FIRST REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS.

XXV

From the careful examination and analysis of these plans, many valuable practicalconclusions as to the mode of arranging the building were derived. Thus it becameevident that any principle of arrangement which should render it necessary thatthe stalls should run longitudinally, would be defective on account either of theinconvenient length of the stalls if there were only few transverse divisions, ortheir great confusion if intersected by many such ;—Plans on radiating systemswould crowd the public in counter currents upon the foci, besides that they couldscarcely be adapted to the form of the site;—Plans of an architectural characterwere generally too monumental, too much divided, and far too expensive—involv-ing an excess of walling exactly proportioned to the amount of their subdivisions,and rendering proper supervision almost impossible;—Plans dividing the Buildinginto four distinct Exhibitions were objectionable, as the effect of the whole wouldhave been marred ; a quadruple staff of Superintendents would have been necessary,and one part would have been crowded whilst another would have been empty, inconsequence of the impossibility of actually determining beforehand the proportionof space which would be required for each Section; whilst the disproportionateareas of the space demanded for raw products, machinery, manufactures, and finearts, could only have produced an irregular Building;—Plans showing the wholesite covered over with parallel sheds with spaces between, would have involvedgreat lengths of unnecessary enclosure, were likely to be monotonous, and weredevoid of any charm of variety or grandeur. While from some designs the lessonwas thus learned of what to avoid, from others much information was gained; sincemany indispensable requisites had been foreseen, and more or less ingeniouslyprovided for in the plans submitted by the competitors.

It became, therefore!, necessary fin’ the Building Committee themselves to pre-pare a plan embodying all the requisites of the Building, which none of the othersindividually contained; and on the 9th of May they presented a Beport to theCommissioners, explaining therein their views as to those requisites, which wereultimately embodied in a plan lor the realization of which a complete set of workingdrawings, specifications, and quantities were prepared under the immediate super-intendence of three gentlemen, nominated for that purpose by the Committee. *Invitations wero issued by advertisement for tenders upon the basis of the plansso prepared, and, in addition, for such suggestions and modifications, accompaniedwith estimates of cost, as might possibly become the means of effecting a consider-able reduction upon the general expense. In the actual instructions it was stipu-lated that tenders, in which changes were proposed, would be only entertained pro-vided they were “ accompanied by working drawings and sjiecifieations, and fully“priced bills of quantities.” 19 tenders were received at the appointed time

* Mr. M. 1). Wyatt, Mr. Owen Jones, and Mr. C. II. Wild. Tho first of theso gentlemenwas originally Secretary to tlio Executive Committee ; but being an architect by profession,his services wero transferred, in tho first instance, to tho Building Committee, and afterwardsto the Building Department, where he continued until his connexion with tho Commissionceased.

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