Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-05-19


opment, and think it convenient to arrange the
different arts chronologically, or according to
their probable priority of origin, though | shall
occasionally deviate from this arrangement,
where the close relation between different arts, in
respect to the raw material used, or the nature OF
the processes employed or other considerations
of convenience shall so dictate. The relative
priority of the different mechanic arts is indeed
not with certainty determinable. No authentic
prolane historical records reach back to so car
ly a period, and Scripture throws little light on
the subject. The fragity of clay and stone,
the perishableness of wood, bone, leather, and
even Of the metals, have spared few of the works
of primitive man, and priori probability must
here be our chief guide. 1t is not unlikely, that
the order of succession was different in dIereu,
countries, as the varying necessities of man,
conditioned b. climate and natural productions,
called the respective arts into being, or accord
ing TO the abundance or quality of the raw ma
teraL But although the extant remains Of an
cient art do not enable us 10 decide this question
of priority yet the means for Judging of the ac-
tual condition of the mechanic arts in most coun-
tries, at all periods from the earliest historical
records, are abundant
Besides the scattered Implements, funeral
monuments, architectural remains, the ruins of
great and popuous cities, in various parts of
Europe and Asia which have been destroyed by
war, earthquake, or political revolution, and the
treasures of art entombed in these, there are
two principal sources of information on this top
ic, which have lorg supplied, and doubtless will
long continue to yield the richest harvest to the
labours of the antiquary. here aludc to the
buried cities of Herculaneum and Pompcii, and
the soul ptured and painted temples and cata-
combs of Egypt. The cities of Herculaneum
and Pompeii were overwhelmed by an eruption
of Nesuvius about the year 10 of our era too
suddenly to perm. the removal of furniture and
other moveabes, but not sufficiently so to pre-
vent the escape of most of the inhabitants. The
former was discovered near the beginning of the
last century and the latter few years later.
The discovery of these cities excited lively
interest throughout Europe, and excavations
were soon commenced, and have been since con.
tinued, with more or less spirit and with most
important results. They have put us in posses
sion of every article of ornament or use employ
ed by the Italians of that time and region and
have not only revealed to us the secrets of most
of their trades, but have laid open to us the
whole mystery of their domestic economy and
private life.
The paintings of the Egyptian tombs, though
less instructive, because no pictorial represent
tation can be so Ineligible as the objects depc-
ted, are yet more comprehensive in their char
acter, embracing not only representations of
most of the processes employed IN the arts, bat
also o. the details OF their agriculture, their fish
cries. and other industrial employments, togcth-
er with scenes from their warfare. their domes.
tic life, and The ceremonies OF their government
and religion,
Thooo ~arioro oio-avs Of mains embrace tho
period when the arts were in many respects at
an acme OF perfection, which has never been sur.
passed in the results, though with regard 20 the
means of production, and ingenious variety Of
application, the mOderns have made important
Improvements. But shall take occasion to re-
fer to this part of the subject more at length
hereafter and therefore wave its further discus
sion for the present.
So far we can conjecture from history, from
the remains which have come down to from
antiquity, and from priori probability, the old
est existing art is that ofthe Porter. One of the
first and most indispensable wants of man is a
hollow vessel to contain his food, and no mate
rial suited to the fabrication of such ware is so
universally diffused, or easily fashioned, as
clay. The raw material is every where album
dant, and the hand was originally the only, and
still is the chief implement. by which it is
wrought Vessels of clay may therefore be ren-
sonably presumed to have existed before there
were any known means Of forging or casting met
ais, or Of following out stone or even wood, and
it is remarkable, that the most ancient remains of
architectural skill, and the most venerable me-
MORALS of human industry now known to exist,
should be composed of one of the most fragile of
materials The bricks of Babyl lon are older than
the pyramids, and the clay vases of the aborig-
inal inhabitants of Italy, a race whose history
was forgotten before Rome was built, have out
lasted many proud structure of marble and of
granite. The city of Rome was founded about
26O0 years ago, in region Astounding in volca-
noes, which had not only become extinct, but
whose eruptons Of lava and ashes had been deep
ly covered with vegetable soil before the time of
Romulus-a process requiring hundreds, per-
| haps thousands of years-and yet, buried under
a layer of volcanic ashes hardened by the slow
chemistry of nature, TO stone and this again COW
cred by several feet of earth and vegetable mould,
have recently been found numerous clay vases,
under circumstances clearly showing that they
must have been buried before the deposition of
! the ernptlve matter, which now covers them -
| Clay vases are moreover often discovered in the
most ancient tombs of Egypt; the Chinese, who
may perhaps claim to be the oldest of nations,
count them among the most venerable works OF
their fathers, they have been found in the ru ms
Of the ancient cities of this continent and among
our own Indians, and there is no people who do
not, and have not, from their earliest antiquity,
wrought in this material though in tropical re-
gons, the abundance of gourdlike plants, and oil
large she'll fish, supply TO some extent the place
which clay vessels occupy in colder climates
We owe our principal knowledge of the pottery
of the ancents to that supers,tlous piety, which
led them to deposte in the graves of the dead
vases and other valuable articles, either for use
in n future state of existence, or because the de-
ceased was considered as still retaining his RICH,
of property to the articles most priced by him in
| life.
The antique vessels which | mentioned as
having been recently found near Rome consist
of large cases, answering the purpose of collins
in the shape of houses or rather hus, and con
tanning smaller and more finely wrought vases
of various FORMS and many other articles both Of
ornament and use, together with the bones anc
ashes of the dead. In the first, and far as
am informed, only locality yet discovered, no
less than 1000 of these vessels have been found
They are of rude workmanship, but similar il
their general character to the celebrated Etrus
can vases, which, though at least in general pro
badly of later date, deserve a more extended no
tice, because of their superior merit as works o
art
There has been much dispute among antiquaries
in regard to the proper appellaton Of these va
SEES, and they have been sometimes rather arbi
trarily divided into various classes, as Eruscan
Campanan, Tyrrhenlan, Egyptian and Greek
and while some investigators have claimed then