CATALOGUES, STATISTICS OF PRINTING, &c.
HI
Vapor .—The manufacture of paper includes a variety of processes—from the sorting ofthe rags to the production of a complete sheet of paper. Two sizes only wero necessary,described as super-royal and double-foolscap: the folding of the shoot into 4, 8, and Hi,forming the dift'erent-sized books. For the convenience and economy of printing the smallCatalogue, the double-foolscap was however made into four sizes, tho sheets folding into8, 12, l(i, and 24 leaves. The Synopsis, consisting of 96 pages, was printed on one of theselargo sheets, at one impression. The entire quantity of paper manufactured was 338 tons(see Table II.); and its production required labour equal to 338 hands (men and women) forthree months. Messrs. Spicer Brothers, (Wholesale Stationers,) joint contractors in theproduction of tho Catalogues, supplied tho whole of tho paper; and so efficient wero theirarrangements with tho various mills engaged in its manufacture, that not a single failureoccurred in the appointed times of delivery.
Table III.
Average Number of Persons engaged in Editing, Compiling,various Catalogues, &c.
Compositors -Readers and BoysPressmen -Maehinemen and BoysWetters of PaperWarehousemen and Boys -
and Printing tho
44
8
3 2
55
2
II
Total - - 71
152
Compiling anil Printing. —The Catalogue Forms issued to tho Exhibitors (in order thatthey might supply their own descriptions of tho articles exhibited) were printed in fourcolours, representing tho four groat divisions of the Exhibition ; on tho receipt of thoseforms they wore examined by the compilers, who made such alterations as they consideredrequisite ; determined, to tho best of their judgment, the Class to which the article exhibitedmore especially belonged; and forwarded the returns thus corrected to tho printers. Ondan. 30 the first portion of those returns was placed in the hands of tho compositors, andspeedily sot up in type for the Illustrated Catalogue : keeping each of the four divisionsseparate ; and distinguishing, by a figure at tho end of the last lino of each article, thepresumed Class to which it belonged. Proofs of these returns wore forwarded from time totiino to tho compilers, who examined them as to their general correctness, and returnedthem to tho printer for such emendations as wore necessary: these effected, 30 proofs weroprinted, and forwarded to tho Executive; to tho editor, who transmitted copies to thovarious annotators; to tho compiler of the small Catalogue, in order that tho descriptionsmight bo reduced ; and to the French and German translators, for tho same purpose ofreduction and translation. Ten weeks now had elapsed—tho 2(jth of April had arrived—tho whole of tho exhibitors’ returns received up to that date wero in type, amounting tonearly 2000 pages : this mass, liowover, was still unarranged ; and it was not until four daysprovious to tho opening of tho Exhibition that any defined 2 >lan of classification could bodetermined upon. Tho contractors were bound under a penalty to produce a certain quantityof tho small Catalogue on tho 1st of May; to effect this within four days seemed almostimpracticable. It was originally intended by the contractors that the Illustrated Catalogueshould also appear at tho same time, but all hope of producing anything more than aspecimen Part was abandoned.
Tho classification, which should have been the labour of literary men becamo the task oftho operative printer: tho type was arranged in 368 slips, each representing a page ; slipafter slip was taken up by tho compositor, and the exhibitors’ returns, os numerically distin-guished, collected together, until tho whole 30 Classes of the United Kingdom wero arranged.Tho same arrangoment necessarily took place for tho Colonics and Foreign States ; foralthough each State had but one numerical order for all the articles exhibited they standin tho Catalogue in tho respective Stato in tho same order as tho 30 Classes of the UnitedKingdom ; upwards of 100 distinct arrangements had to bo effected: tho classification com-pleted, revises wero forwarded to tho compiler, to receivo the numbers by which the articleswero to be distinguished in the Building: 320 pages was tho prescribed limit of tho smallCatalogue, and 368 pages wero in typo ; a furthor reduction had to tako place in tho descrip-tion of the articles exhibited ; and it was not until tho midnight immediately preceding thoopening of tho Exhibition that tho small Catalogue was finally “ready for press.”
The first or specimen Part of tho Illustrated Catalogue was also proooedod with on thosamo principle laid down for tho production of tho small Catalogue ; and on tho morning oftho 1st of May both those works wero on sale in tho Exhibition Building.
Tho printing in itself would liavo been but a small affair for tho number of personsemployed, could tho matter have been placed before them according to tho usual routine ofauthorship and printing: this, however, was impracticable ; and no better plan could perhapshave been suggested than that followed to a most successful termination and through mostextraordinary difficulties.
After the opening, additional returns came in. The first edition was found exceedingly .