292 



TABLE-TALE AXD VAKIETILS. 



Europe toria 



most extensive building in 

 was the largest known floral struc- 

 ture in the world. 



The Victoria Begia was planted 

 in Mr. Paxton's greenhouse, Aug. 

 10, 1849. So well had everything 

 been prepared, and so vigorously 

 did it flourish, that, on the 9th of 

 November, a flower was produced 

 of large circumference. 



Success, however, brought a fresh 

 embarrassment; the great plant 

 outgrew the dimensions of its home 

 in little more than a month. A 

 new house, of proper dimensions for 

 the plant when it should arrive at 

 maturity, must be constructed at 

 once. Mr. Paxton went to work, 

 and combiningall his improvements 

 in constructing greenhouses with 

 special inventions for maturing the 

 Victoria Eegia, he soon produced 

 the desideratum in the shape of a 

 novel and elegant conservatory, 

 sixty feet long by forty broad. 

 While Mr. Paxton was busy with 

 this model garden-house, a hot war 

 was raging in London against hav- 

 ing the building for the World's 

 Fair erected in Hyde Park, having 

 that great popular resort invaded 

 by armies of excavators, bricklay- 

 ers, blacksmiths, and timber-fellers, 

 and against having the fashionable 

 roads broken up by the carting of 

 more brick and mortar than were 

 contained in the pyramids of Gizeh. 

 The necessary spoliation of a large 

 number of ornamental trees in the 

 Park, and the impossibility of such 

 a mass of brick and mortar properly 

 drying before the time for opening 

 the Fair, were urged in the public 

 journals agamstthe locality and the 

 plan of the building, as chosen by 

 the committee. 



These things meeting the eye of 

 Mr. Paxton as he read the Times, 

 the thought struck him that such 

 objections might be mostly obviated, 

 provided the building for the exhi- 

 bition should be constructed on the 

 plan of his conservatory for the Vic- 



Regia. All that seemed to 

 him to be wanting was a great num- 

 ber of .his lily-houses, made on a 

 larger scale, and joined compactly 

 together. 



The proposed edifice could thus 

 be constructed in the great work- 

 shops of Birmingham, at Dudley, 

 and at Thames Bank, brought houie 

 to Hyde Park ready made, and put 

 up like a bedstead, with none of the 

 popular annoyances urged against 

 the committee's plan. As to the 

 trees, he would remove them, and 

 bring them back again in due time, 

 without injury, or he would clap 

 the trees, all standing, under his 

 great glass-case. 



Mr. Pax ton drew up his plans and 

 specifications. They were presented 

 for inspection to Mr. Stephenson, 

 the engineer, one of the royal com- 

 missioners appointed for the man- 

 agement of the Fair. Mr. Stephen- 

 son was delighted with them, and 

 laid them before the royal commis- 

 sion. Sir Robert Peel and Prince 

 Albert strongly favoured Mr. Pax- 

 ton's scheme ; but on its reference 

 to the building committee, it was 

 promptly rejected like many others, 

 the committee having devised a 

 plan of its own. 



Nothing daunted, Paxton ap- 

 pealed to the British public ; and 

 this he did by the aid of the wood- 

 cuts and pages of the London Illus- 

 trated News. Everybody but the 

 committee was at once convinced of 

 the practicability, simplicity, and 

 beauty of Paxton's scheme. The 

 people and the Prince were heartily 

 with him. Thus encouraged, the 

 indomitable architectand his friends 

 determined to make another effort 

 with the building committee. 



It happened that the committee 

 had invited candidates for raising 

 their edifice, to suggest any im- 

 provements in it that might occur 

 to them. This opened a crevice for 

 the tender of Paxton's plan as an 

 " improvement" on that of the com 



