INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 357, 19 December 1879, Page 2

INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

There is no doubt but that the interesting - of all'the events held in 1 Akaroa on Tuesday, the 28th anniversary of the old Province, of Canterbury,, was the Ind'istrial Exhibition, held in the Public School. For a long time back many busy Hands. have been at work manufacturing the examples of arts and industry that were exhibited on the occasion* and, tnten in connection with the tiower show, its promoters have ever}* reason to be satisfied .with its complete success.;., The, paintings,,and works of industry, were exhibited, in the large class-room ususually' occupied by the senior pupils attending the school. The several judges whose names are given under their several departments, gave over four hours of long and anxious consideration to the 350 exhibits submitted to them. One very interesting feature in the drawing and mapping department was the drawing of a map of England in presence of the judges in fifteen minutes. The amount of detail and accuracy given in the short space of time was almost incredible. The drawing executed also in the presence of the judges (Mr Wiggins' prize) was done with considerable accuracy and fidelity, to a rather difficult copy in freehand, set by one of the judges (Dt (luthrie). These two items should have a prominent place in future exhibitions, as the test is a good one to ascertain what can be done in a given time, and there is a distinct guarantee that the work is bona fid& that of the contributor. , ! iAfter the judges, had finished making their awards the Rey : Mr Stacker said the pleasing duty had fallen upon him to declare the exhibiti6n formally open. ■ This was the 'third annual exhibition, the first he had been present at; but he understood fioni;those] well qualified to judge, that it was in no way inferior to any of its preidecessors either in number of exhibits or in their merit. While the skill and energy of the various . exhibitors contributed to I niake' an exhibition, yet' it required; to be organized,(and the different datajisof man-' agement, which entailed a large ajuctint of labor, had to be put into shape ; 'this last had been done by their indefatigable 'secretary, Mi , S. Watlcins, to: whom iriuch; of the success of the wholtj,affair was.d.ue.i He was especially,glad to ; see the? large number of jourig contributors, \vhose patience arid.'perseverance' were in many' cases beyond/all'praise; Mr Stocker then declared the exhibition formally open, and asked his friend, Judge Gfesson to ] say a few words to those present.: . ,■ . The Hon. K. B. Gresson, then said, he had great pleasure in acceding to Mr Stacker's request; lie was not altogether unknown to Akaroa, nor-• Akaroa to him, and he somewhat regretted that.his opportunities of visiting Akarqa. had been so few, but as the means of, communication were now improved, hehoped to visit them more frequently. He quite agreed with ithfli remarks of the reverend gentleman ityhp had juat preceded him, that the .re-, suits .springing, from*.exhibitions of this jlahd'cpujd not be tpq highly valued. .There was no greater incentive' to improvement' thari'the friendJyTivyiiy of one man with another iii tlie'rie' ! arts' of '■ jpeaoe they saw spread before ; them; 'Industry was at times' bonimendabley and .in these works of arfc«they ihad,.a.-great,, pleasure, in which there was noj ..alloy,' and in which; there could be ho excess.' He had recently been reading the lil'e of the late Prince Consort, by Theodore .Martin, a book he advised them all who had the opportunity to read,

and in that book was the story of how tfier idea of the first great International Exhibition of 1851 was originated in the mind of that great and good prince. That idea had home good fruit since in all countries of Europe, and had now spread to the colonies. In New South Walea an exhibition was now being held, and next year Victoria invited the nations to competition in the arts of peace. He believed he was right in saying that Akaroa was the, first town in New Zealand to follow the example of the old country in having district exhibitions of the sort. He was now gratified to see before him in what he had hitherto considered a somewhat remote town, an evidence of taste and design in art, carving in shell and other materials, and which he hoped to see persevered in year by year, and asked those who had no awards not to be discouraged by failure, as no good and great work had ever, yet been achieve i without failures. The honorable gentleman then paid an eloquent tribute to the natural beauties of Akaroa and its grand harbor; the grand flor,a of ita sheltered gullies, ,md its many incomparable natural attractions, and was glad to find that so many were able with ease and Brush to tjtairisfer those beauties to canvas.

In giving, what must necessarily be a short summary of some of the more striking exhibits in the room, the ladies will no doubt parddm us if we refer to .the works of ar£. first, v , ihirmg the whole of the exhibition'the : case "containing the specimens of Mfßrchea' carvings in pa»a shells : was one of, the great centres of attraction, ? and we must s.iy Mr Riches has made a vast stride in his work since last exhibition. A smaller case shown by this gentleman, containing the words " Bless the Lord, oh my $oul, and forget not all His benefits," cut iri.paua shell in old English characters about an inch long, was certainly a triuniph of carving, and was universally admired. The specimens in the m larger case were both original and artistic in design, and showed a pultivated taste and cabability of execution that left nothing to be desired in the way of mannfaeturing ornamental articles from the material Mr Riches has chosen. We are sure Mr Riches only requires a larger audience arid a wider field than Akaroa to bring himself both profit and honor. The products of Mr Riches atelier are, of course, for sale, and from the moderate prices asked, should become exceedingly popular. A ; 'combination of dried sea weeds and ehells by the same artist was also much admired. Amongst the articles sent for *, exhibition only were several pictures by our fellow townsman, Mr W. M. Watkins, which were iuuch admired, especially a copy of a study of sheep, from the Mcl- "•" bourne gallery. This artist also sent for exhibition a fine view of Flea Bay Heads from the sea, in which those bold headlands stand out in rugged grandeur to meet the full, swell of the Southern Pacific, which in the picture under consideration I i 8 almost as still'as a mill pond. If we might be allowed to make a suggestion to * the artist, we think that the introduction A, • oi a number of the sea birds who make *"*• \ this part of the coast their habitat might : be done with advantage, thus giving .in 1 idea of at least animal life. Other 11 in oil sent by this gentleman were also jl much admiredi Mr Geo. Sadler sent three **| beautiful miniatures on ivory, which were I exquisite examples of a now neglected art I since the days of; photography. This ex- I hibitor also contribute'! a collection of sea I weeds in»an album which were beautifully I .preserved and, arranged—indeed, thie ex- ■ Mbit should ,be most valuable to young >,■ collectors' here, showing"the waj' in : l which algaa should be preserved and c ■ inwuhted.' The collection had thoaddi-'* I tional merit of being named. Mr West I Chamberlain sent an example or-Japanese I ■embroidery, showing the American eagleiV I and the star-spangled banner. Amongst - fl the exhibits in painting from nature that fl call for any-speuiai remark were Mr G. .W. fl White's V RoLonmlmnn," which, in'addition H to being a correct likeness of this fine steamer, .is also an excellent picture, haying a fine breezy effect as if rushing through the water. Mr W. Watkins' pic- j ture. of Akaroa Harbor which took. the first prize, was an excellent water color i evening effect, having rich and mellow 1 middle tints'. Mr Welch contril tited * water color of a scene-from St. Martin's Bay, full of atmosphere and distance, and making one almost in love with that much- H maligned settlement. Mr and Mrs & Watkins' copies of the masters they copied were faithfully carried put in-an artistic spirit. The freehand aiul other drawing, the mapping, lettering, and plain and ornamental writing weru ail good in their several 'classes, anil generally in advance of the work of previous years. In saying that nautical models met with the approval of such keen critics on the subject as Mr Sims and Captain Thomas, we are simply saying that they were of a high order of merit. Mr Eillens' sketch of Akaroa scenery in , oils was -certainly not up to hi 3 ■ usual form, and was disappointing to t£gfc friends of this rising artist, who are aware ho is capable of much hotter tilings. Some excellent pen and ink sketches, amongst .others those of Miss Kuwe and Mr : Watkins,:were disqualified by the judges on account of pencil being introduced in their treatment. Theje were several entries of-pressed ferns and leaves, but in the .absence of any attempt at classification or naming, the judges declined to award any prize. Our remarks have extended to "almost the ''limits'o'fo'iir' space, and we regret we are unable to give a detail of the large quantjty; of ■ ladies' and girls' work, beyoM saying., that-the classes were filled, ami' the, coinpetibn generally keen. The judges of sewing wished it pointed out that the custom of washing work LJg* fore being'exhibited was very undesirable. The- show and exhibition kfept open during- Wednesday, and in the evening J. Aylrner, Esq., distributed iho prizes to the successful competitors. Full particulars of the prizes and donors will appear in our next. Mr S. Watkins, the unwearied Secretary, was most obliging in his attention to every one,.and.as has been already said, of the success of the whole affair is due this gentlemaTi." -For ourselves, we to thank him.for his I attention' in supply ingiUS with the long.official list of awar^.^^^f Jddges—Messrs Tosswill r M'Gregor, »)T; >>:Gruthrie, and Rev. H. Stocker. Painting in oil or water colors from titfe—W. M. N. Watkins, water color, J. Welc'lj, do, highly commended. pri^e—G. \V. White, Lytteltoii, color s.s. Kototnahana

Painting in oil or u-atei , colors fr copies—Mrs S. Watkiiis, water color, Mr S. Waikins, do, highly commenced Oil or water color sketch of Akaroa f nature, by amateurs — H. Billcns,

mended Illuminating—l. by adults; 2, by boys or girls—Adults, H. Billens ; !J'P, ! Drawing by Doys or girls'under 18,! in five classes— : Freehand, Crayon, Pencil, Pen and Ink,.and Architectural ing mechanical)— Freehand, E. Watkins; 1;. Minnie Penlington,- highly.- commended,; crayon : Geo. Penlington, 1;. do do, highly commanded; pen and ink :" Sarah Cheekley : pencil: L. Watkins; mechanical : Geo. Cheekley, jnn. Special priza, architectural :L. Watkine. ' ; Drawing in pencil by hoys orgirls under 16, in four classes—Human form. Landscape, Animal, and Marine—Human form: Geo. Penlington 1 ; L. Watkins,'highlycommended ; ■ landscape: L. 'Watkins 1-; S. Cheekley. highly commended ; animal: L. Watkins,' 1; tieo. Penlington, .highly commended ; Marine : Geo. Penlington. ~ Freehand drawing by pupils of Government Schools — Secretary's prize :, Boys, Ben. Peulington; girls, Minnie.P.enlmg-: ton. . ■'■'"■" , Drawing by boys or girls under 18, to be executed in the presence of the judges.' Time not exceeding 30 minutes—Mr Wiggins , prize: L. Watkins; 1 : ; Geo. Penlington, commended. ■ Carving in any material—G. D. Riches,----1 ; do do, highly commended Judges--Messrs Wood, Wilkins, Billens, and Weetenra.' Mapping by boys or girls under 12, 14, and 16—Under 12. Arthur M-Gregor; under 14, Henry Piper, 1; J. W, M'Gregor, commended . Map of England from memory, in 15 minutes, drawn before judges--J. W. M'Grcgor, 1 ; Ben. Penlington, highly commended " Lettering by boys under 14—Frank Scott ; ; -..: Plain writing, for boys and girls under 16_Union S. S. Company^,-prize—Boys: R. Bean. Rangiora, 1 ; -L W: M'Gregor, 2; girls: E. Breitnieyer, 1 ; Sarah Checkley. 2 Plain writing, for boys under 14 ; do do, : for girls under 15 ; do do, for girls under 10. Subject—" Akaroa Horticultural and Industrial Exhibition, lGth December, 1879." To be written on ruled fool seisin three sizes—space, double-space, aritT one-third space—Boys under 14, J. W. M'Gregor; girls under 15, Helen Hammond ; girls under 10, Mary Jane Segar. Plain writing, loys under 10—Rev H. Stocker's prize, George Piper Plain writing, boys and girls under 12— Boys, George Johnson ; ' girls, Mabel Scott Copying music, boys and girls—L. Watkins Copying music, adults—No exhibit. Judges—Messrs Sims and Thomas. Models, nautical or mechanical, t> boys under 10— G. Reeves and C. Hamilton Models, nautical or mechanical,-by >nen —E. S. Latter, Barry's Bay, 1; 'W. Kearney, highly commended Judges — Mesdames Dawber, Garwood, Stocker, Kissel, Sunckell, and Miss Tosswill. Knitted socks, 1 pair—Mrs Burke Knitted bootees for baby, in wool, girls under 12—Minnie Penlington Netting—Agues Sunckell . Darning, adults and girls Hinder 10— Adults, Mrs Dawber Artificial flowers, in any material—Feathers, Miss Thomas Artificial flowers, in wool—Miss M. C. Lee . Patch-work — Mrs Dawber. Special, prize—Miss Welch -• . .:,'. Cutting out and making white shirt, wearable size—Mrs W. Maltby ; Cutting out and making regatta shirt, wearable size—Mrs W. Maltby. Mrs Garwood'e special-prize.-for girl under 12— Jane Bruce Cutting out and making Crimean shirt, wearable size—No award Book-markers, girls only, under 14— Eleanor Bates Best ironed shirt—Mrs Yewen Best dressed doll, clothing to be made and doll to be dressed by exhibitor, girls under 8. 10, 12, and 14—Under 8, no;exhibit ; under 10. Margaret Lee ; under 12, no exhibit ; under 14, Gertrude Parsons. Mrs Black's prize—Ethel Watkins. Pillow lace—Miss Rolls, Ashburton Point lace —Miss Tosswill Crewel work—Miss Broderick Plain needlework, under 8, 10, 12. and 15 — Under 8. Mary Higginson ; special prize, E. Sunckell ; under 10, Mary Dawber ; under 12. Minnie Penlington.; under 15, Clara Dawber; Gertrude Dawber, highly commended • ■ Hemming handkerchief, under 8, 10,' 12, and 14—Under 8, Lizzie Billens ; under 10, Mary Dawber ; under 12, Clara Dawber ; under 14, no award Button holes, by boys or girls under 12 —Boys, Arthur" Noouao,; ; girls, no award Crochet or tatted antimacassar, under 14 —Sarah Leonard Crochet, tatting, adults and girls—Tatting, Kate Dalglieh Woolwork, adults and girls -.under 14— Adults, Sarah Cheekley. J. D. Garwobd's prize ; under 14, Mattel Scott; under 7, E. Kissel, recommended for special prize

Embroidery, adults and girls under 12, entirely done by exhibitor—Adults, Mies Kearney ; -girls under 12, no award Cone work, leather do, for frames or boxes —Sarah Checkley

Collection of pressed ferns, sea weeds, and leaves—7 entries ;no award

Essay on the, " Natural resources and capabilities.of Akaroa Harbour and adjacent country"—No com petition Pen and ink sketch of New Zealand scenery—Akaroa: H. Billens.