Chapter II: Part 2

The towns and villages of Belgium are numerous, and thickly peopled. Brussels, the capital, is a fine city, and is celebrated for its manufactures, particularly for lace, camlet, and carpets. Ten thousand people are employed there in making lace. It is also famous for its pottery and porcelain. The other articles made there, are cotton and woollen stuffs, silk stockings, and earthenware. The carriages built there, are superior to even those of London or Paris; there is a specimen of Belgian carriages at the Exhibition.

There are numerous silk manufactories in Brussels; and the beautiful linen, called damask, is exported in great quantities. There are innumerable breweries, too; for no people in the world are so fond of drinking beer as the Belgians. The people carry on a considerable trade with foreign countries, by means of the various canals, on which a vast number of steam-boats are constantly passing and re-passing.

The upper part of Brussels is magnificent, and has a splendid park laid out with shaded walks, and surrounded by the palaces, private houses, and public offices; but in the lower part, the streets are narrow and crowded, though the market-place is very beautiful. There are twenty superb fountains in the city, ornamented with sculpture. The Belgians delight in music, and they hold musical festivals every year. In the Horticultural Gardens at Ghent, during summer, there are several concerts performed in the open air; and even among the labouring people, the songs and pieces of music sung together by groups of peasants and working people are often delightful to hear; for in Belgium, as in Holland, Prussia, and over a great part of Germany, even the poorest children are freely taught to sing in harmony at school. There are several railways in Belgium, which is a very great convenience to travellers. The climate is good; and, in winter, snow does not fall deeply.

Bavaria is in Germany also, and is celebrated for its manufactures of iron, glass, paper, hardware, clocks, linen, woollen, and fire-arms. The people are industrious and careful, excepting in smoking tobacco, of which they are very wasteful. Industry is encouraged; and several schools have been established for teaching young men agriculture and gardening, with the usual branches of education.

We must not forget to see what has come from America. Our Great Exhibition has been almost as much talked of there, as it has been at home, and an immense number of contributions has been sent from that country. Machinery, sculptures, stuffs, carriages, minerals, boots and shoes, iron-work, and wines, have been dispatched over to the Exhibition.

America was formerly inhabited by numerous tribes of Red Indians,--a wild, warlike race,--of whom but few now remain, and those not at all civilized; but the greater number of the white people of America are the same in their dress, manners, and language, as ourselves.

A large portion of America is called the United States, which is a Republic; that is, it is governed by the people themselves, without a king, queen, and a royal family; they appoint a President every four years. Long ago, the United States belonged to the English, but the natives gradually grew more powerful than they had been, and threw off all foreign control.

America produces every kind of grain and fruit, as well as spices, dye-woods, and balsams. The people export quantities of natural productions to Europe, but their manufacturers are not as yet able to compete with those of what are called the _old_ countries. The principal manufactures are of cotton, woollen, iron, and leather; which they exchange with the Red Indians for prepared bark, skins, and birds' feathers. Mines abound, particularly for gold and silver; and there is abundance of precious stones. The farmers are a very industrious and intelligent class, and display much taste and neatness in their management.

The finest timber for ship-building is abundant, and easily obtained; and there are many excellent harbours. Numerous fishing stations are situated along the coasts, and are very valuable; for fishing is there a very good employment, and engages many of the natives of the Northern States. As these fishermen get accustomed to a sea-faring life, and inured to fatigue, they soon become excellent sailors, and furnish men for the navy.

The whale fishery is also a valuable pursuit, but it requires uncommon bravery and skill.--In the United States there are numerous schools and academies, wherein the children are educated free.

The rich people in America are free from haughtiness, awkwardness, or formality, but they do not display the elegance and refinement of the higher classes in England or France. As for the common people, they are serious, shrewd, and industrious; but often seem rude and uncourtly to strangers, for they wish to show their independance by an annoying surliness of behaviour. A great number of turnpike roads, railways, canals, and bridges, have been formed, and improve the country very much, as you may imagine.

The Americans make works in iron and wood, articles of machinery and of husbandry, tanned leather, and dressed skins. They are famous for ship-building.

Peru, which is in South America, is a very fine country, and produces many useful things, such as tobacco, pepper, jalap, Peruvian bark, and indigo.

There are numerous valuable gold and silver mines, which make the inhabitants so rich, that at one time, long since, they paved several streets with ingots of silver, in proof of their wealth. There are whale fisheries on the coasts. Only _one_ specimen of industry has been sent from Peru!

Mexico is another portion of South America. Its products are numerous, but the country suffers much for want of water, though the dew falls heavily every night. The soil is rich, and well cultivated, although not so carefully as with us. Indian corn is the principal food of the natives, and is cultivated so generally, that when the crop fails, there is a year of famine. A drink is also made from it, called chicha. Sweet potatoes, yams, and quantities of red pepper, together with vegetables, and fruits, and tobacco, are grown. A kind of plant, called a cacao, is so highly prized that the grains are used for money.

For want of streams, of which the country is sadly deficient, the mills are mostly worked by animals, and are very inferior; and the machinery is so bad, that the cotton is separated from the seed by the hands of workpeople. The principal manufactures are cigars, cottons, soap, tanned leather, gunpowder, pottery, and hats.

The rich people use a number of silver vessels, and a quantity of plate, on account of the want of manufactures of china and glass, so that the trade of a silversmith is rather good. Boots, saddles, and coaches, are well made: but the furniture, which is mostly of pine and cedar, is coarsely and clumsily put together.

The streets of Mexico are rather wide and well paved; the houses are ornamental, and the churches and public buildings are magnificent.--The rich people pass the greater part of the day on their sofas, in darkened rooms; but in the evening, they appear arrayed in the most elegant costume, for they are particularly partial to parties and brilliant assemblies.

There are numerous beggars, called Leperos, who are very drunken and dishonest; but lively, voluble, and extremely civil; though they will pick any body's pocket. There are also innumerable Indians, who make earthen pots very neatly, and use them instead of iron or copper vessels.

You have heard of Canada, which is a part of North America, and all that now remains to England of her vast American colonies.--Well, we have an enormous canoe from Canada!--I wonder who can have sent that? A canoe, as you know, is a kind of boat, which uncivilized people, who live near rivers, use. The canoes of Canada are of a very thin material, and so light, that the boatmen, in passing overland from one river to another, generally carry them on their heads. The canoes are mostly covered with bark, the pieces of which are sewed together with a particular kind of grass; the bark being usually not more than a quarter of an inch in thickness.

The people of Canada, who are called Canadians, are rather industrious; they make very fine fans, they hunt, fish, and collect sugar from a tree called the Sugar maple. Their houses are built of stone, and are plastered, but seldom are higher than one story, except in the towns, and are made very warm by means of stoves. The furniture is usually made by the Canadians themselves, and is exceedingly simple.

The chief article of food is peas soup, with a small piece of pork boiled in it, and a dish of thick sour milk. The women and children scarcely ever drink other than milk and water, but the men are particularly fond of rum.

Winter lasts six months, during which time the greater part of the day is devoted to amusement, principally dancing. Most of the women can read and write, but the men can hardly do either; and the manners of both are very gay and light. There are a few lead mines in Canada, in which silver is also found. Their exports are timber, furs, potash, grain, and pearl-ash.

Australia has also sent her contributions to the Exhibition. Among them are specimens of the skins of animals, dried plants, fine woods, and other things.

In Australia, there are scarcely any extensive manufactures, but the natives make some useful things, from the various and curious trees which abound. For instance, they form the most durable furniture and weapons from the casuarina or club tree; they make cloth from the finest bark of the paper-mulberry tree, and cord from a peculiar kind of flax. There are sago and cocoa trees, which grow to the height of one hundred and fifty feet, and are thirty feet round. Figs, lemons, oranges, sugar-canes, gum-trees, bread-fruit, and a kind of pepper, from which a drink, called ava, is made, are very useful to the natives. There are mines of a very rich quality, but they are as yet scarcely attended to. The original natives are very idle, and not very well off; those who live near the sea shore, catch fish; and those in the woods, eat such animals as they can get; or climb up trees, for honey, squirrels, and opussums.

The settlers, who are the people who have gone out from England and other countries, to dwell there, live in a very comfortable manner; they have large farms, with flocks of sheep and herds cattle, fields of waving corn, rice, and wheat; pretty huts, or shanties, as they are called, and a profusion of the most beautiful plants and creepers. In some parts of the country there are thriving towns, with good streets, elegant shops, and fine houses, such as there are in London.

From the West Indies, specimens of industry have also come. Rice, fruits, sugar, metals, and plants, are among the contributions.

The West Indians send us sugar rice, currants, raisins, cloves, nutmegs, cinnamon, allspice, and mace, for puddings; nice nuts, for our little boys and girls; coffee, cocoa, and chocolate, for our breakfast and tea; and fine silk, and cotton, for our dresses.

Under the name of the West Indies, there are many countries:--Cuba, Jamaica, Hayti, Porto Rico, Barbadoes, and others. In Cuba, are found mines of gold, copper, and different other metals; there is a quantity of sugar grown there; and the tobacco is finer than that of most other islands. The trees are principally ebony, cedar, and mahogany, which are hewed down, and sent to foreign countries, to be made into furniture of various sorts. Cedar wood is also used to scent clothes and papers, on account of its sweet perfume. The Cubans are fond of bull-fighting, and of cock-fighting, I am sorry to say. Balls and parties are also a favourite and more innocent amusement.

In Jamaica, the principal exercise of industry is in growing sugar, indigo, coffee, and ginger. These are cultivated in what are called plantations, which are attended to by negroes, who used to be slaves, and used to be lashed on to work unnaturally hard with whips; but they are now free in all the British colonies, as I hope they will be every where, long before any of my little friends, who read this book, may die. For not only were men and women kept in a state of slavery, but all their dear innocent little children, both little boys and little girls were treated as slaves.

The bread-fruit tree is one of the most useful productions of the country, it not only supplies food, but other necessaries. Of the inner bark is formed a kind of cloth; the wood, which is soft, smooth, and of a yellowish colour, serves for the building of boats and houses; the leaves are used for wrapping up food; some parts of the flowers are good tinder; and the juice, when boiled with cocoa-nut oil, is employed for making bird-lime, and as a cement for mending earthenware vessels. So you may guess how useful it is to the people of Jamaica, and yet it is not a native of the West Indies, but was first brought there by English people, within the last seventy or eighty years.

Hayti is now a much more flourishing island than it was; the Emperor, Faustin Soulouque, does every thing in his power to render it a civilized and polite country. He encourages all the arts and industrial sciences; and, in his court is kept up the grandeur of a great and powerful state; though the Haytians are black people, and were for the greater part negro slaves.

Barbadoes is an exceedingly warm country, and is unfortunately liable to dreadful hurricanes, which sometimes overthrow whole towns and villages. The products are sugar, cotton, ginger, and rum. The tall sugar-canes, which grow as high as five or six feet, are set in plantations and tended by negroes; and the cotton plants are also taken care of by the negroes, who are almost the only persons who can work in the open air, on account of the heat. The houses of the planters are numerous all over the country; and, with the green hills, and the luxuriance of the vegetation, make an extremely picturesque scene.

Since slavery has been abolished in our West India islands, schools for the children, and chapels for religious worship, have been erected at the expense of the negroes; numbers of whom have also become small landowners.

What a number of specimens have been despatched to the Exhibition from Algeria, Tunis, and the Cape of Good Hope: one, a model of a winged head, moulded in fine yellow clay, is really pretty; and the preserved fruits have quite a tempting look. And here are some boxes, made of most brilliant fancy woods; a few knives, soaps, cigars, herbs, and specimens of various woods, in blocks and in polished pieces. Here is also opium, paper made from the palm-tree, articles manufactured from native woods, with essences, perfumes, and splendid veils, slippers, caps, guns, and swords.

Algeria now belongs to France; it was formerly one of the Barbary States, in the north of Africa, and many very useful plants and trees flourish there; oranges, melons, cucumbers, cabbages, lettuces, and artichokes, grow in great luxuriance. The sugar-cane is cultivated with success; and everywhere may be seen quantities of white roses, from which a sweet essence is extracted. The stems of the vines, which the people tend, are sometimes so thick, that a man can hardly put his arms round them; and the bunches of grapes are a foot and a-half long. Only think of bunches of grapes half a yard long! they must be something like those which we read of in the Bible, that were brought to Joshua, to show him what a fertile country was the land of Canaan.

Acacia and cork trees grow in the woods of Algeria; the natives obtain gum from the acacia. There are many mines, but the Algerines make no use of them. The people themselves are strong in body, and of a tawny complexion.

Tunis is another of the Barbary States, and contains a great number of people,--Moors, Turks, Arabs, Jews, and Christians, merchants and slaves. All these carry on a large trade in Morocco leather, linens, gold-dust, oil, woollen cloth, lead, ostrich feathers, horses, and soap. There are the same variety of vegetable productions that there are in Algeria.

The Cape of Good Hope is in the south of Africa; it produces fine fruits and flowers, grapes, lemons, oranges, and figs, but no nuts. The aloe and myrtle grow to a great size, and the almond and wild chestnut are very plentiful. There are scarcely any manufactures, but the farmers keep immense flocks of sheep, and herds of cattle; and there is a vast quantity of fine wool sent every year to England; and ships provisions, such as beef, pork, and butter, are supplied to the vessels sailing to India, Australia, and many other parts of the world; their other chief export is Cape wine.

In some parts of this country are large herds of zebras, antelopes, and giraffes, which are usually preyed upon by lions, obliging the shepherds to watch their flocks, and the farmers to ride about with loaded guns. A strange mode, my little readers will think, of being shepherds.

There have been no scarcity of French contributions; rich silks, velvets, satins, linens, fruits, woods, herbs, statues, machinery, furniture, iron-work, glass, plate, and a heap more of industrial products; and such splendid carpets. In the "Arabian Nights' Entertainments" we read about the Palaces of Fairies and Genii, with the floors covered with the richest carpets, and divans and cushions or gorgeous tapestry, and we long to see these carpets in reality; and so we shall at the Exhibition, for there are some so magnificent, that I do not think the Princess Badroulboudour, or the Fairy Queen Pari Banou, ever sat on finer. And charming little models of ships; and such beautiful fans. Do you know how many persons it takes to make a fan? Fifteen; and although those fans at the Exhibition are each worth several guineas, yet, in France, tens of thousands are sold at not more than a halfpenny a-piece. The French fan-makers get two shillings and six-pence a-day each, for their labour. The people of France are our next-door neighbours, almost; and from being our bitterest enemies they have now become our most intimate friends, and exchange visits constantly with us; steam vessels and railways having made the journey one of only a few hours.

Paris is the capital of France, and it is the gayest city in the world; there are theatres, balls, processions, feast-days, fairs, and more amusements than I can remember. But there are also numbers of very poor people, who almost live in the streets, and get food and clothing as they best can. Some, who are called cheffoniers, go about with a fork and a basket, to pick up pieces of iron, rags, bones, or any stray valuables, if they can find them, from holes and corners in the streets, and from the dust heaps; others look for the ends of cigars, and sell them to be made into pieces of tobacco for the common people; and a number, I am very sorry to say, either beg or steal.

Among the peasantry there is a great deal of industry displayed. As they are all desirous of having a cottage and some land of their own, lads of fifteen or sixteen years of age, hire themselves as labourers to the farmers, and receive wages, out of which, and their mode of living, they save enough money in a few years, to buy a piece of land. If the land is fit for it, they plant it with vines; for the vineyards of France yield an abundant harvest, and well repay the labour bestowed on them. The French wines are among the finest and most expensive in the world.

The cottages of the peasantry are not remarkable for comfort, being very rude buildings, frequently having merely a hole in the roof for a chimney. They are mostly, however, extremely picturesque, completely covered with vines. The wines, called Bourdeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne come from France. From the fruit of the olive-trees, which grow in vast quantities, a fine clear oil is obtained, and this forms a large part of the commerce of the country. The rearing of poultry is carried on to a great extent; and most of the eggs sold in London, which are used by us at breakfast, for sauces, and for puddings, come from France. Most of the cottagers keep one or two small hardy cows, which their boys or girls, or old people, are usually leading about by a halter, to eat the rank grass in paths or road-ways between the fields. Their milk and butter form a good part of the people's food.

In Tours and Lyons, there are numerous manufactories for the most superb silks and damasks; some years ago, there were fifteen hundred pairs of silk stockings finished each day at Lyons.

The plate-glass of Paris is now much better than that of Venice, which was formerly the finest in the world, the plates being of an immense size and extraordinary clearness. Their tapestry is beautiful; the tapestry of the Gobelin in particular, for it is just like splendid painting. Indeed, some of the designs, copied from pictures, surpass the originals, in point of beauty and brilliancy. There are many specimens of this tapestry at the Exhibition, both in draperies, and fitted to pieces of furniture.

The porcelain made at Sevres is exquisitely beautiful, and is used for numerous ornamental purposes; vases, tea services, chimney ornaments, figures, and other articles. The painted papers, which represent various ornaments in painting, sculpture, and architecture, serve to employ a great number of people. Watches, cutlery, shoes, dresses, bonnets, and jewellery, are also a good source of employment among numerous families. All these beautiful things we shall see at the Exhibition.

The forests, in France, are very extensive; and as wood is the general fuel used, great attention is paid to the growth of the trees. Cattle and domestic animals are rather scarce, and the sheep are ill-managed; in winter, they are fed on straw and hay, instead of green food, so that the French meat is not so good as the English; but they have a nice way of dressing it. The country people are very simple in their habits and manners, and very frugal in their way of living; they live for the most part on black bread, garlic, fruit, and milk. The costumes of some of the peasants are exceedingly pretty.

What a many thousand contributions have come from foreign countries, yet even a greater number have been sent in from all parts of our own dear islands, England, Ireland, and Scotland. Here is a silver tea-kettle, manufactured from a fourpenny-piece, by a working man. I think that would grace the diminitive tea-table of the Emperor of the Lilliputians. And a pair of boat-sculls, made of white ash, and only the size of writing-pens, which I dare say, the oars of the King of Blefuscan's barge resembled; these, with a magnificent oar, thirty-six feet long, are intended as presents for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

Here is a scarf, containing twelve miles and a-half of thread, three millions four hundred and seventy-five stitches, is nine feet ten inches long, three feet wide, and weighs only five ounces and a-quarter;--that came from Ireland. Look, too, at that beautifully embroidered dress; it came from Ireland, and is worth seventy-five guineas.

There are many little models of different buildings; and there is a colossal horse and dog; and two gigantic statues; and there is a nicely carved oak chair, made by an English ship-carpenter; and here are cotton stockings, manufactured so fine, that they look exactly like silk. There are also models of carriages, ships and machinery; a magnificient epergne of glass, with some large pearls, from Ireland. A beautiful piece of sculpture, representing the Scottish games, is the most remarkable contribution which has come from Scotland.

The English people are celebrated for their industry and perseverence; they manufacture numerous things, and carry on a alrge commerce with other countries. The industry of the peasants have made the soil produce wheat, barley, rye, oats, beans, potatoes, turnips, hops, hemp and flax. Nearly every variety, of vegetables, and a great number of fruits, are also grown. There is abundance of timber, which is used for many purposes; the oak tree is chiefly employed for building ships. The ships of war are called the "wooden walls of England."

The domestic animals are taken great care of; sheep and hogs, when killed, are made into mutton, pork, bacon, and ham. The English cheese and butter is superior to any other. There are abundance of mineral treasures found in various parts of the kingdom; indeed, the English people are greatly indebted to the well-worked mines for their wealth. At the Exhibition, are several specimens of ores.

In addition to the rich mines, and the vegetable productions, the English are celebrated for their superior manufactures, which fame they are enabled to enjoy by means of the most ingenious machinery, rail roads, and canals, by which they can easily and rapidly send their goods, and travel from one part of the country to another. Cottons, woollens, linens, silks, iron, jewellery, leather, glass, earthenware, paper, and hats, are manufactured in great quantities.

I dare say you would be much amused by a visit to Manchester, in Lancashire, where the art of spinning cotton is carried to a high perfection. There are more than a hundred and forty cotton factories in that city, where men, women, and children, are continually at work, minding the machines, which are about twenty thousand in number. When you first go into one of these factories, you hear a terrible noise of whirling and whizzing, and see an immense number of wheels flying round and round.

Halifax and Leeds, in Yorkshire, are the chief places for woollen cloth, the manufacture of which employs the greater part of the inhabitants. A weekly market is held in Halifax for the sale of woollens, in a spacious building called the Piece Hall; but in Leeds, the markets are held two days in the week, in the two Cloth Halls.

Staffordshire is famous for earthenware; the reason of this is, that there is such an enormous quantity of yellow clay suitable for that manufacture, found there. Indeed, there are several towns and villages formed into a district called "The Potteries;" and in consequence of the innumerable furnaces, which are always blazing, the place looks at night as if was on fire. Gloves, lace, and stockings, are mostly made in Nottingham, where there are several thousand machines for the manufacture of these things.

From Kidderminster, in Worcester, we have very fine carpets; from Gloucester, we have cheese and pins; Northampton is celebrated for leather; Shrewsbury, for flannel. The great mines are in Cumberland, Cornwall, Northumberland, Durham, and Derbyshire. However, if I were to tell you of all the places in England, that are famed for different manufactures, I am afraid I should both exceed our space, and wear out your patience, which I should be sorry to do. So I will now tell you something about London.

London, which you know is the capital of our own dear native land, is the greatest commercial city in the world; it has been reckoned that the value of the property shipped and unshipped on the river Thames, every year, is more than one hundred million pounds. An enormous quantity of property is laid in the London Docks, at Wapping; indeed, the warehouse for tobacco alone covers a space of nearly five acres, while the vaults underneath the ground are more than eighteen acres in extent.

More coaches, omnibusses, waggons, vans, and other conveyances, crowd the streets of London than any other city in the world. You will, perhaps, be a little surprised when I tell you that in one principal street, seven thousand vehicles pass to and fro every day. Almost every kind of manufacture is carried on in London; silk goods, jewellery, clocks, watches, ear-rings, hats, furniture, instruments of every kind, porter and ale, with many more that I cannot now remember. However, you must not think, from all this, there are no poor people in London; for, unfortunately, there are thousands. Some beg, others steal, and those who are honest and able to labour, work. But those who cannot obtain work are very badly off; and persons die from starvation.

The industrial manufactures of Scotland are like those of England; the exports are linens, muslins, woollen stuffs, cottons, iron, lead, glass, earthenware, leather, and other articles. The chief manufacture is linen: but manufactures of stoves, and grates, and many other things, from their immense iron works, particularly from those of Carron, are also a principal part of the industrial products.

The Scotch people are remarkable for their thrift and prudence; the lower orders are in general well-educated, and it is the height of ambition in a Scottish mechanic, to appear with his family in neat, clean dresses, on Sundays and other holidays.

The costume of the Highlanders is very picturesque; the plaid is made of woollen stuff, of various colours, with a jacket, and a short petticoat called a kilt, which leaves the knees bare; the stockings are also a plaid, generally red and white, and do not reach up to the knees, but are tied round the legs with scarlet garters. The head-dress is a flat blue bonnet, as it is called, ornamented round with scarlet and white plaid, and frequently adorned with eagle's feathers. The Highland women go without shoes or stockings, and wear short petticoats, a plaid jacket, and a plaid scarf.

Most of the Scotch people are intelligent, and so far advanced in education, that even the miners in the south have a library, where they read, and improve their minds; and yet these poor miners were little better than in a state of slavery two hundred years since. The favourite musical instrument, with the Scotch, is the bag-pipe; which does not, however, sound quite so well to our English ears, as it does to theirs. Their national dances are the Highland reel, and fling, which they perform with great agility and grace. The sheep and cattle are rather small, but give exceedingly good meat; and the sheep, in particular, are valued for their fleece, which is almost as fine as the best Spanish wool.

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is, in the new parts of it, a fine clean city; the houses in the old town are excessively high, and the streets inconvenient; but the streets of the new town are very broad, and almost all in straight lines; some of them are a mile long. Most of the houses are built of white stone, which sparkles as if it was inlaid with diamonds when the sun shines on it.

The manufactures carried on in the city, are mostly cabinet-work, furniture, carriages, musical instruments, linens, shawls, silks, glass, marble, brass, and iron work. There are also many breweries, for Edinburgh has long been celebrated for its ale, large quantities of which are sent to London, and other parts of the kingdom, Glasgow, which is the principal manufacturing and trading town, contains extensive cotton factories.

In many parts of the Highlands, the natives are employed in feeding sheep and cattle, for the markets; and in the valleys, and other sheltered places, hemp, barley, flax, and potatoes, are cultivated, though unfortunately most of the barley is made into whiskey. In the more northernly parts the general employment is fishing.

Ireland is a much warmer and more fertile island; it is celebrated, in point of industry, for its wool, butter, beef, hides, tallow, cows, horses, pigs, sheep, potatoes, wheat, barley, oats, and linen. Linen is the chief manufacture. There are numerous mines, from which are obtained gold, silver, iron, copper, and lead; all very useful metals, I think.

There are also quarries of marble, slate, and freestone; and in various parts are found coal and turf. In Ireland, turf is the principal fuel used. The brewing of stout, and a strong bittered beer, for exportation; and the distilling of whiskey, another strong but spirituous drink, are other branches of Irish industry.

Fishing is an important occupation with those peasants who live on the sea-shore, and near the rivers or lakes. The making of roads, draining bogs, and improving the land, now employ thousands of poor labourers, who formerly used to be without any occupation.

The Irish dairies are well-managed and are generally extensive; many counties in the south part of the island are occupied almost entirely by dairy farms. As many as thirty or forty cows are kept on some of them, for butter is the chief produce, and this is sent into England, Portugal, and the East and West Indies. Some of the nice butter you eat on your bread and rolls comes from Ireland. Sheep and cattle are fed in great quantities on large pieces of land devoted to the purpose the sheep are large, and have fine wool.

The mud cabin of the Irish peasant is the most miserable cottage you can imagine; the walls are formed of clay, which hardens in the sunshine, the roof is made of sticks and straw, and the floor is the mere damp earth. It has frequently neither door, nor chimney, and consists of only one room; the furniture is rarely more than a stump bedstead, two or three stools, an iron pot, to boil the potatoes in, and a table to eat them from. Generally, there is a small piece of land attached to the dwelling, and in this potatoes are grown; the peasants of Ireland hardly ever eat anything besides potatoes. When they have enough of them to eat, and a little whiskey to drink, the poor people are exceedingly jovial and merry; they laugh, sing, and joke; and go to weddings, fairs, dances, and what are called in Ireland "wakes," which, among the poor, is a kind of laying in state before funerals;--but sometimes the crops of potatoes fail, and then the unfortunate peasants die by hundreds from hunger. The favourite dance of the common people is called a jig.

Dublin, which, I dare say, you know is the capital of Ireland, is an elegant city, with fine houses and good streets. The churches, the castle, the linen hall, exchange, bank, custom-house, and post-office, are all very noble buildings. There are also parks, gardens, theatres, canals, and other ornamental places throughout the city. From Dublin have been sent models of carriages, specimens of metals, slates, and linens, and a model of a house made in granite.

I have now told you, my dear little friends, a great many stories about the industry of all nations, and we have gone through the World's Show together. We have seen nearly all the useful and splendid things sent to the Great Exhibition from all parts of the world. I have told you about Europe, and Asia, Africa, and America; and I must soon leave you. But before I go, we must have another look at the Exhibition, and one more glance at those few things which we have not as yet seen.

We forgot to examine this magnificent chess-board, worth one thousand two hundred guineas. You will doubtless wonder why it is such a dear board, but your surprise will cease when you observe that the "checks," as they are called, are of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell, while the rim is of beautifully burnished gold, and the chessmen are of gold and silver, elaborately wrought, and ornamented with the portraits of celebrated historical characters; one of them represents the Emperor, Charles the Fifth. I dare say you would like to play a game with me on this chess-board. As a companion to this beautiful chess-board, is a very elegant colour box, fit for the Queen, or the most noble young lady in the land, to use for painting with. And here is a model of the town of Liverpool, with several thousand little people in the streets; and these figures are so exceedingly small, that a thousand of them would fit into an ordinary sized pill box.

In contrast to this specimen of a great town in a minute space, we have in front of the transept a wonderful clock, which is kept in motion by a set of powerful electro magnets, eight in number, on which is wound a length of twenty-five thousand feet of copper wire. This gigantic time-keeper sets in motion the immense hands on the principal dial, which is twenty-four feet in diameter, besides two smaller ones which are fixed in front of the galleries, at the east and west ends of the building. I am afraid that it would tire you, were I to attempt to tell you exactly what electricity is, and must therefore satisfy your curiosity, for the present, by letting you know that it is caused by the coming in contact of different substances possessing peculiar properties, which cause them to vibrate, when they touch.

There is another very curious clock in the Exhibition, which will go for a hundred years before requiring to be wound up again; and there is one wheel in it which is said would take ten thousand years to go round once.

Next there is a case of stuffed birds, which came from Scotland, and which we cannot help admiring. There are in this case specimens of all the various kinds of birds which are peculiar to Scotland, neatly and carefully stuffed; and really they almost look as if they were alive. Ah, ah! Mister Eagle, you are not so much to be feared now, I think, as you were when you lived in your lofty home in the Highland mountains.

And here is another case in which are all the different sorts of mother-of-pearl buttons that can be imagined; there is every variety of ornament on the buttons, which look exceedingly brilliant.

This immense block of granite, from Scotland, is not quite so pretty, though it is, perhaps, more useful; it is twenty feet long, and is a piece of the finest kind and colour that could be found. Another very useful thing, also from Scotland, is a large lighthouse bell, managed so as to ring very loud, to warn any ship that is going too near a dangerous rock or shoal, near the lighthouse where the bell may be.

Among the more beautiful specimens of industry, there are several elegant vases made of silver, and of a delicate material called Parian, which is an imitation of Parian marble; some of them are ornamented with blue and gold, and others are ornamented with silver. There is also a splendid tea-service, adorned with charming pictures of the dear old fables we all know so well,--the "Lion and the Mouse," the "Wolf and the Lamb," the "Dog and the Shadow," and others.

Near the very middle of the building, close by the crystal fountain, there are the splendid iron gates from Coalbrookdale, which look very magnificent. I fancy Samson would find it rather a difficult matter trying to bear off _these_ gates on his back, strong as he was. Close by these gates there is a gigantic statue of our good Queen, on horseback, which towers high over our heads; and she sits smiling at us as if she could see us looking so delighted.

There are several gigantic things at the Exhibition. Here, for one, is a monster cake, covered with the most superb ornaments; it is four feet high, and weighs about two-hundred and twenty-five pounds. Yonder is another monster contribution, an immense map of the busy city of Manchester; and there is a huge railway carriage; and still further on, there is an iron wire, one mile long. At a little distance stands a magnificent bed and bedstead, fit for the Queen to sleep in. It came from Edinburgh, and is made mostly of materials which can be produced in Scotland. And in this direction, we can see a set of beautiful mantelpieces and fenders, from Sheffield, all decorated in the most elegant manner. The first mantelpiece we must look at is made of cast-iron; the mouldings of the cornice are richly ornamented, and supported by little pillars covered with graceful wreaths of oak-leaves, while the freize is adorned with a cluster of rich fruit. The next mantelpiece is painted white and gold, and has a burnished steel grate; while the third is painted blue and gold, and has a stove made on a new plan, for it is managed so that its own brightness shall help to throw out the heat of the fire in an equal and agreeable manner. The fourth and last mantelpiece is painted black, and ornamented with ormolu; it contains a polished steel stove. Three ormolu fenders, and five bright ones are placed together with the mantelpieces; and they certainly make a goodly show. But we must now leave them, and go on to see some other wonders.

Here are several most beautiful loo-tables inlaid, and they seem to attract a good deal of attention from more than us. You look a little puzzled at the word _inlaid_; I think I must explain it to you, by telling you that it means pieces of different material let into a piece of furniture to ornament it.

There are numerous models of various buildings in the Crystal Palace; those of York Cathedral, and Chance's Lighthouse, are particularly well made. There is also a model of the Britannia Tubular Bridge; and there are models of many of the fine public works of London.

Here is a pair of scissors made in Sheffield, and ornamented in the most beautiful way, with a crown for a handle; and yonder are a pair of cotton stockings from Ireland, spun so fine that they look exactly like silk, and indeed you would be likely to mistake them for silk, if you were not told they were merely cotton.

How brilliant this collection of gems looks; how the stones sparkle! they have been sent as specimens of the jewels which Ireland produces. But here are some pretty English agates; and a huge mass of Irish rock crystal, which is very bright and clear. In a compartment, at a little distance, we may see a book, bound according to a new method, by which the leaves are so firmly placed together, that they would not loosen in ten years' time, no matter how the book was tossed about, unless they were purposely taken out.

We must now have a look at the machinery department. Firstly, there is the great steam-engine that works all the other steam-engines in the Exhibition, though, of course, you cannot understand it by looking at it; neither can I, although I know so much more than you do. Near it is a model of a new agricultural machine for cutting, turning up, and making into light mould, the clay of fields, so as to make it ready to receive the seeds to be set, without the farmers being obliged to plough the earth. There is a machine for making bricks and tiles, so that people may, if they like, form those materials for building houses cheaper and better than in the usual way. But here is a useful machine. It is a measuring machine, by which you could measure to the smallest size, even to the hundred-thousandth part of an inch!

Here is a very pretty contribution; it is a model of the house of the great play-writer, Shakspeare,--of whom, perhaps, you may have heard,--and it is surrounded by figures representing different beautiful scenes from Shakspeare's plays. It was made by a workman in his leisure time: and it certainly does him credit. It is called the Shakspeare Jubilee.

Yonder is another piece of ingenious industry; it is a group of figures showing all the various Scotch games; there is one figure dancing the Highland fling, another throwing the beam, and all the others engaged in similar sports. That came from Scotland, of course.

Let us now go on to look at that splendid design embroidered in gold, and intended for a communion cloth. Oh! here it is; does it not look beautiful? But here are several lovely specimens of china, and earthenware, which would grace the sideboards of the richest house in the land, I think. Here is a fine marble font, made of Devonshire marble, which is very nicely carved, as well as I can judge. Further on, we have some less showy, but more solidly useful articles. Various kinds of iron, copper, zinc, lead, silver, and gold ores are displayed, with oils, quartz, stones, coal, &c. There are lanterns on a new plan, microscopes, barometers, optical and philosophical instruments, farming implements, machines for melting metals;--besides hundreds of other articles which we cannot stop to notice more particularly. There are two or three very interesting models of mines, with mining machinery, and plans for improving the air of the mines, so as to make the poor miners more comfortable. And there are other models of ships, printing presses, looms, and machines for making gas, which deserve some degree of attention. There is also a new machine for printing cotton on both sides, which will be very useful, as the cotton printed with it will be as ornamental on one side as the other.

There are four splendid and very powerful organs, and several beautiful piano fortes, in the Exhibition; and there is an accurate model of Plymouth Breakwater, with a very very little ship attached to it, and all complete, even to the smallest rope ladder. Plymouth Breakwater is a vast heap of stones built across the entrance of the Sound, so as to leave a passage for ships at each end, but preventing the heavy waves of the Atlantic Ocean from dashing into the harbour. It has cost more than a million of pounds in money.

Here we have a beautiful writing table for ladies, which is one of the most splendid things in the Exhibition, and which came from that land of ingenuity and industry, Switzerland. It is made of two kinds of wood, white and red, the Swiss national colours; and is cleverly managed by machinery, so that by merely pressing a spring, the whole contents of the desk is laid before the spectator, while, at the same time, a stand for writing on, and a seat, are produced. It is covered with figures of men and animals, and with ornaments most exquisitely carved; and it is a writing table which the greatest lady in England might use.

Along the centre of the aisle, or chief walk, are arranged colossal statues, pillars of marble, beautiful fountains, magnificent feathers, crystals of alum, crystals of spermaceti oil, specimens of silk manufactures, from Spitalfields; and fine cutlery, from Sheffield. There is also an immense dome of iron and glass, forty feet high which looks very astonishing; and a curious Russian chain bridge, which is very ingeniously made. Besides these, we have a gigantic telescope, which attracts a great deal of attention from the crowd of people who are walking down the aisle.

In the nave there are several beautiful pieces of sculpture. One is a colossal group, representing St. Michael conquering Satan; another is a figure of the celebrated warrior, Godfrey of Bouillon, mounted on horseback; and a third, is an Amazon, who is just about to hurl her javelin at a ferocious tiger, who has fastened on the neck and shoulders of her frightened horse. Here is also a figure of Mazeppa on the wild horse, which is extremely well made, and, perhaps, reminds those of my little friends who have seen the play of "Mazeppa" at Astley's Amphitheatre, of the scenes where poor Mazeppa was carried along on the terrible horse's back, through brambles, thorns, and crashing boughs. But what have we here? A grim-looking growling bronze lion, from Bavaria, who glares at us as if he would be only too glad to eat us up if he were alive, and does not seem at all the kind of beast one would like to shake hands, or rather paws, with.

We have a charming representation of Reinecke Fox's adventures, by means of stuffed animals, in the German portion of the Exhibition. The expression of the different animals is very funny, and makes us laugh to almost an inconvenient degree. The first group represents the fox, with his rosary in his hand, confessing his sins to the cock, who is listening very gravely, and reading him a sermon on his wickedness.

The next group shows the tom-cat, coming to summon Master Reinecke to court, to answer the accusations brought against him; the fox sets out, and on his way wounds a poor hare, whom he carries with him. But we cannot stay to notice all the groups now; only we must just glance at the fox lying on the sheep's skin, after his repast, for here Master Reinecke's expression shows him to be so well satisfied and comfortable that it is very droll.

In the Russian division we may observe a most magnificent pair of candlesticks of bronze, gilt, which look exceedingly sparkling and brilliant, and are the first objects that meet our eyes as we enter the department.

In the transept, at the opposite end to where the gates from Coalbrookdale are situated, are another beautiful specimen of ornamented gates for a park, in the style of the elegantly wrought iron work, made about a hundred and fifty years since, and which adorn the entrances to many of the old mansions of England. Some parts of these are tastefully gilt, and produce a remarkably pretty effect.

It would take us more than a month to see everything in the Crystal Palace, and those who wish to examine all the wonders, must pay several visits. But we have, I think, seen enough for the present, and will now leave the Exhibition, if you are satisfied. Perhaps, before I go, you would like me to describe the ceremony of the opening of our Palace of Wonders, by our good Queen? If so, I shall be very happy indeed to oblige you, by telling you all I saw on the first of May.

Early in the morning of that day,--soon after dawn,--thousands of people in London were wending their way towards Hyde Park; horses feet, and carriage-wheels clattered through the streets, and strange looking foreigners passed along among the crowd, all eager to see the procession.

I dare say you would have been delighted with the grand sight:--first there came a long line of splendid carriages, containing various lords and ladies, in gorgeous costumes;--diamonds flashing, and feathers waving; next came a troop of Life Guards in scarlet coats, bright cuirasses, and glittering helmets: they were escorting the Queen's carriage, which was followed by a goodly number of other carriages. You should have heard how the crowds huzzaed and shouted when they saw the Queen, who looked very much pleased, bowing and smiling to her people. She entered the building amid the loud cheers and hurras, followed by Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and the Princess Royal. After staying a short time in the elegant robing-room, which was fitted up in a single night, her Majesty proceeded to her throne, between flower stands, and tropical plants, past the Coalbrookdale gates, and the fountains and statues with which the centre of the palace is adorned. When she appeared, the twenty-five thousand people, who were present, rose to welcome her.--Ladies waving their handkerchiefs, the gentlemen their hats;--and you may readily guess how splendid the scene looked. Even the sun popped out his head from the clouds, and poured a flood of golden light in through the glittering dome of the transept, to illuminate the brilliant spectacle.

As soon as Her Majesty was seated on her throne, one of the organs commenced pealing forth the notes of the National Anthem, the choir, which was collected for the occasion, singing to the music. After this, Prince Albert joined those gentlemen who have directed the affairs of the Great Exhibition, and going near to the Queen, read to her an account of the Exhibition from the commencement; to which Her Majesty answered, when the Prince had finished, that she was much pleased with the description of the proceedings, and that she hoped the World's Fair would do good to all mankind, by encouraging the arts of peace and industry, strengthening the bonds of love between all the nations of the earth, and promoting a friendly rivalry among our fellow creatures, in the useful exercise of those faculties which have been given by GOD for the good and happiness of all mankind.

The Queen having read this answer, the Archbishop of Canterbury approached the throne, and offered up a prayer to Heaven, intreating the Lord's blessing on the Exhibition; that it might benefit every body on earth, making them love and help each other. I hope all that heard the prayer, joined in it with heart and soul: and I hope, too, that my dear little readers will think of it when they go to the Crystal Palace.