NEW ZEALAND AT THE EXHIBITION. No. 111., and Last.

Otago Witness, Issue 571, 8 November 1862, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND AT THE EXHIBITION. No. 111., and Last.

(From the iV«o Zealand Examiner.) Since our last notica the awards of the juries have been announced, and the lotion New Zealand holds m thodo aw ink is lndily gratifying. That a colony so you-;;? and s,o distant from Europe should in a competition of industry hear away more than thirty metliilb speuks much for the intelligence and practical ability of the settleis. Every one who inspected [ the New Zealand Court was satisfied of the excellence of many of the articles exhibited, but few would have ■"entureil to predict so brilliant a success. We conftratuln'^ tho colonists upon such a result; at the '-.'line tini.> it is only fair to add that some portion of it perhaps may be ascribed to the excellent manner in which Air Morrison, the New Zealand Commissioner, lind arranged the various products confided to his care. Before passing to the consideration of the wool flax, -md timber sent from New Zealand, we have a fe,v vords to «ay on a new arrival, the \ery beautiful cabin t, presented by the colonists of Auckland to her A ajesty the Queen. This exquisite specimen of the c ibinet maker's art has been put in a most favor.il ie position, where its beautiful woods nnd delicate workmanship may bo inspected. Placed at the entrance of tho court it fronts the nave and catches the eyes of all visitors, who invariably stop an ! admire its eleyant proportions. Mr A. Seuffert, of Auckland, the maker, wouid be quite satisfied if be c-mld only hear the laudatory comments which thh cabinet excites. To describe this work of art with accuracy would require the experience and knowledge of ,i furniture maker. We can only lay before our readers its general appearance. As none of the drawers or the closet^ ire opened, our remarks must bo confined to its external appearance. We were, however, told by one who had been fortunate enough to see tlio interior, that, beautiful though the outside might bo it was far surpassed by the inside. Standing abou'c six feet m height, the cabinet (which we presume it intended to form an escritoire) is composed of three portions, the upper portion consisting of a closet in the centre, with a set of drawers on each side. The middle part, forming a folding writing table, is supported on a lnse of Miree closets, f jrmin^ the third portion. Nothing can bo more beautiful than the careful blending of the native woods, so as to harmonise the colors. The panels of the various closets are inlaid with choice specimens of woods, representing the trees of New Zealand. The lower central panel contains a map of New Zealand, and this is the worst part of the work,- In the folding top of the escrj-

toirc the perfection of inlaid \voi-k.s miy he seen, and the siiie » ay dp said of one of the lower panels lepre'.enliiig a palm tiw. The central panel of tho upper poi-tio'i Ins a iu<k- apppji ranee, and the bird in it is out of all drawing ami proportion Very ju-li-eionsnso has henn madn of that mast beautiful of tho i\pw Zealand titubo'is, the Torfira wood. With this fine woo-i the drawers of the c,ibin<;tare delicately veil 'tred, and its deep ami mullow color contr.i-t* very Kautifully with the other lighter shided woods cmp'oyed. Biack carved .shells )i ire ben ta«t"fu!ly substituted for the usual dianoi 1 knobs, and those, t'iken in conjunction with the delicate mouldings, and inlaid scroll work, sh jw how minutely every portion of this exquisite piece has been studied. As a specimen of native woods it is a lesson iv arborienlLure, wl'ik 1 , as an example of goo 1 work au 1 tfood tistj, it is of wry great merit indeed. Although too late to receive a prize, v/o fully expect that it will not he allowed to pa«? without some mark of approbation from the juries.' It is a present worthy of the colonies to offer, and of the Queen to accept. Ainonc? the numerous specimens of wool exhibited from Niw Zealand, the c-ise of Cookson, Bowler and Co., of Canterbury, first attracts attention. They slnw lamb's wool, and a very fin" merino fteece, of more than a year's growth, while the wool from hogcctts, ewes, and wethers, shown by thorn i-« exceedingly fl'ie. Mr llicli, the well known =herp breeder displays specimens of the French and Bpani-h merinoes, which, for nlkitiess and fineness of fibre are first-rate His Shak&peare merino wool is of excellent quality. For length of staple., and silkines of look and feel, a Leicester fleece, shown by Mr Huntor, of Wellington, surpasses all others. The advantage of cross breeding is also well shown in the wool of a half-bi e r l southdown and merino, exhibitel by the same gentlem 'n, while his cobs wold flei cos are of the very finest staple and deH"icv. Archdeacon Hadficld's samples of wool, from fifty ewes, bied by native lads at the Otakfc Industrial Schools, are of excellent quality, aid are interesting as proofs of the versatility and ren Une.ss of the native mind Messrs Taylor. Wall, and Co.'s mixture of tho Hampshire down sheep with the half-bred Leicester aud merino has produced capital results in the improvement of the staple. A fl u ece of long Leicester, shown by Mr Gr. Morse, h a good specimen of wool ; and the same may ba said of the long stable wool from two-third b'-eel Roinney Marsh, shown by Mr. Livllain of Wellington, dome go d examples fiom Leicester and M srino ewe hogspts^eleven months old, adora the cas° of J. ltnncim.-vi, of Auckland : nor is the wool "hown by J. Shepnnl much inferior Some good samples of scoured 1-iinlw are exhibitoJ by J, D and H. Latico. This shoit list tolerably exlnu t those who show specimens of wool. .New Zsa,lanp i<«, in this respect, f.ir below New South W.iles, wlrn^e efforts to impiove the wool they export have met with the gteate^t siu-c^s. We have been, Jwe confess, astonished to see that the experiments recently tried with so good a result iv New South Wales, have not been repeated in New Zealand. The introluction of the lama and alpaca, into that colony has had a "wonrier'ul effect by crosi-bi-pedini? in improving wools. The energy disolaje Iby New South Wales in this matter is worthy of New Zen'and imitation. New Zealand, too, be it remembered, is much nearer to Peru than Australia, so that if it wure possible to transfer lamas f'-om there to Australia Hie difficulty wo'ild be ci ninished by the shorter distance in transmitting them to Auckland or Canterbury. So much has the excellency of Australian wool been recently reco<Tiu"s.ed that it promise-, to command tire highest rnark-t price;. Before it i> too hte let NewZealand show she has energy pnousr'i to forward her own interests as much as either Victoria or New

South Wales.

Closely connpct n d with wool and cotton is the Important .staple of Rik. Of fhx proper Xew Zealand has little or none -but an excellent substitute exists.

In the wondrous variety of fibrous plant-., with which the suri'ieo of tie three islands is covered, there is a hill promise that New Zealand wil become in tho futuie a largo txpurtcr of linen., and of the coaraer m 'lerials of yarn and rope. From the phonnium iejiu.c and similar plant-, very fine and tenacious fibre.-, are obtainable, and fur some Mini pa«t attontiun Ins been d^awn, not only by indi\itluals, but by th<s lo*al govern nient, to their vaiuc. A reward of L4OOO ollWl by the local government for the discovery of efficient means of reirering the fibious plants or" New Zeal md available as articles of export, has not yet been awarded. To tin first person who Oall produce forty tons of merchandise from the phnrmiumtena.i' or other fibrous nl.mlg. indigenous to thp Han 'a, I^OO will be awarded. To the individual who produces the in-xt f nty tons will be given LIOOO, while 1/200 will I>j given to any five persons who shall liy a proems, whether their own or not, produce twenty t'Mis of metch.iudise. These high rc\va y ds ought to awaken not only the ingenuity of the settlers, but of ourselves and foreigner.-,. There i-> plenty of time for any inventor, the rewards being open until the l<-t of Jamnry, lS3i. In t'/e piemen;; exliibition there is a very ingenious machine shown by 0. Merten, enaineer, of Gheel. in Belgium, which breaks and scutches flax. It strips entirely the fibre* from the straw, and ran be idapted to all qualities and length of flnx or hemp. The machine in question requires one horse-power and four young hays or (.'iris to work it ; the>e can finish at least four cwt. of scutched thi\, or 20 cwt. of raw flax a day. Made entiivly of iion, thes" m-ichiues occupy a space of about 30 «qiuire fe j t. and co*t L 72; a vory moderate price indeed, considering what they do in return. They are well worthy the attention of New Zealand flax spinners With the phormium tenax, as with ordinal- v flax, the great .difliculfy is to pet rid of the gam, which is mixed with the libre*, and which from all accounts X far more abundant in the leaves of the New Zealand plant than in common flax. This, which in flax is done by the vetting process, appears to b'j_ performed in the phovmium" tenajo by boilingit with ash ley*, and subsequently washing \t, if we may infer as much from one of fie labels of Baron de Thierry, illustrating this process. Numerous specimens are shown by this exhibitor displaying what is called his * rh ill process,' by which 'as much as twenty-five cwt per day wonM have been turned out if this incle of making flay had been allowed to proceed.' There is a variety of uses to which these fibres are adapted. A specimen called 'veeet-ible h>rse hair' is almost as fine and tenacious as the aiiinul product itself, and would he of admirable service for stuffing m.iU'v?ses, chairs, &c. Perhaps the forest fhx, which prows in very large quantities in the forests of the three islands, is as interc-jtimr as any. Very goo I brown papev lms been mn.de from its fibres, and it works up into a material not unlike shoddy. It would be well if paper manufacturers, who have been moving henveri and earth lately to obtain rat?? and other raw material* necessary for paper, would turn their attends to thu splendid collection of fibres shewn in those cases. There is no reason why paper of the very be«t quality slnul'J not be made from the extremely fine and pliable substances here exhibited. There would he no limitation to the supply. Everywhere these plants are to be met with, and a demand for them by causing a more carefui cultivation woul' 1 soon lead to an improvement in their nua'ity. Not only dels the Baron de Thierry show flax prepared for this purpose, but Mr Luke Nnttras, of Nelson, ha* turned his attention to the same point, and shows some unwashed specimens of the phormiu :i tenax, which would have been more v.iluable as an illustration of their use, had they been more carefully prepared. An interesting objet for showing the amount of fibre obtainable from the New Zealand flat is to be seen in Mr L. Katlns's case. Among these fibrous varieties are specimens of the Piki Areo plant, the ] eave3 of which the natives use as a medicine, and the top of which is twined into hats. In appearance the leaf of this tree resembles an ordinary leaf, and has no similarity to the long vu«h leaf (,f the phormiu m tennx. Mr J, Probert, who has sent this curiosity, also shows puce's of prepared fibre, which, in the estimation of practical men, purpiss all others for fineness and softie's. Mauy ot the samples shown by him are from wild-growing plants such us the native* will not dress for market, and of which he informs ns the supply is plentiful. They were dressed nnd prepared by a wooden machine, of which no description or account of its capabilities Ins been forwarded, It would bs very unfair to pnss over in silence the splendid specimens of fibre from the Oord"!ina T. or cabbage tree, a sp»ciesof palm, sent by Messrs. Purchas and Ninnis, of Auckland. In color and purity, for fineness and silkine*? of appeirance, it is exceedingly good, and may safely be put on an equality with that sent by Mr J. Probert. The variety of stages through which the flax passes is to bo seen'in tho case of Mr N. Lloyd, of Auckland. The drying, hackling, and finishing are here traceable, and the result is C^ven in some five parcels of dressed ftlve of great length and superior color. Th<s native dressed specimen exhibited by Mr N. Lloyd is very good indeed. Great attention has been given by practicnl men to fieee fhx-like fibres from New Zealand. At a time like the prcssnt, when the supply of cotton is not forthcoming-, every device is \ised to procure, if possible, a substitute. Already it is Contemplated to mix flax and cotton in some 'of the mills, and SI. Claussen's process by which he wopoposed to cut flax fibre t'u-ough the alternate action of acids and sa'ts into an article resemblhig cotton, and capable of being spun on cotton machinery, has again been brought prominently before the public. Should this process be successful it would be an additional encouragement to the growth of flax in New Zealand, as the demand would be of the most pressing and most constant nature. In turning to the timbers of New Zealand wo are at once impressed by their variety, beauty, siz», and value. Although not equal to New South Wales and Tasmania in variety, we think for beauty of grain New Zealand, in one respect, deserves the palm. The extreme regularity and beauty of colour and grain of the mottled kauri is without rival ; while for huge breadth and eloan run of grain and wood, the kauri pine is unsurpassed. Air J. Cadman, of Auckland, has a slab of the mottled kauri, which h exceeded in size, bnt not equalled in grain orbenuty, by a five slab of the same wood shown by Mr C. Ring of the same province. By far the most striking , object is the huge slab of kauri pine without a knot, or the slightest appearance of warp or split, shown either by the Manakau Saw Mills or by'MeS3r3 Roe and Shalders, we could -not ascertain' Which, 'Tha

timbers shown by Mr Baigent, senior, of Nelson, are very fine. A most remarkable ol.j >ct to EuglMi eyes, accustomed, a; we are, to see the fuschia as a plant i > flower pots, is the trunk of a fuschia tree nine feeL high and a foot and ,i half in diameter. His spsriuieus of the beautiful Tortara wood show how well it may bo used for ornamental furniture, while its durability and hardne-a adapt it well for buildingpurposes. The slabs of the red birch are warped anil split, which causes some doubt as to its quali f y, but the slabs of the white and red pines, ami of the Rimu, by their width and freedom knots, bespeak timber of the finest quality, and well suited to tl.e furniture maker and builder. The riljhon wood from Otaso, sent by Dr Richardson, is extremely beautiful : susceptible of a fine polish, it is of 'deep red olor, and assumes in its grain a wavy appearance, whence wa presume its name is derived. For fine co'or and grain the Mo-tai slabs shown by Mr Kin* arc worthy of notice. Fur practical use few woods are, however, better than specimens of the Mairi. a hard timber fit for wheelwrights and for the bearings of machinery. Its closeness of ffrain is very remarkable. The show srut by the Manakau Saw Mil's is, perhaps, it taken as a whole, the bjst exhibit-; I. They show the Cedar or Kohpkoho of light and flo\\i"g«r;nn, the Tanekaha, a light wood, cWly rese.nbling deal, slabs of Mangiao, of the Red Tea Tree, of the White Tea Tree, of the Black Mairi, and of various other native woods. Specimens of Tarairi wood, a lyht, yellow, but very hard wood, are aisplayed by Air J. Ninuis,of Auckland, while Mr J. Ma'on shows slabs cf the Pohutukawa wood, dark in # color, full of holes and knots, but very beautiful notwithstanding. Slabs of fteware'wa are sent by Messrs Gibbon, of Auckland, who have aUo contributed very fine specimens of the flinau wood. Mr j. W. Browne, of Auckland, has sent us fine slabs of the Akeake wood, while from Mr M'&ee, of Nelson, we have a "knobby •stick " of the llata, which would, if we may ju-lge-from its weight anl hardness, be a most efficient protection asviinst garotters, natives or European. JB-it to the museum of Auckland the thanks of all who take aa interest in timber are pre-eminently due. No less than thirty-nine specimens of New Z^alanu wood, in the shape of boxes, have they forwarded, which have beea rendered of greater value by tho inclo-ure of specimens of the birk. the leave?, and even tho flowers of the trees from which the boxes wurc cut. This valuable collection is, iv fact, a v^rv complete sylva sicra of the colony. B-fora concluding these remarks we dosire to return oiirbtrtt thauks to Mr Morrison, the New Zealand Commissioner, who, among other of his many efforts to forward the interests of the oolony, has courteously aifjrdeJ us every information in his power, as to the various articles exhibited.

We have now brought our notices of the New Zealand Court to a conclusion. Looked upon as a whol j , it Is mo-t hig-ly creditable to the settlers. If Ni>w S)uth Wales and Victoria exceed it respectively in wool and timber, in copper and in gold, that is due solely to the longer time which thise colonies h ivs been founded. In two respects New Zealand distances both these colonies. They can show n )thing in furniture equal to Mr Mason's table, or to the still more beautiful cabiiipt of Mr A: Seufferet, intended as a present to her Majesty. Neither in spite of their mineral wealth have they anything so wondiifulasthe iron sand from Taranaki. It remains to hi seen whether further development may not place the gold and copper mines of New Zealand on a pit- with tho*3 in Australia, but it is certain that in thefutnre nothing will enable Australia to compete with New Zealand in the fabrication of iron a>id of steel. From Australia, however, let New Zealand take a lesson in improving the qualities of her wools, and even of introducing a fresli staple, by breeding h'na- and alp-icas. There is no reason why Australian wool should be hotter than that from New Zealand. It is so at present, however, and is only to be excused on the ground of the youth and want of capital iv the youn^.-r colony. These, and other hints, should ha gtaansd by New Zealand at the presjnt Exhibition— if they hs gleaned and afterwards a n ted o-i, the design of the lamented founder of this magnificent collection of industry and art will have been fully attained.