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                                     THE PARIS UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION.
series of engravings as it would have been impossible for us to own peculiarities
and its own excellences must also be considered
have introduced consistently within those limits beyond which we to be altogether
satisfactory. For many reasons-reasons which
were not at liberty to range.                                    almost daily
receive a perpetually strengthening confirmation-
  So different in every primary quality and particular was the Paris the
Universal Exhibition held at Paris in 18t7 must be considered
Building of 1867 trom our own Exhibition Building erected in to be, if not
the very last Universal Exhibition, still certainly the
London in 1862, that it is not possible to institute any corm- last that
may reasonably be expected to be held until after the
parison between the two; without hesitation, however, we assign a lapse of
many years; and it is well that the Exhibition that thus
very decided general superiority to the great Parisian group of con- must
be assumed to have closed at least the first group of world-
centric ovals. But no such superiority can be claimed for the wide gatherings
of human productions, should in all particulars
edifice that grew up so rapidly in the Champ de Mars over our own be distinguished
by conditions, circumstances, and attributes
Crystal Palace of 1851-thattrulyoriginal structure of equally rapid peculiar
to itself.  The Paris Exhibition possessed distinctive
growth which, in its fully developed form, still stands without a rival peculiarities
eminently decided and emphatic; and so too did the
in the world. Like the first Great Exhibition itself, the first Great Building
which contained that last year's Universal Exhibition-
Exhibition Building was a fresh creation, without precedent and | the enormous
oval casket, wherein were stored up and set forth
without any predecessor, the true founder of its own order among the collected
treasures of all nations and all times.
edifices; and we hold it to be matter for hearty congratulation I In the
particular, at once so important and significant, of finan-
that the first Exhibition Building should still retain its original cial
success, the result of the Paris Universal Exhibition has
supremacy. That the Paris Building should have possessed its proved to be
altogether satisfactory. The expenses incurred were
large, far beyond all precedent; but the numbers of the visitors innumerable
visitors: it was obtained for the Commissioners and
were proportionately great, and the sums that flowed into the not by them.
exchequer. of the Imperial Commissioners were such as to leaveI One example
of the grievously mistaken and most unworthy
in their hands a very considerable surplus. That there should, policy of
the Commissioners it is sufficient to particularise, and
have been this excess of receipts over expenditure under the con- that is
the number and the proportionate honorary value of the
ditions which the Commissioners appointed to determine their own prizes.
Of the medals, which were the only prizes given, there
course of action, proves to demonstration that, under more favour- ought
to have been greater variety, marking more gradations in
  able administrative stipulations the surplus would have been con- honorary
rank; and more especially should there have been a
  siderably larger. In the degree that a more liberal policy had considerable
increase in the numbers of the medals of the highest
  been adopted by the Commissioners, in that same degree would rank, and
a still greater increase in the numbers of those of the
  the financial success of their enterprise have been more decided. second
rank. It was a UNivERsA.L EXHIBITION: and, therefore,
  Unhappily, the true wisdom of a genuine and hearty liberality in without
the slightest risk of detracting from  the dignity- and
  thei entire system of policy was altogether ignored by the Impe- worth
of the disticini  a  ih  nisladwudhv
  rial Commissioners; and, in its stead, they systematically adhered been
sound policy, to have provided gold medals in very consider-
  to the contrary policy, which they carried out, even in the most ably greater
numbers than those that were actually. distributed
  trifling details, and with extreme rigour and tenacity. Conse- among the
competing exhibitors. Indeed, it was a question of
  quently, their surplus arose from  the inherent merits of the no little
moment in itself, and which involved considerations of
  Exhibition, and from the interest expressed in it by its almost the gravest
importance, whether~it would not have been a far
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