200 TIMEHRI. 
exhibits from all parts of the world, the people who are interested in ¥ 
these matters will go to them to see what opportunities there are fo! a 
development and trade in these special departments ; and we are thus | ; 
depriving ourselves of the most powerful chances of advertising both 3 
our mineral industry and our timbers. As I have stated, our things 
have not yet come to hand, though the Exhibition authorities are 
advised by Messrs. Schofield & Co., that the exhibits were sent Si i. 
the 18th ult., from St. John’s, N.B. No doubt these have been delayed — ee. 
by the blocking of the line by snow. There have been very heavy falls | 
of snow, which has had a very destruétive effeé&t on the glass roofs of ‘ 3 
the enormous Fair buildings, breaking the glass through in many > iy 
places in the depressed parts. I am wondering what effect the frost, 
severe as it has been, will have had on our things in glass bottles— the e 
more so that the entire shipment of wine, some hundreds of bottle 
from New South Wales, were ruined by the heavy frost, owing to the ‘ 
breaking up of the bottles. As our things will be meeting in Canada 3 
even more severe weather than has obtained down here, I am afraid the ) 
result will be very disastrous. wi + 
The Fair buildings and grounds are in an utter state of unprepared. 
ness ; and owing to the most unfavourable weather, but little can be 
done rapidly. Still so much has been accomplished since the — 
inception .of the scheme, that there is little doubt that the remain< K 
ing seven weeks will put things in a state of readiness for the — 
1st of May. Though fit for opening by that date, it is certain the Fair ‘ 
will not be completely ready, and many weeks’ work will have tobe 
done ere that is settled. Added to the unfavourable weather which 
has prevailed and still hampers all work, there is an impending strike 4 
in the railway service which seems hardly likely to be averted, and 
this will be the most serious calamity, since exhibits from all parts of 
the world are just coming in. Added to this is the contemplated strike 
among carpenters, which again will paralyze all installa tion of exhibits. 
The long delay in the arrival of our exhibits has considerably a 
bothered one. An enormous amount of work has to be done, in fact, 
all the work has yet to be done, on our timbers and logs. Nothing. a 
sent to the ground is allowed to go out, so that many things left to ‘ 
done in Chicago like rice-cleaning, etc., will have to be left undone. 
Nearly every exhibitor is putting up a pavilion in the several large 
buildings; and I am planning our logs of timber to be arranged roun 1 % 
the Court so as to form a sort of skeleton pavilion. This will require a 
a lot of planing and polishing, and time is getting short. Morethan — a 
