The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-01-25 00:00:00

astrous fail
feelings

the last person on
; soon closed, and

however, when he
but was

the process, and in this as in
closed tears rolled copiously down his cheel
seated in a chair, and, aft(
purpose of allowing his
one of his le
and

former case, whet; his eyes
s. He was now
short interval of silence, for the
_ _ m.ensibility to deepen, his arms and
.-6s were raised. His face flushed exceedingly,
was evident from his breathing that his pulse was
greatly accelerated, though no one tried the experiment. He
appeared, throughout, to be struggling to awake, which at
length he did. Lie stated to the audience, that he felt an un-
usual sensation of warmth ; that be had no power to open
his eyes or to arouse himself ; but that he could, if he had
pleased, have put down either his arms or his leg.

---- -,-
Several other individuals were very 'desirous of being mes-
merised, but, as it was now within a quarter of an hour of
twelve o'clock, Mr. Braid decided upon discontinuing the
operations. We may observe in conclusion, that a portion
of the audience were sceptical and dissatisfied to the last;
while the main bulk of-those present, if not entirely convin-
ced, were, at least, much gratified, and those who looked on
and iistened with a firm desire fur the attainment of truth
were without doubt, edified and instructed.
Mr. Braid thanked the audience for the attention with which
they had listened to him, and said, if it were desired, he
would repeat his visit, and endeavour further to illustrate his
subject Much applause followed this anouncement.

THE COALBROOKDALE IRON COMPANY

Whatever may be the moral condition of our country,
which we would fain hope, notwithstanding the demurs of

cynical philosophers, is in progress of improvement ; our
advancement in scientific and mechanical science is unques-
tionable, and enables us to appropriate materials considered
by our forefathers the most,: obdurate and unpromising to
purposes of utility or elegance; In the adaptation of sub-
stances, " dug from the bowels of the
_harmless earth," and

particularly of the most ordinary and abundant, though per:

a 7,
imps the Most truly valuable of metals ; and, by means of
the furnace or the forge, fashioning it into an infinite variety
of forms, from the largest structures in naval and domestic
architecture, to articles of utility or ornament the most
minute, we have assuredly progressed to a degree of perfec-
tion, the bare anticipation of which our forefathers would
have deemed altogether chimerical. Modern ingenuity and
perseverance have found in iron an admirable substitute for
timber, brass, and other materials formerly exclusively in
requisition as alone suited for many of those purposes ; and
we have now not only iron machinery, but iron roads, iron
ships, iron printing presses, iron stoves, iron utensils, ad in-
finitum, but (as will be shown), iron chairs, iron bedsteads,
and even iron statuary, iron pictures, iron houses, and iron
tomb-stones/ if we have not yet revived the beatitude of
" the golden age," we may, at least, physically speaking,
assume our claim to have realised the age of iron ; and we
should be cold, indeed, as iron itself, did we not take pride
•to ourselves in living in a generation characterised by such a
triumph of human intellect,—especially when we find the
articles enumerated to be neater, more elegant in form,
stronger and more durable than those of former times, and
of which we may have an inexhaustible supply even at our
own doors.

We have been led to these reflections by a recent visit to
the Coalbrookdale Company's splendid warehouse in James.
street, which though but lately established in this locality,
and consequently not yet generally known, is deservedly
worthy of baing classed amongst the lions of our native town.
We were at once surprised and delighted by an inspection of
the numerous beautiful articles, large and small, displayed it
xte,- • -how roour -

A quarter of a century ago, the Car-
ron Iron Works, near Glasgow, were considered the first
foundry in the kingdom, and the common Rumford grates,
ovens, &c., there produced were regarded as a great acquisition
to the comforts of the parlour and the cuisine. Great im-
prOvements have doubtless been there introduced since that
time, and we have seen some fine modern specimens; but
without wishing to disparage the efforts of our northern
neighbours or others, we must say that the Coalbrookdale
Company, whether in taste ofdesign, perfection in execution,
or the magnitude of their undertakings, have distanced all
former competitors in the art. The extent of their works
(at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire), where they are in possession
of valuable iron and coal mines, may be estimated from the
fact that they employ upwards of five thousand men !

. . _
The warehouse here is a stone building constructed ex-
pressly for the purpose. It is of Grecian architecture en-
riched with columns in front, between the wings, and is one

Isomest commercial edifices in the town. In the
lower room, which occupies its full length, are shown the finer
descriptions of articles. The prevailing style, in accordance
with the revived fashion of the day, is the florid Elizabethan,
which permits of great richness and variety. The fenders
are peculiarly elegant and of great diversity of design, some
resembling the finest bronze, and others in Berlin black, with
classical figures minutely cast, and ornamental open-work,
polished steel shafts, &c. The fire-irons, of various modern
patterns, are of the finest polished steel. The tables are of
numerous forms and sizes,—some for halls, of antique
design, the tops resembling real marble, or polished

of the I

)f smaller sine and round iopped-forth

drawing-room or boudoir, mounted on richly-carved pillars
or pedestals, the tops of some of them enriched with beauti-
ful groups of flowers in the French style, select views, finely
painted, and so japanned as precisely to resemble the finest
work in papier nzachee; others of them are inlaid with marble,
as backgammon tables, and one curiously topped with a va-
riety of Derbyshire spar. The castings forming the edgings
of the tops of these are of open-work like lace. The grates
are chiefly of the stove description, and of beautiful, rich de
signs,—many of them with chimney-pieces painted or var-
nished in marble, &c., and cast as smooth as that material
when polished. Amongst a splendid assortment of articles
of vertu—all of cast iron—are the Warwick, Naples, and
other vases, exceeedingly perfect in every respect. The pro-
jecting Roman heads on the former are as minutely fine arid
expressive as if formed of wax in the fine.,t mould. It is
considered superior in execution to the same vase produced
in bronze at Berlin, and is but half the price. We observed
some handsome and elaborately-designed fruit plates, in imi-
tation of bronze, or in Berlin black. One of them in parti-
cular is of fine open-work, interspersed with small heads,
finely finished, and the pattern carried out on both sides of
the article. Others are in the form of shells. The chimney
and drawing-room ornaments are various and beautiful—
equal in every point to the finest productions in bronze. A
representation of the Crucifixion is quite a gem. The figure
of the Saviour is only from four-and-a-half to five inches
long, yet anatomical accuracy is strictly preserved, and the
crown of thorns and even the hair on the head are minutely
thrown out. A male and female French peasant a horse
rampant, a bull, &c., are all perfect and spirited representa-
tions. The attitudes are fine, and the whole beautifully
smooth. There are also some fine pictorial castings of his-
torical subjects, amongst which is the " Lord's Supper," in
alto relievo, taken from the celebrated plate recently pub-
lished. The price of this imperishable "picture," (which
is within a frame,) is extremely moderate. A variety of ink-
stands, of elaborate designs, ornamental watch-stands,
flower-bowls, &c., also claim the visitors' attention. We
noticed, too, several handsome flower-vases for the parterre,
painted in resemblance of stone. These and other castings
for exterior ornament are boiled in oil after being cast, and,
being impervious to moisture, are not subject to corrode or
rust. Gas-fittings are also produced at the works, in pillars
and chandeliers, of the most elaborate, massy, and classical
design. One, of a superb description, is now in progress of
completion by the company, for Dr. Baffies's new chapel,
Great George's-street. The design is much admired, and it
will, we believe, be decorated with China ornaments in
flowers, manufactured at the celebrated China-works, at
Coalbrookdale, contiguous to the company's iron-works.
The stoves are of numerous descriptions, and beautifully
designed—Grecian, Elizabethan, &c. The company sup-
plied a splendid large one, in the former classical style, for
the Great Western steamship, the drawing of which we were
shewn. It has four fires, one on each side, and the flue
forms a highly ornamental column.

The waierooms above are also well worthy of inspection,
being filled with an endless variety of grates ; cabouses for
ships, on the most compact and approved principles ; iron
safes, with gilded mouldings, and Chubb's patent locks ;
kitchen ranges, &c., all designed and finished in a superior
style of workmanship. Ono of the last is of great size, with
two ovens, hot-hearths, &c., and appears to be calculated
for a baronial residence, in which the good things of this
life are dispensed to numerous guests and retainers in the
liberal spirit of good Old English hospitality. We here
observed several handsome garden-chairs, representing seats
formed of the vine in its full luxuriance. From this we
wandered into other spacious apartments, where we were
almost lost amongst piles of boilers, pots, bushes for wheels,
register stoves, and a variety of castings, weighing hundreds
of tons, though on an upper floor. It is somewhat remark-
able that some of the larger double stoves (one of which
fully heats, with common coal, the very large room below)
have door-handles formed of a large bulb of cut crystal, a
material which, probably from its being a non-conductor of
the electric fluid, never becomes inconveniently hot.
We were shown a bird's-eye view of a house to be con-
structed entirely of iron, for a gentleman and his lady resid-
ing in America. It is in the Elizabethan Gothic style, richly
ornamented. It is to be sixty feet square, and besides being
fire-proof, will, no doubt (judging from the drawing), form a
very handsome and comfortable residence. The company have
also, we learn, extensive premises in Manchester.

In conclusion, we repeat that these show-rooms cannot
fail to interest visitors, whether the scientific or the merely
curious. The smoothnesS, sharpness of edge, and general
beauty of the castings, exhibit to an eminent degree the
adaptation of iron skilfully employed to many purposes in
which it was hitherto unemployed; and the designs and ex-
ecution reflect the highest credit on the proprietors of the
works.