on the Great Exhibition of 1851. 363 
division was highly beneficial, for within each of these sections 
classes could be formed far more homogeneous than was possible 
while these sections were all thrown into one mass; when, for 
instance, the cotton-tree, the loom, and the muslin, stood side by 
side, as belonging to vestiary art; or when woven and dyed 
goods were far removed, as being examples, the former of me- 
chanical, the latter of chemical processes. Suitable gradation is 
the felicity of the classifying art, and so it was found to be in this 
instance. 3 
- But within this limit how shall classes be formed? _ Here. also, 
it appears to me, simply as a reader of the history of the Exhi- 
bition, which any one else may read, that the procedure of those 
who framed the-classification was marked with sound good sense 
and a wise rejection of mere technical rules. For by assuming 
fixed and uniform principles of classification we can never ob- 
tain any but an artificial system, which will be found, in practice, 
to separate things naturally related; and to bring together objects 
quite unconnected with. each other. _ It was determined, that 
within each of the four sections the divisions which had been 
adopt thirty broad divisions; of which classes, four were of raw 
materials; six of machinery; nineteen of manufactures ; and 
one of the Fine Arts. And these thirty Classes may be consid- 
ered as having been confirmed by their practical application to 
except that, in some instances, it was found necessary to subdi- 
vide a Class into others. ~ Thus Class X, which was originally 
And to Class V, machines, was added an accessory Class, Va, 
carriages. And, on the other hand, Classes XII, and XV, wool- 
len and worsted, it was found could be advantageously thrown 
into on 
Within these classes, again, were other subdivisions, which are 
marked in the Catalogue by letters of the alphabet. ‘Thus, the 
third Class consists of substances used for food ; and of these the 
vegetable division contains sub-classes, A, B,C, D, ©, F, G: the 
first being cereals, and the like; the second, fruits; the third, 
drinks, and so on. And in like manner, the sixth class, manu- 
facturing machines and tools, had sub-classes, A, B,C, D, E, PF: 
| # “Illustrated Catalogue,” Introd, p. 22. 
