Page images
PDF
EPUB

ness in the vast creation, and to say, "Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" Psa. viii. 4.

The tapestry, the paintings, the musical instruments, the casts, the carvings, and the mosaic tables, will abundantly recompense you for the trouble of coming again; the printing and weaving should be dwelt upon; the microscopes, kaleidoscopes, prisms, the curious pieces of mechanism, and unnumbered curiosities, will amuse you: the chemical lecture must not be lost. The Daguerreotype and electrotype portraits must be inspected with care, and then you will have a rich treat in the exhibition of paintings called the Kalorama. These paintings are in the new relievo style, and their effect is excellent. In the lectures you will learn something to raise your admiration of Him, of whose creation we know so little. After all that science can unfold, how ignorant we are of our Almighty Creator and Redeemer! infinitely wise, and strong, and good, and holy! "Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" We must now leave unnoticed, and indeed unseen, many excellent inventions, that do credit to the minds that gave them birth; but let us not forget the few that we have inspected.

Many may regard the Royal Adelaide Gallery as an idle lounge, or, at best, but a place of brief

amusement; but this is not doing it justice. It should be regarded as an exhibition of what the human mind has undertaken and achieved to remove difficulty, to avert danger, to increase information, to extend comfort, and generally to benefit mankind. Every visit we pay to it ought not only to render us more capable, but more desirous also, of doing good to all around us. When knowledge and benevolence go hand in hand in temporal things, they mutually assist each other; but when, under Divine direction, they unite their efforts to further the temporal and spiritual welfare of the world, they take a higher range, and a holy influence crowns them with success.

*

*

*

*

*

This ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION, like that of the Royal Adelaide Gallery, is established for the advancement of the arts and practical science, especially in connexion with agriculture, mining, machinery, and manufactures: so, of necessity, the two institutions partake of the same character.

While I am gazing from the balcony, the Great Hall appears to be crowded with company of all ages. The bright and eager eye of youth, the sobered mien of maturity, and the yet more grave and reflecting countenance of age, may be seen at a glance, and many a parent feels himself puzzled to answer the questions of his children. Mammas

[ocr errors]

hardly dare open their mouths, and papas, with all their home-knowledge, find it no easy matter to keep up a character for wisdom, when surrounded with scientific instruments and intricate machinery. Well, we must go on, or we shall not see half the things which are to be seen""Ask me when we are at home"-and, "I have not time to explain it to you now," are all the replies that many a curious, eager-eyed urchin can get in return for his incessant questionings.

We have here, as at the Royal Adelaide Gallery, models and machinery of all kinds ; experiments are made and lectures given on interesting subjects, so that whatever may be the object or taste of the visitor, he may gratify his curiosity, and extend his knowledge.

A foreign stranger, a Wallachian, has joined me. You may fancy him going down in the diving-bell with Old Humphrey but I will describe the scene.

:

The Wallachian, myself, a lady, and a young man, mounted the steps, and crept as well as we could into the bell, and took our seats: we were then hoisted up over the huge well of water, and soon began to descend, the face of the young man as colourless as though he were about to undergo an execution. The Wallachian was all animation, but the young man was all fearfulness, almost amounting to terror.

On one side of the bell was a knocker, with an

inscription directing us to rap, if we wished to ascend. "Shall I knock?" said the young man in great trepidation, before we had descended many feet but I asked him what he wanted to knock for; and if he had left anything behind him. In a few more seconds, "Shall I knock now?" cried out the young man in an agony ; but I told him that he must not on any account knock till we had reached the bottom. It was however all in vain, for young Faint-heart could not contain himself; so laying hold of the knocker, he rapped most lustily, and up we came, to the great mortification of the Wallachian and myself, and to the evident relief and joy of our timorous companion.

[blocks in formation]

Well, I have passed three hours in a very pleasurable way-steam-engines, printing presses, microscopes, magnets, orreries, machinery, paintings, Daguerreotype pictures, and scientific apparatus, of all kinds, have been inspected, lectures listened to, and some attention paid to the manners of the ever-varying company that throng the place; and now, with my catalogue in my hand, before I quit the place, I will just take a glance at such things in the exhibition as a stranger will do well to regard. Though his taste and mine may not altogether agree, yet still my homely remarks may be useful.

Hear what lectures you can, whether on the steam-engine, natural philosophy, chemistry, aërostation, or the chemical, Daguerreotype, and electrotype arts; and be sure to see the oxyhydrogen microscope and dissolving views, not forgetting afterwards to reflect on what you have heard and seen.

Have an eye to the process of coining, to the opaque microscope, and to the dock-yard scene attached to the canals in the great hall go down in the diving-bell, if you are curious in such matters, and not fearful. Pass not by without a pause at that model of the Undercliff of the Isle of Wight. Look at the paintings on glass copied from Martin's celebrated pictures; and as the porphyry table is valued at three thousand pounds, and the porcelain table cost Napoleon Buonaparte twelve thousand, you will hardly expect to find them unworthy of your attention.

In the hall of manufactures there are lathes, braiding and twisting machines, power-loom and warping mills, and a copper-plate printing press at work. See them all.

In the gallery of the great hall you will find many things to engage your attention. That Coorg knife and Hindoostanee dagger are ugly weapons: they remind me of a dagger of the king of Lattakoo, once showed to me, which was said to have shed the heart's blood of not less than three of his wives. Oh that mankind

« PreviousContinue »