WOODS.

Auckland Star, Volume X, Issue 2969, 20 October 1879, Page 2

WOODS.

A. Souffert of Auckland has a very 'cle-j vcrly made circular chess table. ■ Outside the squares for play the margin is embellished with inlaid designs of house?, churches, ships in full sail, and • a number of other objects, forming quite an artistic collection. In the construction twelve different kinds of wood are used— amongst them the celebrated ake-ake, which has been found useful for the wood engraver's art for book and newspaper illustrations, aud which was introduced into Sydney some few years ago by the then proprietor of " Sydney Punch " through Mr W. Gordon, of Wanganui. The pillar of the tabic is richly carved, aud the three feet rest on a sexagon-shaped stand, to which the casters are fastened instead of being attached to the feet as usual. no

C. Peters, of Wellington, has also a very handsome article of drawing-room furniture. It is an octagon 100-table, composed of the following woods:—Totara, kiwi, kauri, mottled kauri, different honey-suckles, and curly totara. Iv the centre is a star of eight diamond-shaped figures, and within this is another star of eight isosceles tn« augles. The pattern is very unique, and the double star formed of the various coloured woods contrasts richly with the rest of the surface. The polish is very high, and the whole constitutes a very attractive specimen of workmanship It may be reasonably hoped that after the present Exhibition furniture of the beautiful New Zealand woods, so capable of artistic finish, will take' the place of the continual walnut and rosewood furniture in tho houses of wealthy citizens not only of Australia, but ot polished France, Imperial Germauv, or brilliant and luxurious England. Other exhibits of New Zealand, woods I shall describe in a future letter.

CARVINGS.

L. Godfrey, of Dunedin, exhibits the fiuish of a true artist in his-specimens of carving. In wood lie has a small crab, so natural that the eye seems positively to wink at you, as if trying to entice a stray ... finger between his nippers ; whilst the long feelers appear to wade gracefully, as if dis- ' darning to be thought idle or lifeless. Tins is of liuon pine. In stone he has a number of articles: a small tree, to which is suspended a duck ami a pukeha (of couko you know better what this is than I do-1 should call it, in plain English, a fowl), all of which are very natural; the milled plumage of the bird and the foliage of the tree are exceedingly well cut > on the leaves the tracery of the veins is very well marked. Another group has a number of articles indicative of "Spring in New Zealaud; trees just blossoming, four little birds peeping out of a nest, round which the mother bird is hovering, convey- • ing food into the open beaks of her youiig. • progeny. Flowers aud other indications ot the arrival of the season complete a pretty , picture.

A gentleman of Herts has a favourite pig' which he called Maud; his explanation is that ho did so because she is cbntinuallg ; | " coming into the garden," as Balf wrote, 'j,| ■ and Sims Reeves sang, .....-.....■■....■-■' -4lii