236 MISCEI LANEOUS. 



THE EXHIBITION OF 1861. 



The Society of Arts has issued the following resolutions in reference to the esta- 

 "blishment of Decennial Exhibitions in Great Britain, the first of which it proposes to 

 hold in London in 1861 : 



EXHIBITION IN 1861. 



At a special meeting of the Council of the Society for the Encouragement of 

 Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, the following resolutions were passed ; — 



The Council of the Society of Arts, bearing in mind the part which the Society 

 took in originating the Great Exhibition of 1851, have considered it to be their 

 duty carefully to examine various suggestions for holding an Exhibition in 1861, 

 which have been submitted to them and have resolved : — 



1. That the institution of Decennial Exhibitions in London for the purpose of 

 showing the progress made in industry and art during each period of ten years, 

 would tend greatly to the " Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce." 



2. That the first of these Exhibitions ought not to be a repetition of the Exhi- 

 bition of 1851, which must be considered an exceptional event, but should be an 

 Exhibition of works selected for excellence, illustrating especially the progress of 

 industry and art, and arranged according to classes, and not countries, and that it 

 should comprehend music and also painting, which was excluded in 1851. 



3. That foreigners should be invited to exhibit on the same conditions as British 

 exhibitors. 



4. That the Council will proceed to consider how the foregoing resolutions can 

 be best carried into effect. 



P. LE NEVE FOSTER, Secretary. 

 Society's House, Adelphi, London. 



The London Olohe thus discusses the proposition put forward by the Society of 

 Arts to hold an Exhibition in 1861, setting forth, in the first place, some of the rea- 

 sons for holding such an Exhibition ; secondly, what should be its nature ; and 

 thirdly, the most suitable site for holding it. 



How far is the decennial period likely to afford an opportunity for bringing 

 together such a collection of articles and products as will justify the Society of 

 Arts in entering upon so large and responsible an undertaking ? Wliat, we may 

 ask, is ten years capable of, and what are its results in a commercial point of view ? 



Looking back for that period in England, we find that several new arts and 

 industries have arisen, and old ones have been extended. Scarcely more than ten 

 years have passed since the submarine telegraphs were unknown ; the screw pro- 

 peller applied to our steam-vessels ; the glass-duty removed ; the great improve- 

 ments and advancement in the trade and products of the Staffordshire potteries 

 effected ; the manufacture of bricks left free to take such form as may be required ; 

 the excise duty on soap got rid of; photography and chromatic printing intro- 

 duced and perfected as arts ; gutta percha and many vegetable oils from our Colonies, 

 such as the Bassia Latifolia and the Cahoun Palm, introduced as new raw materials 

 in commerce ; whilst the declared value of our exported manufactures has risen 



