The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-05-24 00:00:00

THE PIANOFORTE.

rnongst the extraordinary improvements of the present
ge, we may notice, that in the manufacture of the piano-
forte the greatest strides have been taken. Our attention
has been casually drawn to an article on this subject which
appears in the supplement to the Penny Magazine for this
present month. We therefore take from it the following
extracts :
" It has been said, in a recent article of the Westminster
Review—` With a little allowable flattery of the truth, the
bookcase, in an inventory of the goods belonging to any well-
ordered English' house, might be designated as one of its
necessary articles of furniture—not as one of its luxuries :
the place of popularity among the latter being claimed by
the pianoforte. Whether we rank it as an article of furni-
ture or as a luxury, it is certain that the pianoforte has be-
come diffused in an extraordinary degree in this country.
Those who can carry their recollection back over a period of
thirty or forty years, will remember the pianoforte as an in-
strument for the noble and the wealthy, sparingly seen in
the houses of the middle classes : they will remember the
gradual steps by which it has reached the domestic firesides
of the bulk of the class just alluded to; and they will be
prepared to expect that such an extension in the use must
have brought along with it extensive plans of improvement,
and equally extensive manufacturing arrangements : yet
there are probably few, even of those who are familiar with
the use of the pianoforte, who are aware of the complex me-
chanism of the modern instruments, or of the gigantic scale
on which the manufacture is conducted."
Speaking of Messrs. Broadwood & Sons, the writer says :
—" This firm, which has existed in the metropolis for`more
than a century, is one of those by whom the pianoforte has
been brought to its present state of perfections Like most
other products of ingenuity, this instrument is indebted to
many minds for its advancement. One improvement we
owe to a Broadwood, another to an Erard, others to Cle-
mend, Stodart, Tomkison, Collard, &c., and all have pro-
fited by the labours of each."
To form some idea of the extent of the manufactory of
these great makers, the following description of their premi-
ses will prove acceptable :
" In the Horseferry-road are two double gates, opening
into courts or quadrangles; and in Holywell-street, 300 feet
southward of it, are two other gates, also opening immediately
on the same quadrangles ; and the whole of the intermediate
space, spreading to a wide extent east and west, is occupied
by the factory. On entering one of the gates we find before
us a long open court, occupied principally by piles and tiers
and logs of wood, and bounded on either side by ranges of
workshops extending three hundred feet in length. Advanc-
ing half-way along the court, we find, on either side, an
archway, leading beneath the buildings to other courts or
open quadrangles, one to the east and one to the west of that
by which we enter : these quadrangles, like the first, are
bounded on both sides by long and uniform ranges of work-
shops. We are then enabled to see the extent and form of
the factory. It consists of four parallel ranges of buildings,
every ranee lighted by windows on both sides, and having in
general three tiers or stories of workshops in height. The
four ranges separated by the three court-yards, and at the
ends are four dwelling-houses inhabited by the superinten-
dents and foremen of the establishment. Each range is wide
enough to have in most parts two workshops in width ; and
as most of the ranges are three stories in height, there is an
aggregate length of workshop truly enormous, in fact it con-
siderably exceeds half-a-mile—an extent to which there are
probably very few parallel instances in the metropolis.
" In these four ranges of buildings three or four hundred
men are engaged in the four component parts of the piano-
fortes, from the first sawing of the rough timber, to the po-
lishing and regulating of the finished instruments. Besides
these there are many others engaged in the smaller branches
of the manufacture, who do not work on the premises.
The wood of which the pianoforte is manufactured is a
subject of no little interest to Liverpool, considering how
great the import of mahogany is into this port. "It is ge-
nerally known that Honduras mahogany is not so highly
valued for cabinet-work as Spanish mahogany; it is there-
fore in the pianoforte manufacture used for some of the parts
which are afterwards veneered with Spanish mahogany, rose-
wood, or some other kind of fancy wood, But in the pre-
sent case a tree of Honduras mahogany, imported about six-
teen years ago, has far exceeded what Spanish wood cpuld
exhibit. Spanish mahogany is decidedly the most beautiful ;
but occasionally, though not very often, the Honduras wood
is of singular brilliancy ; and it is then eagerly sought for,
to be employed in the most extensive cabinet work. Some
time ago Messrs. Broadwood, who have been long distin-
guished as makers of pianofortes, gave the enormous sum of
three thousand pounds for three logs of mahogany. These
logs, the produce of one tree, were each about fifteen feet
long and thirty-eight inches wide."
It is stated that the strings of an improved grand piano-
forte require nearly one thousand iron pins or pegs, each one
inserted in a hole made with great exactness to its dimen-
sions; but the following statement is still more surprising:—
" We find that in one of Messrs. Broadwood's most im-
proved six-and-a-half octave pianofortes (for which, we
believe, a patent has been taken out) the mechanism con-
nected with the action' consists of about three thousand
eight hundred separate pieces of ivory, ebony, cedar, syca-
more, lime-tree, mahogany, beef-wood, oak, pine, steel,
iron, brass, lead, cloth, felt, leather, and vellum. Every
one of these has to be fashioned with the most scrupulous
exactness, and as scrupulously adjusted to its place. Many
of the pieces are not more than a quarter of an inch square,
some even less "

Of the workmen in this large establishmant, and the good
feeling existing amongst them, we may take the following as
an example :—_ _ . .

" The pianoforte manufacture is one in which nothing but
highly-skilled and manual dexterity can make and adjust
the numerous pieces of mechanism involved in it ; and those
workmen who possess this skill are not likely to be supplan-
ted by any automatic machinery. Hence it happens that the
same workmen are seen year after year, occupying their old
benches, using their old toolss coming to work and leaving
work at the old hours, and seeming as if the old shop be-
longed to them and they to the shop. Vie noticed, not only
that many of the workmen in the factory are elderly men
who have occupied their present situations twenty, thirty, or
forty years, but that a kindly feeling prevailed among all,
illustrative of mutual confidence between the employers and
the employed. The patriarch of the establishment is a vene-
rable ci-devant foreman, not far from ninety years of age,
who has seen out two or three generations of workmen, and
whose connection with the establishment dates back through
a period of nearly sixty years. That such a man is respected
by the firm, and deemed almost part and parcel of it, need
hardly be said."

ORANGEISM,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

" Make thyself the friend of all pious and peaceable men, avoiding
strife, and seeking benevolence, slow to take offence and offering
none, thereby, so far as in thee lieth, turning the injustice of our
adversaries into their own reproof and confusion.

Slll,—The above quotation forms part of a very beautiful
initiatory address, given upon the introduction of a new
member into the Loyal Orange Institution. A writer in the
Journal, of last Saturday, who has (although shortsighted)
adopted the title of " Argus," charges the orangemen of Li-
verpool with a desire to create turmoil, because a neighbour
has told him that the 12th of July will be kept up by a public
procession.
Now, sir, I observe in reply,—First, I believe that the
Loyal Orange Benevolent Societies will walk on their an-
niversary in honour of one of England's kings; and I hope
" Argus" will not consider it treason so to do.

Secondly,—l do not believe that there is the slightest in-
tention of wounding either the feelings or prejudices of the
Irish Roman Catholics, or to offer the smallest disrespect to
the religion which they in their consciences believe to be
true.

Thirdly,—That no tumult can arise, unless by the most
wanton and determined attempts on the part of the factious
to create a noise ; for, I believe, it is not intended to approach
any of the neighbourhoods in which the Irish Roman Catho-
lics reside, and thus, if a collision should take place, it would
be the seeking of our opponents.

Fourthly,—The banners will be all truly loyal, and unlike
some which are carried on St. Patrick's Day, which hear the
figures of the Irish rebel Sarsfield, with the motto of " Sars-
field the brave," and of an Irish agitator, with the motto,
" Repeal of the union."
Fifthly,—The loyal orangemen are determined that there
shall be no tumult ; for they will leave their cause with the
proper authorities, and will call upon the guardians of the
peace to be ready to repress any violence which may be at-
tempted whilst they enjoy their privileges as British subjects,
in acting peaceably, loyally, and determinedly, in honouring
the memory of a British king and hero. It will be seen,
should circumstances require, that the loyal orangeman is as
patient under taunt and provocation as he is brave, when
called upon by the magistrate or his Queen to put down re-
bellion.

Lastly,—Let us hear no more of justice to Ireland, or re-
ligious liberty, from the lips or pens of pseudo liberals ; the
sons of Erin walk in our town, enjoying their own principles
and pleasures, and secure in the protection of our rulers, and
justice to England demands that Englishmen should, on their
own soil, enjoy, at least, equal advantages; and it is most
insulting to hint, for a moment, that any one claims a right
to deprive us of our undoubted rights as Englishmen and
lovers of our Queen and supporters of our constitution.
I trust that our fellow-subjects, among the poor Irish Ro-
man Catholics, will exercise a sound discretion by minding
their avocations, and not minding such writers as " Argus,'
and I can promise them that they will never know that a pro-
cession has taken place, much less imagine that any insult
was intended. Let it be borne in mind, that formerly Irish
Roman Catholic loyalists, and even dignitaries of their
church, walked in honour of the king who freed us from ty-
ranny and gave us the bill of rights ; and so they might again
if bigots, who have more bile than charity, did not knowingly
pervert the truth, and affirm the oft-exploded falsehood, that
we have vows against men, or any animosity except against
bad principles.
We surely may be allowed to honour our own principles,
without being charged with intended insult to others. If
indiscreet and foolish men forget their obligations, and at
times deserve reprehension, we are sorry, and deplore the
circumstance, but such cases are the exception, and not the
rule. What large body of men will not contain exceptions ?
I will not notice the other confused and unfounded statements
of "Angus," as my object is to comment only on that part
which bears upon the procession ; I do not think that orange-
ism can suffer much from the pen of " Argus," when it has
stood the test of two parliamentary inquiries, and came out
of the inquiry refined and more resplendent by passing
through this ordeal.—With the best of good will to " Argus"
and all mankind, I am, sir, yours, &c.,

. ,
AN ORANGEMAN 'PURPLE MARKSMAN,
Liverpool, 23d May, 1812.

A great fire is announced to have befallen the Austrian
town of Steijer, not far from Lintz, where 400 houses were
consumed and three-fourths of the inhabitants, who were
celebrated for their iron manufactures, were left without
shelter.

A LOCOMOTIVE IN DISTRESS..—A somewhat ludicrous
circumstance occurred on Sunday to a party who had made a
trip with an engine and tender, on the Manchester and Bir-
mingham Railway, from Stockport as far as Crewe. They
started early in the morning taking dinner at Crewe;and
having enjoyed the creature comforts of the world, they pre-
pared to return in the evening. They came at a C
Convenient
speed to Sandbach ; but at Holmes Chapel, Billy became
somewhat uneasy ; at Chelford he began to lag ; at Alderley
he grunted ; and near Wilmslow he groaned and made a dead
halt ! Not a peg would he stir—stupi,d as a mule. The party,
in their extremity held a " council ; ' an investigation into
Billy's grievances and complaints was duly entered into ' • and
lo ! and behold ! it was discovered that all the water was
consumed, and that the vital principle of locomotive " rail "
was extinct. To get up steam without water was a problem
too diffieult for even a modern reformer to solve—and they
consider themselves no bird's meat. Here then was a regular
" fix," as Jonathan would affirm. They could get no water
in that particular vicinity ; and being far from help of this
essential supply, they might as well have up to the neck in
the deserts of Arabia. Well, what must be done—they could
not release themselves ; and, therefore, like a stranded, ship,
they awaited the possible arrival of another engine. Such
was their wise resolve ; and towards midnight an engine and
tender were dispatched hence in the utmost alarm in quest
of the distressed Crewe-sera, whistling all the way at the top
of the steam, lest the engine might run foul, at he same time
expecting the usual response from the object of th9r anxiety
and solicitude ; but it was as vain to expect a whistle with-
out steam as to produce steam without water.
havingwater
.fihebyeen
were,
however, luckily relieved from their dilemma somewhere
near Wilmslow without any accident ; n
at-
tached to the other engine, were towed into harbour at the
Stockport station, the vessel being all right, and the crewe
in high spirits at their safe return,—Stockport Advertiser.