100 Sir Fredericl Abel [April 



90 



came from all parts, displayed in the study of the instructive 

 collections in the galleries at South Kensington. 



It was the success of the Exhibition which led to the definite 

 formulation of the suggestion first made by your Eoyal Highness 

 in a letter addressed by you in the autumn of 1884 to the Agents- 

 General of the Colonial Governments, that a permanent representa- 

 tion of the resources of the Colonies and India, and of their continu- 

 ally progressing development, might with great benefit to the Empire 

 at large, be established in this country. That the realisation of 

 this idea upon a sufficiently comprehensive basis might constitute 

 a worthy memorial of the accomplishment of fifty years of a wise 

 and prosperous reign ; a memorial not personal in its character ex- 

 cepting so far as it constituted an embkm of the love and loyalty 

 of Her Majesty's subjects, but tending, as she would most desire, to 

 serve the interests of the entire Empire, had only to be pointed 

 out by your Eoyal Highness to be heartily concurred in by the 

 Official Eepresentatives of the Colonies and India, who were so inti- 

 mately identified with the triumphs of the recent Exhibition. 



The Committee to whom you. Sir, entrusted the elaboration of a 

 scheme for carrying this conception into efi:ect, became persuaded by 

 a careful consideration of the subject that such an Institution as your 

 Eoyal Highness desired to see spring into life, to be a memorial 

 really worthy of the Jubilee of Her Majesty's reign and to fulfil the 

 great purposes which you had in view, must not be confined in its 

 objects to particular portions of the Queen's Dominions, but must be 

 made thoroughly representative of the interests and of the unity of 

 the whole Empire. 



The outline of the scheme for the establishment of an Imperial 

 Institute fur the United Kingdom, the Colonies and India, which met 

 with the cordial approval of your Eoyal Highness, was necessarily 

 concise in dealing with the very wide extent of ground which the 

 operations of the Institute are intended to cover ; but those who have 

 carefully considered it and rightly interpreted its proposals, have not 

 failed to realise that it aims at very much more than the creation 

 and maintenance of collections, illustrative of the natural resources of 

 our Colonies and of India, and of the development and present con- 

 dition of the chief industries of different parts of the Empire. 



One of the primary objects of the Institute will certainly be 

 the establishment of thoroughly well selected, carefully arranged, 

 and efficiently maintained representations of the natural products 

 which constitute the treasures, and are emblematic of the im- 

 portant positions in the Empire, of those great Colonial possessions 

 which, during the fi.fty years of Her Majesty's reign, have, in many 

 instances, experienced a marvellous development in extent, in 

 commercial, social, and even in political importance.* The recent 



* Statistical statements illustratiag the development of the Colonies during 

 the Queen's reign are appended. 



