The World's Fair Part 2

The Greek people are beautiful and graceful. The women have fine oval faces, their eyes are large and dark, their eyebrows and hair are of deep shining black, and their complexions are mostly pale. They are very splendid in their dresses; the costume of the men is extremely like that of the Turks. From having been so long subject, however, to their Turkish rulers, the Greeks have become artful and cunning.

The rich ladies and n.o.bles of Greece have fine young slaves to wait upon them, and amuse them by singing or dancing. These slaves are bought from the Tartars, who steal them from Russia, Circa.s.sia, or Georgia, and are taken great care of, being taught to embroider, sing, dance, and deport themselves with elegance and grace. Their masters or mistresses scarcely ever sell them, but when they are tired of them, either give them to a friend, or set them free. When they do sell them, it is as a punishment for some crime, or for being useless.

There are numerous brigands, or thieves, in Greece, who are divided into bands, and rob with the utmost impunity. They manage to hide themselves very artfully in the roads where they expect to meet travellers, doubling their bodies up behind stones and bushes, or else lying flat on their faces on the ground, when they suddenly all start up and surround any unfortunate individual who may happen to pa.s.s that way. There are also honest, industrious people in Greece; and among them are the guides, men who show strangers over the curious portions of the cities for a trifling sum of money; and there are the cabmen of Athens, who are usually very intelligent and well-informed; there are a number of cabs in Athens.

The Greek houses have only one story; but there are generally large gardens, carefully tended, attached to them. The climate is generally mild, but not so much so as formerly, on account of the cutting down of the forests. The spring and autumn are delightful; but the summer is too hot, and the winter is almost a succession of storm and rain.

The earth is extremely fertile, and produces corn, wine, and fruits, besides the honey and figs you like so much. The people manufacture silks and cottons, and export quant.i.ties of small raisins, which grow very luxuriantly in and about the city of Corinth. Corinth is one of the most charming places that you can fancy to yourself, and is surrounded by beautiful views and the remains of ancient temples, columns, and statues; groves of fine olive trees border the city, and the waters of two bays meet near the entrance. The ruins of the ancient temples and buildings in Athens, the capital of Greece, are still to be seen; but so little do the ignorant and foolish people, who have lived in the city in modern times, value these great works, that they have for hundreds of years used the greater part of the splendid marbles to build their houses, which are only ordinary and common-looking.

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The inhabitants of Bavaria and Belgium have sent almost numberless articles of industry to the Exhibition; furs, lace, machinery, corn, books, furniture, and metals.

Belgium was formerly called Flanders, and the people produced superior cloth, hats, cutlery, and other useful things, a very great many years before the English could make any thing better than the most common sort of goods. The Belgians are still celebrated for their ingenuity in making toys, lace, cloth, silk, satin, velvet, and other useful articles. They are also famous for the culture of flowers, in which they excel even the Dutch. Every house has a garden attached, which is frequently surrounded by a moat. The country is small, but every part of the land is made fertile by the industry of the farmers, of whom there are a great number; many of them grow flax, which is woven into linen by the women. There is a weekly market for linen, held at Ghent, whither the peasantry carry their products for sale, and both men and women may be seen standing in two long lines, with benches before them.

The farms in Belgium are cultivated with great care and attention, and much resemble the market gardens round London; they all have gardens, and grow an ample supply of fruit and vegetables. The food of the peasants, is rye-bread and milk, for breakfast and supper; potatoes and onions, with bacon and beer, for dinner; they eat off pewter; and although their fare is simple, it is good and plentiful. Their dress is somewhat coa.r.s.e, but it is neat and clean, the men wear blue linen frocks; and the women have printed cotton gowns, linen caps, and woollen petticoats.

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 quant.i.ties. 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 ca.n.a.ls, on which a vast number of steam-boats are constantly pa.s.sing and re-pa.s.sing.

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, gla.s.s, 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.

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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 quant.i.ties 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 princ.i.p.al 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 cla.s.s, 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.

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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 cla.s.ses 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, ca.n.a.ls, 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.

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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!

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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 princ.i.p.al 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 quant.i.ties 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 princ.i.p.al manufactures are cigars, cottons, soap, tanned leather, gunpowder, pottery, and hats.

The rich people use a number of silver vessels, and a quant.i.ty of plate, on account of the want of manufactures of china and gla.s.s, 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 coa.r.s.ely 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 pa.s.s 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 a.s.semblies.

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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 pa.s.sing 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 gra.s.s; 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 amus.e.m.e.nt, princ.i.p.ally 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.

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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 sh.o.r.e, catch fish; and those in the woods, eat such animals as they can get; or climb up trees, for honey, squirrels, and opussums.

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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.

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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 quant.i.ty of sugar grown there; and the tobacco is finer than that of most other islands. The trees are princ.i.p.ally 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 c.o.c.k-fighting, I am sorry to say. b.a.l.l.s and parties are also a favourite and more innocent amus.e.m.e.nt.

In Jamaica, the princ.i.p.al 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.