SINCE the opening of the Exhibition many fine works in sculpture have found their way into the naves and domes, interspersed pleasantly with orange trees, and other tropical plants and flowering shrubs. This is a great improvement upon the original design, which was to confine the sculpture to the Picture Galleries and to a court of its own.

We shall have occasion to speak of the sculpture groups as we proceed in our examination of the works of Foley, Bell, Gibson, Munro, Marshall, Watson, and other English artists; and also to notice the foreign exhibitors in this department. Sculpture nolds a very high and deservedly important place in the International Exhibition. The collection of busts alone is remarkable; and as for life-size statuary, there are in the building upwards of two hundred groups-in marble, plaster, and bronze.

Of the works of living sculptors the tinted "Venus" of Gibson and the "Brother and Sister" of Woolner are acknowledged masterpieces. Without undertaking to pronounce on the disputed point as to whether colour is an enhancement of the beauty of statuary, we think we may say that Gibson's "Venus" is really a fine work. It is tinted in the slightest possible manner, so as merely to soften the general effect of the marble, and to give a faint appearance of life to the figure. Mr. Gibson has not adopted the conventional

statue was executed at Rome, in 1852, and has been sent to the Exhibition by the owner, after remaining in the sculptor's studio for several years, the admiration of all connoisseurs.

Much has been written and said of the alleged deterioration in modern sculpture, and the greater advances made during the last ten years in the sister arts of painting and engraving. Mr. Palgrave, the Government Inspector of Schools, has undertaken to speak in terms of condemnation of the works of living sculptors; but as he speaks without knowledge, and with an evident leaning towards one particular schooland, indeed, towards one particular artist -his criticisms are deservedly considered as worthless, at least by all who claim to form opinions of their own. His coarse condemnation of the works of Baron Marochetti, Mr. and Mrs. Thornycroft, and Mr. Macdowell, and his weak depreciation of the artistic efforts of foreign sculptors, has led to much ill-feeling, and many angry discussions; but we may dismiss his word - painting on art in a single sentence-it carries no weight with either artists or the public.

Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the present Exhibition possesses few works of transcendent genius. The extreme costliness of foreign marble may, perhaps, in some measure account for the want of public encouragement for sculpture. There is absolutely no deficiency in genius, taste, or mechanical skill; but possibly the failure in appreciation for works of art in sculpture arises from the want of critical know

idea of Venus, but has represented her as the goddess of marriagea beautiful and dignified matron, with a tortoise at her feet The

ledge among those who are rich enough to become patrons of sculptors. That the public themselves are partial to the art, the growing taste for Statuettes in Parian and biscuit ware seems evidence enough. But the perfection of modelling can only be obtained through life-size sculpture. When-as in the Manchester Art Treasures' Exhibition-we see chiselled marbles of half or quarter lifesize, we fear for the future of sculpture. What, then, should sculptors themselves do to revive the taste among the wealthy? It is not every day that a Thomas Hope can afford to give to the world a Thorwaldsen, or that a corporation like that of the City of London can be induced to offer commissions to half-a-dozen educated artists. Why do not our sculptors try their chisels on some material less costly than the

marbles of Paros or Carrara ? Surely there is warrant enough in our and stone, of old churches for the employment of a cheaper material; fair quality and sufficient endurance, is by no means scarce in the quarries of Caen, Devonshire, Portland, and Yorkshire. If cheap sculpture were desired, why could not our Gibsons and Marshalls try the beautiful alabaster of Derbyshire, or the delicate serpentine of Cornwall, which may be obtained in blocks of any size, and in all gradations of colour? In Hardman's Medieval Court, in the southeast Transept, there is a "Virgin and Child," in variegated marble, with only the face and hands white. We presume the heads of the figures have been joined to the main block. No material is better suited for sculpture, in connection with Gothic architecture, than English

There is excellent precedent for such combined action. It was from the guilds of craftsmen and shopkeepers that Donatelli, Ghiberti, and their fellows received commissions for their immortal works in Florence.

The sculpture in the International Exhibition is much of it very fine, much of it only mediocre, and some of it poor in design and faulty in execution. In the foreign courts-especially those of Rome and Italy-many good works are displayed; and here and there in the Nave and Picture Galleries we come upon a beautiful figure or a spirited group by an English artist. Of these we shall have to speak in another page; but we cannot refrain from calling attention to the "Shakespeare Group," by the late John Thomas, the "California,"

by Hiram Powers, whose "Greek Slave" was one of the gems of the Hyde Park Palace of 1851, and the "Cleopatra," by Story.

In Portrait seulpture the present Exhibition is particularly rich. The sculptors who for the last hundred years have given us resemblances in marble of the great men of the world, are all here-Nollekens, Banks, Chantrey, Flaxman, Watson, Foley, and others of our own countrymen; while Canova, Dannettée, and two or three other names, represent the art of France, Italy, and Germany. There is considerable interest in portrait marbles, and we regret that their costliness acts as a bar to their greater popularity among the wealthy classes; but, as regards the general public, there is certainly no lack of appreciation for works of real merit. It is to be lamented that so few opportunities are afforded for the display of good sculpture. It is true that in the Crystal Palace and in the South Kensington Museum there are a large number of valuable casts from English and foreign works of repute; but they lose half their utility from their unfortunate juxtaposition with other works of art and industry with which they have no kind of relation.

In the Exhibition there is indeed a hall devoted to the display of modern sculpture; but in order to familiarise the mind of the public with the chefs-d'œuvre of the art, they should not be placed in lines, as in the Italian and Roman courts; but each particular statue should have, as it were, a shrine of its own—an architectural frame, as in the Vatican and the Louvre-in which the Apollo and the Laocoön might be studied to advantage. How much architectural accessories lend to a statue may be seen in Gibson's majestic sitting figure of our

beloved Queen, in the throne room at Westminster; though, unfortunately, the scale of the marble is too great for the apartment, and the attendant allegories strike one as rather obtrusive. But enough for the day. We are not desirous of lecturing on art, though we wish to convey to our readers some correct ideas of its influence and value as an educational medium. Having touched upon sculpture, we shall by and by have something to say about painting. The pictures and engravings in the International Exhibition demand separate and distinct notice. They cannot be dismissed in a column.

The works we have engraved to illustrate our remarks are to be found in Messrs. Copeland's stall in the British nave. They consist of statuettes in Parian, and are remarkable as showing how successfully this kind of art manufacture can be produced. The group of "Paul and Virginia" is very gracefully modelled, especially the heads. A large number of other subjects in Parian will be found attractive; notably those reduced from well-known groups. The only fear is that in their reproduction, mere prettiness may be esteemed above power, and that the public taste for sculpture may thus be debased instead of improved. These statuettes must, and undoubtedly do, diffuse a knowledge of fine works, and improve the general taste of the people by familiarising their eyes with beautiful forms; but it is, nevertheless, true that noble sculpture can only be fully appreciated in life size or even heroic groups. Though our St. Paul's and Westminster do not contain many excellent works, the sculpture in them has certainly the effect we refer to on the minds of all visitors.

ALUMINIUM. The display of works in aluminium, and its alloy with copper-which the manufacturers, with a slight laxity of technology, denominate bronze-is highly attractive, from its novelty, as well as from its intrinsic merit and beauty. Here is an example of one of the great strides which industrial art has made since the Exhibition of 1851. It is true that the existence of the metal had then been known for some twenty-four years, but the want of a process by which it could be produced in quantity, and in a workable shape, kept it in the rank of a scientific curiosity. The discoveries of M. Deville attained this desideratum, and here we have an example of the extent to which the taste and skill of the manufacturers have profited by this new resource. The metal is shown in many varieties of form-cast into ingots, drawn out into fine wire, wrought into reflectors, spun into lace, and fashioned into many ordinary and scientific implements. Its lightness may be judged of by the fact that an aluminium sextant of the ordinary size weighs only 1lb. 9oz., whereas a brass one of the same dimensions would weigh 3lb. Its superior inaccessibility to corrosion is shown by the juxtaposition of a fragment of it with a piece of silver, in a sulphureous solution, which has blackened the latter, but left the former intact.

OLD DRESDEN CHINA.-Near the Turkish Court, but farther west, and shown in the Nave, is some fine Danish porcelain, from the Imperial factory at Copenhagen. The only real re-production of old Dresden china is exhibited here, in the form of a dinner-service, manufactured for Prince Louis of Hesse, and which, as a sample of high-class manufacture, and as a really good copy of the old Dresden type, is one of the best specimens of foreign porcelain in the building. The shapes of these pieces are, perhaps, not what modern manufacturers would call shapes at all, though all porcelain amateurs will at once understand what we mean, when we say that in this set the quaint, old, serviceable forms, the delicate painting, bright glaze, and perfect figuremoulding of old Dresden have really been perfected at Copenhagen. Compared with this excellent work, the Dresden Court itself shows only modernised conventionalities, in which more of the faults than the beauties of the old ware are reproduced.

FIRE-ENGINE ARRANGEMENTS.-Captain Bent is the officer who has the superintendence-in-chief of the fire arrangements, and under him are one engineer, four sub-engineers, and nine firemen, of which number at least eight are always on duty in different parts of the building, while close at hand a company of Sappers is stationed, from whom considerable assistance and support would, of course, be received. There are six engines, ten stand-pipes, twenty-four dozen of firebuckets, twenty-four hand-pumps with pails, 120 lengths of hose, and three hose-reels, with an adequate proportion of tools. The water supply consists of a 9-inch main, which runs east and west throughout the entire length of the building, and which is again intersected at right angles with 4-inch service pipes. The eastern and western annexes are similarly supplied, and the galleries and roof with smaller service pipes. There are a large number of stopcocks, and no less than 107 hydrants, or fire-cocks.

FOREIGN ENGLISH.-The following choice specimen of English composition is daily distributed in the Western Annexe:-"Balthasar Danzer, manufacturer of Bellows a Munic, recomends his theuv-predu-cing apparatus made for the irrigation of tender plants and caloulated dr destroying plant lice. Price L4. s. 15. His second apparatus intended for domestic use serves for the pur pore of destroying bugs batles cock reaches and all other noisome chafers in house a Kitchens. Pr: 6s. 6d.❞

A SINGING BIRD IN METAL.-Another little "lion" is the watchmaker's case in the Swiss Court, where the exhibitor is pestered with the applications of fair petitioners for a song from the wonderful little bird, which, jumping up out of a splendid gold box, sings and hops about as if it were alive.

THE TALKING INSTRUMENT.-The display of the famous talking instrument is viewed with much curiosity. Only one other instrument of the same kind exists in the world, though in this the difficulty of clearly pronouncing the "th" has not been altogether overcome. It is said, however, that in the machine about to be exhibited in a few days not only is the pronunciation perfect, but even in several languages.

COAL-TAR PRODUCTS.-The new aniline colours from the benzole of coal-tar are well represented. Perkin's case (south-east passage of Eastern Annexe), showing the manufacture and application of aniline purple or mauve, is well worthy a long inspection, as it shows the entire series of changes from the crude and fœtid coal-tar, and naphtha obtained from it, through the series of benzole, nitro-benzole, aniline, sulphate of aniline, to the precipitation of the splendid mauve by bichromate of potash. It also shows all the re-agents employed in the process, and the waste materials, including the refuse black pigment employed in the manufacture of the printing-ink used by some of our cheap contemporaries. The auxiliary substances used in the dyeing processes are also shown, and the mauve in a crystalline state, when it resembles the gorgeous lustre on the wings of some green tropical beetles; and also in bulk a small pillar, about the diameter and twice the height of a man's hat, being worth £1,000, the quantity of colouring matter it contains being enough to dye the heavens with purple. Nor is the case of coal-tar products exhibited by Simpson and Co. less attractive. Here the magenta, or rose aniline, is shown, and our readers will perhaps be surprised to hear that this splendid red colour forms brilliant metallic green crystals, and that the huge crown formed of this substance contains nearly £200 worth of material, and was crystallised in a vat containing solution to the value of many thousand pounds.

AUTOMATON MUSIC.-The finely enamelled mechanical casket of M. Golay Leresche, of Geneva, attracts crowds of admiring listeners, as well as spectators, for this casket is not only a sight to see, but a sound to hear. A shepherd boy, answering the notes of a bird on the bough of a tree, fingers his pipe, and bids it discourse most eloquent music. The song of the bird is deliciously natural, and the motion of the boy's fingers in controlling the stops of his instrument is perfect.

A JEWELLED HORSE-SHOE.-Among the jeweller's work behind the Prussian case under the Dome is a collection from Herr Joseph Friedman, of Frankfort, which includes, among other "elegant" trifles, a tiny clock set in a horse-shoe with turquoise nails. In what school of jeweller's art did the designer learn to shoe a clock ?

KING JOHN'S BARONS AT THE EXHIBITION.-A great ornament has been added, since the Opening Day, to the eastern daïs, by placing under the arcades of the stairways Elkington's series of the Magna Charta Barons, executed for the House of Peers. Of course, the originals are now in the Peers' Chamber; but these are the models from which they were executed, which have been themselves bronzed

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and relieved with gilt, and are in no way to be distinguished from those which nightly loom down from their niches over Government and Opposition.

THE USEFUL AND ORNAMENTAL COMBINED.-The works from the Berlin Royal Prussian Iron Foundry, exhibited in the centre of the Zollverein Transept, at the bottom of the stairs descending from the platform under the dome, are worth especial attention. Near the group of works from the Berlin Iron Foundry is another of the odd notions in which these German courts are somewhat rich. It is a suit of armour treated as a stove. The gentleman who likes old armour in his hall, and also wishes his hall to be warmed, may here see how the legs of a man-at-arms may serve for stove pipes, and his whole substance may be so dealt with that potatoes can be baked behind his breastplate, and a pot of coffee be kept warm under his helm.

THE SAVAGES' PAINT.--In the colonial department-the Southeast Transept-there are exhibited many varieties of clays and pigments. Among others there is the wilgi, with the qualities of which the natives are well acquainted, and which would, no doubt, prove of service in the arts and manufactures of this country. The natives adorn themselves with this earth, just as our ancestors decorated themselves with the blue dye of the saffron. In order to appear in full costume, the Western Australians-we do not, of course, mean the settlers, but the aborigines-saturate themselves thoroughly with grease, and having formed this adhesive surface, they rub their bodies over with this light red ochre!

A MILKING MACHINE.-The latest Yankee invention is exhibited in the shape of a mechanical "cow-milker," which does the work more effectually than the neatest-handed Phyllis, and doubles the ordinary process in results. Spectators are amused, and ask "What next ?" but a great many think that the old machine has solid recommendations to the bucolic mind.

WEST AUSTRALIAN TIMBER.-The Jarah tree of this colony grows to enormous proportions, and is a most durable and serviceable wood. Six planks, cut out of one tree, have been sent to London; they are 120 feet long, five feet wide, and seven inches thick. As they cannot be conveniently shown in the building, they have been placed in the horticultural gardens.

THE OLD TIMES AND THE NEW.- From the Duchy of SaxeAltenburg are seven exhibitors; one Herr August Heu of Altenburg being the only exhibitor of cross-bows (not toys) within the building. So times change. The cross-bows are gone, and the suit of mail is an "ornament for your fire stove!"

HOLLAND-a country connected politically, commercially, and socially with Great Britain-is exceedingly well represented in the Great Exhibition of All Nations. The Netherlands-for under this name is comprised the provinces popularly known as Holland-shows well in thirty-three classes; and her court, on the north side of the nave, between Belgium and Switzerland, is really one of the most attractive in the palace.

In animal and vegetable substances used in various manufactures, in cereals and timber, paper and printing, furniture, iron, and hardware, pipes, snuff, tobacco, and saddlery, woollens and blankets, silks, damasks, and mixed fabrics-good and substantial, though not very tasteful in design-Holland and her colonies merit considerable attention from the visitor.

In the centre of the court will be seen and admired various groupings of woollen goods, handsomely encased in a sort of cabinet, surmounted by flags artistically arranged.

Near at hand are several musical instruments, of fine tone and good workmanship; as well as some really excellent specimens of cabinet ware, in curious and expensive woods. The cabinet in Amboyna

wood, with pilasters in palisander, in colour somewhat darker than rosewood, is much admired. Considerable ingenuity is displayed in some of the furniture-secret springs, concealed drawers, and other mysterious arrangements rewarding the patience of the searcher. A tall bureau, with a pair of steps, which fly out of its side to enable one to reach its upper shelves, is certainly a novelty; and a console table, which may be converted at pleasure into a sideboard, may have much merit; but neither of the objects recommend themselves greatly to English tastes.

Considerable skill is shown in some of the Dutch carvings-especially the Brabant Pulpit-finely executed in oak, and boldly designed. Several curious machines, in brass and iron wire, used by the Dutch women in dressing and adorning their hair, will excite attention; as we presume would also a full-sized crinoline, of, say, twenty steel hoops, if shown in China or Japan. Silver manufactures, with filigree, from Java and the Dutch colonies; stones for building purposes, ores, gold lace, and military uniforms, well-designed silver plate, together with a miscellaneous collection of objects, comprising Dutch cheeses, and strong liquors in squat bottles, oils of rape and other

seeds, biscuits, glue, sugar-glue, and sweetmeats, will be found under the galleries.

Glass, pottery, and manufactures in leather are also abundant; but the most prominent, and certainly the most valuable, of the Dutch contributions is the famous diamond, the "Star of the South," which is shown in the nave, facing the principal entrance to the court.

The diamond merchants of Amsterdam have long been famous for the brilliancy of their gems, and the exquisite taste with which they are cut. The "Star of the South" was discovered in Brazil, some five years since. It is of an oval shape, very pure in colour, which is what connoisseurs call "pink-white," in contradistinction of the tint assumed

Steam-power is brought by Messrs. Coster into extensive operation in the process.of diamond-cutting. The first step is to rub two surfaces together, on the proverbial principle of "diamond cut diamond." By this process they receive their first rough general shape. The numerous small facets are then cut at the mill, by means of swiftlyrevolving plates of metal, on which is placed a mixture of diamonddust and olive oil. The extraordinary rapidity with which the wheels revolve may be seen by any visitor who goes into the machinery annexe, where Messrs. Garrard are actually cutting and polishing diamonds before the very eyes of a curious and inquiring public. Nothing more interesting can be seen than the way in which "a gem

by the Koh-i-noor, which is "white-white." The art of diamondcutting is carried on almost exclusively at Amsterdam, where several large mills have been established. This peculiar trade is, strange to say, almost entirely in the hands of persons of the Jewish persuasion. It is said that of the 28,000 Jews residing in Amsterdam, nearly half of them are employed in the various industries connected with the cutting and polishing of diamonds. The "Star of the South" belongs to a company of shareholders in England, France, Holland, and Brazil. It was cut and polished at the establishment of Messrs. Coster, one of the largest in the Dutch metropolis. They hold one share in the gem, and have displayed great care and taste in bringing it into its present condition of almost unapproachable beauty.

of purest ray serene," like the "Star of the South," is brought to the perfection and beauty necessary for the tiara of an empress or the coronet of a countess. The diamond which flashes and sparkles, and reflects every ray of light which falls across it, is, after all, but a bit of carbon!--an idea rather consolatory to those who possess no diamonds, but are perfectly acquainted with the valuable properties of charcoal! In the Netherlands Court there is seldom so great a crowd as to prevent the visitor making a careful examination of its various objects of attraction; but for the studious inquirer after knowledge we advise a tolerably long stay. He will not waste his time; for, next to foreign travel, an inspection of the products of other countries is the most profitable.