THE GLASS-BLOWERS.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 179, 5 August 1870, Page 2

THE GLASS-BLOWERS.

An entertainment that is described as being " instructive" is all but invariably a delusion and a snare ; and on principle, the growth of experience, we avoid it, as certain to be " flat, stale, and unprofitable." We do not think we ever met an exception to the rule until last night, when we saw the performance of the Bohemian Glass-blowers. Entertaining they are in the highest acceptation of the term, for they keep the faculties of fancy, taste, and wonder in a kind of bewildering delight, while with that most powerful teacher, the eye, they give a knowledge, not not only of the mysteries of glass, but the mechanism of the steam engine, with pneumatics and hydrostatics, illustrated in the most striking and simple manner. On entering, the ear is assailed with a continuous rattle of click, click, click, proceeding from a quartz-crushing battery in full swing at the other end of the room, which though not rivalling the roar around the Kuranui, exemplifies the working of the stampers to perfection. The most attractive object to the eye, is a large wheel of glass of all the colours of the rainbow, revolving on the platform with great rapidity, and which on examination, is found to be the flywheel of a low pi-essure steam engine composed excluiively of glass. On the one side is a water wheel, worked by water power, on the other side, a high pressure steam engine working the battery, being, as Mr. W. facetiously has it, of 40 rat power; and as every particle of this machinery, perfect as it is in contrivance, is composed of beautifully vari-colored glass, the moving mass makes a coup d'ecil indescribably lovely. The production, course and action of the steam,,the intention and movements of the several parts of the machinery, the differences between the high pressure and low pressure engines, are visible and intelligible to every visitor from the transparency of the material, and as the engines are complete in all their parts, and continue working all the evening with perfect smoothness, the intelligent visitor—and all our readers are intelligent—cannot fail to have a correct and pleasing idea of the triumph of science and art in the steam engine, irrespective of the illustrative lecture of Mr. Wbodroffe. At separate points in the Hall, Mr. and Mrs. Woodroffe were at work in blowing glass into all possible forms of beauty. The lady was turning off with great rapidity Utile gems of art in the form of rosettes, candlesticks of the most ornamental kind, full rigged ships—cordage and all of glass; pleasently chatting with the ladies around her, while her fingers merrily ply their work, and she has sitdt a pretty hand ;it really lends a charm to the pretty things it makes. Mr. Woodroffe was the centre of an admiring crowd. He was forming, of the most tasteful patterns and tints, jugs, globes, and nondescript ornaments, doves, and rosaries suspended in globes of water, hermetically sealed ; a smoking pipe, fearful to contemplate, while giving a most interesting and practical mass of information pertaining to glass. He blew out something which curled away up like a snake, and exploded with a bang, the gossamer filaments floating away through the hall. He spun threads of glass at the rate of a mile a minute, which he twisted and tied into skeins, and gave to all that wanted—a thread finer than silk, and almost like that of a spider's web. The Glass-blowers' entertainment cannot be described, but must be seen. Madame Winter, with her exquisite minstrelsy, con-

tributed greatly to the enjoyment of the evening; and what with the liberal gifts of prizes of curious workmanship, and the intrmsinc goodness of the entertainment provided, we really think, after the exhibition of last night, that the Glass-blowers will have crowds at° their levees during their stay in Auckland.