The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-07-28
THE FRENCH DEPARTMENT.

i.
There is considerable portion of this department
still unoccupied, but in less than two weeks the
rangement of articles will be complete. Yesterday
group in bronze, representing Indian on horse
back, attacked by huge serpent, was taken out of
its case, and placed exhibition in the west nave
The design and execution of the work speak most
favoraby for the genius of the artist particularly il
he is young man. The serpent has already coiled
himself round the body Of the horse in such man.
ner as to enclose one of the legs Of the rider within
its folds The expression Of agony on the face of
the horse, though well represented, will not
bear comparison with the Amazons horse,
which, however, we may remark, is the very acme
ofperfection. The Indian, undaunted by the at
tack of his terrible enemy, is prepared for the
counter and is in the act Of firing arrow into his
distended jaws. The artist has been very successful
in his representation of the serpent and in fact in
the attitudes of all the figures. You feel while
looking at it, the imminent danger in which the
man is placed, and for moment forget, in your
sympathy for him. that there is no reality in it, and
that the forms before you nanimate. This after
all, is the triumph of art, and the sculptor
who has achieved such triumph may
laugh at the critics and defy their attacks. What
ever receives the stamp Of public approval requires
no higher success the oaa ensemble of the sculptors
work may not please the eye Of the criticthere may
be something wrong in the pose Of the. fgure-the
body may be too large, or the head too small and a
hundred defects or seeming defects may be discover
ed by your critic but if il has touched the great
heart Of the people, and received its unresraned un
tutored approval, it must be great work. This
group is by Ottin, French artist and we believe is
the only work Of his on exhibition.
There are large number of saws on exhibition,
nearly in the centre of the French department.
They are of all sizes and forms in which these inds-
pensablc instruments are made. Some are round,
some long, and others short, according to the kind
Of work for which they are required. As specimens
of French manufacture they said to be excellent
We observed among the collection saw of such
remarkable dimensions that we suppose it is intend
ed more for show than use. 1t is joined at both ends
and cannot be less than thirty feet in circumference
A few feet distant from the saws is most valua-
BILE chemical apparatus, made entirely Of platina,
and worth about sixteen thousand dollars The
principal article is retort, the body of which is
formed of one piece Of this metal Patna is hardly
inferior to gold in respect of scarcity beauty, due
ulity and indestructbly and in many respects it is
superior to it. 1t was entirely unknown in Europe
tiii about the middle of the last century,
when 1t began to be imported in small quantities
from South America Since then it has been dis.
covered in Esramadura in Spain, and more recently
in the ural Mountains in Asatc Russia, where it is
now raised in very considerable quantities Platina
is OF white color, like silver, but not so bright and
is devoid Of taste or smell In hardness il occupies n
middle place between copper and iron, and is the
heaviest body known, not excepting gold even. II
is exceedingly ductiie and malleable and is also one
of the most infusibe of all metals. 1t is this last
quality which renders 1t peculiarly adapted for the
purposes of chemistry, in which it is subject to the
seyerest tests. 1t is not capable of being in the
least degree altered by the action OF air or water
AUSTRIAN DEPARTMENT-PINE ARTS.
The.high reputation won by Austria at the Lon
don Exhibition-a reputation due almost as much
to the value OF its native production as to the ex
gnlsite taste and skill displayed in the contributions
irom all parts OF the country, and particularly,
from its Italian provinces-naturay exctes agree
able anticpatons in the mind of the visiter to this
department as to the pleasure to be derived from
inspection Of the specimens on which she seeks to
maintain her pre- emnence. Although we miss many
of the works which elected such general admiration
on that occasion, and more particularly the beaut
fully carved furniture from Vienna, and the chaste
and delicately modelled friezes of Raphael Mont,
from Milan we confess that upon the whole the i'm
preston left by examination of the present coec
ton is that Of unqualified satisfaction In the actual
amount Of contributions there may perhaps, be
disparity but in the variety and beauty of the dc.
signs, and the careful execution Of the works them
selves, we recognise the same refined taste and deli
cate manipulation, which have accomplished such
marvels of skill and ingenuity. With such evidence
as they have now placed before u.s. we feel that we
are justified in predicting that if they perscvere
steadily in the course which they seem to have laid