1. THE ORIGIN OF THE EXHIBITION.

The idea of the Exhibition is undoubtedly due to France; a Frenchman first suggested the plan of extending the privilege of sending goods to the industrial exhibition of Paris to neighbouring nations. The suggestion was not popular in France, and was not carried out. Prince Albert proposed a more extended scheme, founded on the Frenchman's plan; proposed that an exhibition should be held in England, and that it should be open, not only to our neighbours, but to all the countries of the world.

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The French exhibitions date back to 1797. Revolution had then done its work, in causing the tapestry works of the Gobelins, the porcelain manufactures of Sèvres, and those of carpets at the Savonnerie, to fall into decay, and the workmen into starvation. The Marquis d'Avèze, then commissioner of the royal manufactories, proposed, in order to restore the one, and to benefit the other, that a bazaar for the exhibition, and disposal by lottery, of a large stock of tapestry, china, and carpets, on hand at those establishments, should be held at the Château of St. Cloud. It was held; and its complete success led to a second in 1798, in the Maison d'Orsay, in which not only articles from the royal workshops, but also from the chief manufactories of the country, were admitted; and prizes were given for watches, mathematical instruments, printing, china, morocco, &c. The next was held in "the Temple of Industry," erected by Napoleon, in the Champ de Mars; and this, though the third, is generally reckoned as the first. Others followed in 1801, 1802, and 1806; and then, owing to foreign wars and domestic troubles, there was no display of the kind till 1819. This exhibition was held in the courts of the Louvre, and opened on the fête of St. Louis, in honour of the restored king. The succeeding exhibitions were held in 1823, 1827, 1834, 1839, 1844, and 1849. On each occasion, the number of exhibitors had increased; and at the last, there were 4,494 persons and firms who contributed. During this time we had nothing on a national scale approaching these displays in France; though the Society of Arts had instituted an annual exhibition of various articles in their museum; and there were provincial ones at Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Devonport, and other towns. What approached nearest, however, to the French model, was the Free-trade bazaar in Covent Garden theatre, in 1845; when, there was not only a large sum realised from sales, but great public interest was excited by the

bazaar towards our manufactures. Efforts to induce the British government to patronise a national exhibition of works of industry had failed.

It was in 1849, that M. Buffet, then minister of agriculture and commerce, in a circular which he addressed to the Chamber of Commerce in France, proposed that specimens of the skill and agriculture of neighbouring nations should be admitted to the exhibition. The answers received, led the minister to give up his proposals; and the Society of Arts, in this country, having never lost sight of the propriety of organising a national exhibition in England; and having, in 1849, sought to connect the schools of design in the provinces with such a measure; Prince Albert, as their president, proposed, that an exhibition should be held; but that it should not be confined to England, but extended to producers all over the world. The society sanctioned the plan; the principles on which it should be conducted were settled by his Royal Highness, in conjunction with those members of the society, who had exerted themselves so laudably in favour of an exhibition of British industry; and steps were taken to bring the subject before the public by a series of public meetings, at which some of the members of the society would attend and explain the plan. At a meeting of several members of the Society of Arts, held at Buckinghampalace, on the 30th of June, 1849, the following plan of the specimens sent was organised :

To consist of four sections.-1. Raw materials and produce; illustrative of those material productions on which human ingenuity is employed.-2. Machinery for agricultural, manufacturing, engineering, and other purposes, and mechanical inventions; illustrative of the agency which human ingenuity brings to bear upon the products of nature.-3. Manufactures; illustrative of the same process of industrial operation.-4. Sculpture, models, and the plastic arts generally; illustrative of the taste and skill displayed in such applications of human industry.

The site was soon afterwards fixed upon, that where the "Crystal Palace" is erected, viz.: a vacant spot in Hyde Park, parallel with and between the Kensington drive and the ride commonly called Rotten-row. It was also decided that a royal commission should be issued, of which Prince Albert should be the head. The means to raise the funds were also considered; and the expenses being estimated at 70,0007., a contract was entered into between the Society of Arts and the Messrs. Munday, of Abchurch Lane, City, to secure the necessary sum to commence operations. Those gentlemen agreed to deposit 20,000l. as a prize fund, to erect all the buildings, pay all expenses, and take the risk, on receiving

the repayment of the 20,000l., all the expenses, and five per cent. on advances, and a share of the surplus, if any. A clause was inserted in the contract, by which the Society had the power to annul it, if the public sanctioned and took up the project. The sanction of Government was also obtained to the undertaking.

In the autumn of 1849, under the authority of Prince Albert, several members of the Society of Arts proceeded to visit the principal places in the kingdom, for the purpose of explaining to the manufacturers, and others, the proposal of the Society, and to collect their opinions. These visits were most satisfactory; a public approval being everywhere accorded, and support promised. On the 3rd day of January, 1850, the royal commission was issued, and it was finally resolved that the exhibition should be opened in 1851, the sum of 20,000l. being placed in the hands of trustees, to be distributed in prizes. It was determined that the Exhibition should be sustained by public subscriptions and by the receipts; and the contract with the Messrs. Munday was annulled. From that time, the Royal Commissioners, and Local Committees formed in the different towns, have been actively engaged in making the necessary arrangements to the complete success of the Exhibition. They have been the means of collecting a vast number of works of utility and art; and that the result will be equally successful is confidently anticipated.

II.-DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING.

Early in 1850, the Building Committee of the Royal Commission advertised for plans for the edifice in which the Exhibition was to take place. Although 245 plans were received, and commendations were awarded to eighteen, there was not one which came up to the idea of the Commissioners, who proceeded to construct a plan for themselves out of those they had received; adding, "as their own exclusive contribution, a dome of gigantic proportions." As soon as this plan was published it became excessively unpopular, and the design for the present building was submitted to them by Mr. Paxton, the superintendent of the Duke of Devonshire's immense establishments; who having built a "monster conservatory" at Chatsworth, to receive that giant of the floral tribe, the magnificent Victoria Regia, felt satisfied that the principles he had adopted in the construction of that immense glass and iron house might be applied to a building of unlimited extent. It was on the 10th of June, 1850, that

Mr. Paxton first mentioned the subject to the Executive Committee of the Commission. The specifications were to be out in a fortnight from that time; and the committee present then saw no reason why a clause should not be added allowing the reception of another design. He promised them a plan in nine days, and he kept his word.

That plan was the one from which the building was erected; and its beauty and elegance, as well as the novelty, are universally admitted. It did not originally include what is another great addition, the arched transept. But there were trees standing on the spot which the public were reluctant to see cut down. Mr. Paxton undertook to cover them in, and the transept was designed for that purpose.

The building is a vast parallelogram, measuring 1848 feet in length, by 456 feet in breadth in the widest part. The transept intersects it in the centre; it is 108 feet high, and 408 feet long, having a width of 72 feet. The other part of the building is formed of three stories, each receding 72 feet from the other, and each being 24 feet high. The extreme height, therefore, in the centre, is 72 feet. The roofs are on the ridge and valley plan, each being eight feet span. They run transversely; and as the columns are 8 feet apart, there is a valley at the top of each column. The principle on which the dimensions of the building have been constructed, and also the details of its different parts, is by making every one of its details a multiple of 8. Thus the columns are 24 feet high, or 3 times 8; they are 8 feet apart; the centre aisle is 72 feet wide, or 9 times 8; those on each side are 48 feet wide, and the narrower ones are 72 feet. Everywhere this system is carried out, and that made the construction of the immense edifice, which covers a space of 774,784 feet, so simple. It was erected with a rapidity approaching to magic. Messrs. Fox and Henderson, of Birmingham, were the contractors. Their estimate was 74,8007. if the material were given up to them after the exhibition; or 150,000l. if the building remained. Their tender was verbally accepted on the 26th of July, 1850; possession of the site was obtained four days afterwards, on the 30th. Nearly two months were employed in preparations; and the first column was not laid till the 26th of September. The building was so far completed that, on the 1st of January, 1851, it was handed over to the Royal Commissioners.

Only iron, wood, and glass are used in the construction; the upper portions being glazed throughout; and the edifice forms an immense frame, the columns being united together at the tops by girders, and under the

earth by hollow pipes. The columns are also hollow, and the valleys or gutters running over them have a communicating outlet, which carries whatever water may collect on the roof into the columns, from whence it is carried off by the hollow under-ground tubes into the main sewers. As it is the tendency of exhalations to rise from the floor, and from the breath, to the roof, where they condense on the glass, and fall down the surface, this is provided for by gutters being placed under the ridge, in the interior, which also communicate with the columns, and thus all the moisture so caused is carried away. The drainage is thus made perfect, and the ventilation is no less so. The ventilators are made in an improved form, easily worked, and are extremely effective.

An important space of the building, 946 feet long, and 48 broad, is devoted to machinery. As much of this machinery will be in motion, and as it could not be worked without steam, a boiler-house had to be erected, and it was at first planned to be in the interior of the building. But it was ultimately determined to keep the furnaces apart, and thus remove what, if there had been no real danger, still might have been a source of alarm. The boiler-house was therefore erected on the south side of Rottenrow, and 155 feet from the north-west angle of the building. It is 96 feet long, by 24 wide, and constructed exactly on the principle of the larger erection. It is divided into three compartments; that at the east end being for boilers, and the others for stoves. There are five boilers set in brickwork; and the steam to the machinery in motion is conveyed by pipes, 8 inches in diameter externally, in an underground channel to the part of the building in which the machinery is exhibited.

There is an electric telegraph in the building, by which those employed can easily communicate with each other; and it has been adapted to the purpose of ascertaining the number of visitors. A registering apparatus is fixed at each door, showing the number that enters and the number that departs. These are communicated by means of the telegraphs to one central office and thus should it be found that too many for comfort are admitted, the ingress can for a time be prohibited.

The building is painted blue, white, and yellow; the roof is shaded with calico, to exclude the heat; and when the sun is shining brilliantly, this shading softens and sobers the light, and greatly improves the effect.

Such is the Crystal Palace, not inaptly named, for it is as light and as