182 
THE PARIS EXHIBITION OP 1867. 
[Nature and Art, November 1, 180*0, 
Fellah family of Upper Egypt, with stables for 
war dromedaries and domestic cattle, and a kiosk, 
one portion of which will contain a divan for the 
nse of the Viceroy, who is expected to visit the 
Exhibition, while the other will represent an 
Egyptian caje , with all its fittings and accessories ; 
in addition to this, it is said that groups of native 
workmen will be seen pursuing their ordinary 
trades. It is quite evident that ricli, thriving, 
though nominally dependent Egypt, will make a 
grand figure amongst the nations next year in the 
Glmmp de Mars. 
The only European nation that yet makes any 
show is Belgium, who certainly will not be behind- 
hand unless she follows the unfortunate example of 
the hare in the fable. Not satisfied with the 
amount or position of the space allotted to her, 
she has erected in the park two separate structures, 
a large rotunda for locomotives, the wooden framing 
of which was nearly completed a fortnight ago, 
and a rectangular building for her pictures, which 
promise to be very numerous. The latter structure 
is about a hundred feet in length, and being divided 
by a central wall, forms two galleries, which are to 
be lighted by sloping skylights with a transparent 
horizontal ceiling beneath them, the whole fur- 
nishing, of course, about four hundred feet stretch 
of wall. It is to be feared that the width of the 
galleries will not prove sufficient on crowded days ; 
in other respects the building is well adapted for 
the intended purpose. 
When we consider that the English division is 
in one of the circular ends of the building, and that 
consequently her picture galleries will not have 
one inch of flat wall, with the exception of the ends, 
which are all pierced with doorways, we feel bound 
to call the attention of the British commission, and 
especially to such portion of it as takes special in- 
terest in the efficient display of our art productions, 
to the unfortunate form of these curved galleries 
for picture -hanging, and to urge the inspection of 
the Belgium building, and the erection of some- 
thing of the same kind for the due exhibition of 
our Reynoldses, Gainsboroughs, Hogarths, Wil- 
sons, Constables, Lawrences, Wilkies, and Tur- 
ners. The curved galleries would make excellent 
exhibition-rooms for other objects, but the cross 
lights, which nothing can remedy, must prove 
ruinous to paintings. A light iron building might 
be prepared and set up in a very short time, and 
would have the double advantage of security against 
both fire and damp, and of being ready for use the 
day it was erected. The question is already asked 
in Paris how is it that Great Britain is not yet 
appearing on the ground, seeing that so much is 
expected of her, especially in agricultural and other 
out-of-door Classes ; and the formation of a suitable 
Art Gallery would be an admirable commencement. 
Nearly one half of the further portion of the 
Park is to be devoted to the Horticultural Exhibi- 
tion. This department will include, in addition to 
plantations, flower-beds, conservatories, and gigantic 
aquariums, in connection with a lake and cascades. 
One of the latter will be used for the purpose of 
aerating the salt water for the aquariums, and a 
large number of workmen ai’e now employed on 
their foundations, and in the formation of the lake ; 
but this quarter of the park is not in a condition 
to be spoken further about at present. 
The plan of the horticultural portion of the 
Exhibition is bold and original, and we shall have 
to return to it shortly. The same remarks will 
apply to the Agricultural Department, which is 
expected to be unusually interesting ; but the pre- 
parations for it are not commenced, or scarcely so. 
France, however, has a good deal of her material 
ready in the shape of the stalls, used upon several 
occasions in the Palais de V Industrie, for the exhi- 
bitions of cattle and of horses. A very large tract 
of ground, somewhat lower down the river than 
the Champ de Mars, is also appropriated to agri- 
cultural purposes, and it is at this place that the 
competitive trials will take place. 
There are to be seen in the Pai’k several very 
ornamental buildings, in particoloured brick, with 
chimney-shafts. These are the houses for the 
motive power required to drive the “ machinery in 
motion : ” they are twelve in number, and are 
situated in a circle around the building, at a 
distance of about a hundred and fifty feet from its 
circumference. The driving machinery, with all its 
accessories, will be supplied by twelve large 
engineering firms ; thus each of them will present a 
separate exhibit of steam-engines, boilers, and fur- 
naces. Amongst the firms who have undertaken 
this service are two or more English ones estab- 
lished in France; but no firm in England appears 
in the list, a matter rather to be regretted. 
On one side of the Park stands the Jury -house, 
an immense building of three stories, with access 
from the road outside, as well as from the grounds. 
This building has been completely finished, as 
regards the walls and roof, for some time, and will 
shortly be ready for occupation. Its isolation will 
make it most convenient for the important purpose 
to which it is to be applied. In another corner, 
that nearest the river and the city, stand models of 
stables and coach-houses, for the erection of which 
tenders have been issued by the Imperial Com- 
mission, — another novel and useful feature in the 
general arrangements. 
The Commission has just made a very considerate 
change in the regulations respecting the Fine Arts 
Department ; instead of sending in the works of 
art tendered for exhibition, as originally laid down 
in the rules, by the present month, which would 
have caused the owners to be deprived of their 
pictures and statues for more than twelve months 
in case of acceptance by the jury of admission, 
and for three or more in case of rejection, artists 
and others are now only required to hand in a list 
with dimensions of what they propose to send, and 
the jury will admit well-known works without 
examination, and will not require them to be 
delivered till the month of February; while those 
which they desire to examine need only be sent in 
January. This is a liberal and sensible regulation, 
which deserves notice and imitation. 
