The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-06-25 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Dr. Lamb, and others of the committee, and also to the
judges, for their attention in furnishing us with every
possible information.
The following is a corrected list of the prizes :

PLANTS AND FLOWERS.-StOve Plant, in flower-I, Mrs. Fos-
ter ; 2, H. Ashton, Esq. ; 3, Mrs. Foster. Greenhouse Plant -
1, H. Ashton, Esq.; 2, Mrs. Foster; 3, Messrs. Davies: 4, Mrs.
Jos. Ashton. Pelargoniums-1, Ambrose Lace. Esq. ; 2. Mrs.
Foster; 3, Mrs. J. Ashton. Cut Roses-i, Messrs. Davies; 2,
R. Procter, Esq. Roses in Pots-Mrs. Foster. Ericas-Messrs.
Davies. Device of Flowers-H. Ashton, Esq. Basket of Cut
Flowers-1, H. Ashton, Esq.; 2, R. Alison, Esq. Basket of
Plants-1, Mrs. Foster; 2, R. Procter, Esq. Calceolarias-
1, Messrs. Davies; 2, D Pansies-1, Mr. John Molyneux ;
2, Do. Orchidenus Plant -1. Mr. Nie,son. Hale; 2, Pattison
Ellames, Esq. Fuchsias-;, W. Gilgeons, Esq.; 2, H. Ash on,
Esq. Hardy Shrub in Flower-1, H. Ashton, Esq.; 2, Do.
Herbaceous Plant-I, H. Ashton, Esq. ; 2, Do.
FRUITS.-Best Fine-I, R. Alison, Esq.; 2, P. Ellames, Esq.
Black Grapes-1, Mr. T. Phythian ; 2, Do. Cherries-Do.
Strawberries-1, Do. ; 2, T, Rawson, Esq. Apples-A. Lace,
Esq. Pears-Do. Gooseberries-1, T. Rawson, Esq ' • 2, W.
Gilgeous, Esq. Currants-1, Mr. T. Pbythian ;2, W. Gilgeous,
Esq.

VEGETABLES.—Cauliflowers —l, W. Gilgeous, Esq. ; 2. Henry
Ashton, Esq. Cabbages—A. Dunlop, Esq. Turnips—Mr. Geo.
Toogood. Carrots—R. Alison, Esq. Cucumbers-1, Mr. John
Molyneux ;2, Do.; 3, Do. Lettuce—H. Ashton, Esq. Early
Peas-1, R. Alison, Esq,; 2, Mr. J. Molyneux. Beans—Thos.
Rawson, Esq. Early Potatoes-1, W. Gilgeous. Esq.; 2, Do.
Mushrooms-1, J. Crosthwaite, Esq.; 2, Mr. H. Blunt. Rhu-
barb-1, T. Rawson, Esq. ; 2, Do.; 3, Mrs. Foster. Autumn-
sown Onions-1. J. Crosthwaite, Esq. ; 2, W. Gilgeous, Esq.
EXTRA. PRIZES —Greenhouse Plants—Mrs. Foster and Rd.
Alison, Esq. Stove Plants—H. Alison, Esq., and Mrs. Joseph
Ashton. Baskets of P ants—H. Ashton, Esq.. and Mrs. Joseph
Ashton Calceolarias—H. Ashton, Esq. Strawberries—Mrs.
Joseph Ashton. Celery—W. Gilgeous, Esq. Cabbage—Mr. H.
Blunt.

COTTAGERS' PRIZES.—Window Plant in Flower-1, William
Hill; 2, Samuel Thorpe.

The following are the names of the gardeners of the
principal successful competitors (not seedsmen) :
Henry Ashton, Esq., James Daniels; Mrs. Foster,
John Reid ; Mrs. Joseph Ashton, John Hislop; Ambrose
Lace, Esq., John Houlgrave ; R. Procter, Esq., Thomas
Makinson ; Richard Alison, Esq., Joseph Hill ; P.
Ellames, Esq., Thomas Wilson ; W. Gilgeous, Esq.,
John Leech ; F. Rawson, Esq., John Green ; and J.
Cro'sthwaite, Esq., Daniel Hodgett.
Mr. John Molyneux, who bore away all the prizes for
cucumbers, as well as several others, is a cottager.

scurity and decay, having been found amongst the lum-
ber of a cellar in London. They are considered very
valuable, and they are certainly curious as conveying the
pictorial taste of tne remarkable people who produced
them. We thence, moving on, found onrselves within the
mazes of a labyrinthine grotto and cavern, showing at
several points, right and left, as we proceeded, a series of
wonderful pictorial illusions, formed in recesses,—
namely, a mountainous view of the Tyrol ; the basaltic
caverns of Fingal, in the Western Islands of Scotland ;
an excavated Indian Temple ; the Isle of Elephanta ; the
Catacombs of Egypt, a blue cave ; the Isle of Capri ; and
coral islands and grottos in the South S'as. These are
all very beautiful, and, apparently, faithful resemblances
of the wonders and beautiful scenes they reprosent. The
light (gas) is admitted from the roof, but the flame is in-
visible to the spectator. and thus favours the illusion. In
one of them the sun is shining forth, and sparkles
brightly on the gently rippling waves. The basaltic co-
lumns, and rocks of the caverns are admirably tbrorn
oat ; and the views above ground are painted in a de-
licate and masterly style. The pictorial part is
the work of Mr. Johnson and Mr. Parker, of the
Theatre Royal, and the mechanical part by Mr. Wilmore.
Descending from this curious labyrinth (the whole of
which, together with the views, though intricate, and ap-
parently of great extent in the perspective, is constructed
within a room only 28 feet long !) we reached a still more
extraordinary and unexpected scene which occupies the
whole of the lower preparatory school—a Glaciariutn, or
Alpine Winter Scene, surrounded on three sides by pines
and other trees, coated with apparently real snow, and
with a frozen lake of artificial ice, on which numerous
skaters were busily and rapidly moving in all the evolu-
tions of their art, while some were here and there gather-
ing themselves up after a fall—the whole forming a most
amusing meld, in no respect different from what may be
witnessed during a severe frost on St. Domingo pit,
though in an apparently more northern latitude. Tne
pond is surrounded on one side and at the ends by fir
trees and palings " of the same," with a walk for the
spectators, which was much crowded ; and in the distance
at the further side rise in pictoral illusion piqued and
scow-clad mountains, with straggling and stunted fir trees
in the hollows. One could scarcely believe but he was in
a frigid region in the depth of winter, but for the high
temperature of the place, the exuding drops on the foie-
heads of many present. convincing them that they were at
home in the warmth of June. There is an inclined plane
covered with the same glassy material, and down which
several of the more adventurous skaters " precipitated"
themselves with great velocity, ,making,with the impetus ac-
quired in the descent, nearly the whole circle of the pond.
Not a few, however, fell heavily at the bottom, and in
their pain probably exclaimed, (if they were scholastic.)
" facilis est descensus ad—." The ice is, we learn,
formed of bisulphate of soda, or salts ; is very hard, and
when first laid down was smoothed with joiners' planes.
It cuts with skate irons precisely like common ice, and a
man is employed to sweep off the snowy particles. The
surface is renewed every morning with a slight moist coat-
ing of the material, and then again presents all the ap-
pearance of the real thing itself, and has apparently all its
slippery properties. From " the Alps" we visited the 12
Cartoons in a " higher latitude." These were selected as
of superior merit, from the recent exhibition at West-
' minster Hall. They are very large, and embrace a variety
of historical subjects—British and Foreign. The Plague
in London ; the Execution of Wallace ; King Alfred re-
ceiving prisoners; St. Augustine (we believe) impressing
upon King Alfred the beauties of Christianity; Boadicea ;
and Nos. 6 and 7 (the subjects of which we could not re-
cognise) are amongst the best, but we have not yet exa-
mined the whole with attention. They are certainly one
of the greatest -attractions in the exhibition. At the top
of the staircase are some beautiful carvings of game, fish,
fruit, foliage, &c., in box-wood and apple-tree, by a
London artist, so finely and minutely cut that they appear
to be exquisite castings. In the picture gallery there are
some good specimens, though the collection in this and
the drawing department is scarcely equal to that of the
last exhibition. Amongst them are M'Clise's fine pic-
ture of " Snap-apple Night," which, though an early
production of that artist, is quite Hogarthian in character
and humour ; and Beard's celebrated Slavery picture.
When we add that there is an egg-hatching apparatus, a
model of a coal-mine, numerous models of locomotives,
&c., a vast collection of curiosities and antiquities, auto-
graphs, dissolving views, a powerful galvanic and electric
apparatus, statuary, processes of various manufactures, a
fine diorama, a series of concerts, and in the yard a
diving-bell (in which visitors may descend to the depths
of a large reserloir), &c., &c., we need say no more to
induce a visit to the exhibition.