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                                             PRE FA CE.
                           E submit this Volume to the public in full assurance
of its success. It will be
                             obvious that neither cost nor labour has been
spared to render it, in all respects,
                             a worthy record of the great gathering of Works
of Art and Industry to which an
                             illustrious Prince invited all the Nations of
the World-and to which there was
                             a cordial and grateful response.
                                 We have studied to introduce into this Catalogue,
engravings, the most
                            interesting and the most suggestive, of the various
objects exhibited; to include, as
                     far as possible, all such as might gratify or instruct;
and thus to supply sources of after-
                     education to manufacturers and artisans of all classes,
and of all countries; rendering
     _*$uE    the Exhibition practically beneficial, long after its contents
have been distributed.  From the
               Exhibitors, universally, we received zealous aid and encouragement;
and the result has been,
    At        we hope and believe, to satisfy them, generally, as to selection
and manner of execution.
                     We have obtained from high and experienced authorities,
Essays, such as might be
permanently useful, in illustrating the leading objects of the Exhibition;
and we close the Volume with the
Prize Essay, for which we have awarded the sum        of 100 Guineas.   To
the accomplished Professors
who have thus co-operated with us, our best thanks are due: we are also bound
to express our acknowledg-
ments to Messrs. Dalziel, the eminent engravers, who superintended the engravings,
and whose duty has
been discharged with great ability, punctuality, and care; to Messrs. Nicholls
and other artists by whom we
have been assisted; to the Printers, Messrs. Bradbury and Evans, to whose
exertions we are largely indebted for
having placed at our entire disposal no fewer than thirty presses during
a period of eight months, and who may
refer to this publication as evidence not only of their skill in wood-block
printing, but of the immense resources
of their establishment; and to others by whose aid we have been enabled to
complete a work which involved
considerable toil, anxiety, and attention, on the part of all who were engaged
in its production.