—
had their prominent decorations beautifully lighted
up by the sun-like gas jets suspended from above.
The eye, first arrested by the finely arched roof, and
conducted doe nwards by the many effective arrange-
ments of nature and art. rested upon a picture of
animated life,and arranged moti.,nleris forms of beauty
and colour, must have aroused the sensibilities of
the most dormant, and have given a picture of
our social aspects isublly puzzling to those who deny
that in our public intercourse there is an absence of
all community of feeling and object.
On immediately entering the room, the first of the
series of tables encircling it was appropriated to
Mr. W. Oroves's chemical apparatus; and here we
were struck with the comparatively new invention of
the ozygen and hydrogen light. the combination
produced by the two gases passing from two
separate bladders, and being united in a single
gutta perch* tube, ignited at its mouth in conjunc-
tion with a piece of line. This light has been re-
cently foend as effective for photographic purposes
as the solar rays. Many interesting experiments,
showing the component parts of our commonest
things, were successfully gone through during the
evening, anti combined, with the galvanic battery,
to electrify s large group of the audience, nut only
with astonishing truths but sta,tli ig feelings.
THR CHALK FOMILR AND CHURTACIA followed;
and here, exhumed history, was shown in multiplied
bits, that spoke alone an intelligible language
to the initiated, hut which appeared to the un-
initiated to have& hidden mystery that provoked in.
quiry. Mr. Shipp, the principal contributor to this
(inflection, showed likewise the prize painting from
the Society of Arta, of Roslyn Chapel, valued at
460.

CHINA AND TURICKY geographically followed, and
hero the slippered and booted peculiarities of the
two countries were set forth by a prodigality of
specimens that puzzled the visitor to decide whether
the feet of the wearers turned down from the instep,
or turrivel up from the toes. Ladies appaiel, culi-
nary .rticles, and objeeta of religious worship were
spread over t,he table- -ludicrous evidences of the home
and outdoor doings of the isolatsd nation whose

long kept natiotird secrets we are now learning bi•
ti)
lvi,it AND CININA were terribly illustrated situ
uu,
x t bible ;and the tiger skins bung at its lack crossed
by ~lrautUl oi:sponsor sir consistently indicated
the forocity (tithe men slot bad wielded the iogenione.
Iv decigned itudnunents of cruelty that were strewed
over the table beneath. The light but effeetive
tomahawk, with knife screwed into its bead to cut off
the nose and ears of the victim before cleaning his
skull, looked as sanguinary a weapon as beam
ferocity could delight to handle. tioork knives,
spears and a sword with dimwits blade proved to
cut through • bar of iron nidi.innii in diamotor,
made up with many others a collection of (limb vette,
Weapioni painful to contemplate. associated with the
recollection of the cruelties lately perpetrated la
India. A brazen image of Goslana, and a etsrlde
bead of the sauie shot off at Rangoon were likewise,
shoe n with ono of the rarest and most valuable
specimen of gold inlaid armour, taken from a gals
chief, to be found in England. These with a Sandia
shield, a Burmese image, and many beautifully
ivory cabinets and boxes, made the collection
contributed Sir J. D a
'Oyly and G. I'. Ok's:
Emirs., both of whom have resided many years It
I ia one of great interest.
Our attention was next directed to a SOWNof
PHOToOItAP/18 of the taking of tile Take isete,
broutilit to Eiigland by Major Oreathearl, whole=
the tout or the storming party to enter. These mem
beautifully comely(' as works of art, and their 000
questionable fidelity made them especially interest.
log at the present time.
Pussini; • capital proof engraving by Greatbatch,
of the V 1 KLLINOTOS iIdANQUICT, MI arrangement off
rare and costly articles contributed by Sir J.
Smith, J. J. Farquharson, and C. Hamlin; Esqrs.„
next claimed our attention. These valuable contri-
butions were effectively set off by • background,.
having for its centre an excellent opolooll 01 WOO(
work, in a massive carved frame, by Miss.
liouliston, and a magnificent piece of plate inlaid
with gold, contributed by C. Hembro, Eat., relieved.
on either side by Masi of stuffed rare aquatic birds•
and choice speeinicus of Indian pheasanta seal by.
Mr. Dominoy. Books, old and scarce, of illustrated
and typographical beauty, from the blooms of
Langton and the Down Rouse, occupied the centre
of (ha table, and, arranged around were a coral cop.
richly designed, rare specimens of Severea china,.
a plague of the scarcest kind of Wedgwood ware,
and other articles from Milton Abbey, si id] two ez•
quisitely carved ivory vases from the Rev. B.
Vizard, and a silver timepiece made in the reign of
Charles I, sent by Lord Sidney Osborne, made op
one of the most attractive and valuable collections in
the room. .

CAnviso in all kinds of material came nest, and
not a little enhanced the merit of the art produo-
tions shown in the room by living artists. Flora—ix
half-finished life size carving in alabaster, looking Is
the life, a pet of the King Charles's breed—drew
attention to these scattered and apparently unim-
portant gems of minute and persevering akdl. Tb•
miser discovering the loss or his money wren under
a glass, spoke despair in every lineament of his
countenance; a large medallion head of Dr. H. Prat.
was so full of character that the likeness was ineased ;
and the beautiful stereoscopic slide representinga
chtfdetroirre of the art, the moment of victory.
excited a longing to see the original master work..
;Ir. Dryer from Southampton was the artist, Anil
his wonderful power of undercutting puzzled the.
mind to conceive how the tool could have found its.
way to certain portions of his work.

Passing onwards to the Otoboctc.tt. AND 11INIRAL-
OGICAL schools, three tables, piled up in A terrace form.
with the rarest minerals or richly strewn with the stooge
of Dorset—far more suggestive of the pant than the,
stones of Venice—bore up the inorganic evidences and
fonailised specimens of animal and vegetable life, primal.
pally contributed by the Rev. J. Penny and Mr. Shipp.
Mose many exhumed wonders were but fragments from
the private museums of these gentkinen; and though
stratified history—as shown—might n't have articulated
its startling feats to °minuend thelatteotion of the many,
still the enquiring few, who are nibbling at the sciences,
and who require "the first stepping stones" to farther
advancement, as well as those who had matured their
information by life-long study, must have greedily
seised on the opportunity afforded to thein either ka
advance their knowledge or to confirm previous research..
nutundly followed the
Mr. I)urilen's A STIqUITIY.II
twin sciences, and here the findings in our own imme-
diate neighbourhood of urns, arrow-heads, and mans.
factored culinary articles once used by the earliest in-
habit,.nts el this island and the Romans who subse-
quently invaded it, gave to his collection • more than
ordinary local interest. The urns, taken from harrows
on ourdowns, are considered perfect and rare specimens,
many of them, with other rare antiquitien, having
served as illustrations for our principal Archseologiaa
Journal, thus attracting the attention of the anti—
quarian world. Thin interesting collection, combined.
with Mr. Penny's and Mr. Shipp's tables of rare speci-
mens, would have formed an exhibition alone, and
talked about by the gentlemen whit owned them would
have proved an inexhaustible source of fresh and valua-
ble information.

The REFRENHMENT STALL now opportunely inter-
vened, captivatingly presided over by the ladies of the
town, who, well up to recommending the good Mingo
they sold. must have successfully conducted the men-
nieces of sweet things WO non-alcoholic stimulants,
much to the satisfaction of all present and greatly to
the advantage of the funds of the Institution.
Mr. Gooderidge contributed the pickings-up of bin
different voyages to India, the Esquimau:, sod
American tribes. principally conainting of war imple-
ments, culinary articles, native costumes, and natural'
curiositiea, all more or less interesting, as showing the
strange outages of the semi-civilized peoples he had
visited. flung at the lock of this table was • beautiful'
kaross, made of African tiger skins, worn by a chief
of the Becliusnas ; this with one or two other curious
articles of costume, we, contributed by hire. H.
Fisher, whose daughter resides at the Cape. A table
having on it a case of Cornish minerals, rare corals, and
excellent specimetia of graining, with one of was fruit
and towers, interspersed with grotewlue and ingenious
arrangements of mice and other animals decorated this
centre of the room ; double stereoscopee and inn's-
merable single ones; here and there valuable books of
platen and portfolios of exquisite photographs and en-
gravings scattered about, all brilliantly lighted up
by many globe glass lamps, judiciously placed, gave •
combined effect to the varied attractions of the room,
that scarcely needed the gentleimm who moved shout
with the sparkling diamond broach in the lapel of his
coat—as.,renir of Louis Phillipe and the comp d' der,
—to make inure effective or striking.
A room thus fitted up, scarcely wanted a companion ;
but, passing into • short corridor, and mounting • flight
of stairs, we entered the newly decorated, weldprepor-
tinned hall of justice, and here a new world of wonders
were to be viewed. Science reigned supre me, and whilst
Lord Sidney Osborne with his beautiful compound micro-
scope gave microscopic magnitude to scarcely per-
ceivable animal and vegetable objects, familiarly
discouning on the physiological laws by which they are
governed ; Mr. B..stard, Mr. Spoonet, and Mr. Shipp,
surrounded by groups of interested seers and listeners,
were disclosing through the microscope or stereoscope
other °lasses of objecta—beautiful or wonderous—to the
astonishment or delight of those who thronged around.
them. Electrical shocks—ludicrously contorting Om
conntenances, and wriggling the bodies of Mom
operated °mend provocative of out bu rstsof laughter from
the lookers-on ; Misses ()Omnie exhaueting the air
pump anti inflating em collapsing she object. experi-
mented on, and conducting an •nausing and fashionable
game—relieved by • pleasurable excitement.occasionally
ending vent in incontrollable laughter, the more quiet
and questioning interest awakened in other parte of the
room. Cues of butterdiu carefully arranged, literally
°unranked one end ef the room, which under lees
exciting circumstances would have commanded general
attention..

Apullic
anbenoukieicepernoepentn wthasr.tingadhoeotht he co
Friday, that :ioae would
the
mechanical clam—especially those who were mantled of
the Winking Men', rlub should have an opportunity
of inspecting the works of art contributed. This mod
desirable arrangement was fully carried out, and on
Friday evening the rooms wile again thronged with
interested visitors. Lord Sidney Osborne—elwer
at
home in popularly addressing an audience, in winding
up the proceedings by publicly thanking the 11.0ith
uiittee, the ladies, and Mr. Eyers for the efficient
sertioes they had rendered—made many and sound
remarks on the proper modes of obtaining and applying
knowledge. Mr. Eyeni and Miss Iledora Collins—
the latter specially retained for the occasion— added at
interval, the charting of vocalisation and well executed
music, to the many other attractions. The cominitte•
have worked well, and the gratification expressed by
all at the success of their effort', may be reward enough:
but, we feel hound likewise to expresio the publics
satisfaction at the manner in which information was
afforded and the entire proceedings conducted. The
readiness; of those who contributed to impart all the
information that could invest with interest the objects
inspected, proved no less serviceable in enabling the
visitors in their round of inspection to understand and
have enhanced interest in kok ing on the in Rny strantely
signed and mystifying objects that met the eye. We had
not bean' the amount taken at the door or by the private
sale of tickets, but we trust when the committee make
up their balance sheet, that the object fur holding the
einererwizioue will he folly realized, and that many and
, useful boots will be added to the library.