OUR EXHIBITION LETTER.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 116, 12 February 1881, Page 2

OUR EXHIBITION LETTER.

BY COSMOPOLITAN. Victoria— The Austbahan tlvvk — The Platypus — The kanuiactttre of. ; TTTRB — T. AfACffBEOOE's EXHIBIT — T)r Stanley's sarsaparilla — Mb John DAnK8 — A LARGE EXHIBIT — BbASS- ' WOTJK, AND ITS NtfMBBBLBSg APPLICAtions — a colovi al'made flre-en&inb — Thb Van Yean wateb supply— Ei.BCTno-PLATrKa ik Victoria — AVOTHBtt PUBLIC CBBRMOKY. I Tho well-known fact of the faun* of Australia being entirely distinct- from that of anT.othT nart of the glohe, may be noticed by observant eyes to be well illustrated nl the Exhibitinn m the strange aad beautiful furs adapted to the wants of man, m theform of personal atrtre and adornment, and the variety of skins made into warm ru»B and other useful adaptions. The descendants of the herbivorous Diprotodon ore now trapped, skinned, and their fur made into fashionable jackets for Australian belles. The mont beautiful is th* fur of that most- strongs and anamoloue of all the remarkable Australian mammals, the duck billed Platypus, or Water-mole. Specir raens of this curious creature- may he seen at Mr Nettleberg's exhibits of Australian fun and rugs, m the Victorian Court.. It,, has strong claw* and web-feet, md broad mandibles like the bill of a duck, presenting a link between the quadruped, the bird, and the reptile. .. But its soft, brow» ; f ur resembles sealskin, so popular B>nd so much m demarifT'in Europe.. Mr. Nettleberg ex-. hibits ladies ' Jackets of this fur, which are softer and finer than sealskin, •>• jacket (taking no lftss than seventy skins of the platypus. The opossum rap is another animal laid undo; contribution by the furrier* A. . beautiful silver-grey 'opossum lug fcshpwn, composed of one hundred and sixty, skins, with the small heids and f#et arid tails most artistically arranged as a border. . Opoisumi muffs and caps are another adaption, and extremely well: they look. But muffs are made from no less than forty different skins the TasrcmniaTi opossum, the . black native cat, grey native, -oat, water ja.t, platypus (both plucked and djed), albatross, pelican. &c. The foot-muff would be an acquisition to railway travellers m Sngland on ' ihos* lines wbi^h do nOb supply foot-warmers! Travelling cloaks of black or, grey opossum skins also. Acatskin rug, mad<J from, 145 fkins, is »o evenly joined, that oot a seanj is discernible- One made for presentation tp (•he 'Prince of Wal«s out of Tasmanian opossum skins i« composed of sixty choica ones selected from eight thousand other. Mr Nettleberg presides over, every part of the process. Th» aYwi ar© obtained by his employees, the tanning, plucking, dy«»' j ing, all being done m Melbourne. There, appears to he considerable art m matching. Bkins to be made up into, articles of use and beauty, and this requires long, practice and experience. It is pretfcr clear that " Manufacturer " will have to be written against the greater part of Melbourne, houses of business. Indomitable energy and perseverence enables ■early e very ou» to, themselves produce the articles m which they trade. M^ T. M'ftregor's exhibit m the Victoria^ Court is onfi mere example. Baking-powder, curry- powder, and egg«ppw'deir X m wholesale quantities, is the direction m which lies > the strength of this enterprising house. Quinine wiuo for the invalid, tonic bitters for the dyspeptic, and cordials for those who need them,*iare onlj a portion of their productions. t>r Stanley's Sarsaparilla is a preparation u,p.on which they successfully" devote much attention. But. T. Macgregor, of 6. Bond street, Melbourne, show at. their offices manj other excellent , commoditiees. . J : - , Macgregori's. curries ,; ate, , at .least' as good , 8,8 the renowned preparation known os the spicialitl of Mr Halfoord, the late • ohefrol the^Yiceroy oilndis, without^which-, 00, clu,b,»house m London would be d,eemed; perfect. Carrie, will continue to grow m favor m a climate like Australia.— sit it afar : more wholesome stimulant than, alcoJio^ m aoyihap^ojp^B^

, The largest exhibit m brass manufacture m the Yiotctfiaii Court is that of Mr. John Dankg, Brassf binder, Mor»y ; street, EmeraVfHjll. The display is on* more example of Xictorwm skill and energy m home manufacture. Mosfcbf the ore comes from New South Wales, tKe tin from Tasmania. The shoir mainly Consists of engineer's brasswork appjiecf.to steam, brasswork as applied to water, prasswork as applied to gat. Also a variety of pumps and sanatory ware. But the foundry can also soar to the construction of a fire-engine, a large one having been -recently finished and sent to. Tasmania. ,Jfo steam brass- work they have a number^ of GreshimiY injeftors, extensively used forfeeding engine* boilers wirhnwatefc.-sSCbjßJtare made m half a«dozen ; different sizes to suit the ennncitv of any boiler m daily use; The water is forced into the boiler by meant of a jet of steam, nnd at there are no workings parts m the injector*, they are consequently a- great improvement on the old .working numn, a savingbeing effected Tin steam-power and'in wear arid tear.. They are of two kinds.. Another feature of the Exhibit is the large and vnriert assortment, of; the luhrieatora displayed, from the large RoscneV lubricatorto the smnll No 0, which is "only^aoout half-an-ineh m diameter. A large assortment of" steam valve.*, made" of-iron, and of sizes from»ix inches to two and- a-half inches, are shown. The valves are all of different shape* being botb flanged and screwed, the casting and workmanship— being alike excellent. Among the exhjtHjt* nrfl.a^eries , cjE, «ackedr gland flanged rciki^nanged 'steam cocks,, oval steam; cqcksj^caprieoVtop steam cocks,, deep-barret/staam 1 dorts, rernight cheok valv^frgftt angle^hebtf valves, safety valves, steam ,whi?lles, steam unioni, boiler-gnage-mountings. ' &<v ' All; the >ngineerVJ)rasswork is machine -faceji .on all, its square or .hexagonal ,Bides, and everything m thisc\nn*ja shown m the castings without paint Among the wnrerTunptre^hflM l^ 9 ** -large double-armed stana~pipe, which is used for the filling of water carts, an outlet valve and hose nnion being attache* to the end of each nrm. Them is nho a" conrt stand- pipe or »<nin bydrant- for the «ipplv:of water m. c»«« of fire ; andirttncbed to this is a pelf-, acting spring-tap'for drinking, pnrp^sps. A. ' teries' of « sluice-yalves," yaryine tn sizefrom twelve inches to two.aiid a-balf in^* Theie are all tested to a pressure of 1501bs. to the (.qnare inch, before leaving the fac-, tory.' There are nl«q amumber of fire-plugs on Batman and Moore's patent, on /wnusb lire planed, a nnniber of double and single fire-brigade hydrants, and one- with Dank s patent universal director, for street, .watering purposes. An ingenious patented invention is shown* the V controlling jet, which will throw a stream of water from three•ights of an inch m diameter, at the .will of the operator, hut phopld the- fireman find himself m disagreeable proximity to the fire he can by placing his hand over the end of the nozzles, cause a circleofjetß.ta play air around him, snd thus as far as possible pro-, tect Tiimnelf from -the flames. Directors nnd nozzles of various sizes and patterns are also exhibited. A number of high pressure, or screw-down «ncks.Bunh asare used m. connection with Tan Tean water supply, must not be overlooked. Pwmps, varyingfrom the common iron lift to the brast force and lift, single and double action, are. exhibited m large numbers, including double and treble barrel pumps fir deep wells, and »7so roh»Jx>rv pumpß.-- The«e- are -used by-sugar-mulowners, sbap^and candle . manu*. faoturers, and being entirely of mqfcal arevery suitable for raising syrnp. or molasses^ hot tallow, or any hot or heavy liquid. Sanitnry ware is another: feature m Mr. Ji.. D»nV? Awplar including a fine enamelled hath, fitted up m oedar, orblackwood, with fiftines for- hot or cold wafer. Beer-engine» rwith marble top?, are »nofcher product ofthis firm. Some sixty men are employed at the factory, and a great quantity of costly machinery. At one end of the factory yousee the pattern-maker making the various, designs m wood, and then all round stand" men at various lathes; executing m brass the various stages of the manufacture. Elecfcroplfcting, and nickel-plating, is carried on by. the same firm. An Americani, dynamic electrift machine, m use at tha works, Ji sup-, posed to be the only on* m Tiotoma. Sir. Herbert Snndfond, the British Com-. mistfoner, has deferred his departure untilMar/'h, m order to' be present at the cHstribntion of the medals and awards, which is to be" an occasion of another public cere,monv of some distinction; The , Marquis of* Normanby, and a number of distinguished' parsons, will attend the' ceremony, and the. day .wffl- probably be closed by a great pub-, lie banquet* • 'U- : ..: . ■ .-» n