[ 383 ]
[The figures after the Names (between parentheses) refer to the Exhibitors’ Numbers and to the Pages in theOfficial Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue.]
Jury.
Col. the Hon. George Anson , Chairman ; 25 Hill Street, Berkeley Square.
Charles Nottbecr, Deputy Chairman , Russia ; attached to the Ministry of Imperial Domains.J. A. Niciiolay, Joint Reporter, 82 Oxford Street; Furrier .
James B. Bevington, Joint Reporter , Neckinger Mills, Bermondsey ; Leather Manufacturer.
J. S. Cunningham, United States .
Jacques Frederic Fauler, France ; Member of the Chamber of Commerce.
John Foster, 16 Wigmore Street, Cavendish Square ; Florist and Feather Manufacturer.
J. W. Newman, Walsall ; Saddler and Harness Manufacturer.
Hector Roessler, Zollverein ; Counsellor of Commerce.
Edward Zohrab, Turkey ; Turkish Commissioner.,
Associate .
George Kidd, 257 Oxford Street; Saddler and Harness Maker.
The Jury, for convenience and certainty in examina-tion, have distributed the articles exhibited in this Classunder the following heads:—
Skins and manufactured furs.
Feathers for ornamental purposes.
Artificial hair.
Woven hair for furniture.
Hough, tanned, and sole leather.
Curried leather.
Varnished leather.
Morocco and dyed sheepskin leather.
Alum and gloving leather.
Oil or chamois leather.
Dyed sheepskins for rugs.
Vellum and parchment.
Saddlery and harness.
Portmanteaus.
The manufacture of the skins of animals into the va-rious useful articles to which they are applicable, hasbeen at all times an important branch of industry, and isestimated to hold the fourth place among the manufac-tures of England in respect to the value of the produceand the number of persons employed.
The hides, skins, and furs upon which this labour isemployed, are mostly the produce of our own country,but besides the home supply, immense quantities are im-ported from North and South America , Europe , and theEast Indies. The estimated number imported into Great Britain annually is about 11,000,000, of which 5,000,000are applicable for furs, and G,000,000 are adapted forvarious descriptions of leather.
The following statement shows the number of unmanu-factured hides and skins annually imported into Great Britain for tanning and leather dressing, a large portionof which are re-exported in the raw state:—
Hides and kipsCalf skins - -
Goat skins —
Sheep skins —Lamb skins -Kid skins - —
Deer skins -
- - - - 2,550,000
- - - - 223,000
- - - - 464,000
- - - - 210,000
- - - - 1,430,000
- - - - 90,000
Total
- - - - 5,SS3,000
Subjoined is a table of the imports and exports of skinsadapted for furs.
Total Impor-tation intoEngland.
Exported.
Consumed
in
England.
_
_
525,000
525,000
None.
Beaver -
-
-
-
60,000
12,000
48,000
-
—
-
85,000
30,000
55,000
Bear — -
—
-
-
9,500
8,000
1,500
Fisher -
-
-
-
11,000
11,000
None.
Fox, Red -
-
_
-
50,000
50,000
None.
„ Cross
-
-
-
4,500
4,500
None.
„ Silver
-
-
-
1,000
1,000
None.
,, White
-
-
-
1,500
500
1,000
„ Grey
-
-
-
20,000
18,000
2.000
Lvnx— —
—
—
-
55,000
50,000
5,000
Martin -
-
-
-
120,000
15,000
105,000
-
—
-
245,000
75,000
170,000
-
-
-
i,ooo,aw
150,000
850,000
-
-
-
17,500
17,500
None.
Fur, Seal -
-
-
-
15,000
12,500
2,500
Wolf - -
—
-
-
15,000
15,000
None.
Martin, Stone and Baum
120,000
5,000
115,000
Squirrel -
-
-
-
3,000,000
100,000
2,900,000
Fitch-
-
-
-
G5,0.'l
28,276
36,815
Kolinski -
-
-
-
53,410
200
53,210
Ermine -
-
-
-
187,104
None.
187,104
Rabbit -
-
-
-
120.000
None.
120,000
Wolverine
—
-
-
1,200
1,200
None.
Skunk -
-
—
-
1,200
1,200
None.
—
—
100
100
None.
The temperate and tropical countries supply the pecu-liar descriptions of hides and skins which are best adaptedfor leather, while the northern and arctic regions aboundin races of beautiful animals which are thickly coveredwith fine hair or fur, whose skins are extremely valuableas articles of clothing.
To prepare the skins from the raw state, and renderthem fit for ornamental dress, is the first process of thefur dresser. In this country it is the usual practice totrample them in closed tubs with a little salt butter, turn-ing them over and over for several hours; by this meansthe skins are made into soft and pliable leather. Thenext operation is to rub them on the flesh side over ablunt iron to remove loose pieces of integuments, and toreduce the substance, after which it is necessary to cleansethe fur and skin completely from the grease: for thispurpose, it is again trampled with sawdust (usually from