INTRODUCTION. xi 



of objects sent from abroad, and the late period of their arrival, have 

 necessitated a further postponement of the opening to May, 1876. 



The Sub-Committee appointed to revise and report on the 

 classification of the Collection after three meetings, under the 

 chairmanship of the President of the Royal Society, submitted 

 a scheme of classification to the General Committee on June 

 22nd. After having been carefully considered, it was, with some 

 slight alterations, approved, and is given at page xix. This 

 programme was immediately issued, and the classification into 

 sections is that adopted for the catalogue and exhibition, though 

 the nature of the Galleries has necessitated some alteration in the 

 order of the sections. 



It had been the intention from the first to give the Loan Collec- 

 tion an International character, so as to afford men of science and 

 those interested in education an opportunity of seeing what was 

 being done by other countries than their own in the production of 

 apparatus, both for research and for instruction an opportunity 

 which it was hoped would be of advantage also to the makers of 

 instruments. As soon therefore as the programme had been defi- 

 nitely settled, steps were taken to interest foreign countries in the 

 Exhibition; and it was determined to obtain the co-operation of men 

 of 'science on the Continent, who, while acting as members of the 

 General Committee, should form special Sub-Committees charged 

 with the due representation of the science of their respective 

 countries. 



It was necessary to take special precautions to prevent 

 misunderstanding as to the character of the Collection. The 

 mention of internationality at once suggested the idea of an 

 International Exhibition similar in its character and arrangements- 

 to the numerous Industrial Exhibitions which have been held in 

 various countries. A wrong impression of this kind would have 

 entailed serious inconvenience. 



In International Exhibitions a certain amount of space is allotted 

 to each country. These spaces are then divided by the Commis- 



