XXX

EXHIBITION OF 1851.

for safety from fire, tlie entire enclosure and separation of the department of machi-nery in motion, and many other important additions, served greatly to increase thedifficulty of completing the work within the given time, as well as considerably toraise the total cost. The total amount at which the whole of the bills for theBuilding on use and waste terms were settled, after careful examination on the partof Sir William Cubitt , and the officers responsible to him was £107,780 7s. 6d.On making up their prime cost accounts, however, it was discovered by the con-tractors that the extraordinary dispatch with which such immense works required tohe carried on had so far precluded the possibility of their making those arrange-ments for economy which they had originally contemplated as to have carried theamount of their net liabilities greatly beyond the balance to which they were entitledunder the terms of their contract. They subsequently submitted a statement of theirposition, accompanied by an expression of their desire to verily the items set down,by permitting a reference to every original voucher calculated to throw a light upontheir transactions. Alter a careful inquiry into the genuine character of thedocuments, and taking into consideration the important services of Messrs. Fox andHenderson, the unprecedented character of the undertaking, the shortness of timeallowed for its completion, and the energy and liberality with which the contractorshad laboured to meet the wishes of the Commission, the Commissioners decided that,however objectionable such a step would be under ordinary circumstances, theywould in this instance be justilied in securing the contractors from that heavypositive loss which they anticipated, and the sum of £35,000 was accordingly paidto them in consideration of those losses on the 7 th of November last, upon theirsigning an agreement to abide by such terms and conditions as the Commissionersmight afterwards prescribe with regard to the verilication and settlement of theaccounts, the occupation and sale of the Exhibition Building, and generally in everyother respect.

Various statistics relative to the construction of the Building, are contained inAppendix No. XI.

Division of Space.

It is now necessary to explain the principles upon which, after much deliberation,it was decided to divide the space among the several Exhibitors.

Of the 800,000 feet provided it was estimated that about 400,000 square feetwould be required as the net area for the display of the goods. Of this space it wasthought reasonable to allot one-half to the productions of England and her colonics,and the other half to foreign countries. Having laid down, therefore, as a principle,that about 200,000 square feet should be reserved for foreign Exhibitors, the Com-missioners further proceeded to divide that amount of space between the differentcountries from which contributions were expected, and to frame a table assigning t0each state such an amount of space as the nature of its productions, the extent ofits industry, and the facilities of access to this country, appeared to render fan-Thus, to France were allotted 50,000 net square feet, to Belgium 15,000, to the