Class XXIX.
C71
rare, and is that which the Orientals prefer to all others,and which they purchase at extravagant prices. Thereare few specimens of it in the Exhibition, and it is need-less to search for them in the German Department, asevery piece that is found in Prussia is exported to Turkeyin the raw or manufactured state ; and it is in the sectionoccupied by this latter country '(192$, 1929) the onlyspecimens in the Exhibition will be found.
Some writers are of opinion that the preferencewhich the orientals show for the pale yellow, slightly ,clouded variety, has been transmitted to them from the ■ancients, but their arguments will not bear a close .examination. |
Having alluded to this matter, it will be as well to advert ito the opinions held on the subject by the ancient authors. ;It appears that the word “electron” (amber) had two signi-fications; one referred to the substance which we call amber,lienee the derivation of the word electricity, from its long-known property of attracting, when rubbed, light sub-stances, such as straws, which was the first electricphenomenon ever observed; the other meaning applied toan alloy of gold and silver found in nature, or producedartificially. Pliny * expresses himself very clearly on thispoint; he says that gold always contains silver, and thatwhen the silver amounts to one-fifth of the compound itis termed “electrum;” if the proportion is higher, theelect rum ceases to be malleable.
It has been assumed that the latter was the originalmeaning of the term, and that it was subsequently appliedto amber on account of its resemblance to the white gold,tlie -variety most closely resembling the alloy possessingthe highest value. This view is supported by the cir-cumstance that we find “electron” spoken of by the epicpoets Hesiod and Homer as employed in articles for whichamber would scarcely be applicable. The application,for instance, of amber for shields might cause some alarmfor the safety of the Homeric heroes. But the ancientpoets did not always pay minute attention to the naturalqualities of the materials which they mentioned in theirnarrative ; this is evident from Hesiod 's employing otherfragile substances, such as ivory and alabaster in themanufacture of shields. Moreover, the fine carving ofthese show-pieces was not adapted to resist heavy blows.The learned Buttmann (Abhandlungen dcr Berliner Academic ,1818, 1819), very correctly observes that these works ofart are derived by the poet direct from the workshop ofVulcan, and that this at once does away with any protestagainst the insecurity of ivory, alabaster, or enamel inthe manufacture of his shields. The same learned anti-quary has compared critically the most important pas-sages in which the word “ electron ” occurs, and he hasdemonstrated, iucontrovertibly, that the word originallymeant amber, and that the second interpretation has onlybeen introduced at a later period, especially by thetragic poets. Thus it follows that the transmission of thepredilection for the straw-coloured cloudy amber from •the ancients is far from being proved, and that we must ;content ourselves with the explanation first attempted of jits resulting from the greater rarity of this kind of amber, jThis predilection appears to be confined to the East, as inother countries, <*.//., Russia , the orange-yellow transparentvariety is decidedly preferred, possibly on account of itscheapness. The Russian peasant girls adorn themselveswith double and treble rows of amber beads; thoughfrequently they are supplied with mere copal-beads insteadof the genuine article.
Having made these general observations on the cha-racter of amber, we pass to the detailed consideration ofwhat has been presented to us in the Exhibition under thehead of Pipes and Amber Manufactures.
* Historia Naturalis , xxxiii., c. 4. Omni auro incst ar-gentum vario pondere, alibi dena, alibi nona, alibi octavaparte. TJbicunque quinta argenti portio est, electrumvocatur. Fit ct cura electrum argento addito; quod siquint am partionem excessit, incudibus non resistit. Etelectro auctoritas llomero teste, qui Mcnclai regiam auro,electro, argento, ebori fulgere tradit.
Id. Page 409, vol. ii., of Holland’s Translation.
No one will be surprised that this land of smokers hearsoff the palm in the manufacture of pipes and amber; northat her exhibitors outnumber those of all other nationscollectively. All the States of Germany , however, havenot contributed equally, the pipes being chiefly fromAustria, and especially from Vienna , and the amber-manufactures from Prussia. The meerschaum works ofthe Viennese are unrivalled, as regards taste in design andexcellence in execution ; the carving of mauy of the pipe-bowls and cigar-tubes being examples of highly-cultivatedart. Most of the fancy pipe-tubes, composed of horn andmother-of-pearl, are more curious than graceful ; thecherry-tree tubes are in great variety, and are goodexamples of this component of the long pipe; besidesthese, there are large numbers of bone and wood mouth-pieces, and otliers made of amber, the latter being beau-tifully worked.
The meerschaum pipes from Prussia are not numerous,nor are they so elaborate as those of Austria . The PrussianSectiou presents such a series of amber specimens as arenot likely to be again collected ; the manufactured amberdoes not, however, evince much feeling for artistic designon the part of their exhibitors, whose merits rest prin-cipally on the excellence and difficulties of the work-manship.
The contributions from the other parts of Germany con-sist of meerschaum and other pipes from Bavaria , whichare not remarkable; porcelain pipes from Hamburg andclay-pipes from Nassau . Those from Hamburg are offancy forms, and those from Nassau are chiefly plaindescriptions, which are sold at exceedingly low prices.
British Colonies.
British Guiana. —T. B. Dcggin (146, p. 98C) sends aspecimen of a pipe, or rather tube, used by the aboriginesfor smoking tobacco, called a Wiuna; it resembles acheroot in outward appearance, but is hollow so as tocontain the tobacco. It is said to be made from the rindof the fruit of the Manicole-pahn (Areca manicot , Lodd.),from the River Berbiee. It may be remarked that suchtubes, made of paper covered with a leaf of tobacco, arenow manufactured in England. Canada contributes acollection of well-made clay-pipes. The Indian collec-tion contains examples of the costly and beautifully-orna-mented cocoa-nut and lac Hookahs, mounted in silverwith their rich tubes or snakes, and the simple pipe com-posed of two pieces of bamboo, one for the bowl cut closeto a knot, and a smaller one for the tube. These primitivepipes are in common use amongst the poorer natives ofIndia, and yet Dr. Royle cites an extemporary pipesometimes used by the natives, which surpasses even thisin simplicity; the amateur makes two holes, one longerthan the other, with a piece of stick, in a clay soil, in-clining the stick so that they may meet; into the shorterhole he places the tobacco, and applies his mouth to theother, and thus luxuriates in the fumes of the narcoticherb. There is, likewise, a specimen of the Singooopium-pipe which is of very small dimensions, the tubenot being larger than a thimble. The opium is placedin the bowl, and ignited by placing a piece of charcoalon it, which is effected with a small pair of tweezers,which find a place in this interesting and well-arrangedcollection.
The habit of smoking is very general in China , beingcommon to both sexes in all classes of society, and at allages. In every part of this vast empire the tobacco plantis cultivated, and consumed both as snuff and for smok-ing. So prevalent is the habit that little girls and boysare commonly seen smoking, and from this early periodit is persevered in by its votaries through life. It isalways customary to offer visitors a cup of tea and a pipe.M. Natalis Rondot estimates the number of smokers inChina as at least 100 millions, and states that pipes aremade in enormous numbers, and in an almost, infinitevariety of forms; they are of three classes, the water-pipe, the straight-pipe, and the opium-pipe. The Chinese ,