854 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[^DECEJIBEIt, 



Section A. — Tup; Present Exposition. 

 No. 1. — The Building, its Cost, S^c. 



The vast edifice which has heen erected to contain the specimens 

 of maiuifactiire selected for exliihitiun in tlie year 1H4-9, is situated 

 (in tlie same site as that occupied by a similar buildinff in the year 

 184t. The Carre de jNIaritrny, on which it has heen placed, is a 

 large ol)loii!j piece of ground, abutting on the main avenue of tlie 

 Champs Elysees, and as a site offers every possible advantage, 

 being of a gravelly soil, already efficiently drained, and placed on 

 the line of a continually moving series of public conveyances. 

 The Champs Elysees, though at some considerable distance from 

 the great centre of I'arisian population, are still so universal a 

 ]ilace of resort, that they may be fairly assumed to be "in the way" 

 of even the poorest classes of the community. The elevation may 

 be admirably seen from all the approaches to the building, and it 

 has the advantage of being in the immediate proximity to the 

 residence of the President of the Kei)ublic. 



'J'he architect, M. Moreau, was engaged in the year 1844. (the 

 date of the last Exposition) on the design of a building almost 

 similar to the present one, exhibiting a somewhat analogous ar- 

 rangement, but presenting less complication of form. By a com- 

 jiarison of the two appended plans, the differences of his arrange- 

 ment of the Palace of Industry in ISti, and that in 18t9, will be 

 apparent; and it will undoubtedly be perceived that the interior 

 of the vast rectangular courtyard in the jilan of 18+1- must have 

 presented a magnificent coup d'tnil, which is totally wanting in its 

 fellow of the present year. 



The whole ])lot of the present building (exclusive of the agri- 

 cultural department) covers a vast parallelogram of 206 metres by 

 100 (about 675 X 328 feet English), round the outline of which 

 runs a gallery about 90 feet wide, divided into two avenues by a 

 double range of pilasters. In the centre of each avenue is a set 

 of stalls, placed hack to back, for the exhibition of merchandise; 

 and both between the central pilasters, and round, and upon the . 

 walls, other objects are jilaced, so that on traversing either of the 

 four gangways (each about 10 feet wide) the public have upon 

 their right and left hands objects for inspection. In the part of 

 the building appropriated to large machinery, of course this system 

 cannot be carried out with the same regularity. The vast parallelo- 

 gram, enclosed by a somewhat similar gallery in the year 1844-, 

 was left as one magnificent hall, within which were placed the 

 most important objects; in the present building we find it divided 

 by two transverse galleries, similaily arranged to those we have 

 described, forming three courtyards; the central one being about 

 140 feet square, and the two lateral ones 80 feet by 14-0. The cen- 

 tral courtyard is open to the sky; in the middle rises an elegant 

 fountain placed on a platftu'm of turf, and around are disposed 

 sheds for the exhibition of flowers and horticultural ornaments 

 and im])!ements. One of the lateral courts (enclosed) receives a 

 large collection of objects in metal-work, cast-iron, &c., and the 

 other contains an immense reservoir, in which all the drainage 

 from the roofs is collected, so as to form a supply of water imme- 

 diately serviceable in case of fire. In addition to this great build- 

 ing, which corresponds with that previously erected, there is this 

 year constructed a vast shed for the exhibition of agricultural pro- 

 duce, and stock. It extends to a length rather greater than the 

 width of the great parallelogram, and is about 100 feet (English) 

 wide. Its construction is ruder than that of the "Palace," but it 

 is not on that account less effective. It appears to have been 

 <u-igin;illy contemidated to fill the whole of this gigantic hall with 

 cattle, &c., and to jilace the agricultural implements in a long nar- 

 row gallery intervening between it and the main building; but as 

 the stock of animals forwarded for exhibition has not proved so 

 large as was anticipated, it has been half-filled with semi-agricul- 

 tural machines, and the whole of the long narrow gallery alluded 

 to crammed with stoves, and miscellaneous domestic mechanism. 



The whole of the building is constructed of wood; the roofs 

 being covered with zinc: of the latter material 4-00,000 kilo- 

 grammes, equal to nearly 4,000 tons, are stated to have been used; 

 and of the former, nearly 45,000 jiieces of timber. 



It is hojied that the accompanying plans, M-hich have been pre- 

 pared from some recent authorities, and an inspection of the 

 sketches given in the pages of the I/lustriition and other journals, 

 will convey a tolerably good idea both of the exterior and interior 

 arrangements of the exhibitions. They will serve to show at least 

 that a somewhat unnecessary expenditure has been gone into, and 

 to manifest the possibility of constructing a much more simple 

 building, possessing all the advantages of this one, at a far less 

 cost. 



Both externally and internally there is a good deiJ of tasteless 



and unprofitable ornament; all the pilasters are papered and 

 ])ainted in a species of graining to imitate light oak, and even the 

 ceiling is covered over with the same work. Large ctirtim pierre 

 trusses apparently support the timbers, and a puinted bronze bas- 

 relief fills the tyni])anuin of the pediment, at the principal en- 

 trance. The architecture of the whole is me-tquiii, although the 

 gigantic scale of the building necessarily elevates the general 

 effect into S(miething of impressiveness; not, however, to nearly 

 the extent which the same outlay might have produced. 



In spite of a statement which has been going the round of the 

 French papers, declaring that the building has cost 900,000 francs, 

 I may, I believe, state with certainty, on the authority of M. 

 Audiganne (Chef du Bureau de ITndustrie), who has kindly com- 

 municated to ine a few official details, that nothing like that sum 

 has been expended, and that about 450,000 francs is the real 

 amount. In a letter I had the honour to receive from him, he 

 informs me that — 



Francs. jg 



The cost of the building in the year 1839 was 303,791 about 14,.560 

 „ „ 1844 „ 376,406 „ 15,050 



1849 „ 400,0U0 „ 16,000 



If to this last amount we add 2,000/., the lowest estimated cost 

 of the agricultural died, making the whole sum expended equal to 

 18,000/., the difference of about 3,000/. between the outlay of the 

 present year and that of the year 1844 will be satisfactorily ac- 

 counted for. 



It is, of course, to be remembered in these calculations, th.at the 

 money is paid only for the hire of the iniUcriulu for about three 

 months, the whole remaining the property of the contractor at the 

 termination of the Exhibition. 



We find that tlie Exposition of the year 



1839 couiaiiied a total area of 11,3621 



1811 „ l'J.49/ 1 metres 



J849 „ 22,391 J 



That of these total areas. 



In 1H.'<9. ^ 80(1 ine'.res'^ consislc-d of space availai le f .'i.'j.^fi") metres remained for the 

 l.i'44, i).U->l „ i- far (,'oods j and, ciinse--^ 10,4-15^ passafji-s. hall, gang- 

 )-oJ'J. a,734 1 - -- . - - 



J qiieiitly, ihat- 



We may, therefore, infer that 

 working proportion; and since 



S(;. Mctics. Francs. 



In 1339, atutal of 11,362 cost 363,791, 

 1814, „ 19,497 „ 370,406 



1849, „ 22,391 „ 400,000 



It follows that. 



l.li,ti37J ways, &c. Sic. 



about half-and-half is a good 



dS s. 



that is 1 5 



„ 15 



„ 14 



-per square ui^tre. 



d. 



2 ' 



25 



per tq. ft. English. 



In 1H39, the cost of the building was at the rate of 2 



1844, „ „ 1 



1849, ., „ 1 



Now, setting aside the year 1839 as a manifest extravagance, we 

 learn that Is. 3d. has been the average of the cost of building per 

 foot S(iuare in the two last French Expositions; but at the same 

 time it is to be i-emarked that the work is done in an extravagant 

 style, and that the expenses of some branches of building are 

 considerably greater in France than in England. 



N.B — It has not heen possible to obtain more detailed informa- 

 tion of cost, the returns having not yet been officially made up. 

 These figures must, therefore, be regarded only as the iiearest 

 approximation to correctness procurable. 



No. 2.— 7Vie Classification of Product.^, Sjc. 



Not only in laying-out the scheme of building, but in the ar- 

 rangements preliminary even to that point, it becomes necessary 

 where objects of such various descriptions are to be assembled, to 

 adopt some general system of natural or artificial classification, in 

 order that facilities for the jiroper grouping of analogous arts may 

 be uniformly and consistently provided, both in the Exhibition, 

 the Catalogue, and the Report of those appointed to examine into 

 the merits of the workmanship or design. 



In the three first E.xpositions no system of classification was 

 adopted, and consequently the labour of all employed in studying 

 them must have been, and still is, very much enhanced. 



If one of the objects of these exhibitions be, as it most as- 

 suredly should, to instruct the public, the clearness of their 

 memories and impressions mainly depends upon the simplicity and 

 perfection of the system of succession, subordination, and classifi- 

 cation of all the elements composing the great display. If it 

 be otherwise, they gain only a confused sense of weariness, in- 

 stead of a series of important, mutually dependant, practical con- 

 clusions. 



