THE LOCAL INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 122, 27 May 1881, Page 2

THE LOCAL INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

The exhibition still continues a popular place of resort. Lost night the building was thronged Up to the hour of closing, and in the afternoon between 1400 and 1600 children belonging to the various city schools visited the Bhow.- The takings. up to last night amounted to i»LSO In the present issue ,wo shall conoludet our detailed notioe of the exhibits by a 'reference to the contents of Room No. 12 and' the art departments. ¦ ¦ ¦ Room No. -^2 is the most showy. of all those devoted to looal industries, and the variety and excellence of the exhibits show thatin the- principal industries represented Wellington, if not in advance of othefieading cities in the colony, is at least not Behind any of them. Indeed, with regard to | the manufacture of soap and candles, Wol- ' lington has the honor of oarrying off the palm, Messrs. J. Kitchen and Son's goods having taken the highest award in the Melbourne Exhibition. The exhibits of this firm occupy the middle of the room we are now dealing with, and are most tastefully arranged- They comprise seventeen different kinds of candles, and abont as many sorts of soap, besides glyoerine and other products from tallow. As the eoap and candles are as good and can be sold as oheap as those imported, the industry ought to flourish in a colony where the stoqk cry ia for the support of colonial industry. The display is illuminated every night, and has a very pretty effect. There are two exhibitors of confectionery— the Wellington Biscuit and Confectionery Company, and Mr. G. H. Thornton, Manners- street. Both displays are got up in the most artistio manner, and the goods of both exhibitors are of admirable qualify. The Company's goods comprise biscuits as well as lolliep, and they have the larger show of the two. Both exhibits are creditable alike to the manufacturers and the city, and aro therefore worthy the notice the public have bestowed upon them. Cordials aud aerated waters take np a considerable portion of space in the room, the exhibitors being Mr. Q. Dixon, Mr. G. A. Strike, Mr. J. L. Bacon, and Mr. G. Cooper. The collection of oordials as a whole is very excellent, and the quality of the liquids is highly creditable to the manufacturers. It seems astonishing that limejuioe, raspberry vinegar, quinine wine, and such liquors should still be imported into this city when they can be made here at a reasonable price, and of a quality at which no one cau well take exception. Messrs. Strike and Co. have perhaps the largest collection on exhibition but ihe most noticeable features in it are the samples of ginger ale aud the rxoeptional clearness of the cordials. The other exhi-bito.-s and exhibits are — Messrs. F. Cooper, pickles; E. T Roberts, hop bitters ana tonic beer ; Barraud and Sons, toilet requieites; E. S. Bowden, non-corrosive ink ; W. F. Burgess, samples of jams, jellies, aud tomato sauce ; and E. C. iiastbrook, Devonshire sauce. THE ART DEPARTMENTS. Rooms Nos. 1 and 3 are set apart for pictures and other art works. The display of pictures is large and attractive, aud twq or three hours may be most pleasantly spent in a study of the varied styles and subjects here exhibited. In Room No. the majority of the pictures ace in water colors, a large number being contributed by the various members of the Barraud family, Mr. E. Brandon, the late Mr. W. F. Rawson, and other well known water color artists. Mr. E. Brandon contributes a collection of seven pictures, all relating to the West Coast Sounds. His subjects are chosen from gome, of tho wildest scenes in tha Sounds., whioh are depicted with accuracy and excellent finish. One alight peculiarity running through the series is the sameness of hia skie*, which are not as natural as they might be. Mr. Brandon's latest effort, " Wet Jacket Arm, Breaksea Sound," ia his best. It is well formed, and the effect is 1 exceedingly good. Mr. H. Grant Lloyd .has painted a couple of pictures which "show quite a different type of scenery, the Bubjecta being '' Uandaff, Wairarapa," and " Kiyersdale, Whareama."- The Srstis boldly treated, but is not well finished, while the second is 'excessively colored There are very fow New Zealand scenes in the gallery, of tho quiet character here shown, most of the local arti3t3 preferring the more ambitious subjects which are to be found in the mountains and torrents of the ranges,. Of the pictures of the Barrauds, \ittle requires to be EaiJ, for they are, well known to most lovers of pictoria} art in Wellington. Those ; pic^ure^, like. Mr." Brandon's,, are chiefly taken from wild and lonely parts of l fie cqlony, and the subjects are all ably treated. Mr. C D. Barraud has contributed t&reo water colors, namely—" Lake Mavoura," '• Milford Sound," and tho " White Terrace, Kotomahana " The first is a very beautiful Bnbiect, enhanced by the sunset, to which very good effect has been given ; the second is a more majestic snbject, showing Mount Pembroke and. the Lion, and is characteristic of the scenery in that part of the colony. " White Island" as a drawing ia remarkably good but the coloring seems to be somevrhat exaggerated. Mr. W. F. Barraud has contributed a view of Lake "V^anaka, another or Lake H&woa, a third showing Mount ' Aspiring, and" a fourth a view of Tukituld river. Kuahine mountains, all qf which, are artistically treated and, well-finished. Mr, Noel Barraud gives ns a small but well-exeoateJ view of Pelqrus Sound, and also a. moonlight view of a scene at the foot of Paikakariki, the effec* of which i 3 very natural. ""J ha Head Waters ot the Wairaakariri" ia a work by Miss Greenwood, and is very creditably don 9. A beautiful little scene is that shorn* by Mr. A. L. Campbell in his picture entitled '" View of Queen Charlotte Sound.'' ; It is » dreamy spot, and the effect of the shadows on the water is very gtod. - Ihe bush' on the

hill ride i 3, however, not thiok enough to be characteristic of the scenery in the Sonnd. The Batne artist has also painted a view of Peloruß Sound, which is very pretty. There are three good South Island views painted by the late Mr. Rawson, two representing Dusky Sound, and one Mitre Peak, Milford Sound, the latter being a very fine picture inA**A a^\. t-an\t -a n \ m m^ exhibits* o*upl«ol painting 3of flowers, 'which are perfect copies from fature^ .and 1 shoir her to possess great Bkfll in thla litre 1 of ai-fc bha has also essayad landscape painting in ; ff^©# =^'W%ffinf^^ir^r-i»uT r the Botanical Gardens, bnt the effort hu not be<m a success. Mrs.*Stdwe ihowsAdmo beautifully- executed oopieg of patntin*,*tho most striking of which is "Elaine, after Dore\ It will stand fcny amount of looking at, a compliment whioh cannot be paid tckall the^ works on exhibition. An -engraving,' "Undine," by Mr. R. T. Holmes, iB well worth looking at, as displaying *n amount of skill in the engraver's art whioh is rarely seen in the colony. Among the outfotts old drawingß^are to be found' a collection of pictures' of Wellington and Taranakiin 1841. drawn by the late John Wallace, father off the present Mr. J. H. Wallace, auotirjnecr,' of this city. They are well worth inspection. In referring to. the works of theßarraud family, we omitted to' mention a view of the Nuggets, limned by Misa J. Barraud, a younjr lady who, judging from the specimen exhibited, gives promise of equalling in skill her brothers andfather. Professor A. Brooks exhibit9^Bome photographs in a new Btyle designated the Crystal Ivorytypo. The portraits taken by this method are oxoollent, and the Exhibition should do much to bring the' style into general favor. There are a number of other very or editable paintings and engravings, whioh want of space precludes us from noticing. There are several industries represented in this room (No. 3). Mr. Bern&sooni Bhowa some picture frames and brackets ; Mr. ,M\ Foßella some nice speoimans of ornaments carved from pawa shell ; . and Mr. J. C. Davie pawa shell ornaments also*. Ihem ornaments are very pretty, aad/wiU, nrf doubt, form a useful branch of local industry in time. Mr. Kohn shows~» case of silver trophies and gold work^/ftnd, Mr. Hislop a case of, jeweltary and silversmith's work. Messrs. Wriggieswofth^and Bir/ns havfc a fine collection of photographs in all styles and of all sizes, and theße'havocdine in fat & considerable share of public notice. The library (or room No. 1) is devoted principally to oil paintings and photograph?; and there is a capital display of both. Of the former there are not a great many by local artists. Of fiva oil paintings contributed by Mr. T. Silk, who has not long been a resident in New Zealand, one onjyiin of New Zealand scenery, and this represent* a view of West Coast scenery, " Martin's Bay Track." Though a good picture, the artisthM presented it' in an atmosphere whioh is nob at all characteristic of New Zealand. It would never strike one at a first glanoe that it was a New Zealand view. Tho other pictures aro Scotch and French scenes, and in these there is the same dreamy haze whioh ia seen in the first-mentioned view. They have been w«*U worked up, however, and will bear a very close inspection, and when Mr. Silk grasps the characteristics of the soonery of the colony he will, no doubt, add pome good pictures to those already contributed by our local artists. Mr. Bosoawen, who has achieved some reputation for his etching, has contributed a dog's head, drawn from nature, which, for a first attempt in this line, is Very creditable. Mr. Battersby's collection of paintings, after some of the masters, do not require any notice. " Morning Reflections," by Mr. W. Beetham, is a fine picture, but the flesh tints aro not good. Mr. H Jury has contributed foot? piotures of New Zealand Boenory, whioh are very good. He is, however, far from perfect in drawing figures, as his Thames view flhowß, Mr. C. D. Barraud exhibits only one oil painting, " Presprvatiou Inlet," whioh, how* evor, is done in his usual artistic style, and Mr. E. Brandon has also contributed a "Coast Scene" in oil. Thi* is not equal in merit to hia water colour paintings. Turning to the photographs, wo have in this room a splendid show, contributed by Mr. Gibbs and Messrs. Clarke and Hamilton. The portraits shown by both firms are Of the highest quality, and probably could not be surpassed in any part of the world. The &tyles and sizes are extremely varied, and show that no expense 'has been spared to bring the photographic art to perfection.