176 Chantry's Statue of Sir Thomas Munro. [No. SO. 



*cher Shee ; but when we reflect that a painting gives only one 

 point of sight and that a piece of sculpture has to be viewed 

 in every direction, it forms of itself no mean tribute to the 

 Artist's skill, that in a place when every body is familiar with 

 Munro's face and form, not one objection has been raised to 

 the fidelity with which he has caught up the likeness of a man 

 whom he never even saw. The drapery is a happy compound 

 of the ancient and modern, and though perhaps it would 

 scarcely pass muster with the fastidious authorities in the 

 Adjutant General's Office, it is still sufficiently military to satis- 

 fy ordinary persons and at the same time not offend the taste 

 of the lovers of the antique, whose prejudices founded as they 

 are in nature must always find favor with a true Artist. 



When the whole work was cast in plaster of Paris, the 

 next step was to form moulds of such a material, as would 

 be at once sufficiently fine to preserve the delicacy of the 

 workmanship ; and yet strong enough to bear the heat of 

 melted bronze. — This object is effected by a mixture of brick- 

 dust and plaster in nearly equal proportions, and ten or 

 twelve inches thick. Inside of this again, in order to regu- 

 late the thickness of the metal, a core was constructed of the 

 same materials and about half an inch smaller in every propor- 

 tion than the true size of the figure. These moulds when 

 completed were placed in immense ovens and slowly baked 

 dry, for had the slightest moisture remained when the metal 

 was poured in, the mould would have been burst to pieces. 

 In order to ascertain this important point with certainty a 

 small hole was bored into the thickest part of the mould, and 

 some grains of the material extracted, which were immediate- 

 ly placed in a pair of Dr. Wollaston's scales and their weight 

 ascertained with the utmost nicety — they were then exposed 

 to considerable heat and once more put into the scales, after 

 which if their weight was less than on the first trial, it was 

 evident that the mould had still some moisture remaining — 



