canes, picture frames, and baskets with ferns
and leaves.
Mrs. Gen. Birney presents to the Fair the
celebrated Keakney Battle-flag, of Kearney’s
famous division, subsequently commanded by
the gallant General Birney. This flag tells a
noble story ; many of its bearers were killed.
At Gettysburg the color-sergeant fell wounded,
but the flag never fell into the hands of the
enemy.
Mrs. Colonel Biddle exhibits the two silver
urns presented by the citizens of Philadelphia
to Commodore Decatur. They contain the
inscription:
“ By citizens of
Philadelphia,
To their townsman,
Commodore Decatur.
Esteemed for his virtues,
Honored for his valor.”
Rev. Wm. White Williams has given a
number of curiosities, which will be sold for
the benefit of the Fund. Ilis list is given as
follows:
1 Bead of Mother of Pearl from the Red
Sea, cut at Bethlehem.
1 Sandal Wood Bead from the East.
2 Olive Wood Beads from Judea.
1 Olive Seed Bead from Palestine.
1 Olive Wood Bead from Jerusalem.
1 Mecca Fruit or Doum Palm Bead, dyed
black.
1 Mecca Fruit or Doum Palm Bead,dyed red.
1 Mecca Fruit or Doum Palm Bead, dyed
pink or yellow.
1 large Bead of Olive Wood from Bethlehem.
1 Glass Bead from Hebron.
1 shell from the shore of the Plain of Sha
ron.
1 Bead of Camel Bone from Judea.
4 Olive Wood Beads from Jerusalem. Price
ten dollars.
The naval trophies are very numerous, and
among them we find the flags of the British
ship Linnet, captured on Lake Champlain by
Commodore McDonough ; flag of the famous
Guerriere, taken by Commodore Hull, of the
frigate Constitution ; billet-head of the Cyane,
captured by Commodore Stewart ; flag of the
Alert, captured in 1812, by Commodore Por
ter, of the Essex battle ship; flag of Le Ber
ceau, a French frigate, captured by the frigate
Boston, Commodore Little commanding, in
1800; one of our earliest naval trophies. A
Turkish sword, presented to Commodore Bain
bridge, during his captivity in Tripoli, by the
ambassador Sidi Mohammed Dgiieis, and a
sword presented to the same gallant sea-king,
by General llilsop, of the British army in East
India, as an evidence of gratitude for his kind
treatment of British officers on the Java, taken
by the frigate Constitution, in 1812, are other
notable relics.
The sword presented by the City of Phila
delphia to General Meade, and General Rey
nold’s presentation sword, are exhibited on
the tables presided over by Mrs. General
Meade, near the entrance to the Department.
A portrait of the gallant and lamented Greblr
adorns the walls, and beneath it is a case con
taining the sword and sash of the same officer.
The sword presented to Lieutenant-Colonel W.
A. Leech, a brother-in-law of Lieutenant
Greble, is also exhibited, and the artistic
arrangement of the decorations and trophies
at this stand attracts much attention. A stand
of rifles, giving an opportunity for comparison
between the different patterns used in Europe
and America, is located at Division No. 4. The
stand contains the Vincennes rifle, Jenks’ car-
Oue ZD_a.ii,-2T
bine, Maynard rifle, Hall rifle, Colt’s rifle,
Joslyn’s rifle, Sharp’s rifle, Enfield rifle, Ply
mouth rifle, and a specimen of the long and
short Enfield.
Near the entrance, and on the right hand
side of the Department, Messrs. llorstmann &
Co. make a splendid display of military and
fancy goods. In their collection there is a
case of silver mounted pistols, presented by
the Cooper Fire Arms Manufacturing Co., to
be disposed of by allotment. Mr. Horstmann
presents a beautiful bronzed horse, with rider,
in steel mail. The group stands about a foot
high, and is perfect in every detail. It was
made in Paris, and cost $l6O to import,
several years ago. The same price is named
now, and the disposition of it will be by lot.
Messrs. llorstmann also exhibit a fine collec
tion of regalia and military trappings, and a
number of costly swords.
G. W. Simons makes a display of swords
near this stand, and the war-like character of
the Department is well maintained by these
two exhibitions.
Down the centre of the room, where the
arms and trophies are placed, are to be found
some curious relics of the dead past, and some
formidable evidences of the vitality of the
living future, principally in the way of artil
lery. Commencing at the southern end of the
apartment, and nearest the door of entrance,
we find a specimen of the famous “ Guttling
gun,” which has never been used, except by
General Wild, at Wilson’s wharf, upon the
James River, and which caused the Rebels to
inquire if we “ loaded the gun all night, and
fired it all day.” The piece looks like a cross
between an exaggerated revolver and a family
grist-mill, where you need only put your
cartridges into a hopper, turn a crank, shoot
your Rebel, and the business is done.
A little further on we find a beautiful
model of a frigate, which is made of a piece of
the main top-mast of the frigate Cumberland,
which was destroyed by the rebel Monster
Merrimac. The model is offered for sale for
the benefit of the Sanitary Commission,
$3OO being fixed as its value. Next in order
comes the model of the Great Rodman Gun,
lately cast at the Fort Pitt Iron Works, in
Pittsburgh. It is a very monster in gunnery,
looming up among its companions in that line
a Gulliver among Lilliputians; but it is as
harmless as Bully Bottom’s lion, for, al
though a stout man could creep into its muz
zle, a little vigorous kicking would enable him
to work himself out of it through the sides.
In fact this great gun is only a model, a
model of wood and plaster; but so admirably
executed, that it would deceive the best judges
at a short distance. But its value consists in
its being a perfect model, not only in respect
to size and shape, but color. The following
figures in regard to it tell the story, as . well
as anything short of seeing it could.
Length of gun, 20 ft. 8£ inches.
Diameter at the breech, 6 ft. 4J inches.
Bore, 20 inches.
Weight, 67 tons, 700 pounds.
Weight of solid shot, 1,000 pounds.
Charge of powder, 80 pounds.
Next to the monster comes the pretty model
of the famous “Swamp Angel,” which was
planted amid the swamps of Morris Island by
the indomitable Gillmore, during the siege of
Charleston. . Its construction in itself is as
curious as its history. The model was made
by soldiers of a New York engineer regiment,
who took part in making the real “swamp
angel.” The miniature fortification is entirely
made of small sand-bags, containing the same
sand as that of Morris Island; the gun is a
perfect copy of the original, and the ground
around the little fort is genuine South Caro
lina soil. Five thousand bags of sand were
employed in making alike the great fort and
its diminutive copy. The “ Swamp Angel ”
gun, it will be remembered, burst at the thir
ty-fourth round, and was the same which had
the reputation of throwing “ Greek fire ” into
Charleston. The fort is built square, and con
tains the solitary “Swamp Angel.”
Between the “Swamp Angel” and the north
ern end of the Hall are several pieces of can
non in this range; but none of them possess
historical interest, with the exception of a
brass piece, which was made in Paris in 1758.
It was used at the siege of Vera Cruz by the
French, and after being under water for a
season it fell into the possession of the Phila
delphia Union Artillery, to which organiza
tion it now belongs.
HOW ARE THEY TO BE FED ?
This question often arises among those who
hear of the vast throngs who attend the Fair,
and whose ideas of cooking are limited to a
kitchen range, a portable furnace, or a Dutch
oven. In the grand restaurant, Mr. James A.
Wood, who has had abundant experience at
the Metropolitan Fair, New York, and else
where, lias the stewardship under his control.
He has everything so organized as to comfort
ably feed fifteen thousand persons daily, while
the Pennsylvania kitchen does its full shore
towards,looking to the wants of the hungry.
There is no scarcity of good “ provend” at the
Fair.
Should the Sanitary Fair have no other ef
fect, it will, at least, develope an astounding
crop of engagements. Good authority informs
us that little flirtations are already beginning
to show their heads, like crocuses in the
spring. One of our Daily Fairies thinks the
building must have really been arranged for
the purpose. “ First, you can go to the res
taurants, where Nobody can ever find one—
then, if Anybody is with you, it is so easy to
say, ‘ln case I lose you, look for me in the
Curiosities ’ —and then lose Anybody in the
crowd, and join Somebody. Then, if you are
at a table, Somebody can say so many things
—if he has sense—while purchasing; and if
you have a dear, good, clever Aid, it’s so easy
to go off on a little excursion.” Just so. As
we said before, look out for extra orders for
wedding-cake and white satin, “when this
cruel Fare is overby the way, who ever
heard of a fair one that was not cruel ?
We mention, “by particular request of nu
merous influential and respectable indi
viduals,” as the circus clowns say, when they
encore a song, that among the rare and
curious novelties in literature, prepared for
the benefit of the Sanitary Commission, is the
Autograph Leaves of our Country’s Authors,”
a collection of poems and prose pieces of
American writers, accurately fac similied
from the original hand-writing, and contain
ing, among other gems, the Star Spangled
Banner, Home Sweet Home, and numbers of