The Portland daily press., 1876-05-18
Exhibition Notes.

Several wealthy Chinese gentlemen of Tient.
sin, Hangchow and Canton have sent to the
Exhibition an unusually valuable aud interest
ing collection Of curi0s and articles of virtu.
The collection consists of elaborate carvings in
blackwood, porcelain screens painted by hand,
vases of all sizes in black, gold, and scarlet
lacquer, as well as those painted in the ordi-
Iary style, and great variety of other objects,
all valuable and curious. In each instance
these goods form part of private collections,
and most of them are of great antiquity. A
few are unpurchasable ard could not be re-
placed. The collection is valued at $4,000.
The owners are very anxious to outshine the
exhibition made by WI, the late Tao-t'ai of
Shanghai, at Paris.
France is to be reckoned among the tardy
nations, but in a week or two her displays,
though comparatively small, will be found to
be, in her peculiar lines. quite unsurpassable
Taste, which is the national characteristic par
excellence, is everywhere to be seen. There
are exquisite Silks velvets and dress goods,
bronzes, marbles and clocks; iewelry of mag
ni6cent designs; fans of indescribable shapes
and hues; porcelains and work in ebony and
ivory, such as could not possibly have come
from any other country than France. or any
other city than Paris. Photographs, perfumes,
musical instruments, cutlery and a thousand
other things, finished with fnical nicely, are
also exhibited. The French pictures are good,
though not the work of artists famous either in
the past or present. As might be expected,
there IS no machinery to speak If, if we except
some beet-sugar apparatus and one or two
other inventions.
There is singular appearance Of the dry
goods store about that portion of the building
near the main or eastern entrance. Here the
textile fabrics are displayed, and as the eye
ranges over the numerous showcases in which
they are exhibited, one almost instinctiyely
looks for the cards announcing "AlLwool cloth,
only S1.95 yaid;'' or 'These handsome dress
patterns going cheap for cash." Fortunately,
the rules of the Exhibition forbid the fixing of
prices ON the articles displayed, otherwise the
place would be turned into gigantic bazaar.
There is no perceptible crowd in this part not
even of the fair sex.
So far as first impressions 60, all Americans
may feel gratifed at their display in machin-
cry. 1t is in some departments simply superb.
CACept III buc CdStS VI dIS4b DEttalQ Anu EEuS-
sia, no foreign nations compete successfully
with the United States. Prussia in only a few
instances aud Great Britain in none too many
for her own fame and reputation. 1t is possi-
BILE that some of the nations may yet have ex-
hibits of striking character coming forward
But Great Britain has already surrendered her
unoccupied space. The machinery at present
is run from 10 till II AMI from till 6. These
hours may possibly be prolonged when things
get ship-shape. The present arrangement is to
allow of repairs and slight alteration to ths
new machinery.
The English will show at Philadelphia. in
their beautiful pottery and other works of taste
how easy it is to cultivate the artistic sense In
the mechanic and fine arts, even among peo-
pie naturally dull to it. These productions are
mainly the fruit of industries which have
sprung up since the great London exhibitions.
Mr. Disraeli state at the Royal academy BAN
quet, the other day, that there were now 140
schools of art in England, with nearly $1,000
pupils.
The display of furniture is not less interest
ing than that OF Ceramics, and admirers of the
'Eastake style" in particular will find
enough to delight their hearts. Several manu-
facturers have arranged their space so as to
give representation Of suite of rooms furn-
ished and decorated in different patterns.
james Shoolbred & Co., London, present for
instance in this way the Jacobeau, Queen Anne
and Anglo Indian styles in five or six COM
plete little rooms with carpets aud wall hang
ings. There is a dining-room set Of carved oak
xxyifI IL sIol.. nfN ad
mahogany of a beautiful warm color Wright
& Mansfield of London, who took the only
gold medal for furniture awarded to any Eng