Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1853-01-29

honorable to them for this act OF cohhoehce anu
kindness. They all men OF property IN the
CITY of Charleston and in the State OF South Caro-
lima. Their names are James Rose, james Gads-
den, II. Gourtin, F. ii. Gilmore, d. b. NorthroP'
Charles d. Carr Edward Frost, N. M. Porter, D.
Srbnierle and George Kinlock. The contract re-
oured the statue to be third larger than life
1t is little more than that Government turnlsh-
ed the metal, which old cannon, and some OF
which was captured by Cen Jackson. Congress
voted five thousand dollars for the pedestal on
which the statue stands. AN other expenses have
been borue by Mr. Mills.
What an undertaking for Charleston plaster
err! What an instructive comment on the history
of genius and on the power Of republican lnstltu-
lions in developing the qulities of the mind Mr.
Mills was then thrty-two years Of age. man
in whose personal appearance there was nothing to
strike an ordinary observer as remarkable; PLAIN
in his manners and dress, and exceedingly modest;
never advancing in conversation, but retiring, eX-
cept with familiar friends, and the subject of the
statue and of arts then he would be free, commu-
nicative and instructve for, though he had never
seen any works of art he had, in his leisure hours
read much, and had studied anatomy. lie has an
ardent mind and temperament, controlled by
sound Judgment, and thorough practical knowl-
edge of men and business. This, with we'll
balanced mind, SO uncommon in artists, he has &C
uuired in the school of poverty and in the struggle
ready and just perception, especially Of forms, and
for great frmness of purpose. lie Is passionate,
but ready to forgive. In personal appearance, he
presents the figure of Il about five feet ten
inches in height, well and strongly made-not
stout-with quick and energetic step. lie has
searching light grey eye, good regular Caucasian
features, and gray hair, turned grey during the
period of his labor and anxiety over the great work
he has accomplished This is Mr.. Mills. We have
been thus circunstantia, because we believe pos
terity will wish to know something of this remark
able untaught or self-taught artist.
Now he commences his work On a vacant lot
of government ground, near the Presidents House,
at the corner of Fifteenth street and Pennsy lvania
avenue he erected small frame building for
workshop and residence. He bought horse in
Virginia. known in the Turf Register as Olympus.
This he trained to present the attitude he wanted.
This horse is we'll known in Washington ROW as
the model horse" He dissected horses. lie
studied the breed and character of different kinds
of horses. lie selected the various points of beau
ty and strength from them ALL to produce the
SPLENDID bronze one he has made. As the various
points Of female beauty, never found in any one te
male, yet all perfectly natural, are found in the
Venus de Medicis so he resolved to make his horse
yet 1t is perfect war-hoIse. He studied the char
acter of Jackson, and the best kenesses that could
be found, to give faithful representation of
him. He took from the military dress of Gen.
Jackson, deposited in the Patent Office, the mod
e BY which he clothed the hero. The very sword
he wore and every minutie of the saddle, holsters
bridle and buckles, is faithful to history. let
is there nothing stiff or awkward in the entire group
all is true, natural, and easy. He modelled his
colossal group in plaster. He was not quite two
wears doing this The model was exhibited to the
public; all admired its beauty. But critics, art
lists, and scientific men declared it could never
stand. The statue stood on its hind fee: alone
This has never been done before. All the cclebra-
ted equestrian statues in the world represented as
rampant, with the fore feet in the air. had been
supported by some additional and extraneous
means; generally by some prop or by fastening
the tail to the pedestal giving an unnatural attl
tude, and destroying the e-like expression of the
animal. People could not realize the fact that the
first equestrian statue in America executed by an
untaught American artist could be superior in this
respect to all the art of the Old World. Mills,
however, following the dictates of his genius
and nature, had discovered that natural horse to
get in such position must throw the centre of
gravity through the rider to his hind feet. lie
staked his reputation on that principle and has,
contrary to the expectations of the learned and
scientific, triumphed.
The model finished, the next thing to be done
was to cast the statue. Mills had no foundry. lie
sent to different large foundries in Pennsylvania
could not be cast in their foundries but that one
could be built for the purpose for twenty tn usand
dollars This would not do. His contract for the
whole work was on y twelve thousand dollars, and
he, consequently, could not afford such sum for
the casting. What was he to do? Founders and
artists had said there no place in America
where such colossal statue could be cast. His
means-his contract-would not enable him to go
to Europe. Full Of misunderstanding, Mira
beau said to his secretary, that nothing was i'm
possible" and as the Marseillaise said to Kossuth,
that nothing was impossible to he who wills y
Mr.. Mills built foundry himself. With limited
means, and in a small miserable shanty, he built
foundry upon a neaO principle, without CHM
ney, smoke-stack, or draft of any kind-an inven-
ton Of his and cast his colossal statue. What
is not the human mind equal to when conscious of
its power and pressed by difficulties! Of this
foundry, we'll as of balancing the statue, scien-
tifc men had said it contrary to experience
and to all the known rules of science How could
sufficient heat be generated to melt such of
metal without draught? He proved by
perience that it could be done. With three-eights
of a cord of wood he melted sixteen hundred
pounds of metal, and cast four bells. He confined
the caloric and found that with comparatively lit
tie fuel and in very small space, he could gener-
ate the most intense heat. He found, also that he
had increased the hardness. and therefore improved
the quality, of the metal by his furnace. He in
formed the government of his discovery, thinking
it would be very important in the mandatory of
cannon. He proposed to cast cannon and have it