The Building for the Great Exhibition 1851.

Length 18481. Width 4561. Height co. Cost E150000 Covers 18 Acres.
Designed by MPaxton, contractors Mass H&Henderson.

150, Fleet St. London.

THE

GREAT INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION OF 1851.

As

66

S this volume has been written and compiled, principally with a view to guide" the strangers who may visit this metropolis during the present year; to those who are brought, and will be brought, to London, by a wish to see the marvels which the building in Hyde Park and its contents will expose to view, some account of the origin of the " Exhibition," a description of the building, and a brief synopsis of its contents, may not be uninteresting; indeed, it appears to be a subject which naturally forms a part of the volume. But before we advert to that subject, let us first endeavour to give our foreign friends some idea of the extent and resources of the British empire, upon which the sun never sets, but which extends into every part of the globe.

The seat of that empire is a small island in Europe; which, with its European dependencies, including Ireland and Scotland, is 90,458 square miles in extent, with a population, at present, perhaps, of about 28,000,000. And from thence authority is exercised, and laws dispensed, over large districts in every quarter of the globe, amounting to more than 4,500,000 square miles in extent, and numbering upwards of 100,000,000 inhabitants. In 1841, the British territories included—

Since that period our possessions in Africa have been increased by the possession of Natal; and in Asia by that of the Punjaub; making the total extent of the empire, and the number of subjects who own the sovereign rule of Queen Victoria, quite equal to what we have stated. The following are the colonies and dependencies of the United Kingdom :

AMERICA............ CANADA........... PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND.

NEW BRUNSWICK. NEWFOUNDLAND. NOVA SCOTIA. CAPE BRETON. BRITISHI GUIANA,

WEST INDIES..... A series of Islands stretching across the Great Bay, which nearly divides North from South America.

SOUTH PACIFIC, NEW SOUTH WALES. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. WEST AUSTRALIA.
VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. NEW ZEALAND. FALKLAND ISLANDS.

Since the days of the Roman emperors, such an extensive domain was never governed by one person: but the empire of Britain is more important than that of the Cæsars. That vast empire, over which they ruled, was extensive in territory, but it did not extend to many quarters now made the resort of civilised man-the abode of arts and commerce. As has been well said, to that empire, "of which this island for four centuries was a province; the north of Europe was an impenetrable forest; India was fabulous; China a name; and Africa only known, by a vague tradition, to extend into the southern hemisphere." But England has extended her sceptre to the most remote corners of the earth; everywhere her name is respected; and she has been the means, in many a previously unknown land, of planting the first germs of civilisation; and of preparing the way for the permanent improvement here, and, it is to be hoped, the eternal benefit hereafter, of millions of God's creatures, scattered over the face of the globe. The hardihood of her mariners, the zeal of her sons of science, the bravery of her soldiers and sailors, and above all, the self-denying labours of her missionaries, have enabled her to do all this; it has enabled her to found an empire exceeding in extent and importance any known in the history of the world; and it has given her a name and a station, which are unequalled either amongst the nations of antiquity, or those of modern days.

Her resources are as extensive as her empire. The amount of her real wealth, the extent of her commerce, and the sum she yearly raises for revenue, far exceed those of any other country. She is, at the present moment, the most powerful of any existing state, not even excepting the colossus of the north-the Russian dominion. At peace with all the world, her influence is felt and acknowledged by all: and that influence is exerted, we will not say always judiciously, but always with the intent to promote the peace, the happiness and prosperity of every other country.

We wish to call the attention of our foreign readers to these attributes of the British empire, simply because we wish them to bear in mind, that it is in the metropolis of this empire that they are now assembled: and for what purpose are they met ?—not to plan schemes of conquest, or to seek the further aggrandisement of the state; not to extend its commerce, or to render its resources still more prolific of wealth. No. They are assembled to promote the general interests of mankind,-to form a bond of union amongst nations to cause the reign of universal peace and brotherhood to be extended, through the medium of the fine and the useful arts. For that have the inhabitants of all climes been invited to our shores; for that have so many of them congregated here; and it is to improve still further the occasion, that we wish to direct them to the vast extent of this empire, the spirit of the government of which resides in this small island. We wish them to inquire how it is, that this "little spot " has been able to acquire, and to keep, and to rule such a vast territory? And we should point to her free institutions, as the solution of the mystery. In another chapter we have given an account of the constitution of this country; to that we especially invite their attention. Let them study our laws; endeavour to comprehend the spirit of our institutions; and let them strive, in their own countries, to preserve where it exists, and to acquire where it does not, that spirit of genuine freedom, with that religious toleration, which can alone promote the temporal and eternal happiness of man; and sustain, under Providence, the stability of empires. By so doing, their visit to the "Great Exhibition" will work a "great good," and raise a name for its founders, and its administrators, amongst the eminent of the earth.

We now proceed to give an account of the origin of the exhibition. We shall then describe the building; next a very brief synopsis of its contents; and conclude by as brief a description of two celebrities originating in the Exhibition, viz., "Soyer's Symposium," and " Wyld's Globe."