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Miscellany: Peep At The Fair Of The American Institute--its ...

Miscellany: Peep At The Fair Of The American Institute--its ... image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
November
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

JYew York, October 15, 1842. When I gave you an account of the New York State Agricultural society's Fair at Albany, I promised you should hear Trom rne, when the exhibition was open at the institute. So, here you have ir,premising, however, that the fair does not close for some days. The Fair was opened on the lOth, af Nibloa' Garden. The Hon. Mr. Meigs, delivered the openinff address, and there will be several others delivereo. during the exhibition. Mr. M. beautifiilly contrasled the anciem. triumphs of war with the modern triumphs of the arts. He d welt on the period of a thousand yeare, when England remained stutionnry in arts nnd agriculture. Three hundred and fifty years atro,ber cattle weihed 400 pounds: now 4000 pounds. 400 years ago, coal was prohibited by law, from being usedin London- thisyear, Qneen Victoria, ordercd 100 quarters for the oalace. Jü V.rgiiiiti, tu iü7i, ir Vviji. öerkiey.ihen g-overnor, said 'he tlianked God that there are no free schools r.or printing" in the colonv! What ar." free schools and the press dóine at this moment?Three centunes ago, a fellow from Germany carne to Paris, and cried for admission to see the King. He said he would lell him liow to drive his ships and carriages by steam! The poor fellow was locked up as a msniaci VVhat is steam doing now? Sixty years ago, the danghter of the patriot General Green, of Georgia, raised a few black seed cotton plants, in bcan pots, as prettyflowers! Now there is raised annually in the United States, cotton e'nough to make a shirt for each of the whole human race.' Forry years ogo, we bought our cotton goods in Indio, Rt SO cents a yard! Now, we manufacture and sell it at Jive! In 1554. the British government passed a law forbidding nny one but crown officers frorn wearing siik, on account of its extravagant cost. Now, the children of our poorest cirizens are able to appear in it. Not so in England. When Eli Whitney, in 1799, worked in his room badly warmed and no means to make himself cnmfortuble and without a pair of Btockings - working enthusiastically on his cotton gin, the great mass cried ngainst him, asafoolish en'husiast. Now, all the hard money on earth, would be no inducement to be without hit inveniion! Forty years since, Fulton was exoerimenting with steam nnd went up the Ilndsoii, at the rate of four miles an hour. Now, the passage fiorn the old world to the new, is f erried in 10 to 15 days! Inl809, Clinton h'rst opened the prospect of the Erie canal, and was laughed at. Ask the west of its vonders now! In 1016, the first essay apoeared upon rail- roads ! It was ridiculed as a Quixotic scheme ! Now, what ia the result? Five tht.uennÖmués timonea in the U. ö. - 2,600 in Great Britnin - 3,500 in Germany - and the Emperor Nicholas of Russia, is borrowintr $10o,000,000 to construct ajrailroad from the Baltic to the Black Sea, a o'istance of 1,050 miles and an American has been employed to lead n the survey! "With jron," said a warrior, "I can cominand all the gold." We now ride upon iron - we sail in iron ships - and iron houses are now beingf built in England, chenper than wooden ones! How long; will it be, before ron houses will be cast in America? Every state has her ore becfe, and whoever sees 25 rears, will meet with iron houses, where ten 'ears ago, it was a howling1 wildernpss !

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News