PREFACE.

Til

the illustrated edition. The difficulties attending the publication, even of thatwork, may be gathered from the fact, that only three days before it appearedwas the order of succession and temporary arrangement of the Exhibitors in theBuilding determined on; and in that short interval, and before its publication,their arrangement in the Catalogue had much of it to be made.

For an account of the method adopted in the preparation of this Cataloguereference should be made to another page. It is, however, due to those whosevalued assistance has added so much to the permanent interest which willattach to this work to state, that there are several portions which could not, bypressure of time, be submitted to the benefit of their revision, and for such, andthe general scientific accuracy of the work, the subscriber to this notice must beconsidered alone accountable. That the following pages are to be consideredfree from technical and scientific inaccuracies could scarcely be expected; butmuch care and labour have been expended to give them, as far as possible, thischaracter.

The consideration just named may also render expedient, if not necessary,a simple statement of the part fulfilled by the writer in connection with thiswork. The production of the general plan of the book, its development, aftersanction by the Executive Committee, and literary construction out of the crudematerial obtained after compilation from the manuscripts of Exhibitors—thismaterial resulting from the official instructions given for the compilation of theCatalogue, and the term compilation including, in this case, merely the roughpreparation of Exhibitors’ manuscripts for setting up in type, the resulting matterbeing consequently in a very imperfect state—with the general literary and scien-tific superintendence and management of the work—these have formed theoccupation of the writer in connection with it, and for these he may be heldresponsible. As the result of the combined labours of the scientific annotatorsand of the writer, and after having received official sanction and revision on thepart of the Executive by the officer appointed, this Catalogue is now put forth.The constant effort of the writer has been to prepare a work of permanent valueand enduring interest. May it be shown in the issue that the labour bestowednpon it has not been in vain.

At the period when this work makes its appearance in a complete state, tlioExhibition is about to close. The first function of a Descriptive Catalogue cantherefore scarcely be fulfilled ere the great spectacle it illustrates will pass away.1 o those wonders of Art and Industry which man, taught by God , has been byHim enabled to accomplish, it will prove a guide but for a brief period. But itsmore permanently valuable offices then commence ; and it may be reasonably