344 



FRENCH EXHIBITION. 



mortars are mixed with broken stones or 

 coarse-grained sand, viz. : for the sea, 2 vol- 

 umes of mortar and 3 volumes of stones; 

 foundations in fresh water, 1 volume of mortar 

 and 2 volumes of stones ; stones for building 

 purposes to be used in the open air, 3 volumes 

 of mortar and 5 volumes of sand. The hydraulic 

 lime of Teil takes about 18 hours for setting, 

 which makes an important difference between 

 it and Portland cement and most other ma- 

 terials of that class, which set almost imme- 

 diately. Under certain conditions this slow 

 setting is an advantage, as less care is required 

 in using the mortar ; but there are other cases 

 when a quickly-setting cement will be prefer- 

 able. The chemical analysis of the limestone 

 in its burnt and powdered state is : 



Water 7.6 



Carbonic acid 0.7 



Silica 21.5 



Alumina 1.7 



Lime 64.7 



Sand and clay 8.0 



Total 99.2 



The strength of artificial stone increases with 

 the age of the stone, the action of the atmosphere 

 assisting in hardening the material by a slow 

 process of absorption of carbonic acid, which 

 combines with some free quicklime left in the 

 mass at its first formation. 



The artificial stone of the Ooignet Company 

 is a mixture of fine sand and cement ; it is used 

 for pavings, foundations, exterior house deco- 

 rations, and ornaments of all kinds. The 

 Coignet Company have supplied a great quan- 

 tity of the foundations, pavings, and stone- 

 facings in the present Exhibition, and they 

 have, besides this, established a special build- 

 ing made almost entirely of their stone in a 

 variety of forms. 



There are some other exhibitions of silicious 

 stones produced by French makers from a mix- 

 ture of sand and lime by the application of 

 soluble silicates. The manufacture of M. Leon 

 Dalemagne seems to be principally applied to 

 the silicalization of natural stones, and of this 

 kind of industry he shows some very fine speci- 

 mens, such as some ornamental architectural 

 details for a church built of a soft limy sand- 

 stone of Antoigne, which has been converted 

 into a very hard stone by the liquid silicate, 

 after the sculptor's work had .been complet- 

 ed. There is another exhibition of silicious 

 stone by L. M. Mignot, produced from quick- 

 lime and soluble silicate, and used as a kind of 

 cement for covering other articles with, and 

 protecting the latter from atmospheric or other 

 chemical influences. 



Terra-cotta is a material of great value for 

 architectural purposes, as it is known to have 

 stood the test of ages, as may be seen in the 

 British Museum and the Louvre, where there 

 are specimens to be seen dating back thousands 

 of years; examples of frieze ornaments, caps, 

 bases, etc., used by the Romans, Egyptians, 



Greeks, and many nations of the Middle Ages ; 

 also for domestic purposes, as jars, jugs, etc., 

 and for building purposes. With regard to the 

 quality and character of the work turned out 

 by different nations, as shown in the Paris Ex- 

 hibition, England stands foremost in the quality 

 of works in terra-cotta, for specimens exhibited 

 for architectural purposes, in beauty of design, 

 good taste, in harmony of colors, and in the 

 adaptation of terra-cotta for building purposes. 

 Next to England is Prussia. The works shown 

 are very good for color, some very well finished 

 and very hard. France shows some very good 

 examples of well-finished works in terra-cotta ; 

 but most of their work, unless painted, is of too 

 light a color. 



In the Exhibitions of 1851 and T862 there 

 were specimens of pottery < from the most crude 

 to the most refined, and from the smallest to 

 the largest piece. The exhibitors were far 

 more numerous, consequently there was far 

 more competition in the home and foreign 

 courts than in the present Exhibition, which 

 has brought the best skill and the best art to- 

 gether from the various nations, the manufac- 

 tories showing their most useful articles ; in 

 earthenware, for domestic purposes and sani- 

 tary arrangements ; in porcelain for enriching 

 the table and ornamenting the sideboard ; in 

 Parian statuettes for the mansion ; and in ma- 

 jolica for halls, conservatories, and gardens. 

 The collection in the Eoyal Sevres Court is 

 in some measure beyond the reach of criticism ; 

 but a few considerations even here suggest 

 themselves. The ordinary run of Sevres pat- 

 terns have nothing to distinguish them from' 

 the every-day productions of other manufac- 

 turers in France and England, but the old 

 Sevres china, as manufactured up to the Revo- 

 lution, had merits which no china in the world 

 besides possessed, and which have not yet been 

 surpassed. 



The productions of France in tiles and pave- 

 ments are of an extensive character. The en- 

 caustic tiles are elaborate in designs and colors. 

 Of majolica tiles for wall decoration there is a 

 great variety, the designs being artistic, the 

 coloring very rich. In colored cements for or- 

 namental paving there is a varied collection, 

 some rich in design and color; some made in 

 blocks or slabs, others in the shape and form of 

 tiles. The productions of Prussia are not so 

 extensive, but superior in quality, to France, in 

 encaustic tile-flooring, the designs being more 

 varied and richer in effect. The productions 

 of Belgium consist chiefly of the commoner de- 

 scriptions of tiles. The best machine-made tiles 

 exhibited by continental manufacturers are from 

 Spain. The English encaustic tiies and other tiles 

 for pavements, and for wall-decoration and for 

 other purposes, are of the highest rank, whether 

 considered with reference to perfection of manu- 

 facture or beauty and variety of design and 

 colors. 



America maintains a high reputation for good 

 joinery, of which the construction of the dri- 



