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Peculiar circum-stances of pro-duction of Cata-logue.

Exhibitors theauthors.

Catalogue form.

SCIENTIFIC REVISION AND PREPARATION OFTHE CATALOGUE.

The circumstances under which this work is published appear to call for someobservations upon the method of its production. From the fact that it is withouta precedent in the annals of literature, it follows that its preparation and pub-lication have been attended with peculiar, because unforeseen, difficulties. Allthose obstacles in the way of its completion which would necessarily developthemselves from the remarkable manner in which its contents have been created,and from the want of a guiding experience in the publication of works of thisnature, have been contended with in its progress to a perfect state. The follow-ing may be considered as an outline of the manner in which the materials forthe construction of this volume were collected, and of the system adopted toreduce them to a definite form, and as far as possible to a certain degree ofconsistency of expression and of harmony of proportion.

It is not the least remarkable fact in connection with the Great Exhibition ,that the Catalogue may be really regarded as the production of many thousands ofauthors,—represented by exhibitors themselves. By a decision of the ExecutiveCommittee, every exhibitor was required, prior to the reception of his articles atthe Building, to have filled up a certain printed form, containing a descriptionof his productions in the English language, accompanied with such general observ-ations as might be suggested by the peculiar character of the things described andintended for exhibition. These forms, which were to be to the Catalogue whatthe MS. of an author is to his proposed work, were framed with care, and wereaccompanied with instructions for filling them up, which suggested those pointson which interesting or important information might be supplied, together withthe descriptive account. There were four varieties, each appropriated to one ofthe four great sections of Raw Materials, Machinery, Manufactures, and FineArts. The essential characters of these forms were similar in each section, but theinstructions for filling them up differed necessarily with the peculiar differencessuggested by each section. The subjoined form represents that used in sendingin descriptions of machinery, and is a type of those used in the other sections : —

List of Articles of Machinery to be exhibited by

_Exhibitor's Surname.____ Christian Name.

__Country._Address, stating nearest Post Town.

_Capacity in which the Exhibitor appears, whether as Producer, Importer,

Manufacturer, Designer, Inventor, or Proprietor.

No.

DESCRIPTIONS.

of Articles.