the Promoters, to make preparations for visits to corporate towns not already visited, and to initiate and assist in the formation of Local Committees. They published a variety of documents, and, as may easily be conceived, the preparation of the contract with the Messrs. Munday (by means of which all steps up to that time had been taken), and the subsequent modifications since the deeds were signed, occupied much of the attention of the Committee. The various meetings initiated by the Executive Committee throughout the provinces brought the question most prominently before the public, but the great and influential City meeting, held in the Egyptian Hall, under the presidency of the Lord Mayor, on the 17th October, 1849, to receive a deputation of members of the Society of Arts, who had been charged by His Royal Highness Prince Albert, their President, to explain the outlines of His Royal Highness's proposal for a Great Exhibition of Industry of All Nations, to be held in London in the year 1851, deserves more than a passing allusion. This meeting was attended by between three and four hundred of the most influential merchants, bankers, and traders,—in short, by the élite of the City magnates.

The Lord Mayor, in explaining the objects of the meeting, stated that on the 12th of September he had received a letter from Colonel Phipps, Secretary to Prince Albert, requesting him, as Lord Mayor of the City of London, to ascertain as far as he could the feeling of the citizens with regard to the suggestion made by His Royal Highness for a large Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, to be held in London in 1851; and after briefly recapitulating the advantages likely to be derived by the country at large, and by the metropolis in particular, from such a scheme, his Lordship called upon Mr. Henry Cole, "expressly deputed by the Prince to explain his views," to offer some observations to the meeting. As the organ of His Royal Highness, and as the most zealous promoter of the scheme, Mr. Cole's able speech on that occasion is

doubly valuable, and we therefore make no apology for giving it at length.

Mr. H. COLE said-My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen, before I submit to you the outlines of the proposal which his Royal Highness Prince Albert has charged us, the members of the Society of Arts, to communicate to the citizens of London, I would ask you to bear in mind that these proceedings are strictly preliminary. His Royal Highness wishes that you should not take anything as absolutely settled with regard to his proposal, beyond the fact that it is intended to have a great exhibition of works of industry; and it is his Royal Highness's desire that we should lay before you the details of the planwhich I shall endeavour to do with all possible brevity-in order that, when the proper time comes, you may be prepared to aid his Royal Highness with your counsel and advice, if you should think fit to carry his proposals into effect. (Hear, hear.) This subject, I may observe, has been under the consideration of the Society of Arts, of which his Royal Highness Prince Albert is the President, for the last five years; but, during the last two years, his Royal Highness has been watching the symptoms of public feeling on this question with great intentness, and the members of the council well know that he has on all occasions taken a most active interest, as President of the Society, in furthering the education of the public for appreciating an exhibition of the kind suggested. We had this year, at the Society of Arts, the finest exhibition of preciousmetal work that has, probably, ever been seen in the world; and the chief specimen of that work was sent by Her Majesty herself. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Indeed, so great a point was made by that exhibition, that Prince Albert considered himself warranted in endeavouring to mature his plans for the much more extensive and important exhibition which he contemplated. Accordingly, soon after the termination of the exhibition of the Society of Arts, his Royal Highness commanded the attendance of several members of the council, and of the secretary, at Buckingham Palace, where he explained the details of what he considered should be the chief features of the proposed exhibition. On that occasion his Royal Highness directed that minutes should be kept; and the minutes of that, as well as of subsequent meetings-of which there have been several-have been revised and approved by the Prince himself. (Hear, hear.) I think it is only right that I should

mention this circumstance, because it shows that his Royal Highness takes a direct personal interest in the subject (cheers), and that he is not acting in his dry official capacity as President of the Society of Arts. (Hear, hear.) In the course of the observations which I shall address to you, you will see that, so far as the plan has proceeded, the Prince has himself considered some of the probable details. It will, I think, conduce to brevity if I read to you some extracts from the minutes taken on the occasions to which I have alluded. The first minute is this:-"Buckingham Palace, June 30, 1849. His Royal Highness communicated to the members of the Society of Arts his views regarding the formation of a great collection of works of industry and art in London in 1851, for the purposes of exhibition and of competition and encouragement.” The first point that then arose for consideration was, whether the subjects of this exhibition should be limited exclusively to the productions of our own country; and I may perhaps be allowed to say that the passage I am now about to read is one which the Prince himself inscribed upon the minutes. (Hear, hear.) "It was a question whether this exhibition should be exclusively limited to British Industry. It was considered that, whilst it appears an error to fix any limitation to the productions of machinery, science, and taste, which are of no country, but belong, as a whole, to the civilized world, particular advantage to British industry might be derived from placing it in fair competition with that of other nations." (Cheers.) That seemed to his Royal Highness to be a fundamental principle to be regarded in any great exposition which this country might undertake, and I may observe that the feeling on that subject, in every part of the country, has been absolutely unanimous. I believe one gentleman only, out of some 600 or 700, whom we have consulted, expressed his opinion that, in the first instance, the exposition should be confined to British industry alone; but when he came to see his opinion put in print for the Prince's perusal, it appeared so very singular that he requested it might be cancelled (a laugh), and in the course of six weeks, therefore, he completely changed his views. (Laughter.) If it will not be tedious to the meeting I will read a few passages, which will show the feeling which has been manifested on this subject. The Lord Provost of Edinburgh said at a meeting, that "he considered the preparation of such an exhibition would direct the minds of the whole world to the peaceful pur

suits of industry, and by friendly competition and generous rewards would more closely than ever cement the amicable relations of all the nations of the earth.' I am reading the words which we took down at the time, and which will show you the individual and personal feeling exhibited. Messrs. Kershaw and Co., of Manchester, extremely large cotton manufacturers, who weave 1,000,000 miles of cotton yarn weekly, said, "Open the exhibition to receive the productions of all nations certainly." Messrs. James Black and Co., of Glasgow, very extensive calico printers, who will be exposed to considerable competition with French goods in the proposed exhibition, said, they "considered it highly desirable to compare our productions not only with those of our countrymen, but with those of foreigners;" and they added, "The exhibition will be well worth all the money it may cost." They stated, at the same time, that they did not fear any competition; that they thought great advantage would arise from letting the ladies of Great Britain see that English manufacturers could produce as good articles as the French; and that the contemplated exhibition might serve the cause of morality by preventing English goods from being sold, as was frequently the case, as French manufactures. Mr. Jobson Smith, of Sheffield, a member of the firm of Stuart and Smith, one of the largest steel-grate manufacturers in the world, said he "thought it most desirable to see the best metal work of all nations, though England would be behind in ornamental metal work." Messrs. Hoyle and Sons, of Manchester, whose name has a sort of world's reputation for a particular class of fabric, were unanimously agreed that the exhibition ought certainly to be international. "The Lancashire feeling," said Alderman Neild, eminently is to have a clear stage and no favour, and to show what Lancashire people can do." (Laughter and cheers.) The Master of the Merchants' Company at Edinburgh said, rather graphically, that "he thought the exhibition should be universal, and that its tendency would be to rub the sharp corners of many nations off." (Hear, hear, and a laugh.) The Rev. Mr. Yate, of Dover, expressed his hope and belief that the proposed exhibition would hasten the period when men shall beat "their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruninghooks." (Hear, hear.) I think, then, gentlemen, that you will agree with his Royal Highness in the opinion that it is expedient that such an exhibition as is now proposed should be open to all nations.

(Cheers.) The next point for consideration was the subjects that should be comprehended in the projected exhibition. 'His Royal Highness considered that such a collection and exhibition should consist of the following divisions: raw materials, machinery and mechanical inventions, manufactures, sculpture, and plastic art generally.' It must be borne in mind, that the exhibition will not be an assemblage of ordinary productions, but of the very best works, in all their classes, which the world probably can show. With respect to raw materials, we shall most likely have, from all quarters of the globe, specimens of animal and vegetable life, as well as of minerals,samples of what is in the earth and of what is produced on the earth. In the class of animal substances, we shall probably have enormous elephants' tusks from Africa and Asia; leather from Morocco and Russia; beaver from Baffin's Bay; the wools of Australia, of Yorkshire, and of Thibet; silk from Asia and from Europe; and furs from the Esquimaux. As an evidence of what we may expect from the suggested exposition, I may state that the Court of Directors of the East India Company intend to exhibit the best of every thing that India can produce; and we shall therefore probably obtain, by this means, the best practical notion of the value of our East Indian possessions. (Hear, hear.) I will read to the meeting a short extract from a letter addressed to me by the Chairman of the Court of Directors :

"I beg to inform you that I communicated to the Court of Directors the conversation which I had with you on the subject of the proposed exhibition of the works of industry which his Royal Highness Prince Albert is desirous to institute in the year 1851. I have the satisfaction of acquainting you, for the information of his Royal Highness, that the Court express their entire concurrence in the views which I then suggested, and that they will be prepared to give their cordial co-operation in carrying out the wishes of his Royal Highness, by obtaining from India such specimens of the products and manufactures of that country as may tend to illustrate its resources, and to add to the interest of the great national exhibition of which his Royal Highness is the patron."

We have also reason to believe that the Australian Company, and other public companies interested in our colonies, will not be backward in affording us their co-operation on this occasion. Then, with regard to vegetable productions, which will come under the class of raw materials, we shall bave cotton from Asia compared with that from America. We may perhaps, have corn from the virgin soil of Connemara; for when we were

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