Page xii

                              HISTORY OF THE GREAT EXHIBITION.
the idea occurred to him of converting the chateau of St. Cloud, by the aid
of coke instead of charcoal, and that of steel by
then uninhabited, into a bazaar, for the exhibition and dis- a process wholly
unknown till then.
posal, by lottery, of the large stock of tapestry, china, and  The disturbed
condition of France, arising out of her wars
carpets, on hand in these establishments. Having obtained with her European
neighbours, prevented the fifth exhibition
the consent of the government to his proposal, he set about from taking place
until 1819, when it was inaugurated on the
arranging the various objects in the apartments of the chateau; fete of St.
Louis, and continued open for thirty-five days. The
but, on the day fixe  for the opening of his bazaar, he was number of exhibitors
had increased to 1700. The sixth exhi-
compelled, by a decree of the Directory, banishing the nobility, bition took
place in 1823 on the same spot as its predecessor,
to quit France at a very short notice, and the procject fell to and remained
open 50 days. Great improvement was manifest
     the roun. Onhisreturn to Paris in the ensuing year, the in the manufacture
of many of the articles; in machinery more
     Marqis laned noter exhibition of an even more important especially.
It was on this occasion that the model of the
     kind  Haing  ollcted a great many objects of taste and first French
suspension bridge over the river Rhone, by M.
vertu, hditbuted them throughout the house and gardens Leguin, was exhibited
by its engineer. The next Industrial
of the Maison d'Orsay, Rue de Varennes, with a view to their Exposition occurred
in 1827, when a large building was
sale. In looking over the catalogue of objects of which this erected for
it in the -Place de la Concorde.  The eighth
collection was composed, we can hardly help being struck was held in 1834;
the ninth in 1839, when no fewer than
with its aristocratical character. The richest furniture and 4381 competitors
entered the field; the tenth in 1844, when
marqueterie produced by Boule, Riessner, and Jacob ; the 3960 manufacturers
exhibited their productions; and the
finest clocks and watches of L'Epine and Leroy; the superb eleventh in 1849,
in the Champs Elyse'es, when the -number
china of S6vres, of Angoule'me, and of Nast ; the most of competitors had
increased to 4494. [Both these exhibitions
elegantly bound books, fully confrmn   the traditionary were fully, reported
and extensively illustrated in the ART-
excellence of Grolier and De Thou; silks of Lyons; historical JOURNAL.] It
is true that other nations had followed the
pictures by Vincent and David; bronzes, and sculpture; served example of
France, but without achieving her success. The
to show to what class of the community French manufacture Belgian and Bavarian
governments have both had their indus-
had, up to that period, been mainly indebted for support., The trial exhibitions
[the Exhibition at Brussels was fully re-
success which attended the efforts of the Marquis led to the ported and illustrated
in the ART-JOURNAL]; but neither of
adoption of his idea by the government, and the establishment them call for
especial notice.
of th e first official Expoition, on the very spot, on the Cap In this country,
during the last dozen years, there have
do Mars, on which the army had held a triumphal show of been many, exhibitions
of this description; but, with here and
its splendid collection Of Italan spoils. Six weeks after wthat there an
exception, they, have differed little in character from
fe'te, the nation erected on the same spot a Temple of Industry the ordinary
Bazaar. Manchester, Leeds, and Dublin (the last
for the exhibition of more pacific trophies; an edifice sur- so early, as
1827) had all opened bazaars for the sale of the pro-
rounded by sixty porticos, filled with the most beautiful, objects ductions
of the surrounding neighbourhood; but the first build-
that had been manufactured in France.   The system  of ing in this country
devoted expressly to the exhibition of manu-
deciding on the comparative merits of the various exhibitors factures, was
that erected at Birmingham in 1L849 on the
by juries, composed of gentlemen distinguished for their occasion of the
visit of the British Association.  The build-
taste, was then, for the first time, adopted.  Prizes were ing, on that occasion,
included a spae of 10,000 square
awarded for watches, mathematical instruments, painting feet, independently,
of a corridor, of 800 feet, which con-
china, etc.  The success of this Exposition was' so great, nected the main
exhibition room  *with Bingley House,
that the government resolved 'to repeat it annually; but, in within whose
grounds it had been located; so that, includ-
spite of the circular of the Minister of the Interior to that ing the rooms
of the old mansion, the total area covered by
effect, the. political commotions of the times prevented him  the Exhibition
was equal to 12,800 square feet.  The cost
from repeating it, until the year 1801, and then only, at of the building
did not exceed 13001.  This and the Free
the instance of the First Consul, who visited the factories Tirade Bazaar,
held in Covent Garden in 184,5, approached
and ateliers of the principal towns in France, with several nearer to the
French expositions in the variety and extent
men of science, for the purpose of convincing the manu- of the national productions
they comprised, than any of
facturers of the importance to themselves of supporting such their predecessors
in this country'. [Both these exhibitions
an undertaking. 1Mhi   second display took place in the -that of the Free
Trade Bazaar, and that held in Birming.'
   quadangl ofthe Louvre, in a temporary, building erected ham-were fuly
reported and extensively illustrated in the
   for he ccaiox. Notwithstanding the difficulties which had ART-JOURNAL.]
attended, its establishment, 200 exhibitors were competitors  The idea of
an Exhibition which should include specimens
for the prizes. Upon this occeasion, ten gold, twenty silver, of the Industrial
Products of various nations originated, in
and thirty bronze medals, were awarded; one of the last tearyptof14, with
M. Buffet, the French Minister
having been adjudged to the celebrated Jacquard, for hi's oAgiutranCommerce;
and with a view to ascertain
now~famous machine,                                      teoionofheManufacturers
on the subject, circulars
  It must not be overlooked that even at this early p eriod were adressed
by him to the Chambers of Commerce through-
the Juries awarded prizes for improvements in th e quality of out France,
proosing that specimens of teat  n  au
    wooas                                                               
   ' aie raw material, and for excellence in woollen and factures of neighbouring
countre should be admitted to the
cotton fabrics. The third exhibition took place on the same a prahi ng exposition.
The replies which were received to
scDOt in 1802 ; and on that occasion no fewer than 600 exhi- ti  ugsinwr
  oufvual        oisaotota
   bioscompeted for the prizes. The popularity of these  .Buftwsidcd at once
to abandon the idea.L If, there-
expositions led to the formation of the  6ctie'e 'E-ncouraqe- fore, the merit
of having originated exhibitions of her own
"Mnt, which aided very importantly the industrial efforts of manufactures
belongs to France, it is to his Royal Highness
the French manufacturers. It is a1 remarkable fact, however, PRINcE. ALBERT
that the more noble and disinterested pla of
that whilst in France~ the Society of Arts and Manufacue  hoig   pnainttuino
        hsdscrpinth con-
Owes its orgnto these pblic epstons of the productso    petition oftewoeordisxcuvlyd;a
                  hs su
       its ndusry, e ar in  nglad woltly indebted for exhibitions gestion
has been carried out in a spirit every way worthy its
of this kind to our Soit  fArts. The fourth exhibition of grandeur and eeoiy
         Frenh idusria prouct tok pacein 1806, in a building  The great suc
cess which attended the French Industrial
         ereced fr th  puposein fontof the H6pital des* in. Exposition of
1844 had caused representations to be made to
"M";.~ when the exhibitors had increased to 1400, and it the English
government of the advantageswhc   wol
     was oun  necssay to keep open the doors for 24 days. accrue to our commerce
from a similar exhibition in this
Here, for the first time, were displayed the printed cottons of country;
but the efforts which were made to obtain its
Mulhausen and Logelba'Ch; lsilk, thread, and cotton lace; co-operation appear
to have been wholly unsuccessful. in
        blone, coth  nd mxed  ood. Among the improvements 1848, a proposal
to establish a self-su  Orting exhibition
        for wich rize wer awadedwere the manufacture of iron of the products
of British industry, to eU rcPdb
                                                                 xii~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~t
              ed~etdb