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                       HBIS Introduction to an ILLUSTRATED     Structure
might have been improved, without requiring an un-
                       CATALOGuE OF ToE UNrwEnsARY Exm- justifiable increase
of its cost, must remain an open question;
                       BITION AT PARIs in 1867, may be brief  but thus much
is certain, that whatever modifications in the
                       All that is requisite forour purpose will treatment
or in the decoration of their Exhibition Building
                       be best set forth in the pages which fol- would have
added largely to the cost of producing it, the Imperial
                       low; the general public has been so Commissioners
exercised a wise discretion in refusing to adopt.
                         fully informed upon the several topics They had
to prepare an edifice of vast extent, which must fulfil
               H i   J  connected with the event, that to go certain essential
conditions without any doubt or uncertainty,
                         into details here would be to occupy which must
also be completed in a very short space of time, and
                         space which may be better expended.   upon which
it was their bounden duty to expend both all that
                           Some introductory remarks are, how- would be necessary
and nothing that would be unnecessary. It
                         ever, expedient, and may be necessary. was not for
them to project and to erect a great work of archi-
                           In certain particulars the success of tectural
art; but it was their duty to project and to erect a
                         the Exhibition of 1867 must be admitted becoming
Exhibition Building. And the Commissioners fulfilled
                         to be less decided than in others, while that duty
well. Their Building was of sufficient extent; it was
                         here and there it would be impossible to commodious;
it was secure; it admitted excellent arrangements
                         gainsay the existence of positive failure: of its
contents; it did not entail any extravagant outlay; and it
                         'but that in no respect or degree affects was complete
on the day fixed for its completion. It must be
           < I w A  it-  the generally prosperous issue of the added that
the Edifice was easy of access, well adapted for dis-
           J  //  \    entire undertaking; nor do such errors tributing large
assemblages of visitors throughout its various
           I l tv // al  demand any special or detailed notice, departments,
and that at the close of each day it was effectually
         7  i} /b 1;    except so far as may lead to their being secured
by the simplest arrangements.
              }   / 7  |  available for much eminently valuable  The Park
which surrounded the Exhibition Building, with its
                  1    suggestion.                              numerous
and varied edifices, and their strangely diversified con-
                           In the all-important matter of exact tents, and
the Reserved Garden with its conservatories and aquaria,
            V          punctuality the Exhibition was faithful were happy
conceptions happily carried out: and they will always
                        to the conditions of its programme. be remembered
as having contributed in a remarkable manner to
                        Whatever the difficulties that had to be the peculiar
and characteristic attributes of the Exhibition of 1867,
                        overcome, nothing was permitted to pre- by which
it was distinguished from all its predecessors.
                        vent the formal opening of the Exhibi-   Our wood-engraving
represents the main Exhibition Building
                        tion by the Emperor on the day origin- as it was
seen from the high ground on the other side of the river,
                        ally fixed for that ceremonial, April 1st, and nearly
opposite to the principal entrance. It was in form a
1867. And, in like manner, with the close of the month of vast cone, and
the entire edifice, constructed of iron and brick and
October the Exhibition virtually closed.                        glass, consisted
of a series of concentric (if that epithet may be
  The Edifice itself, which- so many critics considered to occupy  permitted)
ovals, each one of them necessarily becoming smaller
a foremost position amongst the works exhibited, and which as it was nearer
to the open central space, which was laid out as a
they were pleased to regard from an architectural point of view, garden.
And a beautiful, if somewhat formal garden it was,
an  to estimate and denounce accordingly, when fairly and cor- adorned with
a profusion of works in sculpture, rich in, brilliant
rseetly judged with reference to the circumstances of its erection, flowers,
and refreshed with sparkling fountains. In the centre of
and to the duty it was destined to discharge, must be pro- all was a small
domed building, having many sides, in which were
no~unced to have been highly creditable to the Imperial Com- displayed the
coins, weights and measures of all nations, We
missioners. It was a mistake to expect in the Building anything  have been
content to introduce here a single general view of the
whatever, except as good- a came as possible for contaiing, pro- Exhibition,
without any details, or any views in the surrounding
teting, and displaying the contents of the Exhibition. whether Park, because
any attempt at more elaborate or comprehensive
or nlot in some matters of detail the external aspect of the  illustration
would necessarily have led on to such a numerous
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