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EXHIBITION OF 1851.

Refreshments.

The contract for the supply of refreshments in the Exhibition Building was under-taken by Messrs. Schweppc and Co., who paid the sum of £5,500 for the privilege,being the highest offer from responsible parties. It will be seen by relcrence toAppendix No. XXVIII., that the amount received by the contractors from the saleof refreshments during the continuance of the Exhibition was upwards of £75,000Appendix No. XXIX. exhibits the almost incredible quantity of provisions consumed.

Waiting Rooms and Washing Rooms.

The receipts under these two heads amounted to no less than £2,441 15s. 9 d.in the former case, and £443 17s. 6<£ in the latter; the number of persons makinguse of the waiting rooms having been 827,820, and of the washing rooms 78,439.It being a somewhat novel step to provide these conveniences for the public on alarge scale, and at the same time to derive a revenue from them, some additionalparticulars relative to the subject have been given in Appendix No. XXX.

Financial and other Results of tiie Exhibition.

The organization by which the whole financial arrangements of the Commissionhave been carried on, has been already explained. The sanction of the FinanceCommittee was requisite before any item of expenditure could be incurred, and theaccount of payments actually made from estimates thus sanctioned -by them, andapproved by the Commission, was submitted monthly to them by the FinancialOfficer, accompanied by the necessary vouchers, and examined and reported upon bythem to the Commissioners, who were also regularly furnished at each Meeting witha report of their proceedings, together with a statement of the financial position ofthe Commission.

The Governor and Deputy Governor of the Bank of England have had thegoodness to undertake the duty of auditing the accounts of the Commission, andthe balance sheet of receipts and expenditure, as examined and approved by them,is given in Appendix No. XXXL It will be observed that tho statement is preparedup to the 29th of February 1852. Until the surplus remaining at the close of theExhibition, and which has been already referred to, shall have been disposed of, it willbe impossible for the Commissioners finally to wind up their accounts. While drawingthe line, therefore, at the date just mentioned, it is their intention to include, in thesubsequent Report which it will be their duty to lay before Her Majesty, all thenecessary particulars relating to the disposal of the balance that remained in their1 lands on the 29 th of February, with a duly audited balance sheet continued fromthat date.

In addition to the audited accounts above alluded to, the Commissioners havecaused a return to be furnished by their financial officer, containing an analysis oftheir receipts and expenditure up to the 29th February 1852, arranged under thevarious departments of the Exhibition. This return will be found in Appendix No.