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EXHIBITIONS, INTERNATIONAL. 



EXHIBITIONS, INTERNATIONAL. 



1011 



minionere turned their chief attention to the means necessary for 

 obtaining its contents. The outline of an elaborate system of classifi- 

 cation, drawn up by Dr. Lyon Playfair, was issued, showing what a 

 wide range of articles was sought to be brought together under the 

 title of Objects of Industrial and Productive Art.' The whole was 

 arranged under four great sections : Raw Materials, Machinery, Manu- 

 factures, and Fine Arts ; and these were divided and subdivided into a 

 vast number of classes and smaller divisions. To facilitate the 

 collection of the objects, and to serve as ready means of intercourse 

 between the producers and the commissioners, district committees 

 were formed in all tin- principal towns and manufacturing localities, by 

 whom all the arrangements respecting the allotment of space in the 

 building and the transmission of the goods were conducted. Formal 

 communications were made to the various foreign governments, as well 

 as to the governors of British colonies, by most of whom commissioners 

 were appointed to conduct the operations in those countries required 

 for their adequate representation in the great undertaking. And so 

 judicious were these several arrangements, that though from almost 

 fMTv country in Europe from almost every state in the North 

 American Union from the republics of South America from each 

 of our own wide-spread colonies from India, Egypt, Persia, and 

 even from the Society Islands, specimens more or less bulky, 

 valuable, and numerous were sent, the numbers were comparatively 

 few that reached their destination materially later than the date 

 at first fixed for their arrival. Considering the entire novelty 

 of the whole proceeding, the immense difficulty there must 

 have been in many instances experienced in getting the collections 

 together, the little knowledge that a large proportion of the con- 

 tributors could have had of the extreme importance of punctuality, 

 as well as their comparative want of interest in the success of the 

 scheme, and the various physical as well as conventional obstructions 

 which had to be encountered, this must, we think, be regarded as by no 

 means one of the least remarkable circumstances connected with the 

 successful issue of the whole. 



Of the actual number of objects exhibited no record was kept. Of 

 their value, many wild guesses were hazarded during the continuance 

 of the Exhibition ; the commissioners state in one of the appendixes 

 of their Report that, taking in each case the owner's estimate of the 

 value of his possession, the gross value of the articles exhibited the 

 famous Koh-i-noor being alone excluded from the reckoning was 

 under two millions (1,781,9201, 11s. id.). The total number of exhi- 

 bitors was about 15,000. 



The Exhibition was formally opened by her Majesty, on the first 

 of May, 1851 ; it remained open 144 days, being finally closed on the 

 llth of October. The entire number of visits paid to the Exhibition 

 was 6,063,986, being a daily average of 42,111. This average was not 

 reached till June, but from that time till the close of the Exhibition 

 there was comparatively little variation till the last week, when the 

 average was doubled. The number of visitors during this week was 

 so extraordinary that we are tempted to set down the figures in detail. 

 Monday, October 6th, 107,815 ; Tuesday, 109,915 ; Wednesday, 

 109,760; Thursday, 90,813 ; Friday, 46,913 ; Saturday, 53,061. 



The six million visits paid to the Exhibition plainly indicate but 

 very roughly the actual number of visitors. Some persons went 

 doubtless ten or even twenty times during the season, a very large 

 proportion went twice. After weighing carefully the probabilities of 

 the case, the authorities arrived at the conclusion that the probable 

 average of visits would be about three, and that consequently about 

 two millions of persons visited the Exhibition. Further, an attempt 

 was made to arrive at the number of foreign visitors ; and this inquiry 

 led to the unexpected result that not much above 40,000 foreigners 

 visited England beyond the usual annual number of about 15,000. 

 As concerns London and country visitors, an inference was drawn that 

 the number of persons who came from the provinces to view the 

 Exhibition slightly exceeded a million : roughly, we may say that the 

 Exhibition was visited by about a million of the inhabitants of 

 London, the same number from the provinces, and about 50,000 

 foreigners. 



The details of the jury awards do not come within our present 

 object ; but the following are the general results, as affording materials 

 for comparison. There were 166 " Council Medals," 2876 " Prize 

 Medals," and 2042 " Honourable Mentions," making a total of 5084 

 honorary distinctions of all kinds. If we take the exhibitors at the 

 estimated number of 16,000, about one-third were deemed worthy of 

 some kind of recognition. Of the total number, 2039 were taken by 

 exhibitors belonging to the United Kingdom, and 3045 by foreign 

 exhibitors. Our foreign guests occupied about two-fifths of the space, 

 and took off three-fifths of the honours. The greatly-coveted 

 " Council Medals " were awarded in the ratio of 79 to British and 87 to 

 foreign exhibitors; the "Prize Medals," 1244 British and 1632 foreign; 

 the " Honourable Mentions," 716 British and 1326 foreign. 



In relation to different classes of exhibited articles, there were a few 

 striking and instructive facts. In machinery, in manufactures in 

 metal, and in glass and porcelain manufactures, the British exhibitors 

 gained more prizes than all the foreigners combined. In textile fabrics, 

 in fine arts, and in miscellaneous manufactures, the foreign exhibitors 

 took off the honours in the ratio of about three-fifths to two-fifths 

 British. But in the section of raw materials for food and manufac- 



the foreign exhibitors gained nearly four lima as many prizes as 

 the British (988 to 262). The great honours, the Council Medals, 

 were very unequally distributed as regards the classes of exhibited 

 articles ; for out of the whole number of 166, no less than 88 (more 

 than one-half ) were awarded for machinery alone. This is a significant 

 fact; showing that the Juries, or rather the Council of Chairmen, 

 were not deterred by the gorgeous display around them from doing 

 justice to the great working agencies by which modern wealth is 

 produced. 



We must devote a paragraph to the Financial results. The receipts 

 at, and in relation to, the Exhibition, by which it was made a 

 self-supporting concern, were truly remarkable. The total receipts 

 amounted in round numbers to 506,0002., that amount being thus 

 made up : subscriptions, 67,8002., admission fees 425,0002., casual re- 

 ceipts (that is, refreshment and catalogue contracts, royalty on medals, 

 washing-rooms, &c.) 13,2002. The total expenditure connected with 

 the Exhibition was about 330,0002., leaving a surplus of 1 76,0002. 

 in the hands of the commissioners ; but the final balance, including 

 interest on Exchequer Bills and additional small receipts was 186,436i. 

 How to apply this large surplus was a most important question, and 

 they arrived at the conclusion that instead of applying it to any pur- 

 poses of a temporary, partial or local character, they could in no 

 way BO properly act in the spirit of the pledges held out to the public 

 as by assisting hi carrying out a comprehensive scheme which should 

 have for its object to "increase the means of industrial education and 

 extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry." 

 Properly to carry into execution any comprehensive scheme would 

 require the liberal co-operation of the public and the government. 

 The sum in the hands of the commissioners would go but a small 

 way towards meeting the requirements of the case. It would suffice 

 however to prepare the ground, and they determined so to employ it, 

 leaving it to the public to complete the work when its importance and 

 necessity shall have become fully understood and appreciated. 



Acting on the suggestions of this report, the government in the 

 speech from the Throne at the opening of the session of 1852-53 

 invited the " aid and co-operation " of parliament in promoting a 

 " comprehensive scheme " for the advancement of the Fine Arts and 

 of Practical Science, which was in effect the scheme of the commis- 

 sioners. After some discussion the House of Commons voted the sum 

 of 150,0002. towards the purchase of a site on which a National 

 Gallery and Museum might be erected, and which should be availal>!r 

 for the other purposes indicated. An equal sum was provided by the 

 commissioners out of the surplus remaining at their disposal. The 

 land purchased by the commissioners consisted of the well-known Gore 

 House estate of 21 acres, situated nearly opposite the site of the 

 Exhibition of 1851; the Villars estate of 48 acres, and some other 

 adjacent land, which " were deemed indispensable for the complete- 

 ness and development of the capacities of the property." Altogether 

 it formed a compact estate of about 86 acres, its extreme length being 

 half a mile, its average width a quarter of a mile. The commissioners 

 were anxious to secure other adjoining property to the extent of about 

 80 acres then obtainable, making in all about 170 acres, but the 

 Government demurred, and the opportunity was lost, it being speedily 

 purchased for building purposes. For the completion of the purchases 

 the government subsequently obtained an additional vote of 27,5002. ; 

 and the commissioners, having obtained the necessary powers from 

 parliament, have formed upon the estates lines of road, sewers, &c., 

 retain, in their hands a balance for the purpose of meeting current 

 expenses and providing for contingencies. The commission itself has 

 been incorporated as a permanent body, and certain members of the 

 government are now ex officio members of it. 



The "comprehensive scheme" of the commissioners prop. -sol 

 eventually to bring together, upon the locality they have purchased, 

 all the existing metropolitan institutions, whether dependent on 

 government or on private support, which have in" view the advance- 

 ment of science and art in their various branches, and to " establish .1 

 central point of union for those who hi so many ways devote their 

 energies to the same ends, especially in respect to the practical appli- 

 cation of science and art to productive industry." But the com- 

 missioners have been doomed to see their scheme reduced to much 

 humbler dimensions than that in w-hich it at first presented itself to 

 their imagination; their projects relating to the National (lallery. the' 

 British Museum, the National Botanic Collection, &c., have not dow n to 

 the present time (Jan., 1860) been acted upon. Neverthele.-s a very 

 definite advance has been made. By manufacturers and artisans, : 

 general public, as well as by the commission, the great important-.- t 

 the systematic art instruction is now generally admitted. Anew il'pnl 

 ment of the government has been created, whose special duty is the 

 promotion of Industrial Art and Science ; and to which was intrusted 

 the direction of all previously existing government scientific and art 

 institutions, and the encouragement of all local institution* of a similar 

 order. It does not fall within the scope of the present article to 

 trace further the operations of the commissioners or the department. 

 [SCIENCE AND ART, DEPARTMENT OF.] 



J>ubthi l-:.,-li 'Milan of 1853. The Crystal Palace of Hyde Park- 

 perhaps (on various grounds) the most world-renowned building of 

 the present century passed into the hands of Messrs. Fox and Hen- 

 derson after the close of the Orcat Exhibition ; they sold the materials 



