Chapter V: Part 5

The pressure obtained in this experiment amounted to about a hundred pounds per square foot, and it had been ascertained that the greatest pressure caused by packing men together as closely as possible was equal to about ninety-five pounds per square foot; so that the testing force applied was considered amply sufficient, as a considerable portion of the surface of the gallery will be occupied by light articles exhibited in the cases and stalls which are placed along the centre of the gallery, where a great weight would have most effect.

This ingenious method of proving the strength of the galleries _in situ_, without endangering those engaged in the experiment, is admirable; and the result of the proof will no doubt allay all fear in the mind of the public as to the safety of this portion of the building.

General Advantages of the Building.

It is always much easier to point out the defects of any work than its excellences; whilst we may, therefore, safely leave the former, as regards our present subject, to be discovered and enlarged upon by those who may be perhaps more competent than ourselves, we will attempt to point out what we conceive to be some of the advantages obtained in the present building.

One of the principal of these, considering throughout the purpose of the structure, is, perhaps, the uninterrupted view of the interior which the spectator may obtain from any point of the building--a matter of great importance to the general grandeur of its effect. From the galleries more particularly, which will be less obstructed by large objects, the eye of the spectator will be able to range from end to end of the vast edifice; while the transparency of the material used for the roof allows every object to be brilliantly illuminated. The slender lines of the supports, though they serve to sustain a protecting covering, scarcely interrupt the view of the objects protected, and the absence of any fixed divisions or partitions enables all the articles exhibited to be so arranged as to suit the peculiar requirements of each particular class; while the ample space between the supports has admitted of the formation of large open avenues for the free passage of visitors, who may thus reach as readily the remotest corners of the building as those situated near the entrances; and whenever the visitor may find himself fatigued by the labour of sight-seeing, he will be sure to find himself near one of the numerous exit-doors, whereby he may immediately free himself from the crowd of spectators.

From the simplicity of the details of the construction, and their constant recurrence, it will be seen that so long as the ends of the building were left incomplete, its size could easily be limited or expanded, so as to include that precise amount of space which, up to the last moment when the point could be kept open, appeared most likely to be required. This simplicity of arrangement will also be found very advantageous in case the building is removed after the termination of its present temporary purpose; as the parts may be easily separated without much injury, and as readily re-erected, either as a whole, or even in many separate buildings, having the same arrangement of parts, without the same general form or appearance.

It has been calculated that the passages remaining in the building, after deducting the space appropriated to the objects exhibited, will hold more than 100,000 persons; though it is not to be expected that half that number will be collected there at one time. The ventilation and supply of fresh air for so vast a throng was therefore a matter of the first importance; and the means already described for accomplishing this great object are so ample, that any inconvenience from oppressive heat or foul air can hardly be expected. The canvass with which the roof is covered will not only serve to modify the heat of the sun in the interior, but it is expected that if it be watered by the hose of engines, it may even reduce the temperature within to considerably below that of the external air. From his experience in glass-houses for horticultural purposes, Mr. Paxton speaks confidently on this point.

The arrangement of the construction of the building resting on isolated instead of continuous supports, will enable all traces of it to be readily effaced from the site if it is removed; and, on the other hand, if it remains, it is evidently peculiarly suited to form a vast winter-garden and public promenade.

Conclusion.

Before taking leave of the reader who may have patiently followed us thus far, a few words may be necessary on the general arrangement of the articles to be exhibited in the building whose outline and details we have been endeavouring to trace. The first classification is geographical. All the western half of the building is given to England, and the eastern, which is rather the larger of the two, to foreign countries; the space assigned to each country being distinctly defined, so as to avoid the possibility of any disputes. As far as it was possible, the space for each country is so arranged as to have a frontage towards the main central avenue, and in most cases occupies a strip the whole width of the building; the visitor, therefore, passing up and down the length, will not miss out any country.

In the central avenue, and immediately on either side of it, are placed the most remarkable specimens of objects coming under the class of fine-arts, or otherwise sufficiently remarkable to entitle them to such a prominent place. Behind these, in the side avenues, will be found the various specimens of manufactured articles; and along the outside longitudinal avenues are placed, on the south side, those belonging to the class of raw products (a portion being devoted to agricultural implements), and the projecting portion of the building on the north side forms the hall of machinery, which is separated by a partition of glazed sashes from the rest of the building. Many of the articles will be grouped in courts, an arrangement which the construction particularly leads to; and these will probably form some of the greatest attractions in the Exhibition, each being, as it were, complete in itself, and the inclosures preventing the eye from being distracted by distant objects. To enter further into the detail of this part of the subject would be foreign to the purpose of this work, the building itself being our text.

We have now, we believe, completed the pleasant task we proposed to ourselves at the outset, and we hope that in doing so we may have been able to render interesting to our general readers this description of operations, usually occupying the attention of the technical professions only. With this intention, we have avoided as far as possible the use of technical terms, which would be a dead letter to the uninitiated, at the risk, perhaps, of being considered inaccurate by those acquainted with all the details of the subject.

So many men whose eminent talent is well known and appreciated by the public have been engaged in perfecting the designs and carrying out the erection of this vast structure, that the critic should be one of no mean reputation who would venture to raise even a small voice of individual criticism on its merits. We have considered it, therefore, to be our part rather to record the opinions of others on any points where a discussion has been raised than to trouble the reader with any personal views, which would, perhaps, have only appeared impertinent.

The nature and extent of the difficulties which have been successfully surmounted in carrying out this great work can only be fully appreciated by those intimately acquainted with all its structural details and with its rapid progress; and its completion in so short a period must be regarded as a striking instance of the productive power and spirit of commercial enterprise of this country, while the fact of its being defrayed by the voluntary contributions of the people will illustrate in an interesting manner to our continental visitors that principle of self-government which forms the basis of all our institutions, and the spirit of private enterprise which characterises most of our great undertakings.

The illustrative engravings with which we have endeavoured to render more interesting the descriptive details, necessarily somewhat dry to the general reader, are only intended to convey general ideas, without attempting that minute accuracy which would be required in a more technical work; and with reference to some of them we take this opportunity of acknowledging the assistance our artists have derived from views already published elsewhere, others having been exclusively drawn for the present work.

We have much pleasure in presenting our readers, in the Appendix, with views and descriptions of two of the most striking designs sent in the first competition for the building, the materials for which have been kindly afforded us by their respective authors; and we may remind the reader that these two designs were specially mentioned by the Building Committee in their Report already quoted. In the same place some interesting documents connected with the building will also be found, which we were unable to insert in the text.

APPENDIX.

LIST OF COMPETITORS FOR THE BUILDING PROPOSED TO BE ERECTED IN HYDE PARK.

Mons. Acollas, Architecte, 33, Rue Lafayette, à Paris.
Messrs. Aickin and Capes, 1, Clarence-street, Islington.
W. Albon, Esq., 32, Abingdon-street, Westminster.
C. B. Allen, Architect, 9, Great College-street, Westminster.
F. C. Anderson, Esq., 9, Holles-street, Cavendish-square.
_Architekton_ (W. Bardwell, 4, Great Queen-street, Westminster).
Henry Ashton, Esq., 50A, Lower Brooke-street.
John S. Austin, Architect, Bedford.
William Austin, Esq., High-street, East Dereham, Norfolk.
C. Badger, Esq., Architect, 40, Rue Blanche, Paris.
R. Baly, Esq., 14, Buckingham-street, Adelphi.
Alfred Beaumont, Architect, 5, Warwick Chambers, Beak-street.
Richard Bell, Architect, Pope's Head Chambers, Cornhill.
W. Bell, Esq., Clift Cottage, Coronation-road, Bristol.
Thomas Bellamy, Esq., 8, Charlotte-street, Bedford-square.
Mons. Felix Belleflamme, Brussels.
J. S. Benest, Esq., 21, Rutland-street, Hampstead-road.
J. H. Bertram, M. Inst. C. E., Reading.
John Black, Esq., 33, Ernest-street, Regent's Park.
E. Blatchley, Esq., Jun., 362, Oxford-street.
Mons. Alphonse Botrel, Architecte, 121, Rue Poissonnière, Paris.
A. W. Boulnois, Esq., Bazaar, King-street, Baker-street.
W. Boyle, Esq., 5, Little George-street, Westminster.
R. Brandon, Architect, 11, Beaufort-buildings, Strand.
R. Broad, Esq., Horseley Works, Tipton.
B. Broadbridge, Architect, 35, Ladbroke-square, Notting-hill.
F. Brown, Esq., Francis-street, Torrington-square.
R. Brown, Esq., 41, Lord-street, Liverpool.
J. B. Bunning, Esq., Guildhall.
George A. Burn, Architect, George-place, Hammersmith.
H. P. Burt, Esq., 238, Blackfriars-road.
John G. Grace, Esq., 14, Wigmore-street.
E. I. C., Alnwick.
Mons. J. Cailloux, 25, Marché St. Honoré, Paris.
A. F. Campbell, Esq., 104, Pall Mall, Reform Club.
Henry Case, Esq., 19, Hanover Villas, Kensington Park.
James Catt, Esq., Blackheath Park.
Mons. J. Charpentier, Architecte, 15, Rue Larochefoucalt, Paris.
J. Claringbull, Esq., 95, Herbert-street, New North-road.
Mons. Henri van Cléemputte, Laon, France.
Mons. J. P. Cluysenaar, Architecte, Bruxèlles.
J. Colshurst, Esq., 36, Jermyn-street, St. James's.
John Colson, Architect, Winchester.
Mons. J. W. Conrad, Chief Engineer, La Haye, Holland.
C. E. Coote, Esq., Clifton.
W. R. Corson, Architect, 3, Albion-place, Leeds.
H. Courtney, Esq., 39, Awylne-road, Canonbury-square, Islington.
David Cowan, Esq., 9, Hungerford-street, Strand.
Mons. Crémont, 10, Place des Vosges, Paris.
W. Cruikshank, Esq., 24, Duke-street.
Mons. E. Damas de Culture, 20, Rue Mazayran, Paris.
G. J. Darley, Esq., C.E., 7, Kildare-street, Dublin.
Mons. A. Delaage, 6, Place de l'Oratoire du Louvre, Paris.
W. Dennis, Esq., Church-street, Hackney.
Charles Downes, Esq., 29, Coleshill-street, Eaton-square.
Francis Drake, Esq., 11, Calthorpe-street, Gray's-inn-road.
Henry Duesbury, Architect, Kensington Gore.
Mons. Duflocq, 96, Rue Rochechouart, Paris.
Mons. Dupuy, 9, Rue Duplessés, Versailles.
Mons. Dusillion, Architecte, Thoune Suisse, Faubourg St. Germain, Paris.
Mons. A. Durand, Moulins, France.
O. C. Edwards, Esq., Gloucester.
J. Eldudge, Esq., 16, Somerset-place, New Road, Commercial-rd. East.
J. Elliott, Architect, 28, Portland-terrace, Southampton.
M. G. Fétar van Elven, Architecte, Amsterdam.
D. Erskine, Esq., 58, Clerk-street, Edinburgh.
W. J. Everitt, Esq., 1, Garden-street, Stepney-green.
Mons. Théodore Faure, 2, Little Argyle-street, Regent-street.
Mons. F. Desaint Félix, and E. E. White, Architects, Ipswich.
Mons. Henri Fevre, Architecte, 41, Rue de Vaugirard, à Paris.
F. Finlay, Esq., 26, Duke-street, Westminster.
Charles Folkard, Esq., C.E., 56, King-street, Whitehall.
David Colin Forbes, Esq., Stirling.
James Forrest, Esq., C.E., 25, Great George-street.
W. Freebody, Esq., 9, Duke-street, Westminster.
S. C. Fripp, Architect, Bristol.
L. Fürges, Architecte, Crefeld.
C. E. G., Warwick.
A. Garrard. Esq., Surveyor.
Mons. Gaulle, 81, Rue Française, à Calais.
Arthur Gearing, Esq., 2, Ranelagh-street, Leamington Spa.
William Geggie, Esq., Knaresbro'.
J. Gibson, Esq., Great Western Railway, Paddington.
Robert Gilingham, Esq., 31, Clarence-road, Kentish Town.
Mons. Godeboeuf, Architecte, 12, Place Breda, à Paris.
C. W. Gooch, Esq., 42, Connaught-terrace, Edgeware-road.
John Gould, Esq., Tottenham Park, Wiltshire.
Richard Greene, Esq., F.S.A., Sec. to Lichfield Architectural Society.
Edmund W. Grubb, Esq., Newnham, Gloucestershire.
Robert S. Grubb, Esq., Newham-on-Severn, Gloucestershire.
T. R. Guppy, Esq., Naples.
J. C. Haddan, Esq., 29, Bloomsbury-square.
Thomas Roberts Hannaford, Architect, 21, Trigon-terrace, Kennington.
O. Hansard, Architect, 2, Kensington-gardens-terrace, Hyde Park.
Robert Hardy, Carpenter, 32, North Conduit-street, Bethnal-green.
John Thornhill Harrison, Esq., East Bolden, near Gateshead.
J. P. Harrison, Esq., 11, Chancery-lane.
Thomas Haw, Esq., 27, Prospect-terrace, Globe-road, Mile-end.
Thomas Hayes, Esq., 7, St. George's-terrace, Hyde Park.
Samuel Heilton, Esq., 54, Red Cross-street, City.
Mons. J. Henard, 98, Rue St. Lazarre, Paris.
James Hendrey, Esq., 4, Pancras-lane, Cheapside.
J. Hewitt, Esq., Oxford.
W. S. Hollands, Esq., 37, King William-street.
Mons. Hector Horeau, 70, Rue Richelieu, Paris.
George Horton, Esq., 6, Green-street, Grosvenor-square.
Albert P. Howell, Architect, 2, Holywell-street, Westminster.
Mons. C. Huchon, 28, Rue Meslay, Paris.
Benjamin Hurwitz, Esq., 1, Brydges-street, Strand.
John Imray, Esq., Engineer, 12, Howley-street, Lambeth.
A. Jackson, Esq., Barkhart House, Orpington, Kent.
Mons. Ch. Schoech Jaquet, 238, Rue de la Vertasse, Geneva.
Charles Jayne, Architect, 7, Chancery-lane.
Adam Jizkowski, Architect to the Government, Warsaw.
Joseph Jopling, Esq., Felton Villa, Finchley-road.
H. J. Kaye, Esq., 63, Sloane-street, Knightsbridge.
G. P. Kennedy and R. Kennedy, Esqrs., Sussex Chambers, Duke-street, St.
James's.
J. T. Knowles, Esq., 1, Raymond-buildings, Gray's Inn.
Herr Friedrich Krahe, Brunswick.
Louis Kûhne, Brunswick.
A Lady with great diffidence submits this plan.
M. Laves, Architect to the King of Hanover, Hanover.
Mons. A. G. Ledrut, Claremont.
S. W. Leonard, Assistant-Curator Micrological Society, 11, Upper
Stamford-street, Waterloo-road.
W. B. Lewis, Esq., Rainbow-hill, Worcester.
R. Lobb, Esq., 8, Goulden-terrace, Barnsbury-road, Islington.
Locke Brothers, New Peckham.
Henry Lockwood, F.S.A., and William Mawson, Architects, Bradford.
Henry Lote, Esq., 51, Brompton-row.
R. Lovely, Esq., C.E., 1, Victoria-terrace, Queen's-road, Nottingham.
George Mackenzie, Esq., 3, Claremont-row, Barnsbury-road, Islington.
Messrs. Magni and Thummeloup, 26, Boulevard du Temple, Paris.
R. Mallet, Esq., Victoria Foundry, Dublin.
Mansell and Elliott, Architects, Halkin-street West, Belgrave-square.
R. M. Marchant, Esq., 18, Great George-street.
P. J. Margary, Esq., Dawlish, Devonshire.
W. P. Marshall, Esq., Temple-buildings, New-street, Birmingham.
D. Mickle, Esq., 37, Queen-square, Bloomsbury.
Joseph Mitchell, Architect, St. James's-street, Sheffield.
J. Montheath, Esq., 10, Stanley-street, Paddington.
James Moon, Architect, 1, Millman-street, Bedford-row.
Captain W. S. Moorsom, 17½, Great George-street.
G. Morgan, Architect, 6, Charles-street, Westminster.
J. H. Muller, Gaes, Holland.
Charles C. Nelson, Esq., 30, Hyde-park-gardens, London.
Mons. C. Frédéric Nepveu, 13, Place d'Armes, Versailles.
W. Nethersole, Esq., C.E., 73, Oakley-square, St. Pancras.
I. W. Newberry, Esq., Hook Norton, Chipping Norton, Oxon.
Francis B. Newman, Architect, 14, Heathcote-street, Mecklenburgh-sq.
C. H. Newton, Esq., 92, Camden-road Villas, Regent's Park.
Mons. Paliard, 23, Rue d'Enghein, Paris.
E. Paraire, Architect, 16, Woodstock-street, Bond-street.
Mons. Henri le Pâtre, 47, Grande Rue de la Chapelle, St. Denis, Paris.
Thomas Peacock, Esq., High-street, Kensington.
J. D. Pemberton, Esq., Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.
G. Perry, Architect, 42, Newington-place, Kennington.
Mons. Casimir Pétiaux, Paris.
William Radley, Chemical Engineer, Regent-street, Lambeth.
W. Railton, Esq., 12, Regent-street.
W. Rankin, Esq., Stirling.
W. Reed, Esq., Cannon Cottage Hill, Southampton.
Messrs. Reid and Butcher, Architects and Surveyors, 38, Red Lion-square,
London.
Stanley Reilly, Architect, 3, Upper Kennington-green, Kennington.
George Banks Rennie, Esq., Whitehall-place.
Harry Ralph Ricardo, Esq., Beaulieu Lodge, Norwood, Surrey.
W. Riddle, Esq., East Temple Chambers, Whitefriars, Fleet-street.
H. S. Ridley, Architect, 31, Vincent-square, Westminster.
J. B. Roberts, Architect, Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
R. Roberta, Esq., Globe Works, Manchester.
Andrew John Robertson, Esq., C.E., Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
William Robertson, Esq., 12, Gordon-street, City-road.
A. Rosengarten, Architect, Hamburg.
Alex. M. Ross, Esq., 3, Parliament-street, Westminster.
Rough Draught, 42, Stainford-street.
Henry Rouse, Esq.
H. H. Russell, Esq., C.E., M.R.S.A.
W. Russell, Esq., 3, Frederick-street, Hampstead-road.
E. Ryde, Esq., 14, Upper Belgrave-place, Eaton-square.
George Sanderson, Esq., 136, Solly-street, Sheffield.
Charles Sanderson, Esq., Friar-street, Reading.
Robert Sandeman, Architect, Greenside, Edinburgh.
H. Savage, Esq., 22, Beaumont-street. Mary-le-bone.
W. Scurry, Esq., 7, Denbigh-place, Pimlico.
Sed quis custodiet Custodes.
J. P. Seddon, Esq., Gray's-inn-road.
J. R. Sewell, Esq., Carrington, near Nottingham.
Mons. A. Slater, Architecte, Elève de Mons. l'Architecte Cluysenaar.
E. Smallwood, Architect, 86, Park-street, Camden Town.
F. Smallman Smith, Esq., 18, Brunswick-st., Barnsbury-road, Islington.
C. H. Smith, Esq., 29, Clipstone-street.
J. M. Smith, Esq., 1, Chapel-place, Duke-street, Westminster.
W. J. Smith, Esq., 18, Bond-street, Commercial-road, Lambeth.
G. Campbell Smith, Esq., Banff.
Messrs. Soyer and Warrener, Reform Club.
Paul Sprenger, Esq., Architect to the Government, Vienna.
Herr Friederich Stammann, Hamburg.
Francis Sternitz, Esq., 10, Berner-street, Commercial-road East.
W. Stewart, Esq., Seacombe, Cheshire.
M. J. Stutely, Architect, 4, Doughty-street, Mecklenburgh-square.
H. Suckling, Esq., 1, Conduit-street, Regent-street.
George Tate, Esq., Bawtry, Yorkshire.
J. Taylor, Architect, 22, Parliament-street.
T. Taylor, Architect, 33, Clarendon-street, Oakley-square.
J. H. Taunton, Esq., 2, Gordon-place, Kensington.
D. W. Thomas, Esq., 20, St. Petersburg-place, Bayswater.
R. M. Thompson, Esq., 46, Leicester-square.
P. Thompson, Architect, 1, Osnaburgh-place, New-road.
F. Thompson, Esq., 15, Trafalgar-square, Peckham.
James Thrupp, Architect, 2, Park-place, Bath.
H. W. Todd and W. Allingham, 91, Newman-street, Oxford-street.
Richard Turner and Thomas Turner, Hammersmith Works, Dublin.
Henry Turner, Esq., Low Heaton, Haugh, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
F. Tyerman, Jun., Architect, 14, Parliament-street.
Mons. Véron, 2, Quai des Armes, Paris.
John Walker, Esq., Crooked-lane Chambers, King William-street.
George Wallis, Artist, and Henry Summers, Architect, 14, College-place,
Camden Town.
J. N. Warren, Esq., C.E., 18, Adam-street, Adelphi.
J. E. Watson, Esq., 74, Grey-street, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Henry Whitcombe, Esq., Slough.
George Wightwick, Architect, 3, Athenæum-terrace, Plymouth.
George Wilkie, Esq., C.E., 8, Powell-street West, King's-square.
George Wilkinson, Esq., Horsham.
S. J. Wilkinson, Esq., 7, Jeffry's-square, St. Mary Axe.
James Williams, Esq., 18, Westgate-buildings, Bath.
George Wilson, Esq., Knaresbro', Yorkshire.
Ralph Wilson, Architect, 16, Bridge-street, Westminster.
James G. Wilson, Esq., 18, Great George-street, Westminster,
Richard Winder, Esq., Fenchurch-street.
R. A. Withall, Architect, 80, Cheapside.
W. H. Wontner, Architect, St. Ann's-road, North Brixton.
Frederick Wood, Esq., 6, Franklin-road, Queen's-road, East Chelsea.
Thomas Worthington, Architect, 54, King-street, Manchester.
James Wylson, Architect, 112, Fyfe-place, Glasgow.

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LIST A.

ENTITLED TO FAVOURABLE AND HONOURABLE MENTION.

C. B. Allen, Architect, Great College-street, Westminster.
W. Allingham (and Todd), 91, Newman-street, Oxford-street.
_Architekton_ (W. Bardwell, 4, Great Queen-street, Westminster).
H. Ashton, 50A, Lower Brooke-street.
C. Badger, Architect, Rue Blanche, Paris.
B. P. Baly (four designs).
R. Bell, Architect, Pope's Head Chambers, Cornhill.
Thomas Bellamy, Architect, Charlotte-street, Bedford-square.
J. H. Bertram, C. E., Reading.
A. Botrel, Architect, 121, Rue Poissonnière, Paris.
R. Brandon, Architect, Little Beaufort-buildings, Strand.
F. Brown, Francis-street, Torrington-square.
J. B. Bunning, Architect, Guildhall, City of London.
G. A. Burn, Architect, George-place, Hammersmith.
J. Cailloux, Architect, 25, Marché St. Honoré, Paris.
H. Case, 19, Hanover Villas, Kensington Park.
J. Charpentier, Architect, 15, Rue Larochefoucalt, Paris.
Henri Van Cléemputte, Architect, Laon, France.
J. P. Cluysenaar, Architect of King of the Belgians, Brussels.
J. W. Conrad, Chief Engineer, La Haye, Holland.
H. Courtney, Esq., 39, Alwyne-road, Canonbury-square, Islington.
Mons. Crémont, Architect, 10, Place des Vosges, Paris.
W. Cruikshank, 24, Duke-street.
A. Delaage, Architect, 6, Place de l'Oratoire du Louvre, Paris.
C. Downes, Coleshill-street, Eaton-square.
A. Durand, Moulins, France.
Mons. Dusillion, Architect, Thoune Suisse, Faubourg St. Germain, Paris.
M. G. Fétar Van Elven, Architect, Amsterdam.
H. Fevre, Architect, 41, Rue de Vaugirard, à Paris.
S. C. Fripp, Architect, Bristol.
Mons. Gaulle, 81, Rue Française, Calais.
A. Gearing, 2, Ranelagh-street, Leamington Spa.
Eugene Godeboeuf, 12, Place Breda, Paris.
J. T. Harrison, East Bolden, near Gateshead.
T. Hayes, 7, St. George's-terrace, Hyde-park.
J. Henard, Architect, 98, Rue St. Lazarre, Paris.
H. Horeau, 70, Rue Richelieu, Paris.
C. Huchon, 28, Rue Meslay, Paris.
J. Imray, C. E., Howley-street, Lambeth.
Ch. Schoech Jaquet, 238, Rue de la Vertasse, Geneva.
Louis Kûhne, Brunswick.
J. T. Knowles, Architect, 1, Raymond-buildings, Gray's Inn.
M. Laves, Architect of the King, Hanover.
A. G. Ledrut, Clermont, France.
W. B. Lewis, Rainbow-hill, Worcester.
C. C. Nelson, 30, Hyde-park-gardens, London.
C. F. Nepveu, 13, Place d'Armes, Versailles.
Mons. Paliard, Rue d'Enghein, Paris.
H. le Pâtre, Architect, 47, Grande Rue de la Chapelle, St. Denis, Paris.
Casimir Pétiaux, Paris.
H. S. Ridley, Architect, 31, Vincent-square, Westminster.
J. B. Roberts, Architect, Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
A. Rosengarten, Architect, Hamburg.
H. Rouse, Esq.
W. Russell, 3, Frederick-street, Hampstead-road.
H. Savage, 22, Beaumont-street, Marylebone.
J. P. Seddon, Esq., Gray's-inn-road.
A. Slater, Architect, Elève de Mons. Cluysenaar.
F. Smallman Smith, 18, Brunswick-street, Barnsbury-road, Islington.
C. H. Smith, Clipstone-street, London.
Paul Sprenger, Architect, Vienna.
H. Sumners, Architect, 14, College-place, Camden Town.
Richard and Thomas Turner, Hammersmith Works, Dublin.
F. Tyerman, Jun., Architect, 14, Parliament-street.
Mons. Véron, 2, Quai des Ormes, Paris.
J. Watson, 74, Grey-street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
W. H. Wontner, Architect, St. Ann's-road, North Brixton.
T. Worthington, Architect, King-street, Manchester.

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LIST B.

ENTITLED TO FURTHER HIGHER HONORARY DISTINCTION.

C. Badger, Architect, Rue Blanche, Paris.
Thomas Bellamy, Architect, Charlotte-street, Bedford-square.
J. H. Bertram, C. E., Reading.
A. Botrel, Architect, 121, Rue Poissonnière, Paris.
J. Cailloux, Architect, 25, Marché St. Honoré, Paris.
Henri Van Cléemputte, Architect, Laon, France.
Mons. Crémont, Architect, 10, Place des Vosges, Paris.
A. Delaage, Architect, 6, Place de l'Oratoire du Louvre, Paris.
M. G. Fétar Van Elven, Architect, Amsterdam.
J. Henard, Architect, 98, Rue St. Lazarre, Paris.
H. Horeau, 70, Rue Richelieu, Paris.
C. Huchon, 28, Rue Meslay, Paris.
A. G. Ledrut, Clermont, France.
H. le Pâtre, Architect, 4K, Grande Rue de la Chapelle, St. Denis, Paris.
Casimir Pétiaux, Paris.
Paul Sprenger, Architect, Vienna.
Richard and Thomas Turner, Hammersmith Works, Dublin.
Mons. Véron, 2, Quai des Ormes, Paris.

TWO OF THE COMPETITION DESIGNS.

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The following descriptions and plates of two of the designs sent in competition for the Building, and specially mentioned by the Committee in their Report, are given from information obligingly furnished to us by their respective authors.

DESIGN BY M. HECTOR HOREAU, ARCHITECT, OF PARIS.

This was one of the most striking of all that were submitted to the
Commission; it formed one immense hall, or shed, more than 2000 feet
long, by about 270 feet wide throughout, with several small detached
buildings on the north side, for refreshments, &c.

The interior of the main building was divided into five avenues, the
centre one about ninety feet wide, those next adjoining rather more than
fifty feet, and the outside ones about forty feet wide. Iron columns,
about twenty-three feet apart, formed these avenues and supported arched
ribs for the roof. One end of the building was semicircular, the other
forming an ornamental façade, and about the centre of the length a
transept was formed.

M. Horeau says: "Simplicity, grandeur, ready means of construction, and
of increasing or diminishing the accommodation, and of removal if
required, forming altogether a specimen of the most recent improvements
introduced into the art of building--these are the principal objects
which it has been sought to attain. The whole of the construction is of
iron, without a single piece of wood, the foundation being executed in
brick; the façade to be in metal, porcelain, and glass, the floor of
asphalte, the roof to be principally covered with ornamental thick glass,
in large dimensions, or ground glass with patterns.

"Of the trusses or arched ribs supporting the roof there were to be but
three varieties, each in three pieces, with which the whole of the
building could be erected. This subdivision of the roof-trusses would
have facilitated the conversion of the building for other purposes; for,
taken singly, or in various combinations, they would have formed many
kinds of buildings for ordinary purposes. The attached buildings placed
on the north side would have shown several modes of effecting this. The
ornamental spandrils of the roof-trusses would be formed in stamped-work
out of copper, and gilt.

"The façade shows at a glance the purpose of the building, as well as its
interior disposition, in which the different widths of avenues would
afford space for objects of all varieties of dimensions. The façade
itself was to be formed with tracery or trellis-work of cast-iron, the
lower part being covered with sheet-iron; the cornice and ornamental
panels of porcelain; the medallions in coloured stone-ware; the doors and
inclosures of metal, silvered and gilt; the ornamental details to be
either cast or stamped; the scrolls in the panels being in coloured glass
or mosaic.

"The pediment is crowned with a group of figures representing the Genius
of Industry crowning the Arts and Sciences; in the cornice are placed the
names of all the principal cities of the world, and the names of eminent
men in panels. In the medallions are represented allegorical figures of
the different branches of science and industry. At the angles of the
building are placed trophies, the base of which would serve as
guard-houses."

The engravings will serve to show the general effect of this design in
its interior and exterior.

----

DESIGN BY MESSRS. R. AND T. TURNER, OF DUBLIN.

In this design also the interior was arranged as one uninterrupted space,
about 1,940 feet long, and 408 wide, the roof in one span rising about
120 feet above the floor; the supports, consisting of semicircular ribs,
forming the interior into three avenues, the centre one 200 feet wide and
the full height, the side ones 104 feet wide and about sixty feet high.
In the centre of the length a transept was proposed, and the square area
at the meeting of that with the central avenue was to be covered with a
glass dome.

The ends of the building, as well as those of the transept, were to be
filled in with tracery in the upper part, a colonnade below protecting
the entrances. Galleries, if necessary, were to be placed in the side
avenues. The construction of this building was proposed to be principally
of wrought iron, which would have given to the circular ribs and other
parts a great lightness of effect; but, on the other hand, the
difficulties of producing and putting together such an enormous amount of
wrought-iron work in so short a space of time as that required was
considered an almost insuperable objection to the design. Large portions
of the roof were to be covered with glass, so as to admit an abundance of
light into the interior.

The accompanying views of the exterior and interior of this design, from
the simplicity of the arrangement, consisting of a repetition of similar
parts, require but little description for their elucidation.

MEMORANDUM ON THE SITE.

_Return to an Order of the Honourable the House of Commons, dated 1st July, 1850; for_

COPY of a LETTER addressed by the Commissioners of the EXHIBITION of 1851 to the Lords of the Treasury, inclosing Memorandum as to the Site of the Exhibition Building in Hyde Park.

----

SIR,--I am directed by her Majesty's Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851 to transmit to you herewith, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, a memorandum of the grounds on which the present site has been selected for the Exhibition, and of the proceedings that have been taken in consequence of that selection.--I have, &c.

The Right Honourable W. G. Hayter, M.P., &c. &c. &c.

----

Memorandum of the grounds on which the site has been selected for the Exhibition of 1851, and of the proceedings which have been taken in consequence of that selection, prepared for the information of the Lords of the Treasury by the Royal Commissioners for promoting the Exhibition.

1. It is within the knowledge of the Lords of the Treasury, that from
the time of the earliest announcement of the proposed Exhibition it has
always been intended that it should take place in the Metropolis. Not
only was such an intention matter of notoriety at the time that the
question of issuing a Royal Commission was under consideration, but the
Commission itself, when issued formally recited that it was proposed "To
establish an Enlarged Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations,
to be holden in London, in the year 1851;" and it was to further the
holding of such an exhibition that the present Commissioners were
specially appointed.

2. Considering the importance of the undertaking, and the circumstances
attending its promulgation, the selection of the Metropolis as its
intended locality appears to have been both natural and proper. It will
be borne in mind that the exhibitions which have from time to time been
held in foreign countries have generally, and, as the Commissioners
believe, invariably, been held in the capitals of the respective
countries. In the present case it was peculiarly important that an
undertaking which required the constant superintendence of a body of
Commissioners, whose occupations for the most part confine them to
London, should be carried on within their immediate cognisance, and not
removed to a distant situation.

3. It being thus distinctly evident that the Exhibition ought to take
place in London, it is further obvious that the actual site which may be
selected for it should be within the precincts of, or in the closest
vicinity to, the most central and accessible parts of the Metropolis
itself. It need hardly be pointed out that it would be objectionable to
impose upon persons who may have come to London from a great distance the
necessity of an additional journey to visit the Exhibition; a
consideration which has already been urged upon the Commissioners by the
representatives of several of the most important provincial towns, who
are apprehensive of the inconvenience to which artizans in particular
might thus be subjected. Moreover, the removal of the Exhibition to any
distance sufficient to diminish the number of visitors would not only
militate against its essential character of general accessibility, but
might most seriously affect the receipts upon which its self-supporting
character must depend, a point upon which it appears that much stress has
been laid.

4. Although Hyde Park, and even the particular space now in question,
had been already mentioned before the issue of the Commission, and indeed
so far back as October, 1849, as a probable site for the Exhibition, it
is unnecessary to assure the Lords of the Treasury that the Commissioners
approached the question of the site after their appointment without
having in any degree prejudged the merits of particular localities. On
the 14th of February, their attention having been directed to the
importance of determining the site by the Committee then recently
appointed for all matters relating to the building, they deputed two
Commissioners, namely, Lord Granville and Mr. Labouchere, to wait upon
the Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests, and to confer with him upon
the subject. The result of this conference is set forth in the Report
presented by the Building Committee at the next meeting of the
Commissioners (Feb. 21), of which the following is the portion which
relates to the question of the site:--

"With respect to the site, it has appeared to your Committee that,
firstly, the north-eastern portion of Hyde Park; secondly, the long space
between her Majesty's private road and the Kensington-road, in the
southern part of Hyde Park; and, thirdly, the north-western portion of
Regent's Park, are the only available spaces about the Metropolis which
would afford the necessary accommodation; and it is believed that the
order in which they have been named represents also their relative
eligibility. As regards the first, the Committee are informed by the
Chief Commissioner of her Majesty's Woods and Forests, that considerable
objections would arise to its occupation for such a purpose, and that no
such objections would be raised to the use of the second; the Committee,
therefore, recommend the adoption of this site, which, amongst other
advantages, is remarkable for the facility of access afforded by the
existing roads. Upon this occasion a letter was received from the
Westminster Committee, stating that the local Commissioners for
Westminster had visited the site in Hyde Park, and a site suggested in
the Regent's Park, and that they were of opinion that the site in Hyde
Park was the preferable one."

The recommendation of the Building Committee having been agreed to, a
form of advertisement, requesting plans and suggestions for the building,
was, at the next meeting (28th February), submitted for approbation, and
was ordered to be immediately issued in the English, French, and, German
languages. To this advertisement was appended a ground-plan of the site
in Hyde Park for the guidance of those to whom the advertisement was
addressed. The details of this plan were discussed in the presence of the
Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests, and were settled in conformity
with his lordship's wishes.

5. In consequence of the advertisement thus issued, no less than 248
plans and suggestions, many of them the productions of foreign artists,
were sent in to the Commissioners. A large number of these were of a very
elaborate character, and bore evident marks of considerable application
and ability.

6. Soon after the site had been selected, some other important
arrangements having also by this time been made, the Commissioners
prepared and published a statement (21 February) explanatory of the
nature and objects of the Exhibition, which was widely circulated in this
country, was forwarded to our consuls abroad and to the foreign consuls
in England, and was officially transmitted by the Secretary of State to
all Foreign Governments, and to all the Governors of the British
Colonies, as well as to India. In this statement it was announced that
"Her Majesty had been graciously pleased to grant a site for the purpose
(of the Exhibition) on the south side of Hyde Park, lying between the
Kensington Drive and the ride commonly called Rotten Row."

7. The site having been thus deliberately chosen and formally announced,
all subsequent proceedings connected with the building have been taken
with direct reference to it. The plans have been prepared with a view to
its peculiarities, and the form of the building and its internal as well
as its external arrangements have been determined by them. The amount of
space available for the display of articles has been calculated upon the
data afforded by the site, and from a calculation of this amount the
Commissioners have been able to assign to each foreign country a definite
space for the arrangement of its own productions. All the necessary
working-drawings and specifications have been prepared with very great
labour and at considerable expense, and have now been issued in a form
which will insure to the Commissioners the certainty of obtaining, within
a few days, _bonâ fide_ tenders for the execution of a design presenting
every facility for construction within the time prescribed. The
mechanical difficulties have been surmounted, and all the preliminary
arrangements, even to the extent of provision for an effective drainage
and a sufficient water supply, have been entered into. The whole of these
preparations have reference to this particular site only, and are
inapplicable or unsuitable to any other.

8. From what has been already stated, it will be seen that the present
site was not selected without consideration, and that the proceedings
which have been taken with respect to it were not commenced until the
Commissioners had good ground for believing that there would be no
objection to its occupation. The attention, however, which has lately
been directed to the point, has caused them anxiously to reconsider the
whole subject, and renders it now necessary for them to enter into
somewhat more of detail as to the grounds upon which they have come to
the conclusion which they have formed, that this is the only site in or
about the Metropolis which is at once suitable and practically available
for the purposes of the Exhibition.

9. Of the other sites which have been suggested, the following are the
only ones deserving of particular consideration:--

(_a_) The North-eastern portion of Hyde Park.
(_b_) The North-western portion of Regent's Park.
(_c_) Battersea Park.
(_d_) Victoria Park.
(_e_) Wormwood Scrubbs.

10. The north-eastern portion of Hyde Park would, in the opinion of many
members of the Building Committee, be a very eligible situation; but, as
has been already mentioned, an objection was taken to this locality on
the part of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, on the ground that
the building would interfere with some important thoroughfares in that
part of the park, and on account of other considerations of public
importance; and the idea was abandoned in consequence.

11. The site suggested in the Regent's Park has been found, since it was
visited by the Building Committee, not to be available, as the leases
under which the houses in the neighbourhood are held contain a clear and
stringent provision that no new building of any kind shall be erected
within the limits of the park.

12. With regard to the ground in the neighbourhood of Battersea proposed
to be purchased by the Government, and to be converted into a park to be
called Battersea Park, the Lords of the Treasury are of course aware that
only a small proportion of the whole area has as yet been purchased; and
the Commissioners found on inquiry that this proportion consists of
numerous small detached pieces, utterly insufficient to accommodate a
building of the contemplated size, and separated from each other by
intervening plots of ground, many of them in a state of high cultivation,
and belonging to a great number of different proprietors, with whom it
would be absolutely impossible to effect arrangements within any time
which would afford the slightest chance of the Commissioners being put in
possession of a site in time to complete their building by the spring of
next year. It should be added that the site of this district is very low,
a great portion of it being some feet under high-water mark, and that the
nature of the soil presents serious objections to its use as a
building-ground.

13. Victoria Park is situated in an inconvenient and not very accessible
part of the town. It would, moreover, be impossible to erect in it a
building of the required size without most seriously interfering with the
plantations and ornamental water which have been recently laid out there;
thus inflicting on the classes for whose recreation that park has been
opened an inconvenience infinitely more serious than could be caused to
the frequenters of the very much larger area of Hyde Park by the proposed
occupation of a comparatively small portion of it.

14. Lastly, as regards Wormwood Scrubbs, besides that the distance is a
very serious objection, the rights of the commoners in that locality
would prevent its appropriation; and the Commissioners are advised that
it would be impossible to erect the building there without risk, as any
single commoner would have it in his power to interrupt the proceedings,
and to cause them to be discontinued at any stage of the work, however
advanced. Similar objections apply to Wandsworth and some other commons
in the neighbourhood of London, which have been occasionally mentioned as
possible sites.

14_a_. As regards Primrose Hill and the Isle of Dogs, the want of level
space on the former, and the objectionable situation and dampness of the
latter, render them so obviously unsuitable as to make any particular
observations unnecessary.

15. But even could the objections to any of these sites be removed, or
could another and an unobjectionable site be pointed out, the
Commissioners feel hound to state, from their experience of the time,
thought, and labour necessarily consumed in the investigation,
arrangement, and preparation of the great mass of detail requisite to
enable them to carry out this extensive work, that they are fully
convinced of the impossibility of now adapting their plans to any other
site, with any reasonable prospect of being able to complete the work
within the time to which they stand pledged in the face of the world; and
they could only regard a change of site, particularly if it should
involve a change of plan, as tantamount to the postponement of the
Exhibition till another year. And the Commissioners cannot shut their
eyes to the fact, that a postponement of the Exhibition would, under the
circumstances, certainly lead to its entire abandonment.

16. In order to give the Lords of the Treasury some idea of the
consequences of an abandonment of this scheme, the Commissioners would in
the first place direct their attention to the large amount of money
already subscribed towards its completion (which is at present nearly
64,000_l_.), to the number of local committees (now about 240) which have
been called into existence throughout the country, to the funds now being
raised by subscriptions out of their wages among the working-classes in
all parts of the country towards enabling them to visit an Exhibition to
which they are anxiously looking forward, and the abandonment of which
would be a great disappointment to numbers, and still more to the
extensive preparations which are now making for the supply of articles
for exhibition. It is within the knowledge of the Commissioners that
several individuals in this country have incurred several thousand
pounds' expense in such preparations, besides the anxiety which they have
occasioned.

17. But the evils which would result from postponement, so far as this
country is concerned, are as nothing when compared with those which would
arise in the case of foreign nations and the colonies. The plan of the
Exhibition has been widely circulated for several months, and the
following States have already signified, through their respective
Governments, that they have appointed Committees or Commissioners,
consisting of the most distinguished individuals in those countries, to
co-operate with the Royal Commissioners in this country:--

Russia,
Sweden,
Norway,
Denmark,
Prussia,
Saxony,
Austria,
Bavaria,
Hanover,
Oldenburg,
Mecklenburg,
Hanse Towns,
France,
Holland,
Belgium,
Spain,
The United States,
Turkey,
Sardinia,
Venezuela,
Switzerland,
Nassau,
Anhalt, Dessau, &c.

Besides which it may be mentioned that special Commissioners have been
sent to this country by France, Russia, and one or two other States; and
that in most cases the Governments have undertaken the collection and the
transmission to this country, at their own expense, of the articles
intended for exhibition, for which, of course, their preparations are now
made.

18. In all the countries which have been mentioned active preparations
for the Exhibition are now going on, and in some considerable expense is
known to have been incurred. The Russian Government has announced that
the goods intended for exhibition will be shipped from that country in
the autumn of this year, and questions pointing to a similar arrangement
have recently been put by the Government of Denmark. The Austrian
Government have given notice, that the Great Exhibition which was to have
been held at Vienna in the year 1851 has been postponed till the year
1852, in order not to clash with the Exhibition in London. All these
circumstances tend to show that the postponement of the Exhibition would
be seriously inconvenient to many countries, and would probably occasion
considerable and natural irritation at what would appear like national
vacillation, besides the certainty of rendering these countries unwilling
to run the risk of a second disappointment, and of deterring them from
continuing their preparations for a later period.

19. These inconveniences would be felt also by the British Colonies.
Committees have been announced as formed in Malta, Ceylon, Nova Scotia,
Barbadoes, Guiana, and several of the West India Islands, and it is
probable that others have been appointed elsewhere. In India most
extensive preparations are being made, and the East India Company have
incurred very great expense by their exertions to contribute to the
Exhibition.

20. After what has been said, it is unnecessary that the Commissioners
should enlarge any further upon the consequences to be apprehended from
the postponement which would be occasioned by an alteration of the site
of building. They will proceed to offer a few remarks upon some of the
objections which have been taken to that at present proposed.

21. An idea appears to prevail in some quarters that the occupation of
the Park is intended to be of a permanent, and not, as has been
repeatedly announced, of a merely temporary character, and the
Commissioners are given to understand that by proposing to construct a
building into which a good deal of brickwork is to enter, they have shown
an intention at variance with their professions. Upon this point they
have to remark, in the first place, that, although the eminent architects
and engineers whom they have consulted, and to whom they have uniformly
given instructions to prepare plans suitable to a temporary structure,
have agreed to recommend the use of brick and other durable materials,
they have left it perfectly open to contractors to send in their tenders
for the execution of the work in any material or materials whatsoever,
and have notified their readiness to entertain such tenders, on the
single condition of their being "accompanied by working-drawings and
specifications, and fully priced bills of quantities." It is probable
that some such tenders will be made, and if made they will be impartially
considered; but the Commissioners must protest against the supposition
that it is necessarily more judicious to construct a temporary building
of perishable than of enduring materials. The first requisite of the
building is, that it should be suitable for its purpose, capable of
protecting the valuable goods deposited in it from injury of every
kind--as, for instance, from the weather, from the effects of the
dampness of the soil, from the danger of fire, and so forth, and that it
should be strong enough to avert all risk of accidental damage. Its next
requisite is, that it should be economical, and in estimating its cost
regard must be had not only to the expense of erection, but to the
facility of removal and the value of the materials when removed, as a
building may easily be conceived to be cheaper which should cost
100,000_l._ to erect, but of which the materials could afterwards be sold
for 50,000_l._, than another would be which cost but 80,000_l._ in the
first instance, but of which the materials should become so far
deteriorated as to produce only 20,000_l._ when taken down. It is the
opinion of those who have devised the plans in the present case, that a
building constructed of durable materials will in the end be cheaper than
one constructed of such as are more perishable; particularly as a
considerable portion of the building, namely, the iron roofing, will be
of a kind which is generally used in the construction of
railway-stations, and will probably be disposed of for that purpose after
the close of the Exhibition, as its temporary application to the purposes
of the Exhibition will be of no detriment to its being so. An opportunity
of testing the correctness of this opinion will be given when the tenders
are received, as, in addition to the customary form, it has been required
that they should also be sent upon the understanding that the materials
shall remain the property of the contractor, and shall in fact only be
hired for the purposes of the Exhibition. The third requisite of the
building is, that it should be at least seemly, though it may not be
necessary that it should be highly ornamental. The Commissioners trust
that it will fulfil this condition, while they would at the same time
point out that no expense is to be incurred for merely ornamental
purposes, unless it should be thought desirable to select a dome for
covering in the large space which must necessarily be left in the centre
of the building to suit the internal arrangements. A cheaper mode of
covering in this space will probably be resorted to, and the
Commissioners have directed that a special estimate of the cost of the
dome should be laid before them when the tenders are complete, in order
that they may judge of the propriety of sanctioning its erection.

Having offered this short explanation, they can only repeat once more the
assurances they have already given, that the building is not intended to
be permanent, and that it will be entirely removed, in accordance with
the conditions prescribed by the Lords of the Treasury on yielding up the
site, within seven months after the closing of the Exhibition, which
cannot be deferred after the 1st of November, and will probably take
place at an earlier period in the autumn of next year.

22. Another ground of apprehension is stated to be, lest the Park should
be injured by the erection of the building, and the injury should
continue after the structure is removed. This apprehension is, however,
groundless; a small clump of ten trees has been allowed to be removed, in
compensation for which, it is proposed by the Commissioners of Woods and
Forests to plant another clump elsewhere. It is not intended to cut down
any more than that clump. As regards the surface of the ground to be
occupied, it will not only not be injured, but will ultimately be
materially improved by being drained and freshly sown with grass seed. It
will be a strict condition with the contractors for the building that
they shall, on its removal, restore the ground to its present condition.

23. Some dissatisfaction has been expressed at the prospect of a furnace
being erected to heat the boiler and drive the steam-apparatus. It is
however, intended to construct such furnace on the principle of consuming
its own smoke, or to burn coke instead of coal, should that, upon the
whole, appear the best mode of preventing annoyance. Care will also be
taken not to erect any chimney of an unsightly character.

24. As regards the amount of traffic which will be occasioned by the
transport of materials and goods to the site, the Commissioners have been
furnished by the Building Committee with an approximate estimate that it
will not in the whole exceed the ordinary amount of three weeks' general
traffic of a single railway-station, and as this traffic will be spread
over a period of more than six months, it is manifest that its amount has
been enormously exaggerated by public estimation.

25. The Queen's Ride, though in the immediate vicinity of the site, will
not be in any degree interfered with, except that it may be advisable to
rail off a strip not exceeding ten feet, or one-sixth of the whole in
width, for foot-passengers, in order to prevent the inconvenience of
crowding the space open to riding parties. By this arrangement the riders
will be secured from annoyance.

25 _a._ It has been said that the effect of the erection of the building
will be to drive the inhabitants of London out of their Parks. The
Commissioners think it right to draw the attention of the Lords of the
Treasury to the following statistics:--

The area of Hyde Park is 387 acres.
" Kensington Gardens 290 "
" Regent's Park 403 "
" St. James's Park 83 "
" Green Park 71 "
" Victoria Park 160 "
" Greenwich Park 174 "

making a total of 1,568 acres, while only twenty acres are proposed to be
taken or the purposes of this Exhibition.

26. In conclusion, the Commissioners think it desirable to call
attention to the fact, that the three last Exhibitions of this nature
which have taken place in Paris have been held on a site (the Champs
Elysées) very closely corresponding to our own Hyde Park in many
respects, and particularly resembling it in being the most fashionable
and the most frequented promenade in Paris--more frequented, indeed, than
the particular spot selected on the present occasion has ever been, or is
likely to be; and yet it does not appear that the Parisians have had
occasion to complain of those annoyances which are now apprehended by
some persons in this country. And the Commissioners are informed, that
the Exhibition in Vienna was held in the Prado, the principal public
place in that city; and that the Exhibition in Berlin was held in the
Thiergarten, which is not only the principal public place within the
city, but is remarkable as being the only open Park of any sort within
several miles.

27. In the foregoing observations the Commissioners have thought it
right to confine themselves strictly to a discussion of the practical
difficulties which would attend a change of site. They cannot, however,
but express their decided opinion, that the renouncement of the selection
of the most beautiful park in London for the scene of the Exhibition may
be looked upon as indicating a diminution of interest in the undertaking,
and would materially detract from that appearance of hospitality on the
part of England which has been one great cause for the very favourable
reception which this proposal has everywhere secured.

They must add, that the possibility that the bringing the Exhibition into
Hyde Park should be considered as an interference with the enjoyment of
that Park by the public has never entered their minds. They have, on the
contrary, always intended it as a means of recreative and intellectual
enjoyment for the greatest portion of her Majesty's subjects: and they
have hitherto had reason to believe that it has been so regarded by the
country in general.

----

REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSIONERS,

PRESENTED TO HER MAJESTY ON THE OPENING OF THE BUILDING.