28 * [Assembly 



ceived. TJie world will not be prepared for another World's 

 Fair quite so soon ; and the political horizon indicates pretty 

 clearly, that the world, for some time to come, will be busied in 

 getting up something very different from peaceful exhibitions. 

 No ; the year 1852 will be ho time for holding a World's Fair ; 

 1855 will be time enough for that. This movement is certainly 

 not of the right kind, and did not have its beginning in the 

 right place. Unless it is proposed to make us supremely ridicu- 

 lous, this subject must be based on larger conceptions, and be 

 somewhat national in its character. At all events, this petit 

 World's Fair in Madison Square will do us no credit as a nation, 

 and I therefore hope the matter will be dropped for the present. 

 One word more. I have also learned that Mr. Paxton is to be 

 employed as the architect of the six hundred feet Crystal Palace 

 proposed to be erected in Madison Square. I hope Mr. Paxton 

 will iiave the good sense to decline, not only in this, but in any 

 other case. He can well afford to rest on the well-earned fame 

 he lias already acquired, and let us see what we can do. But to 

 proceed with the proper subject of the report. 



I have already stated that the 24th Annual Fair, as a whole, 

 deserves a high place in the first rank of industrial exhiliitions. 

 The display in the horticultural department, exceeded my most 

 sanguine expectations; indeed, it seemed almost impossible, 

 under the circumstances, to get together so many articles of de- 

 cided merit. The long and remarkable drought bad filled me 

 with apprehensions of a failure ; but these very apprehensions 

 led to redoubled efforts, and the result was one of the best liorti- 

 cultural exhibitions we have ever had. On'-all hands, I was met 

 by friends with the remark, " that they would do their best," 

 and the event was most creditable to them and to the Institute. 

 I desire here to thank them in the name of the Institute. It is 

 worthy of remark, that most of tlie finest horticultural products, 

 such as potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, &c.,';jwere grown on low, 

 alluvial land, which may be relied on for abundajit crops in the 

 driest of seasons. Tiiere are thousands of acres of alluvial land 

 in tlie vicinity of New-York, whicii still reniain in a .state of nature, 

 its real value being little compreliended hy tliC great majority 

 of our farmers. A few more droughts like that of the past 



