72 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



the products of American industry, at first in the same way, but 

 afterwards upon a principle different from the Philadelphia Insti- 

 tute, it invited manufacturers and others to exhibit their produc- 

 tions, and then gave honorary premiums, consisting of medals or 

 diplomas for such among the articles exhibited, as in the estima- 

 tion of the judges, were entitled to that distinction, whilst the 

 Philadelphia Institute prescribed before hand and published a list 

 of the objects for which premiums would be given. The fair was 

 held at Masonic Ilall, in Broadway, for three days, commencing on 

 the 23d of October, 1828, and was highly successful. The expense 

 was borne by the members, the public were admitted without 

 charge, and the fair closed with an auction. The Institute was 

 incorporated the following year, 1829, and gave its second exhibi- 

 tion on the 14th, 15th and 16th of October of that year, charging, 

 as has since been the practice, a small sum for admission, and its 

 success may be judged of from the following paragraphs in one of 

 the leading newspapers of the day, the Commercial Advtrtiser: 

 " Though frequently in a great crowd, says the editor, we were 

 never so jammed as last night. Thousands had t-o go away with- 

 out a sight of the Hall, we among the rest, after seeing a lady of 

 large dimensions squeezed as flat as a pancake." 



The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic's Association was in- 

 corporated in 1795, and in the earlier years of its history was 

 simply a charitable and social society. In 1818 it awarded pre- 

 miums for the best made barrels and casks, but appears to have 

 taken no further step in this direction until 1837, when it gave an 

 industrial exhibition after the manner of the American Institute, 

 and it has had repeated exhibitions of the same kind since. 



In 1822 the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society was institiited, 

 and gave annual exhibitions, consisting of animals, farm imple- 

 ments and agricultural machines, the first of which was held in 

 1823, and the next in 1824. 



In 1831 the Mechanics' Institute of the city of New York, was 

 established for the diffusion of knowledge among the mechanical 

 classes, by means of lectures, a library and a mechanical museum* 

 and this institution, in 1835, offered 120 premiums, consisting of 

 gold and silver medals, for a series of articles to be exhibited at a 

 mechanical fair, which was held at Castle Garden, on the 29th of 

 September, 1835. This experiment was repeated the following 

 3'ear, 1836, a fair of the same kind being held at the same place, 

 the number of premiums being increased to 154. This institution 

 is no longer in existence. 



In 1S38, a large industrial exhibition of the same character as 



