The Express.
London, England, 1858-04-02 00:00:00

SOCIETY OF ARTS.

EXHIBITION OF MECHANICAL INVENTIONS.

Last night the tenth exhibition of recent me-
chanical inventions was opened to private inspection at the
Society of Arts, previously to the public opening, which is to
take place on Monday neat. The exhibition for the present
year c waists principally of inventions for the manufacture of
submarine electric telegraph cables, for paying out cables at
see, end for uniting them in case of fracture. There are
several models and plans for railway signals, for improving
end economising the construction of the permanent way of
railroads; contrivances for the manufacture of gas in private
houses, in the country, and on bond ship ; and for the more
extensive application of steam power to agricultural purposes.
These are the prominent features in the present exhibition ; but
there are many other inventions displaying great ingenuity,
which are intended to apply to the veriotts arts of life. From
January, 1849, when the first of these exhibitions
took place, to the present time, a marked cha-
racteristic of them has been that the inventions
have, speaking generally, followed the direction of
public opinion. Thus, in 1849, when the question of the
screw propeller was under discussion, the exhibition of that
year was prolific in models illustrative of its application. The
exhibition of 18.50 was remarkable for the variety of apparatus
Mud:wing different modes of applying the electric power to
telegraphic purposes. In 1851 and 18.52 attention was chiefly
directed to appliances for improvements in railway, gas, and
water works, and manufacturing machinery. The next year
was remarkable for the number of models for crushing,
washing, and separating gold; and in 1866, plans for the
inementisa dehe.mahe nuisance were predominant. In
1868, the genius of Inventors seems to have been directed by
the war fever, for in that year new models of firearms, shells,
and other projectiles were exhibited in abundance; whilst
in last year's exhibition sanitary appliances of various
kinds, marine cement,, and other apparatus connected
with ship-building were numerous. It is quite ap-
parent from this short record of previous exhibi-
tions that the hard and spparently unelastio materiala
with which the mechanician has to deal bend, like
everything else, to what is no less familiarly than truly
termed the " spirit "of the time. In these exhibitions we
find the isolated and speculative inventor following, °pa-
ndowdy or unconsciously, in the general current of the wants
or opinions of the time, and to supply those wants or to
satisfy thoee opinions he, as it were, deposits his own mind
in a contrivance of wood, glass, iron, and so forth. These
exhibitions exemplify the "mans egitet uiolem " of the
Roman poet; the "process of the idea" of the modern
philosopher; and they are the real "spirit-rapping " of the
enthusiast. That these exhibitions have been productive of
great benefit there can be no doubt, and as an evidence of
their good results the Society of Arts is contemplating to
hold a series of exhibitions of art and industry on a fur more
extended wale in 1881. It would of course be impossible to
convey anything more than a general idea of the content, of
the present exhibition, and it would perhaps be unjust
upon a necessarily cursory survey to select some for special
description. The public will have ample opportunity on
Monday next, and for two months after, to Inspect the whole
without any expense, and to decide for themselves on the
relatives merits and usefulness of the models exhibited. In
this they will be greatly aided by the Exhibition Catalogue,
which contains descriptions of the artiiiee, several of them
with illustrative wood•cus. Amongst the most popular, if
not amongst the most important, inventions of the present
exhibition will be found a " Postage Stamp Distributor," in-
vented by S. Denluun, Wakefield, and exhibited by Thomas
0. Iveem. This instrument is intended for the delivery of
postage or other stamps singly to purchasers, so as to dis-
pense with the attendance of an °faced for this purpose at
post and receiving eflime. One penny being put into the
bole near the top unlocks the instrument, and allows the
handle on the left to be palled out ; this, on being pushed in,
sets in motion two rollers, through which a string of stamps
pewees from a supply roller, forcing out one to be pulled off.
One stamp only can be had at a time, end halfpence or
smaller coins are rejected.
Mr. Smith's "patent rope machine" (No. 104), Mr. Mur-
ray's "improved silk throwing machine" (No. 100), Dr.
Gnat's "patent straw mat weaving loom" (No. 186), Mr
Chedgey's "patent mangling and calendering machine" (No.
242), Mr. Bridges Adams's "improved fieh•joint for rail-
way.," and his "railway bridge of small span," and Mr.
Clifford's " apparatus for lowering boats" (123 and 124) will
attract particular attention. The exhibition will no doubt be
visited by great numbers during the coming holidays, and
will thus contribute to diffuse a knowledge of the mechanical
agencies which are at work amongst us.