Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission Part 34

Besides those already enumerated, Canada made a very creditable display of figure and landscape paintings in the Palace of Fine Arts, as well as a collection of various subjects in water colors.

Later in the season Canada made a very successful exhibit in the live-stock department. Her display was especially large in sheep and swine cla.s.ses and almost equally good in poultry and pet stock.

In addition to those enumerated in the foregoing list, Canada is ent.i.tled to credit for a number of individual exhibits of various kinds scattered over the exposition grounds; for example, in the Building of Mines and Metallurgy there was an exhibit of natural and wrought nickel, every pound of the raw material coming from the Sudbury mines, in the Province of Ontario. The exhibit occupied a large s.p.a.ce in the Mining Building and consisted of a varied and comprehensive display of nickel and nickel goods, from the natural ore to the finest and most polished culinary and domestic utensils. Every pound of raw material used in this display was from the mines situated in Denison Towns.h.i.+p, Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada.

In Machinery Hall there was an exhibit comprising a great variety of corundum products, every pound of whose raw material came from Canada.

The exhibit showed corundum in bulk, in large wheels, small wheels, hones, and every variety of grinding and sharpening specialties. The amount of raw corundum used annually by the company reaches nearly 1,000 tons. In the Machinery Building, also, was an exhibit of asbestos and its products, the raw material of which came from Canada. The display consisted of steam-pipe coverings, mattings, packings, and everything of that nature required in heating and steam machinery; also asbestos mattings and fire screens, heavy papering and cardboards, and other things that asbestos can be worked into. All the asbestos came from the Shedford and Black Lake mines, in the Province of Quebec.

In the Manufactures Building was a very fine a.s.sortment of stones, etc., from different parts of Canada. Among the a.s.sortment were garnets from the Stikine River and also from the Province of Quebec; amethysts from Thunder Bay; labradorite, finest in the world, from the Isle of St.

Paul; spinel from Ottawa County, Quebec; sodalite from British Columbia; pitanite, Litchfield, Quebec; lercon and perthite from Quebec; sunstone and lebra stone from Perth, Ontario, and crown sunstone from Renfrew County, Ontario.

Besides the exhibits mentioned there were in the Mines Building an exhibit of mineral water from Abenakis Springs, Quebec; in the Philadelphia exhibit in the educational department a fine display of asbestos and pulp.

CEYLON.

Consequent on the visit to Ceylon of Hon. John Barrett, commissioner of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in the latter part of 1902, Hon. W.H.

Figg was dispatched as advance commissioner to St. Louis to investigate the conditions of the proposed World's Fair of 1904 and to make preliminary arrangements for the representation of the colony thereat.

Mr. Figg's report, dated New York, February, 1903, was followed by the appointment of a commission composed of the following members:

Hon. Stanley Bois, commissioner-general; Mr. R. Huyshe Eliot, a.s.sistant commissioner; Mr. P.E. Pieris, a.s.sistant commissioner; Mr. Russell Stanhope, a.s.sistant commissioner; Mr. Peter De Abrew, commercial agent; Hon. J. Ferguson, C.M.G., Mr. F.C. Roles, Mr. H. Van Cuylenberg, and Mr.

D. Obeyesekeri, official visitors.

By vote $150,000 was placed at the disposal of this commission, and a further sum of $10,000 was contributed by the Planters' a.s.sociation.

The scheme finally adopted for the exploitation of the products of Ceylon at the World's Fair was that all articles of artistic interest should be displayed in a special court and those of commercial importance in the various palaces. It was agreed that the practical demonstration of the use of tea should be carried on in the court and made as attractive as possible to the American public. A concession was accordingly obtained from the Exposition Company for the sale of tea in the cup at a nominal price, and an excellent site was allotted to the Government of Ceylon immediately west of and adjoining the lake, where the United States Life-Saving Service had its daily display and facing the north end of the Palace of Agriculture. The building (which was designed in Ceylon by Mr. Skinner) was rectangular in form, 120 feet long and 60 feet wide, and two stories in height.

Broad verandas, so characteristic a feature of oriental houses, ran round each floor, and there tea was served daily by 20 Cingalese servants. These tea servers dressed in spotless white, and with long hair fastened with big tortoise sh.e.l.l combs, made a most picturesque appearance and gave a touch of reality to the Cingalese pavilion.

From the center of the building sprang an octagon 75 feet high, reproducing the building where the kings of Ceylon used to show themselves to their subjects at their ancient capital of Kandy. Smaller octagons rose from the four corners. The ornamentation was characteristically Cingalese. Broad friezes painted by native artists represented the various birth stories of the Buddha. The door panels and quaint capitals were such as may be seen at many a temple in Ceylon and formed an appropriate setting for the impa.s.sive images of the Buddha.

The building was constructed by Messrs. Broderick & Wind, contractors of New York, under the general supervision of Mr. Russell Stanhope, representative at St. Louis of the commissioner-general, at a total cost of $30,000.

Downstairs were the offices of the commission, while on the upper floor the greater portion of the fine art exhibit of Ceylon was situated. The native artist was seen at his best in the magnificent jeweled caskets of carved ivory and the exquisite reprousse work in silver, representing an art which has been handed down from father to son for twenty-five centuries in the caste of Cingalese silversmiths.

The department of manufactures was represented by ma.s.sive furniture in calamander, ebony, and satinwood, carved with the most elaborate devices, dainty laces made by the nimble fingers of village women, beautiful productions on tortoise sh.e.l.l and gold, heavily embroidered cloths of gold, and a large collection of the various curios for which the East is famous, besides a display of tanned hides and jewelry of exceptional merit. There was a further display of art work in the international room of the Palace of Fine Arts. More than 100 exhibitors were represented in this building, the total value of their exhibits exceeding $50,000. Outside on the lake was an outrigger canoe of full size, such as is still in use among the fishermen of Ceylon.

The chief commercial exhibit of the country was to be found in the Palace of Agriculture, where a s.p.a.ce of 2,000 square feet had been allotted to it. First and foremost was the great industry of tea cultivation. Thirty years ago the island exported a million tons of coffee annually, and tea was an unknown article; last year the quant.i.ty of the leaf which was exported to all parts of the world exceeded 150,000,000 pounds (of which 18,000,000 was sent to the United States), while coffee hardly figures on the customs returns The industry is almost exclusively in the hands of Europeans. All the chief producers were represented at the exposition, their interests forming the special province of an a.s.sistant commissioner.

The cocoanut palm and its cultivation was fully represented. The nut itself, the various fibers, matting and ropes made from its husk, the copra or dried kernel, from which is extracted the oil now so largely used in the manufacture of best soaps and hair oils; the desiccated and "shredded" cocoanut, the demand for which among confectioners is rapidly increasing; cocoanut b.u.t.ter, an excellent emollient and subst.i.tute for lard; the arrack, distilled from the "toddy" extracted from the flower, a valuable liquor after a few years in cask; the vinegar and "jaggery,"

or mola.s.ses; down to the brooms, made from the "ekels" or midrib of the leaves, were shown in infinite variety.

Rice, the staple food of the country, was represented in a few of its 350 varieties, and cinnamon in bark or oil, cloves, nutmegs, mace, cardamoms, pepper, vanilla, and citronella oil, cocoa and coffee, rubber, cinchona bark, from which quinine is prepared, croton seed, and annotto dye might also be seen. The fibers included those of the Kitul and Palmyra palms and the silky niyande (sansevier zeylanical). One hundred and twenty exhibitors were represented, and the value of the collective exhibit was $5,000.

The educational exhibit, which had been prepared under the direct supervision of the director of public instruction in Ceylon, ill.u.s.trated the procedure adopted by the British Government in dealing with races with an advanced literature of their own, to whom a certain knowledge of English is a necessity. The present conditions of education--elementary, advanced, and technical--were well depicted, and the exhibit contained in addition a collection of the various scientific journals issued by the Colombo Museum and the department of the botanical gardens in Ceylon.

Graphite, locally known as plumbago, the only commercial mineral of the country, might be seen in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy. More than 600,000 hundredweights of this valuable commodity were exported in 1899, the greatest demand being in the United States, where the article is employed in the manufacture of crucibles, for stove polish, and for lubricating purposes. A few of the choice rubies and sapphires, for which the island is so famous, were on view in the Ceylon court. Thirty firms and private individuals were represented in this department, the exhibits exceeding $12,000 in value.

In Liberal Arts the government of Ceylon snowed the admirable work turned out by its printing offices, and various private firms of printers and photographers were represented. The large model of the artificial harbor of Colombo was of particular interest as ill.u.s.trating the position of the city as the tenth port in the world for tonnage entering and clearing. There was also a good private collection of coins found in Ceylon and covering a period of nearly two thousand years. The s.p.a.ce occupied in the Palace of Liberal Arts was 600 square feet, and the value of the total exhibit was $1,000.

The musical instruments of the country, chiefly consisting of drums and the varied equipment of the "devil dancers," were shown in the Ceylon Building.

In the Palace of Forestry a s.p.a.ce or 600 square feet was occupied by Ceylon. The chief exhibit there consisted of the ma.s.sive trunk of a satinwood tree, hollowed out so as to form a receptacle for "books,"

which consisted of blocks of all the various trade timbers of the country. An exhibit prepared by the marine biologist ill.u.s.trated everything connected with fis.h.i.+ng in the Ceylon waters, from the crude fish trap of the villager to the latest addition to knowledge regarding the origin of the l.u.s.trous oriental pearl. Models of the various kinds of boats employed in the country were also shown. The wild animals of the country, its beautiful birds (including the swift, which builds the edible nest), and gorgeous b.u.t.terflies, were well shown. The exhibit represented a value of $3,000.

Finally, in the department of anthropology there were shown, in the Ceylon Building, types of the various races found in Ceylon, ill.u.s.trations of their pre-Christian civilization, the utensils of bra.s.s and wood still used in their houses, and all the accompaniments of their philosophic religions.

A special handbook was prepared by a subcommittee in Colombo containing information for the use of the American people regarding the trade and resources of the country.

CHINA.

The partic.i.p.ation of China at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was authorized by an imperial decree issued in January, 1903. The same decree appointed an imperial commission, as follows:

His Royal Highness Prince Pu Lun, imperial high commissioner; Sir Robert Hart, Bart., G.C.M.G. (inspector-general of customs), president ex-officio; Mr. Wong Kai-Pah, imperial vice-commissioner; Mr. Francis A.

Carl, imperial vice-commissioner; Mr. D. Percebois, secretary of Chinese imperial commission; Mr. J.A. Berthet, a.s.sistant to secretary of Chinese imperial commission.

The amount set apart by the Chinese Government to meet the expenses connected with China's partic.i.p.ation in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was 750,000 taels, or, roughly speaking, $500,000 gold. As with all previous expositions in which China has taken part, the collecting of exhibits was intrusted to the imperial Chinese maritime customs service, under the control of Sir Robert Hart, Bart., G.C.M.G., inspector-general of customs. This service, with its numerous branches and ramifications throughout the Empire and an experienced staff acquainted with both native and foreign tastes was in an exceptional position to succeed in making a representative collection of the best in Chinese arts, manufactures, and products. The commissioners of customs at the princ.i.p.al trading centers took the work in hand, selecting such exhibits as were suitable when offered by merchants, and purchasing outright such articles as could not be procured otherwise. The collections were made at the following treaty ports: Newchang, Tientsin, Chefoo, Chungking, Hankow, Kiukiang, Wuhu, Nanking, c.h.i.n.kiang, Shanghai, Hangchow, Ningpo, Wenchow, Foochow, Amoy, Swatow, Canton, Pakhoi, Kiungchow, Mengtse, Lungchow, and Szemao.

Besides the Government exhibits from the foregoing-mentioned places, the provincial authorities of Hupeh, Hunan, Kiangaan, and f.u.kien also made collections. This is noteworthy, as it was the first time on record that the regular Chinese officials have taken any interest in a foreign exhibition. In addition to the Government partic.i.p.ation, fifty-three firms and private individuals sent their quota of exhibits. The following table gives the kind, cla.s.s, and approximate value of exhibits installed by each:

Porcelain curios, cloisonne, carpets, art work in metal, tapestries, furniture, silks, ivory, fans, and jade ...... $510,200 Furs and skins ............................................ 6,500 Cement and fire bricks .................................... 1,000 Fancy articles, wood carvings, paintings, and drawings, etc 11,600 Collections of b.u.t.terflies ................................ 100 Preserved meats, fish, vegetables, and fruit .............. 100 Chinese postal stamps and coins ........................... 5,000 Silverware and lanterns ................................... 2,750 ------------ Total ................................................... 537,250 Government exhibits ....................................... 40,000 Provincial ................................................ 61,000 ------------ Grand total ............................................. 638,250

The collection made by the twenty-two treaty ports comprised such articles as were not offered by the mercantile cla.s.s. In nearly every case the ports' collection included samples of products and manufactures typical to the district, models of the prevailing architecture and of any special costume worn by the people, models of the types of boats in use, carriages and wheelwrights' work, agricultural implements and farm machinery, appliances and methods used in agricultural industries, agricultural seeds, equipment and method employed in the preparation of foods, minerals and stones and their utilization, musical instruments, chemical and pharmaceutical arts, gold and silver ware, weights and measures, coins and medals, and photographs of the port. The collections made by the provincial authorities comprised art work in jade, crystal, porcelain and bronze, Chinese books and publications, lacquered ware and fancy articles.

The total approximate value as given above was $638,250, but this sum included the cost of transportation and installation. It represents in fact the market value in the United States. There was in the neighborhood of 2,000 tons of s.h.i.+pments from China to St. Louis--800 tons from the south of China, and 1,200 from the north of China. The rate from the south of China, i.e., Hongkong, was $8 per ton, while from the north of China, i.e., Shanghai, or nearly 900 miles shorter trip, the rate was $14 per ton. The amount paid for transportation was more than $20,000, to which must be added some $2,000 for terminal and switching charges. The cost of installation for the entire exhibit was about $7,500. The exorbitant wages necessary for all work done at the exposition accounts for this heavy expenditure. Another large item of expense, according to the Chinese commissioner, was the 5 per cent rate charged in this country for fire insurance. Most of the foreign countries taking part in the exposition effected insurance in home companies at about half the above rate.

The total cost of the Chinese Government Pavilion amounted to $75,000.

It was partly a reproduction of a portion of Prince Pu Lun's palace at Peking. Models were sent from China and copied in this country, the large arch at the entrance being a "Pai-Lou," or memorial arch, common in China as entrances to palaces, temples, and tombs. A small octagonal pavilion or tea house was shown. They are always at some beautiful spot in the gardens of the wealthy. Two flagstaffs outside were also copies of Chinese models. The wood carvings were very expensive, and good examples of what the Chinese workman can do in that line. Special men from China were imported to carry out the designs of the building and to do the painting in the Chinese style.

The s.p.a.ce occupied by the Chinese in the Liberal Arts Palace was 28,000 square feet, and, with the exception of another 1,500 square feet in the Educational Department, China was not represented in other buildings of the exposition. The small exhibit in the Educational Palace was not an attempt to ill.u.s.trate the Chinese system of education. It was intended simply to give the world an idea of the work being done by foreign societies--missionary and otherwise--in the educational line in China.

The maintenance of the staff looking after exhibits was about $30,000.

The expense connected with the repacking and return of freight and unsold exhibits was about $15,000.

CUBA.

On July 20, 1903, the Cuban Congress pa.s.sed the following resolutions authorizing the partic.i.p.ation of that country at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition:

The Executive is hereby authorized to dispose of $80,000 from the public treasury to meet the expenses which the representation of the Republic of Cuba will incur at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition which will take place at St.

Louis, Mo., in the year 1904.

Of this amount $30,000 shall be set aside to meet the expenses of a special commission whose object is to study the advancement which may have been realized in agriculture, chemistry, and mechanical industries applicable to the industries of Cuba, also public instruction in hygiene.

The commission will report the results of their investigation to the Executive, which reports will be duly published.

The expenses incurred in the publication of the reports will be met by the public treasury and will not be included in the above allowed sum.