The World\'s Fair written by Anonymous
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THE WORLD'S FAIR
Or, Children's Prize Gift Book of the Great Exhibition of 1851
Describing the Beautiful Inventions and Manufactures Exhibited Therein;
with Pretty Stories about the People Who Have Made and Sent Them; and
How They Live When at Home
London: Thomas Dean and Son 35, Threadneedle-Street, and
Ackermann and Co. 96, Strand.
What a pretty picture we have in the first title page, of the Great
Exhibition in Hyde Park! This gigantic structure is built of iron,
glass, and wood; but as, at a distance, it seems to be made entirely
of glass, it is called the "Crystal Palace." Does it not look like one
of those magnificent palaces we read about in fairy tales?
The Great Exhibition is intended to receive and exhibit the most
beautiful and most ingenious things from every country in the world,
in order that everybody may become better known to each other than
they have been, and be joined together in love and trade, like one
great family; so that we may have no more wicked, terrible battles,
such as there used to be long ago, when nobody cared who else was
miserable, so that they themselves were comfortable. Only look at the
thousands of people who crowd the Park,--all so different looking, and
so curiously dressed. Grave Turks,--swarthy Spaniards and
Italians,--East Indian Princes, glistening with gold and
jewels,--clever French and German workmen, in blue cotton
blouses,--Chinese gentlemen,--Tartars, Russians, energetic Americans,
and many more. I wonder what they all think of us, whose habits in
many things are so different from their own?
And what charming things there are in the Exhibition itself! Fine
porcelain wares, mirrors, books, statues, perfumes, and many more
articles from various parts of the world,--beautiful fans, books,
bronzes, and an infinity of other matters, from France in particular.
Here is a model in miniature of the Crystal Palace itself, in glass.
Ah! talking of glass, what think you of an enormous French decanter,
in which three persons, having gotten inside by a ladder, can sit and
dine off a table a yard in circumference? This is quite an exhibition
in itself, I think. In another part of the building, we have a
looking-glass, from Germany, which is the largest that ever was made,
and is encased in a splendid frame of Dresden china. But here is a
darling little English steam-engine, so small that you could, after
wrapping it up in paper, lay it very comfortably inside an
ordinary-sized walnut-shell, while the plate on which it stands is not
bigger than a sixpence!
In the very centre of the building, a gigantic crystal fountain
diffuses a delicious coolness around, its bright clear waters
sparkling, leaping, and playing, as if in delight and astonishment at
the splendid and wonderful articles surrounding it. And there are two
immense statues just beside it, looking mightily pleased with the
agreeable coolness of the water. But here are two large bronze
lions;--how terrible they look: they seem almost as if they were going
to jump at us. There are animals of various kinds in different parts
of the Exhibition; stags, horses, foxes, birds, cats, and even a
ferocious-looking tiger.
There is a bundle of nails so diminutive you can hardly see
them--another bundle of three thousand nails, one thousand gold,
another silver, and the third iron; so light that the whole weighs
only three grains,--a French watch, smaller than a fourpenny
piece,--Hindoo stuffs, so thin you can scarcely feel them, yet are
made from rejected cotton-husks,--a highly-finished model of a palace,
from Italy; and a handsome carriage, from Prussia.
But among the curious articles we must notice this imitation of a
camelia japonica tree in china, with buds, leaves, and blossoms, all
perfect, which came from Germany;--and that painted oil-cloth from
Manchester, covered with the most extraordinary mathematical
ornaments, and which took eleven years to complete, and is worth 500
guineas. And that table, made of 38,000 pieces of wood, of
twenty-eight different colours, looking like mosaic, which was sent
from Switzerland. Nor must we forget to look at this piece of gold, on
which is engraved "The Lord's Prayer," and is yet so small that a
common pin-head covers it: that came from Portsmouth. And here is a
German bed, which being wound up, like a clock, to a certain hour,
throws the sleeper out on the ground, when the time comes; no lazy
lie-a-beds with that, I fancy!
But here is an odd contribution, also from Germany; it is--what do you
think?--a piece of lace, darned, and a fine table napkin, also darned!
however, don't laugh, until I explain to you the reason _why_ it has
been mended in this way: an ingenious young lady, wishing to show
industrious lasses that torn clothes may be made to look as if they
had not been injured in that manner at all, got a piece of cloth, tore
it for the purpose, and taking up the stitches neatly, worked thread
after thread till she had darned it in such a way that nobody could
tell where it had been torn; she then thought of sending a specimen of
her industry to the World's Fair.
Here are snuff-boxes made of coal, which have been sent from Woolwich;
and a beautiful little cannon of agate, from Germany; and two violins,
worth a great deal of money, which have been contributed from America.
I know that the productions of India will delight you by their beauty
and ingenuity: the costumes the natives have sent are even prettier
than those of Turkey, Spain, or Persia, and their gold, silver, and
mother-of-pearl ornaments, are enchanting; what splendid veils,
dresses, shawls, carved ivory, and curiosities!
I would have you look very attentively at the contributions from
India, they are so gorgeous; such superb muslins, baskets, and fans;
with silks, cotton, cocoa-nuts, roots, woods, and such tempting
fruits. I always like to see Indian articles, they are so magnificent.
The persons who have sent these things must have worked very hard, to
make so many beautiful specimens; but then the poorer people of India
are exceedingly industrious; they live very simply, eating rice,
boiled with milk and spices, as their principal food, for it is
against their religion to touch meat of any kind. They would lead
rather a sorry life, were it not that their tastes were so extremely
simple, and their wants so few. A Hindoo village looks more like a
gipsy encampment, than anything else, and bears a very strange
appearance to a European, at first.
[Illustration]
However, although the poor people live in this way, the princes and
nobles lead a far different life; an eastern grandee could formerly do
anything he chose, even to killing of his wives and slaves, and, only
I do not wish to frighten you, I could tell you many stories about the
cruelty of the Indian nobles. They live in great state, and are
always surrounded by a throng of slaves, and attendants, who wait on
them as they recline lazily on a pile of the softest cushions, which
are covered with the skins of beasts, and with silks, velvets, and
satins. When they go abroad they are carried in what is called a
palanquin, borne on the shoulders of servants, if they do not choose
to ride on a horse or an elephant.
[Illustration]
Their houses are adorned with the utmost magnificence, while the
gardens or approaches to them are delightfully cool and refreshing,
being shaded by fragrant trees, and shrubs, perfumed by the most
beautiful flowers, and cooled by fountains, playing in marble basins.
The Indian machinery is very clumsy indeed, and the mills are the
funniest-looking things imaginable: I must show you an oil-mill.
[Illustration]
A very cruel custom prevails in many parts of India, which I know will
shock you very much: when a Hindoo of rank dies, his widow is laid by
his side on a pile of faggots, which being set fire to, the poor
creature is suffocated, or else burnt alive, and they pretend that she
likes to be so destroyed. The ceremony is called a "Suttee," and is
conducted with great pomp, all the relations of the woman and her dead
husband being present, in addition to an immense crowd; before getting
on the pile, the widow divides all her jewels and ornaments amongst
her friends. Here is a picture of a widow about to bathe in a
"consecrated" river, before going to be burnt.
Here are lovely specimens of the manufacture of gold, silver, silk,
jewellery, and Lebanon horns, from Syria, with seeds, fruits, oils,
and woods; and even ornaments and marble from Jerusalem! Little did
the Crusaders of old think, when they were fighting in Jerusalem, and
the Holy Land, that the Infidels, as they very incorrectly called
them, would be sending in such a friendly way to England.
[Illustration]
What splendid caps, slippers, veils, and perfumes, with such
picturesque guns and swords, from Turkey! The Turks are a fine,
handsome race of people, and very grave and sensible, except when they
are angry, when they grow raging and furious; they are fond of ease;
and the chief delight of those who can afford it is to sit
cross-legged on a low couch, drinking coffee, and smokeing a long
curled pipe, called a _hookah_. They often sit by the side of a canal
for a whole day, looking at children flying kites. Instead of sitting
at a table to dine, they put the dishes on a carpet of Turkey leather,
and sit round it on the floor, eating, with wooden spoons, meat and
rice stewed together, called _pilau_. They are not allowed to drink
wine, or eat pork. A favourite diversion with them is playing on a
kind of lute, and sometimes they amuse themselves with chess,
draughts, and other games; but their principal amusement, like some of
my little friends, is to sit and listen to stories, told by men who
earn their livelihood by relating entertaining tales and romances.
[Illustration]
The Turks do not undress and go to bed at any time, but being seated
on a sofa, they smoke till they are sleepy, then laying themselves
down, their slaves cover them over for the night. The poor people of
the cities carry water, cakes, loaves, and other things, through the
streets for a living, or act as buffoons, musicians, tumblers and
wrestlers, at the Sultan's and other of the rich people's palaces.
They cannot use wheel carriages in Turkey, the streets are so narrow,
and the pavements in many parts so bad; everything is therefore
carried by men, horses, mules, and donkeys, which is very
inconvenient, as the mules and donkeys very often tumble down, and
throw their burdens right in everybody's way; as for a horse, when
heavily laden, it takes up the entire road; and when two loaded horses
meet, the bawling and confusion is dreadful.
The markets in Turkey are called "bazaars," and there you can buy
almost anything you want; and every trade keeps together in knots of
shops, different from us, in particular quarters, so that you are not
obliged to walk all over the bazaar in search of a hat or a pair of
shoes. In these bazaars, it is customary for a dealer to ask much
more than he means to take, and for a buyer to offer infinitely less
than he means to give; it is, therefore, rather difficult to strike a
bargain, and sometimes several days are occupied chaffering about a
price.
The Turkish houses, above the ground floors, are usually built of thin
laths, painted of different gay colours, and the roofs made of tiles,
so that every few months a terrible fire takes place, and several
thousand dwellings are burnt down; but the people are so accustomed to
this that they do not mind it, and look on very contentedly while the
fire rages, smoking their pipes, and drinking coffee.
The Turks are exceedingly charitable, and not only give alms to the
sick and poor, but even to travellers and strangers; and some of them
have exercised their benevolence so far that they have left a sum of
money for digging wells, and for the support of several cats and dogs.
A very great trade is carried on from many parts of the world with
them, as their country is famous for its rich brocades, thick soft
carpets, mattings, baskets, curiously-wrought gold and silver
embroidery, and balsams. It is also remarkable for its attar of roses,
spices, figs, and coffee; all very good things, I dare say, you will
think.
[Illustration]
Some things have been sent from China to our Exhibition; but the
Chinese people do not seem to care much about it. Indeed, I wonder
they sent at all, for they consider themselves as the only civilized
nation in the world, and call China the "Celestial Empire," while they
imagine that the Emperor is an intimate relation of the Sun, Moon, and
Stars! They are a very industrious nation, however, and the Emperor
encourages them by his example. The poor work in every way they can;
and one of their occupations is carrying about water for sale, as they
have not water brought by pipes into the houses, as we have here.
Here is the picture of a Chinese water carrier.
[Illustration]
They also make the most elaborately carved ornaments, in wood and
ivory; their toys and lanterns are celebrated for their ingenuity and
workmanship. Their fireworks are superior to all those of other
nations; and they excel in tricks and amusing entertainments. The
cultivation of tea is universal, and agriculture--which, you know is
the art of tilling the earth--is held in high esteem; the principal
products being rice, wheat, yams, potatoes, turnips, and cabbages. The
dwellings of the peasantry too, are not in villages, as in old
England, but are scattered through the country; and they have no
fences, gates, or anything to guard against wild beasts, or robbers.
The females raise silk-worms, spin cotton, manufacture woollen
stuffs, and are the only weavers in the empire. The art of printing,
though done in what I must confess is rather a clumsy manner, is much
exercised amongst them, and gives employment to many people.
I do not think we should like to dine with a Chinese gentleman, or
Mandarin, as he would treat us to strange dainties, as--a roast dog, a
dish of stewed worms, a rat pie; or, perhaps, a bird's-nest. But the
bird's-nest would be the best of the list, for it is not like the kind
of bird's-nests which you have seen, but is made, I believe, of the
spawn of fish, and looks something like isinglass. It is the nest of a
sort of swallow, is about the size of a goose's egg, and is found in
caverns along the sea shores; so it is not so bad as it seems at
first. And the rats are as large and fat as some of our rabbits, being
fed on fruits and grain, purposely for eating; as also are their dogs,
for eating.
The people of the "Celestial Empire" are celebrated for their fondness
for making beautiful gardens; but their houses and gardens are quite
different from ours.
What a pretty scene! what a delicious cool walk is formed by the grove
of trees leading to the porcelain tower. And those ladies walking
towards the boat,--or hobbling, more likely; for the Chinese ladies
have feet not much larger than your papa's thumb, which is there
considered a great beauty.
[Illustration]
The common women cannot afford to have little feet, as the feet of the
rich girls are bandaged up in iron shoes, when they are two or three
years old, to prevent their growing larger. These small feet are
called "Golden Lilies;" but I am glad no such barbarous custom
prevails in our own dear country. The Chinese ladies, however, are
extremely accomplished, and can play on many musical instruments,
paint, and embroider. The merchants of China are not at all remarkable
for their honesty, though a few of them are very scrupulous. Many of
them amass great fortunes.
The Chinese have sent in embroidered shawls, table-covers, teas,
curious and intricate toys, and specimens of handicraft.
[Illustration]
Why, we have even specimens of Russian industry, in the Great
Exhibition; and very good specimens they are, too. Russia is not such
a pleasant country, in some respects, as any of those I have been
telling you of; for in the winter the frost is so severe that many of
the poor Russians die from cold. The rich wrap themselves up in warm
furs, and ride in fur-lined sledges, instead of the usual carriages;
but the poor people are forced to continue working out of doors at
their various employments, being very careful, however, to cover their
legs, hands, and head with fur, lest they should be bitten with the
frost, which sometimes seizes those parts and turns them white. Though
many of the poor women stand for hours together, washing their linen
in holes cut in the ice, without getting frozen, yet it often happens
that coachmen and other servants have been frozen to death in the
streets at night, while waiting for their masters.
At the end of every year, the Russians keep a long fast, and as soon
as it is over, lay in their store of winter's provisions, at a market
held once a-year on the river Neva, which is then frozen over. I
should like you to see this market, it is so full of gaiety and
singularity, while the high piles of frozen provisions look so
picturesque along the ice. The Russians are remarkable for their
cheerfulness and contentment, and are so fond of singing, that they
are always enjoying a song when at work. Russian songs are very
different from ours, and sound rather odd to us.
The food of the common people is black rye bread, sometimes, by way
of treat, stuffed with onions, carrots, or green corn, and seasoned
with sweet oil. They use eggs, salt fish, bacon, and mushrooms, of
which last they have a great plenty. The men are ordinarily dressed in
loose trousers; short coats of sheep-skin, tied with a sash round
their waists, and folds of flannel, fastened round with pack-thread,
on their legs, for stockings. The women are dressed just as oddly, in
short gowns, and with their hair plaited and hanging down their backs,
if they are unmarried; or a cap and cotton kerchief round their heads,
if they are married. The peasants' houses are built of wood, and have
one or two rooms only; they are miserably furnished, with no beds, as
the family sleep on benches in summer, while nearly one-fourth of the
principal apartment is filled by an enormous stove, or rather oven,
upon which they sleep in winter; for the smoke of which, there is no
chimney beyond a hole in the wall. I don't think you or I would much
like to spend a winter in Russia.
Many useful things, you may observe, have come from Spain--cheeses,
honey, dried fruits, salt, lime, wool, oil, flax, and cotton; with
guns, swords, and also beautiful ornaments; with some precious
stones, diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. The Spaniards are not either a
very active or a very cleanly people, but they are exceedingly proud,
honest, and hospitable; they are skilful workers in woollen and silk
stuffs, and manufacture sword-blades of a very fine kind; while their
leather is celebrated for its superiority. They also work beautifully
in gold and silver; and trade in immense quantities of those oranges
you like so well, lemons, citrons, grapes, raisins, olives, nuts, and
wines.
The chief amusement of both high and low is one which neither you nor
I would be pleased with, I hope, for it is bull-fighting; which cruel
entertainment they learned from the Moors, who once had possession of
Spain, and built all the beautiful castles and palaces that are in it.
The manners of the rich people are merely like those of our own
gentry, but the common people are very peculiar; and all classes
delight in playing on the guitar, and singing, both of which they
perform charmingly. They have also two favourite dances, called a
fandango, and a bolero, both extremely lively and graceful. The mode
of conveyance in Spain is by mules, and these beasts are surprisingly
obedient to their masters, and answer to their own names just like our
own pet dogs. The tails of the mules are oddly decorated, by cutting
the hair into stars, flowers, and other fanciful designs.
The villages are mostly mean, and the roads narrow; but Madrid, the
capital of Spain, is a large city, with long, straight streets, many
of them cooled by noble fountains. The houses in Madrid are built of
brick, and even the grandest of them have only lattices, instead of
glass windows, most of which have, however, handsome balconies,
supported on columns. In the churches, there are neither pews,
benches, nor chairs; the ground is covered with matting, on which
every one kneels together, from the grandee to the beggar. In the
suburbs there are many woods of evergreen oak, vineyards, olive
plantations, and orchards of mulberry, plum, and almond trees; and the
flocks of black sheep and goats, grazing in the country meadows, have
a pretty effect.
I don't think you would find the Spanish cookery much to your taste;
for the Spaniards are very fond of rancid butter in their meals, and
of oil that has a very strong smell and flavour; indeed, when they
are going to cook anything that requires fat, they lift down the lamp
from the ceiling, and take out what oil they want. Bread, steeped in
oil, and occasionally seasoned with vinegar, is the common food of the
country people. Their favourite wine is that which has a strong taste
of the leather bottles or casks, in which they keep it; and they will
hardly eat any thing that has not saffron, pimento, or garlic, in it.
They have, however, even amongst the poorest, such fine grapes, ripe
melons, and tempting oranges, as my little readers, I know, have
seldom tasted. In summer, they use a quantity of ice, which is sold in
glasses, in the streets, for a trifling sum. In place of candles, the
poor people have a piece of cane, cut with holes through it, which is
fixed to the ceiling, and from one of the holes a lamp is hung by a
hook.
[Illustration]
The dress of the lower orders is very pretty indeed, and they
themselves are mostly tall and handsome, with black hair and eyes, and
dark sun-burnt complexions. The climate is so warm and balmy, that
they can grow their fruits in the open air.
Some pretty articles have been sent from Portugal, a country which is
near Spain, and very like it in all respects. It is a very fine
country, famous for wine, and oil; and the sheep are much prized for
their superior wool. The ladies of rank still spin flax from a
distaff, to show their industry. The peasantry are not very well off;
their only luxury is tobacco, and their usual fare is bread, made of
Indian corn, with a salted pilchard, or a head of garlic, to give it a
relish. They are polite and hospitable; but the people of the towns
have not the least scruple in stabbing any body that offends them; so
that it is a dangerous thing to affront them.
What elegant tables, pictures, vases, marbles, statues, shells, woods,
and perfumes, have been contributed to the Exhibition from Italy.
Here is a table of a most beautiful material, called pietra dura,
which took one hundred and twenty years to finish, and came from
Naples.
Italy has always been celebrated for the beauty of the articles
manufactured there; and the things it has sent us now are certainly
worthy of its fame. It is one of the loveliest countries in the world,
in the spring and autumn, and is ornamented with the richest foliage;
vines, mulberry, olive, and orange trees; and with high hills and deep
dales, towns, villas, and villages. The soil is extremely fertile, and
produces abundance of grain, the finest fruits and vegetables, with
flax, saffron, and manna. The climate is delightful, except in
summer, when the weather is dreadfully hot, and the winters are so
mild, that ice and snow are quite rarities, except in the mountains; I
wonder what my little-boy friends would do there, for a skate on the
ice, or a merry game of snow-balls?
Rome, the capital of Italy, is a splendid city, full of the remains of
ancient temples, pillars, arches, and fountains; but many of them
sadly ruinous and decayed. There are a great many Jews in it, who are
forced to live in a particular part, called the _ghetto_, which means
a place for Jews. The city of Rome and the surrounding country are
very unwholesome during summer, in consequence of the land not being
properly drained, as it used to be in the times of the ancient Romans,
so that it is dangerous to dwell near them at that season of the year.
The numerous vineyards in Italy, are not divided by hedges, but by
rows of rather fine trees, the vines clinging in graceful festoons
from one bough to another. In some parts of the country, there are
various picturesque corn fields and meadows, bordered by olive trees.
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