The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-10-07

night. when il would seem the whole
CITY turns out, constituting a gay
throng and brilliant appearance in
the gIaTo of the thousands of gas
lights, the music, the noise of the
machinery, and the hustle OF the ex-
hibitors.
Lit is a good place to get a condensed
view of the progress Of California Ia
manufactures and the mechanic arts,
and the two or three hours which [
spent in the Pavilion last night, was
to NE full OF interest and profit, and
gave me an enlarged view Of this
country's present advancement, and
the wonderful future which is opening
up to It's trade and skilled labor. In
fact it would puzzle any New Eng
land or eastern city to surpass this
exhibition in the line of substan tial
and useful articles of home manufac-
ture. In almost all the useful depart
ments Of haudicraft the exhibition
was very fine.
One of the most attractive features
to me vas the collection OF native
woods, which, by the art Of the york
men. have been wrought into superb
display. The most attractive Of these
and mountain mahogheny, (0 all Of
which are susceptible OF a beautiful
polish, and harmonic finely worked
| together in contrast. Nothing more
elegant could hardly be imagined for
the finish OF room, or furniture, l
think, decidedly surprising our black
walnut and maple or pine. The fur
niture on exhibition were made of
those woods, and is equal to any |
ever saw in its workmanship and
richness. The laurel especially is
now the fashionable wood Of Califor-
MIA furniture and ornamentation, and
as it is hard aud close in fibre and
veneers well, is destined to be largely
| imported and used in the States.
There is on exhibition a most elegant
and costly chair made of this wood,
which is designed as a present to
President Grant. 1t is carved In
high artistic taste with emblematic
figures, embracing the American
Eagle, the wreath Of victory, and the
national flags On the top and back,
with the native California animals,
the bear, &c, on tie arms, and the
variety of native fruits on the legs.
1t would be a tedious and almost
endless task TO enumerate the differ
ent variety of attractive and interest
ing articles gathered In this vast
Pavilion, but there are some things
peculiarly Californian, requiring at
least a brief notice, among which
might be mentioned the various kinds
of machinery for mining purposes
the quartz mills Of immense power,
the almost endless variety Of pumps
for draining shafts, raising and forcing
water, &c. The display Of wooden
goods of home manufacture was
really surprising, when we remember
how lately and rapidly this country
sprung into life, and how little time
We might think, they have had as yet
to devote to manufacturing. And one
of the best collections in this line
comes from the wooden mills away uI
in Oregon When in Salt Lake City
was shown vast piles Of wooden
goods from the San Francisco mills
and was informed thas their entire
supply was now obtained from this
quarter. The exhibition mode in silk
culture and manufacture was to many
Of US entirely novel and quite inter
esting, in the collection, there being a
large quantity of cocoons, silk worm
eggs, samples of the mulberry leaves,
the raw silk, aad skeins Of thread.
/ Considerable attention is being be-
slowed upon this branch Of industry
| in California, and 1t is confidently ex-
pected that the experiments will re-
suit in great success; but not much
has been accomplished as yet.
The collection of Native Wines Is
quite extensive, and said to embrace
varieties which rival these Of France
in delicacy of taste and richness of
flavor and color. There appears to be
no question as TO the success Of Cali
fornia as a choice ine-producing
country. Mr.. Buchanan, a leading
wine grower of Ohio, and a member
of the Cincinnati excursion party now
hero. said yesterday in speech at the
Chamber of Commerce that California
was going to be the greatest wine pro-
dIcing country in the world. And
| there is good reason for this broad
declaration. In Europe they think
themselves fortunate if they produce
| three hundred gallons per acre, but
here as many as one thousand gallons
had been produced on single acre.
| The Exhibition does not purport to
make a show Of agricultural products,
but it has splendid display of fruits
| and flowers. And to the people from
the Eastern States the exhibition OF
fruits is the most attractive feature of
the Fair. There is nothing in the
States which can at all approach to it
in the magnificent proportions, the
delicioUsness of taste and the almost
endless variety collected at the Pa
Wilton. Such grapes probably never
were produced IN any age or country
since the Spies of Moses brought
back from the Land of Canaan the
specimens of It's fruitfulness, bearing
the punches OF slaves between their
shoulders. There were on exhibition,
by one individual, not less than two
| hundred different varieties of grapes.
| The pears rank next to the grapes in
the superiority oil their size and rich
ness of flavor, over our productions,
being, some Of them, Of mammoth
proportions. The collection com
bines the fruits of both the temper
ate and torrid zones, in which are our
apples, peaches, pears, plums, straw
berries and grapes, aud also oranges,
| figs, dates, pOmgrauates, pTunes, and
other tropical productions.
I was shown through the Pavilion
of an old resident of California, a
Forty Miner, a very intelligent and
observing gentlemen. He said that
after he had been in California several
months, having come across the Plains
and over the Mountains, and after he
had made as careful observation as
possible Of the capacity and future of
this country, upon request to do so,
he wrote back to Thurlow Weeds