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THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION…

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THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AND I THE VOLUNTEERS. There is one striking feature which contrasts, during the International Exhibition of J802, with that of 1851. Whilst the Exhibition is this year holding, at South Kensington, in the interests of peace,—wo have had our volunteers encamped at Wimbledon, for the purpose of practicing one of the arts of war. Universal peace—a complete raternity of nations-was expected to flow from the International gathering of 1851 but we hear no such confident expectations expressed now, al- though it is contended, we have doubt truly, that the mutual interchange of courtsey and kindness between different people must soften the asperity of national rivalry, and that if u International Exhibitions" become a permanent institution, we may in time, realize the divine promise of peace upon earth, and the prevalence of universal good will amongst men. Both at South Kensington and at Wimbledon, prizes were GOntcnded for. At the former they were bestowed upon those who excelled in art, science, and industry at the latter upon the successful competitors in rifle-sliooting. The awards for superior skill amongst the exhibitors were made, as in 1851, by juries, the jurors being English to the number of 328, added to 28j foreigners. These 615 individuals were arranged into 65 juries, grouped so as to form 3l> classes or head juries, corresponding to the number of the industrial classes, under which the objects in the Exhibition are arranged. The head juries, sub- divided into sections for facilitating their work, acted as an united body for the confirmation of rewards and those rewards, before they were re- ceived as decisive, were submitted to a counoil composed of the 36 chairmen of the head juries, presided over by Lord Taunton. When it is known that there are at least 25,000 contributors to the Exhibition, scarcely one of whom has only a single specimen of his art or skill, whilst many have large numbers, some idea may be formed of the labours which the juries had to go through- labours not requiring much strength of body, but much strength of mind and of nerve, and no in- considerable amount of the power of conciliation, to cause the discharge of their official duties to go off pleasantly. It appears that those duties have been executed honourably to themselves and satis- factorily to the exhibitors as a mass, if there may be, here and there, an individual disappointed. The chairmen say in their reports—" Notwith- standing the various nationalities represented in the juries, it is gratifying to record that the ut- most harmony has prevailed during the whole time that the jurors have been associated in their labours and they add, "The mutual depen- dence and intimate alliance between the industries of the world, have been illustrated by the zealous and impartial efforts of the jurors of different na- tions, to recognize and reward the merit displayed in the exhibitions of their industrial competitors." The Royal Commissioners had decided, that only one description of medal should be awarded to the, juries. This decision, the chairmen say, consi- derably facilitated their labours, as it became n(. oessary only to reward excellence wherever it was found, without reference to competition between exhibitors." As the work advanced, however, it was ascertained, "that many articles possessed excellence of a kind, which deserved a special men- tion, without, however, entitling them to a medal; and, although it involved some departure from the principle that had been originally laid down, yet the council of chairmen attended to the wish of the juries, and permitted such cases to be classed and published, under the title of 'honorable men- tions.—There are about 5,300 of these honour- able mentions and nearly 7,000 medals have been awarded the proportions of awards to exhibitors being greater t' an in 1854 less than in 1855. The result of the in piiries and observations of the juries in the discharge of their official duties, is, that the state of industry, as shown in the Inter- national Exhibition, gives evidence of a singularly active and healthy progress throughout the civilized world for, while we find every nation searching for new raw materials, or utilizing products, hi- therto considered as waste, we are struck with the vast improvement in the machinery employed to adapt them to industrial purposes, as well as with the applications of science, and with the great and successful attention which is now given to all the arts necessary to gratify our taste, and our sense of beauty." We have no doubt that this is the result of the International Exhibition which, many hope, will now be held, at stated periods, in per petuity. The awards were presented to the Royal Com- missioners by the Jurors and by those Commis- sioners to the Duke of Cambridge, as the repre- sentatives of the foreign countries, from whence contributions had been received, on a dais, erected in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, on Friday last. Those representatives then pro- ceeded to the building, and distributed them to committees assembled in the different courts, or in the nave, and representing the different exhibi- tors. The day was fine and there werd many thousands of] spectators to witness the ceremony, which was not near so imposing as that attendant on the distribution of the prizes to the volunteers, on Monday, at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham. That palace affords much more opportunity for the display of a spectacle than the building at Ken- sington and though nothing can be more delight- ful than the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society,—the dais erected was too confined, and the persons collected upon it were too much hud- dled together to allow the proceedings to be seen to any advantage. The Handel Orchestra, at the Crystal Palace, afforded ample room for display and the area in front and the galleries gave the spectators greater facilities for seeing what was going (m, than they could obtain either in the gardens or the building, at Kensington. The Duke of Cambridge distributed the prizes to the success- ful competitors and the 20,000 spectators present seemed fully to enter into the spirit of the scene, M they did when Lord Palmerstoll moved the thanks of the large assembly to the Duke of Cam- bridge and the noble volunteers. His lordship apoke, as he always does, well and to the point and when the Duke of Cambridge came forward to return thanks, 110 was received with the greatest enthusiasm. The proceedings of the day were highly satis- factory to all concerned and we feel quite confi- dent that the people of England will rejoice to hear, that there is every probability—almost a certainty that the volunteers of England will be- come a permanent institution of the country. As Lord Palmerston says,—there is nothing offensive iu the volunteer movement,—it is one of pure and undivided patriotism. We pursue," said his lordship, "as we have shewn, by the International Exhibition, the arts of peaoe, the cultivation of the arts and sciences, and all those pursuits which exalt a nation, which enrich it, and make it happy, and prosperous but we have, notwitlistailing, not neglected those means of defence, which shew to mankind, that we not only value the institutions under which we live, but that we have Hearts resolved, auil hands prepared, The blessings we possess tt,) guard." It is a manifestation of that spirit which is most likely to avert war; and in no way can it be more honourably or more advantageously manifested than in the volunteer movement, under which 170,000 Englishmen are enrolled and whose motto is, "Let them come who dare."

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