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ADVERTISEMENT

8 nmc foi'm and order as that assumed prior to tlieir disper-sion. Some of these proofs were not more than three1 nciies lone', and not broader than a narrow riband, con-taining only two or three lines; the difficulty of determiningand immediately affixing the proper place of such a, minutestrip in a work of such magnitude as the present, seemedto be great. A simple method of'ascertaining, not merelythe place in the CVn/nyce, but its entire history, ifs desti-nation, annotator, and return, was, however, contrivedrandthe history of every proof lias thus been accurately re-corded. The information thus obtained was so accuratennd precise that on the temporary delay of very smallproofs their destination was instantly discovered, togetherwith the date of transmission and the name of the annotatorto whom they had been sent. Much punctuality charac-terised the return of the dismembered portions of this largevolume. Had not such been the case, the original plan ofscientific and technical revision could not have been per-sisted in.”

“ Of the classification of objects compiled by Dr. Play-fair, with the assistance of eminent persons in the variousarts, we can say no more than it is an elaborately accu-rate skeleton of the philosophy of industry and art.

“ The Catalogue Proper is thus arranged:—1. UnitedKingdom, Classes l to 30 ; British Colonies and Depend-encies, which are thus subdivided— a, British possessionsin Asia ; b, in Europe ; c, in Africa; d, in America ; e. inAustralia . To these succeeds the portion of the workdevoted to Eoreign States, commencing with Austria andending with the United States. The British Catalogueextends over 1,002 pages, the Foreign over 470. In theformer are included the united catalogues of almost all ofour colonies and dependencies with that of Great Britain ;in the latter are the distinct catalogues of every ForeignState, even when, as in some cases, these were not repre-sented by more than two, or even one, exhibitor in theIndustrial Palace.

“ It would be impossible to give an adequate idea ofthis portion of the work without such copious extracts aswould swell this notice to an unusual and inconvenientlength. Besides it might happen that the sacrifice of ourspace would receive no adequate compensation in the ap-probation of our readers. The vagaries of exhibitors,which would undoubtedly have proved amusing in theiroriginal shape, have necessarily been toned down to anuniform monotony, and the task of selection would beadvantageous neither to reader nor reviewer. Something,however, should be said of the annotations, which form aseries of short and pithy notes, which will always makethem not less interesting than instructive to readers ofevery class and position in society. Their essential cha-racter is less commentatorial than elucidatory. They areexplanations and additions—not criticisms. They areintended to give value to what might otherwise haveescaped appreciation, and importance to subjects whosesignificance the general reader might not have otherwisecaught. They often consist, it is true, of simple enuncia-tions of known facts; hut they are so associated with thetext as to give unusual force and prominence to the mostuniversally accepted truths. At the same time the actualamount of information they embody oilers a very com-plete view of the sciences which are now daily miuistruntto industrial progress.

“ We regard the introductions to the different classesand countries as among the most valuable portions of thiswork. They are all, with one exception, the productionof the scientific superintendent of the work, Mr. RobertEllis, who has contrived to indicate distinctly in a singlepage the most prominent objects of every class or de-pendency.

“ The addition of an index of names and a separateone of subjects adds great value to this Catahync . 'filesystem of classification renders the work of easy referenceto the end of the Catalogue of the United Kingdom ; butbeyond this it would have been of little use to the readerwithout the indexes. In fine, these volumes may be ac-cepted as a very valuable addition to the stock of usefulpractical knowledge. Independently of the extraordinaryundertaking which they are intended to commemorate,they form n collection of facts connected with the indus-trial progress of the civilized world which cannot fail of

producing important results for the future; and evenadmitting that greater care and more leisure might haveproduced a more complete work than the Official ('ala-liHjue which lies before us, yet it must equally he admittedthat the production itself in the short space of a fewmonths is not the least wonderful event among the won-ders of the Great Exhibition .”

Observer.

“ A work of immense magnitude, and most carefullyand elaborately compiled. Produced with the assistanceof men of science, it is intended to form a scientific, his-torical, and illustrated record of this gathering of the arts,products, and industries of the world ; and when finished,it is likely to he one of the most interesting manuals ofgeneral information in the English language.”

Globe.

“This will be a kt is do for all men’s shelves ; nndthe Amins Hfirabilis 1851 will live in its pages, long afterthe longest assignable duration to Mr. Paxton's prodigyof glass and iron.”

Sun.

“ In the compilation of this catalogue, the official con-tractors have evinced not only enterprise and activity, butan extraordinary amount of care and of conscientiousapplication. Nothing scarcely could be more clear thanthe whole arrangement of the contents, more easy of refer-ence, more complete even to minuteness, or more com-prehensive in their entirety. Those touching and majesticlines of Holy Writ are with a solemn significanceinscribed upon the title-page—“ The earth is the Lord’sand all that therein is: the compass of the world, andthey that dwell therein.”

Leader-

“ The two ‘ Official Catalogues’must not be overlooked ;they will be historical monuments. The larger catalogue,which is descriptive and illustrated, is a work interestingin itself. The introductory chapters give a lucid accountof the story of the Exhibition, from its first conceptionthrough all the stages of its execution; and the illus-trative woodcuts will render it a delightful work to turnover hereafter, when the images have somewhat faded inour memory.”

Examiner.

“ Jules Janin has been lately eloquent on the theme ofBritish punctuality, and there surely never was a moremarvellous exemplification of the quality that so startlesthe lively Frenchman than the appearance of the Cata-logues of Messrs. Spicer and Clowes for sale on May-daymorning. Up to a late hour on the previous day the thingnot only seemed impossible, but would have been so toany printer whose dictionary contained ce bole tie mot;but, precisely as promised, the goodly quarto of threehundred and twenty pages- made due appearance for ashilling, and will remain a really striking monument ofthe zeal and determination employed in this great enter-prise.”

Morning Advortiscr.

“The progress of the human race,

Resulting from the common labour of nil men,

Ought, to be the final object of the exertion of each

individual. .

In promoting this eml

We are carrying out the will of the great mid blessedGod .

“Such are the lofty sentiments recorded in imperishableprint, upon the page of a mere catalogue, which, or ourprescience is wofully at fault, will be treasured among themost, remarkable records of this age of rapid progress.To this dry list, as it seems at the first glance to be, willmany a future reference be made. The subject matter, weneed hardly say, rises above and goes beyond the merescope of review. It is simply the dictionary of art andindustry, the guide and expositor of man’s progress, theindication of his state of civilization, the lexicon of hisluxury, the symbol of his peaceful intercourse, the cata-