499

Class XXII.] IRON AXD J>TFFL MANUFA

2. Iron and Steel Manuiactures, Ironmongery’, &c.

The iron manufacture cf the United Kingdom mayjustly claim a very high place. The advantages afforded .by a material so cheap and abundant are indicated by thevast extent and variety of i's uses; and it may be safelyaffirmed that no branch of industry, employing iron, needever languish on account of any scarciiy, dearness, or :uncertainty in the supply of this important metal. j

The whole collection of steel and iron grates, fenders, 1and fire-places, kitchen ranges, stoves and apparatus forwarming and ventilation, is considered by the Jury toconstitute a most interesting, and on the whole, a highly-creditable and satisfactory exhibition of the state of ithose branches of industry in the United Kingdom . Inthat portion of it which includes tasteful design as anelement of merit, the Jury regret to find instances inwhich a deficiency in that respect is but too apparent; but,on the whole, they are disposed to consider the manufac-ture of ornamental drawing-room and other giates andfenders, and decorated stoves, to be in a most promisingcondition in respect to taste. The grates of Messrs.Hgolk, Robson, and IIooi.k, of Sheffield (140, p. 009),executed from designs by Mr. Ale red Stevens (140,p. 009), and those exhibited by Messrs. Stuart andSmith, of the same place (102, p. 003', may be adducedas evidence of remarkable ad\ancement in tasteful design.The former display great beauty and artistic intelligence,while the latter, in some instances less eminent in thoserespects, are remarkable for general brilliancy cf effect,great precision and excellence of workmanship, and cer-tain novel applications of ornament. The Jury wish tonotice, with special approbation, those portions in thegrates of Messrs. Hoole, Robson, and Iloole, in whichthe castings remain in the state in which they leave themould.

The progress of this manufacture in all respects is themore remarkable, considering the absence of foreigncompetition, and the comparatively short time that haselapsed since it began to assume its present highly-deco-rative character. It is only since the end of the last, orthe beginning of the present century, that this branch ofindustry was introduced into Sheffield. Previously tothat time it had been carried on in London and Fdin-burgli; and grates or fenders of an ornamental descrip-tion still continued to be manufactured in these placesfor the first twenty years of the present century: aboutthe end of which period, manufacturers began to esta-blish themselves in various parts of the country. These,by emuloying greater artistic talent, became successfulcompetitors w ith the London houses, whose trade from .that time continued to decline, ai.d Sheffield became theprincipal seat of manufacture for the better and more ’ornate sort of stove-grates and fenders. Of this sort some .few still continue to be manufactured in London ; but the ’London market is now, for the most part, supplied by theworks in the town of Sheffield. i

The trade in the commoner description of grates is !more extensive, and is principally carried on by theCarron Company and other foundries in Scotland , by theCoalbrook Dale Company, and foundries in Northampton,Dudley, Rotherham, Birmingham , Mansfield, No;ting- :ham, and Derby.

The Jury thiuk it deserving of notice with respect tothis branch of industry, that in all the communicationswhich have been made to them by the persons engagedin it, they find observations commendatory of the Schoolof Design in Sheffield, and expressive of the high sensethey entertain of the services it has rendered to oma-menial art, and in particular, to the manufactures of thatplace.

The articles of this description exhibited by ccnti- 'nental manufacturers are few in number, being chiefly .stoves; amongst which the grate contributed by Andre(France , 1053, p. 1229), and caloriferes in brass and castiron, by Laury* (France , 563, p. 121)5), are the mostdeserving of notice.

From the United Kingdom , examples of the ordinarykitchen range are numerous, and uniformly characterizedby a sound and substantial workmanship. On the actual

ITRES, IRONMONGERY, &c.

working merits cf the various contrivances and arrange-ments displayed by than, the Jury do not feel themselvesqualified to form a very decided opinion. They would,however, observe generally, that in many cases the mas-siveness, extent, and heavy character of the iion-voikappear to be carried to excess, and a wider space some-times assigned for fuel than is necessary, or consistentwith economy. It is, doubtless, very desirable* to give sucha degree of strength to a kitchen range as shall insureit in all its pans against injury from fracture 1 , which isin most eases difficult to repair; and, hence, economy cfmaterial is not to he regarded as a primaly consideration ;but the difference betw een the large extent and massive-ness of some ranges, and smallness and chest-like appear-ance of others is so extreme*, while the professed andpossibly the real capabilities are about equal, ihat it isevident we have not yet arrived at very distil ct con-clusions respecting the exact adaptation of the means tothe end in this branch of industry. Much of the varietyin size, and as a consequence of this, in arrangement, isno doubt due to the necessity of providing for the dif-ferent sizes of kitchens and fire - places; a necessitywhich n.ust, on the whole, tend also to maintain highprices. It must be admitted, besides, that cbstaclcstoimprovement and the speedy adeption ai d testing of newcontrivances arise out of the arrangements current inEngland between landlord and tenant. A kitchen largecomes under the description of what are ten mod “land-lord’s fixtures,” and in many, perhaps the majority ofcases, has been selected more on the ground of eecn< myin the first outlay, than with any view to the excellenceof the contrivance or the permanent eemfort ar.d con-venience of the occupant, who, though dissatisfied, findsit difficult on several acccuuts to disturb the agreementhe has come under.

In Scotland , giates are tl e pn forty of the occupant,but it is doubtful whether this circumstance contributeson the whole, to improvunent. A large majority oftenants are more able to pay annually a small additiaito their rent as interest for the outlay of the landlord ongrates, than to incur that outlay themselves; and hencewith such persons, economy outweighs all other con-siderations.

Taking all the circumstances into account, the Juiythink that the attention of our kitchen-iange manufac-turers might be advantageously directed to the produc-tion of one which, compact, moderate in size, economicalin fuel, and answering all the ends of convenience thatmust be provided for in the majority of cases, might besold at a low price. They are unwilling, as has 1 cenremarked, to offer any decided opinion on the compara-tive merits of the ranges submitted to them, more espe-cially as those merits are so generally unifoim; but ifthey were to make a difference, they would say that thekitchen range of J. Flavei., of Leamington, Warwick-shire (38, p. 596', for appearance of woihmai.ship,economy of fuel, and its combination cf the stove aulo>peu fire seems deserving of special notice. The ccokii gstove of Evans and Son (103, p. 603) exhibits a some-what novel, but not unsuccessful attempt to apply to thatkind of manufacture a moderate amount of appropriateornamentation.

The Jury observe with regret that there is no cookingstove or apparatus of first-rate manufacture or extentexhibited among the productions of the Continent.Foreign hotels and large establishments must be fur-nished with such: and it certainly would have been bothinteresting and instructive to our manufacturers, to 1 avebeen able to examine the contrivances by which cookingon a large scale is conducted in countries remarkable 1 ibrtheir culinary skill.

The contrivances recently invented for cooking ardheating by gas, of which a considerable number areexhibited on the British side, appear to be well madeand constructed; but the Juiy are unable to pronounceany united opinion on their efficiency. The chief advan-tage professed by them is economy; ai.d there seemsto be no reason to doubt the justness of their claim tothat advantage, if ether more necessary conditions arecomplied with; li t it would appear tl at as yet, moie

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