THE

YEAR-BOOK OF FACTS.

Mechanical and Useful Arts.

BUILDINGS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1862. THE Great Exhibition of 1851, a work of unparalleled labour and correspondent success, must be considered as the parent of the approaching International Exhibition in 1862. It is difficult to apportion to each individual concerned in originating the Exhibition of 1851, his respective share of merit; but the International character was exclusively the suggestion of the late Prince Consort, who, unhappily, has not been spared to witness the consummation of the Second Exhibition, which, as regards its International feature, must be regarded as an extension of His Royal Highness's portion of the earlier design; such extension consisting, principally, in its Section of Modern Fine Arts, which is to include Architecture; Paintings in Oil and Water Colours, and Drawings; Sculpture, Models, Die-sinking, and Intaglios; and Engravings and Etchings. Hence, the coming Exhibition is more properly termed "of Works of Industry and Art." We shall here say no more of the scope or general plan of the International Exhibition; our present object being to describe the Buildings which have been provided for this magnificent display.

We all well remember the difficulties which beset the provision of the Building for the Exhibition of 1851: how a most unsightly design was accepted, but very properly superseded by "the palace of glass," which sprung from the genius of Mr. (now Sir Joseph) Paxton. Well do we remember the magic effect of our first sight of the outline of Mr. Paxton's design: it was merely a light outline upon a large surface of bank-post paper, and the instant Mr. Paxton spread out the sheet, we exclaimed-"It is like a fairy palace!" The vast building in Hyde Park fully realized this idea, though somewhat enthusiastically expressed; and it has ever been a source of satisfaction to reflect that he who was thus instantly impressed with the graceful character of Mr. Paxton's design was the first to express such an opinion of its novelty and appropriateness in one of the public journals of the next day.

In the Year-Book of Facts, 1851, we devoted eleven pages to the details of the Great Exhibition Building, concluding with these

emphatic, and, in some respects, prophetic opinions, of Professor Cowper :

I look upon the original idea of Mr. Paxton as one of the most successful efforts of imagination and contrivance, and I consider the way in which Fox and Henderson have made the bold conception practicable, one of the most successful and astonishing examples of contrivance, tact, science, industry and perseverance, and engineering skill, the world ever saw; and, whatever wonders may hereafter be placed in this building, the structure itself will be the greatest wonder of all.

We have now to deal with the Building for the International Exhibition of 1862. The design has already been so much canvassed, that we propose to confine ourselves principally to the descriptive details of the Buildings, derived from the published official Account. The first important step taken by the Commissioners was generally considered an unwise one. "Without any appeal for suggestions to the country in general (said a journal of the day), or to the architectural profession in particular,—without a hint to the guarantors of the fund to provide against loss, or even a single note of preparation, the public suddenly learn that the design is agreed on, the plans laid, the specifications written, and that tenders for the erection of the building are being sought for. Sir Joseph Paxton has already pointed out, in a letter to the Times, together with his objection, as a guarantor, to the looseness of the conditions, and to spending so large a sum as this building would require (say a quarter of a million), the fact that a fair estimate of the cost cannot possibly be made in the few days given, and that the person who tenders for the erection of the building 'must do so at great risk, unless he has been so fortunate as to have had access to the plans before they were given to the public.' We fully endorse the correctness of this assertion."-Builder, Feb. 9, 1861.

The

However, these objections were overruled; and the design by Captain Fowke, of the Royal Engineers, was declared to be accepted. The situation is to the south of the plot of ground occupied by the Horticultural Society's new gardens at South Kensington. southern façade of the new building runs along the Cromwell-road, a few hundred feet from the South Kensington Museum; on the east, also with a front, lies the Exhibition-road; on the west, Prince Albert's-road; between this and the Horticultural Society's boundary, a semi-detached portion of the Exhibition building, intended for the department of implements and machinery in. motion, extends; to this has been given the name of the Annexe.

The Commissioners* resolved that the new building should be formed of more weather-tight materials than iron and glass, at least in those portions devoted to the reception of works of Art. Accordingly, a very large portion of the new construction is of brick, the roofs supported on cast-iron pillars, the roof itself of wood, protected by felt and painted. Thus much for the materials.

The Commissioners are, the Earl Granville, the Duke of Buckingham, Mr. Thomas Baring, M.P., Sir C. W. Dilke, Bart., and Mr. Thomas Fairbairn.

The following statistics are from the official account.*

The buildings cover in the whole more than 26 acres. The principal picture gallery, which is in Cromwell-road, is 1150 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 50 feet high above the ground-floor; being about as long as the Gallery at the Louvre in Paris. The construction of this is of brickwork. The piers at the entrance are 14 feet wide, and 7 feet thick; and the foundations throughout are of concrete 5 feet thick. The walls are lined with wood, and pictures may be hung, if desired, to a height of 30 feet. It is lighted like the Sheepshanks Gallery. The entrance to this Gallery in Cromwell-road, is through three very large recessed arcades, each 20 feet wide, and 50 feet high. The visitor enters a vestibule and hall, 150 feet long, and together 110 feet wide, which leads to the Industrial Halls and Galleries; whilst two flights of steps, 20 feet wide, lead on either side up to the Picture Galleries. The Auxiliary Picture Galleries are in Prince Albert's and Exhibition-roads. These are 25 feet wide and about 30 feet high, and jointly 1200 feet long.

The Industrial Buildings, constructed chiefly of iron, timber, and glass, consist of the following parts:-Two duodecagonal domes, which will be 160 feet in diameter, and 250 feet high,-the largest of ancient and modern times. The dome of the Pantheon is 142 feet in diameter and 70 feet high; the dome in the Baths of Caracalla was 111 feet; Brunelleschi's, at Florence, is 139 feet in diameter and 133 feet high; the dome of St. Peter's is 158 feet in diameter, and 263 feet high from the external plinth; the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral is 112 feet in diameter, and 215 feet high. The domes will be of glass, with an outer and inner gallery; and it has been proposed to erect one of Messrs. Chance's dioptric lights at the top of one of them, and to illuminate it at night. The vista from dome to dome, through the nave, is 1070 feet. Each of the domes springs from the intersections of the nave with the two transepts. The nave and transepts are 100 feet high, and 85 feet wide; the nave is 800 feet long, and the transepts are each. about 635 feet long, including the domes. They are lighted on both sides by clerestory windows, 25 feet high.

At 25 feet from the ground a gallery runs at each side of the nave and transepts. There is more than a mile and a half of upper galleries, some 50 feet and some 25 feet wide; two courts, each 250 feet by 86 feet; two courts, each 250 feet by 200 feet; two central courts,-that at the north 150 feet by 86, that at the south 150 feet by 150 feet. All these glass courts are 50 feet high, and lighted from above.

The entrances to the Industrial Buildings are in Prince Albert's-road and Exhibition-road. They are constructed in brick, and each entrance is 55 feet

wide.

A bed of gravel underlies the whole ground. The foundations have been excavated to the gravel, and a base of concrete put in, on which brick piers, with York stone slabs, have been placed to receive the iron columns. The slabs for the columns of the great domes weigh upwards of a ton. The bricks are from Kent, and have been supplied by Messrs. Smeed, of Sittingbourne. Upwards of ten millions have been used.

The iron castings, as we have before now stated, were executed at the Stavely Iron-Works, Derbyshire. There are 166 round columns for the nave and transepts 12 inches in diameter, connected with a like number of square pilasters; 312 eight-inch round columns and 149 twelve-inch square columns, for the galleries; 138 eight-inch square clerestory columns, and 160 ten-inch square columns, supporting the floors of the Picture Galleries; 62 round columns for supporting the roofs of the glass courts; 1165 girders throughout, 11,600 feet of pipes, 15,000 feet of gutters, 14,000 feet of railings, 1000 brackets, 700 trusses and girders, 1400 shoes, &c.: the whole is estimated to weigh nearly 4000 tons.

The wrought-iron is supplied by the Thames Iron Company. This will be used chiefly in the great domes, and for the roofs. It is estimated to weigh about 1200 tons. The bracings, trusses, railings, bolts, &c., are made by the contractors. Mr. Ashton, who fixed the iron-work for Sir Joseph Paxton's two

*Some Account of the Buildings designed by Francis Fowke, Capt. R.E., for the International Exhibition of 1862, and Future Decennial Exhibitions of the Works of Art and Industry. With Illustrations and a Map of the Site. London: Chapman and Hall, 1861.

glass buildings, is charged with the same duty here. The timber-work has been executed partly at Messrs. Lucas's works at Lowestoft, and partly at Mr. Kelk's works at the Grosvenor Canal. It is estimated that about 17,000 loads will be consumed. For the top lighting of the galleries, 45,000 feet superficial of frames and glass are in preparation. For the clerestory lights of the nave and transepts nearly a mile length of frames, 25 feet high, is preparing; and for the courts, upwards of 30 miles of sash-bars and glass.

The roofs are covered with slates for the great Picture Galleries, and elsewhere with felt, except in parts, to show how ornamental roofing may be hereafter applied. The contract for the whole works has been let to Messrs. Kelk, and Charles and Thomas Lucas, Brothers, whose tender was the lowest. The whole responsibility for the nature and execution of the works rest with them. Mr. Meeson, C.E., prepares the working drawings for them. All proceedings are submitted to Capt. Fowke, R.E., who acts for Her Majesty's Commissioners. He confers with a building committee, consisting of the Earl of Shelburne, Mr. W. Fairbairn, and Mr. W. Baker; and her Majesty's Commissioners reserve to themselves the final approval of everything. Captain Fowke is assisted by Captain Philpotts and Lieutenant Brook, and certain non-commissioned officers of the Royal Engineers. Mr. Clemence is the contractors' foreman of works. The contract, it will be remembered, is of a threefold character: for the use and waste of the buildings, a sum of 200,000l. is to be paid absolutely: if the receipts exceed 400,000l., then the contractors are to take up to a further sum of 100,000l.; and if this sum is fully paid, then the centre acre of the great Picture Galleries is to be left as the property of the Society of Arts, who will pay the "1851" Commissioners a ground-rent calculated at the rate of 240l. per acre per annum. Lastly, the contractors are bound to sell absolutely the remaining rights over the buildings for a further sum of 130,000l., which may possibly be paid by the surplus receipts of the Exhibition, if the success be great, of which there can scarcely be a doubt.

Comparing the extent of the present Building with that in 1851, -the latter occupied nearly 23 acres; that now erecting covers a little over 26. The flooring space in 1851 was just short of a million feet. In the new building there will be 1,140,000; but as it is intended to exhibit machinery and agricultural implements in a wing especially built for the purpose, the space occupied in 1851 by these classes will be at the disposal of the Commissioners for other works, so that practically there will be some 500,000 feet of flooring more in 1862 than in 1851. The greatest height in 1851 was 160 feet, and the main nave running from end to end was 60 feet high by 72 wide. The greatest height of the new building will be 260 feet, and the nave will be 1200 feet long by 85 wide, and 100 feet high. The total length of the first Exhibition building was 1800 feet by 400 wide. The dimensions of the present are to be 1200 long by 700 broad, exclusive of the space set aside for the display of agricultural implements, which is in rough numbers 1000 feet long by 220 broad. We all must feel a twofold interest in the success of the International Exhibition: as a display of those humanizing arts which so widely exalt and embellish life-and as a fitting memorial of "respect to the Prince who made the scheme of international exhibition his own."

THE FLORENCE EXHIBITION.

THE first Italian Exhibition of Art and Industry was opened at Florence in September last.

The impression produced by a glance over the contents is that

Italy from her own arts and manufactures is capable of supplying, more or less perfectly, the requirements of an enlightened and refined people, although assuredly she at present seems to excel far more in articles of luxury than in those of first necessity. Her excellence in wood-carving and inlaying far surpasses that of her ironwork and earthenware, and her silks and velvets have made greater progress than her sewing-cotton and linens. Of all the greater branches of Italian industry, the silk-manufactory is perhaps the most largely represented, as might naturally be expected. A great space is filled with its products, both raw and manufactured, from almost every part of the Peninsula. The silk-growers of Upper Italy appear to bear away the palm from all their rivals in the quality of their raw silk, both white and yellow; and that produced by the Romagna seems the most inferior, both in colour, strength, and richness. Among the manufactured specimens, the furniture brocades turned out by the looms of Piedmont and Lombardy, and some of those sent from Naples, are of a splendour, both for design and quality, which halts but a little, if at all, behind the manufactures of Lyons. Gold and silver moire, and gold-brocaded silks for church vestments, too, are among the most advanced branches of this industry. The linens and damasks for table use, although very far behind what England can show in beauty of finish, are yet in all respects very promising. Tuscany furnishes a great quantity of the best goods of this kind, as well as all the varieties of towelling, sheeting, &c., less tempting to look at, but more reasonable and far more durable than ours. The display of ribbons does not rise above a very humble mediocrity in either colour, pattern, or quality. Versatile Naples has contributed products of all kinds to the National Exhibition. Pianos, carriages, silks, linens, hemp cloths, and a dozen more kinds of manufactured articles, besides a very beautiful though not very numerous display of wrought coral ornaments, which, with singular bad taste, have been crowded into two lower shelves of a sort of glazed étagère, where they make no appearance whatever, and where numbers of visitors never discover them at all. Nothing can exceed the elegance of the bracelets, brooches, and other ornaments of mixed red and white, or of pale rose-coloured coral, worked with infinite taste into knots, posies, and cameos of rare delicacy and finish. The Florentine and the Roman mosaics, handsome as they are, look heavy and graceless beside this exquisite manufacture.

The show of jewelry is chiefly from Turin and Milan, and though it contains some handsome gems, the visitors of French or English Exhibitions will hardly think it worth a glance. Not so the beautiful sword presented to the King by the Modenese citizens, which lies in the same room. The rich chasing of the entire scabbard is worthy of the best days of Medieval Art, and the hilt is adorned with a small silver statue of Italy in jewelled and enamelled robes, and the top of her diadem formed of a single fine emerald.