105
Very large and fine specimens of sponges are alsoshown in the collection transmitted from the Bahamas .
Spongio-Piline.
The substance so called, of which the patent * epi-thems’ for medical, surgical, and veterinary purposesare fabricated, is exhibited under a great variety of in-genious and useful forms, especially for applying heatedfluids to the body in lieu of poultices and fomentations;and the Jury have pleasure in awarding to the inventor,manufacturer, and exhibitor, M. Markwick (114, pp.203, 204), the Prize Medal.
Goldbeaters’ Skin.
This substance is the peritoneal or serous membraneseparated from the intestinal tube of the ox, and some-times of other animals ; it is attenuated by being beatenwith a hammer, and subsequently prepared so as to resistputrefaction. The Jury desire to make HonourableMention of the instructive series of this material invarious conditions, exhibited in No. 108, p. 203*, byFrederick Puckridge; and also in No. 104, p. 61k>,Class XXIII., by E. S. Marshall.
C.—AS AGEXTS IX THE IIA XU FA C T (Yf E OFVARIOUS ARTICLES .
Gelatines and Isinglass.
The raw materials chiefly used in manufactures derivedfrom the gelatinous texture of animal bodies, may bedivided, as regards their commercial value and appli-cation, into two kinds :—
1st. The gelatines and glues, properly so called, de-rived from the dissolution of certain animal tissues, andespecially from the waste residue of parts of animalswhich have served for food, or for the operations of tan-ning, or for the fabrication, as from hones, of articles inimitation of ivory, or from the waste particles in thecarving of ivory itself.
2nd. The cleansed and dried membranes of differentspecies of fish, more especially of the sturgeon family(Acipenseri(i(P\ preserving a peculiar texture, on whichtheir value in the refining of fennenting liquors moreespecially depends; such membranes are called ‘ isinglass.’
Gelatines and Glues.
The most remarkable progress in the extraction andpreparation of gelatines and glues, from the waste remnantsof hides and skins, bones, tendons, ligaments, and othergelatinous tissues, has been made in France , in whichcountry the well-arranged and systematic establishmentsfor the slaughtering of the cattle, sheep, and horses inthe large towns, give great facilities for the economicalapplication of all the parts of animal bodies.
L. F. Grenet (247, p. 1188).—Among the most beau-tiful productions of this industry in France are the spe-cimens exhibited under the above number, which havebeen specially noticed in the Section of the Report on theawards of the Council Medal;—that distinction havingbeen recommended by the Jury to their ingenious in-ventor.
Many manufacturers in France have risen to greateminence in this line by following the processes of M.Grenet.
II. Castelle, of Paris , exhibits fl07, p. 1176) a stillmore varied assortment of the modifications of gelatine,among which are particularly deserving of notice thevery large sheets of transparent gelatine, colourless,white, of various well-defined colours, and embossed orstamped with elegant patterns. Taki 4 g into considera-tion The variety and perfection of these modifications ofgelatine, the Jury award to M. Castelle the PrizeMedal.
D’Enfert Brothers (496, p. 1201) ; V. Pitocx (960,p. 1225); N. Lf. Cleiicq (1302, p. 1239); J. C. A.Royer (1461, p. 1245); Herve Brothers (1624, p.1255); Bouasse, Lebel, and Co. (774, p. 1217\ haveexhibited beautiful collections of glues and gelatinessimilar to the foregoing, and applicable to all the pur-
poses for which a pure, colourless, inodorous gelatine isadapted. MM. Coignet and Son, of Lyons, fabricate,from bones and various other animal remains, consi-derable quantities of glues and gelatines, good specimensof which are exhibited, together with other chemicalproducts of animal bodies, in No. 1153, p. 1233. TheJury regard the above-named exhibitors of gelatines andglues as worthy of Honourable Mention.
MM. Reiss de Drkuze, of Meurthe (355, p. 1194\and M. Faussemagnk, of Lyons (1599, p. 1253\ meritnotice for their excellent gelatines from bones and isin-glass for the purpose of dressing various stuffs andcloths.
The Company of Bouxwili.er (Bas-Rhin) (376, p.1195), exhibits gelatine in small plates, much esteemedfor various preparations or dressings: it is extracted fromthe bones from which the same Company obtains phos-phorus and phosphates of lime. This Company—MM.Estivant Brothers (1214, p. 1235 >, and Humbert andCo. (1272, p. 1238) —who exhibit excellent specimensof glues—are severally, in the opinion of the Jury,deserving of Honourable Mention.
England.
The greater part of the gelatinous products exhibitedby the English manufacturers is prepared from isinglass,and chiefly applied to articles of food. The commercialqualities of isinglass are instructively shown in the col-lection exhibited under Nos. 117, 118, and 141, p. 204.Some exhibitors, however, show excellent glues aud ge-latines, obtained from various residues of animal bodies,and destined for manufacturing purposes.
Mr. Muller (125a, p. 204*), has exhibited a fine assort-ment of glues and gelatines, analogous to the products ofM. Grenet; but a part of his fine gelatine in threads, forconfectionery purposes, appears to have been obtainedfrom isinglass. This is deserving of Honourable Men-tion.
M. Dufaville (125, p. 204*), shows a beautiful sampleof amber-coloured transparent gelatine in shreds, called‘ crystalline,’from its glittering surface; and also goodfilaments of isinglass for culinary purposes. Messrs.Watt and Son (120, p. 204*), exhibit fine specimens ofglue obtained from the refuse pieces of hides and skins.Mr. James Vickers* (117, p. 204*), exhibits a rich varietyof specimens of isinglass in the different raw states inwhich it is imported, and in all the states of its prepara-tion for the various applications for which it is sold.The variety of colours of the different kinds and parts ofisinglass is exemplified in elegant forms and arrangementsof this material. Messrs. Dawson and Morris (118, p.204*), and Mr. Glass (141, p. 193*, Class III.\ have ex-hibited good specimens of isinglass, dried, beaten intolayers, and cut into threads, exhibiting care and skill inthe latter kinds of preparation. The Jury desire to makeHonourable Mention of each of the above exhibitors.The Jury also deem worthy of Honourable Mention thebeautiful specimens of refined gelatine, exhibited byMessrs. Swinborne (119, p. 204*). The more opaquefilamentary specimens resembling isinglass appear, frommicroscopic and chemical tests, to be refined gelatine,from which the shining surface has been removed by aprocess of damping. This is a good material for the pur-poses of the confectioner, but it is not adapted for clari-fying white wines and beers, like true isinglass.
Mr. A. MacFarlane (124, p. 966) exhibits good spe-cimens of glue of the deep brown semi-transparent kind,adapted for cabinet-work, and deserving HonourableMention.
Three manufacturers here exhibit specimens of thepresent class of raw materials. One of these, J. G.Loosen, of Cologne (336, p. 1070), shows a fine speci-men of an esteemed and long-known article called* Cologne glue ’ (Colle de Cologne), which was the bestkind of glue prior to the recent advance in the manufac-
* This exhibitor was awarded a Prize Medal in Class III