SCIENTIFIC EE VISION AND PREPARATION OF THE CATALOGUE.

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its fruit in the promotion of the objects of industry, may be expected from theknowledge of the fact, that hitherto, in consequence of the absence of suchinformation- in a collected form, the greatest difficulties have been experienced bycommercial men in their endeavours to introduce into trade any new material ofindustrial importance, or to obtain adequate supplies of materials already known,but known under a variety of changing, local, and unintelligible terms. In theseventeenth century, Robert Boyle perceived the important results likely toarise from the “ naturalist’s insight into trades.” It may be hoped that suchresults will now not fail of their accomplishment.

The smaller Catalogue is an abstract of the present work. It was prepared by Abridgedcondensing the revised and corrected slips forming the Illustrated Catalogue. 08For economy of space it was necessary to confine the descriptions in that workto an average length of three or four lines.

On the first announcement of a Descriptive Catalogue, erroneous ideas as to itssize prevailed, to so large an extent as to lead to the fear that a sufficiency oftype of the kind required could scarcely be obtained within the necessary time.Statements appeared which gave birth to the opinion that such a work could notbe contained in less than ten volumes of eight hundred pages each ; and for aconsiderable time it appeared probable that more than three such volumes would size,be required to complete this record of universal industry. It was soon renderedapparent that the estimates thus formed were incorrect. The articles contributedby a number of exhibitors—as in textile manufactures—were of a kind whichdid not admit of descriptions at length; and the returned forms of such articleswere generally received written in the customary abbreviated language ofcommerce. In cases of another kind, where descriptions of greater length werenot only admissible but desirable, economy of space has been obtained by theadoption of a condensed style. The Descriptive Catalogue has thus been reduced,notwithstanding the addition of annotations, to a convenient size.

That a work produced under the circumstances. in which this Catalogueappears should contain inaccuracies, can less be cause of surprise than would itscomplete accuracy. One of the greatest obstacles to its correctness has been theincessant necessity for alterations of place and insertions of fresh material. Inits preparation, however, an attempt has been made to communicate to it a valueenduring beyond that of the occasion of its production. The vast and wonderfulaccumulation of the products of human industry, of which it professes to be the Permanentexponent, is gathered only for a time. The intention of this Great Collection Valu<J 'accomplished and its objects realized, the industrial store must be again scatteredamong the nations contributing to the gathering. But this record of the historyof the Great Exhibition must endure beyond the duration of the Exhibition itself.

May it remain to indicate to other times the successful accomplishment of thegreatest conception of our own, and the favour of the Divine Providence effectingthat result.

Robert Ellis.