STATE OPENING.

70

In the Seventh Carriage.

Two Ladies of tho Bedchamber .

Lord Steward.

The Master of tho Horse.

In the Eighth Carriage.

H.R.II. The Prince of Prussia.

1I.R.H. Tho Princess of Prussia.

1I.R.11. Prince Frederic William of Prussia.

Tho Mistress of the Robes.

In the Ninth Carriage.

• llor Majesty tho Queon.

1I.R.H. Prince Albort,.

II.R.IL Tho Prince of Wales.

11.R.II. Tho Princess Royal.

On 1 Ter Majesty’s arrival within tho Building at twelve o’clock precisely, which was announcedby a llourish ot trumpets, the Queen and the Prince, with tho Royal Family, the ForeignGuests and their Suites, proceeded to the raised Platform, tho Choir singing tho NationalAnthem .

On tho Queen taking her seat in tho Chair of State, His Royal Highness Princo Albortjoined the other Royal Commissioners, and when tho music had ceased, proceeded at theirhead to tho Platform, and read to Her Majesty the following Report of tho Proceedings of thoCommission up to that time, which ho delivered to llor Majesty, together with tho Catalogueof tho Articles exhibited.

“ May it plkasu Your Majesty,

“ We, tho Commissioners appointed by Your Majesty’s Royal Warrant of tho 3rd ofJanuary, 1850, for tho promotion of the Exhibition of tho Works of Industry of all Nations,and subsequently incorporated by Your Majesty’s Royal Charter of tho 15th of August in thosame year, humbly beg leave, on tho occasion of Your Majosty’s auspicious visit at the openingof tho Exhibition, to lay before you a brief statement of our proceedings to tho present time.

“ By virtue of tho authority graciously committed to us by Your Majesty, wo have madediligent inquiry into the matters which Your Majesty was pleased to refer to us, namely, intotho host mode of introducing tho productions of Your Majosty’s Colonies and of ForeignCountries into this Kingdom, tho selection of tho most suitablo site for tho Exhibition, thogeneral conduct of tho undertaking, and tho proper method of determining tho nature of thoPrizes, and of securing tho most impartial distribution of thorn.

“ In tho prosocution of those inquiries, and in tho discharge of tho duties assigned to us byYour Majosty’s Royal Charter of Incorporation, wo have hold constant mootings of our wholebody, and have, moreover, referred numerous questions connootod with a groat variety ofsubjects to Committees, composed partly of our own members and partly of individuals distin-guished in tho several departments of scionco and tho arts, who have cordially responded toour applications for their assistance at a great sacrifice of their valuable timo.

“ Among the earliest questions brought beforo us was tho important ono as to tho termsupon which articles offered for exhibition should bo admitted into tho Building. Wo consi-dered that it was a main characteristic of the national undertaking in which wo wore engagedthat it should depend wholly upon tho voluntary contributions of tho people of this countryfor its success ; and wo therefore decided, without hesitation, that no charge whatever shouldbo made on tho admission of such goods. We considered, also, that the office of selecting thoarticles to bo sent should bo entrusted in tho first instance to Local Committees, to boestablished in every foreign country, and in various districts of Your Majesty’s dominions, ageneral power of control being resowed to tho Commission.

“ We have now the gratification of stating that our anticipations of support in this coursehave in all respects boon fully realized. Your Majesty’s most gracious donation to tho fundsof tho Exhibition was the signal for voluntary contributions from all, even tho humblest classesof your subjects, and tho funds which have boon thus placed at our disposal amount at pre-sent to about 05,0005 Local Committeos, from which wo liavo uniformly received the mostzealous co-operation, wore formed in all ports of tho United Kingdom , in many of yourMajesty’s colonics, and in tho territories of tho lion. East India Company . Tho most energeticsupport has also been rocoivod from the Governments of nearly all the countries of tho world,in most of which Commissions have boon appointed for tho spooial purposo of promoting thoobjects of an Exhibition justly characterized in Your Majosty’s Royal Warrant as an Exhibi-tion of the Works of Industry of all Nations.

“ Wo liavo also to acknowledge the great readiness with which persons of all classes liavocoino forward as Exhibitors. And here again it becomes our duty to return our humblethanks to your Majesty for the most gracious munnor in which your Majesty has condescendedto associate yourself with your subjects, by yourself contributing some most valuable andinteresting articles to tho Exhibition.