8Q ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



man to whose letters we are indebted for this information, ' Our travel- 

 lers find it useless to show themselves with their pattern-books at an 

 undertaker's, unless they have something tasteful, new, and uncom- 

 mon. The orders for Ireland are chiefly for gilt furniture for coffins. 

 The Scotch, also, are fond of gilt, and so are the people in the west of 

 England. But the taste of the English is decidedly for black. The 

 Welsh like a mixture of black and white. Coffin lace is formed of very 

 light stamped metal, and is made of almost as many patterns as the 

 ribbons of Coventry. All our designs are registered, as there is a con- 

 slant piracy going on which it is necessary to check. ,' 



WYLD'S MODEL OF THE EARTH. 



A BOLD and curious attempt to impart geographical knowledge to 

 the million was made, during the past year, in London, by Mr. James 

 Wyld, geographer to the Queen, by the construction of an immense 

 globe, or model of the earth, executed on the most gigantic scale, and 

 with the most scrupulous regard, to geographical accuracy. This colos- 

 sal figure of the earth is modelled on a scale of ten geographical miles 

 to one degree horizontal, or six inches to a degree, and it is one mile 

 to an inch vertical, while the diameter is no less than sixty feet. The 

 circumference of the model is one hundred and eighty-eight feet, and 

 the extent of surface ten thousand feet. It is made up of some thou- 

 sands of raised blocks or castings in plaster, from the original models, 

 of mountain and valley, sea and river, in clay, the fitting of which has 

 been one of the principal difficulties which the constructor has had to 

 encounter. Recollecting that only a limited portion of a sphere can 

 meet the eye at once, it occurred to Mr. Wyld that, by figuring the 

 earth's surface on the interior instead of the exterior of his globe, the 

 observer would be enabled to embrace the distribution of land and 

 water, with the physical features of the globe, at one view ; and in this 

 he has succeeded ; while, from the great size, the examiner of detail is 

 hardly aware that he is gazing on a concavity. It was at first intended 

 that the great globe should form part of the contents of the Exhibition 

 building, but as the plan developed itself more completely, it was found 

 impossible to place a model of the intended magnitude therein, and a 

 site was sought for the erection of a building expressly fitted to receive 

 it. An appropriate edifice was, therefore, erected on Leicester-square, 

 in which the model is exhibited. The entrance is under a Grecian 

 portico into a vestibule, whence the visitor is introduced to a circular 

 corridor round the exterior of the globe. This corridor is very appro- 

 priately decorated, and is embellished with maps of different countries ; 

 but, to obtain a view of the earth, the visitor must pass through the 

 crust of the globe. An entrance is effected through the Antarctic sea, 

 which leads him to four tiers of galleries, rising one above the other, 

 to the top of the building. The great panorama or map of tho world 

 is here spread out before him, and the effect is extremely striking and 

 beautiful. The best idea that can be given of the design is, to con- 

 ceive a gigantic hollow globe, with all the mountains, rivers, elevations, 

 and depressions in relief, and then to suppose this globe turned inside 

 out, and the spectator standing in the centre of the interior. 



