8 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



diagonal tie-rods are painted bright yellow, -with gilt centres ; the sash- 

 bars white, and the cross-bracings blue. The wood panelling, and 

 louvre boarding, with which the lower story is filled in, is colored in 

 imitation of dark oak. The whole effect of the mingling of these various 

 colors is gay and elegant, without the least approach to tawdriness. 

 Flags of different countries are placed upon standards, which rise from 

 the outer edge of the roof of the nave, and thus greatly relieve the mo- 

 notony occasioned by its long, flat surface. 



General Internal Appearance. The general internal appearance of 

 the building may be thus described, supposing the entrance to be from 

 the main portion of the structure. " Through a vestibule the visitor is 

 admitted into the transept, with its semi-cylindrical roof, springing at 

 68 feet from the ground, the diameter of the vaulting being 72 feet. 

 Its length from south to north is 408 feet, on each side of which is an 

 aisle 24 feet wide. About midway from the transept, extends eastward 

 and westward a nave, upwards of 900 feet in each direction ; the entire 

 length of the building being 1848 feet. The nave is 64 feet high, and 

 72 feet wide, and is flanked with aisles 24 feet wide, above which, at 

 the height of 24 feet, are carried galleries extending round the whole 

 of the nave and transept. Beyond each of these first aisles is an ave- 

 nue, 48 feet wide ; and, next, a second aisle of corresponding width, and 

 in like manner covered throughout with galleries on the same level as 

 those over the first aisles. The several lines of galleries communicate 

 with each other by bridges, which cross the 48 feet avenues, and, at 

 the same time, divide them into courts, each of which has a very unique 

 effect, more especially when viewed from the galleries. The avenues 

 and second aisles are roofed over at the height of 48 feet from the 

 ground ; the rest of the building is but one story, 24 feet high to the 

 roof. From the ground floor of the whole building, access to the several 

 galleries is obtained by ten double staircases." 



Completion and Opening of the Building. The first column of the 

 exhibition building was set up on the 26th of September, 1850. On 

 the 1st of February, 1851, it was delivered over to the committee for the 

 reception of goods, although not entirely completed in many minor 

 details ; and on the 1st of May, the Exhibition Avas inaugurated with 

 appropriate ceremonies. The work, from the commencement to its 

 completion, was under the sole supervision of Mr. Fox. In order to 

 show how severely this has taxed his energies, we quote the following 

 extract from an address made by this gentleman at a dinner given him 

 at the completion of the work. After giving a statement of the prog- 

 ress of the undertaking, Mr. Fox said : " Before completing our tender, 

 and with a view to a more precise appreciation of the magnitude of a 

 building covering 18 acres 1848 feet long, 408 feet wide, and 64 feet 

 high, irrespective of the arched roof of the transept I walked out one 

 evening into Portland Place, and there setting off the 1848 feet upon 

 the pavement, found it the same length within a few yards ; and then, 

 considering that the building would be three times the width of that 

 fine street, and the nave as high as the houses on either side, I had pre- 

 sented to my mind a pretty good idea of what we were about to under- 

 take. Having satisfied myself on these necessary points, I set to work 



