The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-11 00:00:00

523,122

782,230

259,1(18

attempts to deal with them, the foresight and the fore.
cast, the courage and patience, and caution and resource,
and tact and management and method, that are required
to achieve and carry out what has been contemplated—
those alone, in short, who know what it is after all to be
beaten by details, can at all appreciate as it deserves
" The Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations," as it
has been realised in Hyde-park. We are persuaded that
were the illustrious Prince, who has been all along, the
head and mainspring of the whole, to command that a
full and true chrojaicle of the proceedings should be pub-
lished, he would be doing that which would be accept-
able and serviceable to the country at large. It is
known, generally at least, it should be universally, that
with his Royal Highness originated the idea of a public
"National Exhibition of the Works of British Industry."
His one sole object being to benefit and elevate this
country, giving to other nations the opportunity to
inspect and to appreciate. As President of the Society
of Arts he had watched over the growth and witnessed
the good effects of such exhibitions on a small scale,
within the walls of that society. It was in June, 1849,
that his Royal Highness summoned to Buckingham
Palace three gentlemen belonging to that society, Mr.
Cole, Mr. Scott Russell, and Mr. Fuller, to meet Mr.
Thomas Cubitt. At that meeting was laid the foundation of
the present Exhibition. The success of the "Exposition" at
Paris of that year having been witnessed and strongly
testified to by Mr. Cole and Mr. Fuller, who had just
returned from thence, the combination of foreign pro-
ductions with our own was determined on, and " The
Industry of All Nations" invited to compete. The plan
was sketched out, his Royal Highness suggesting the
classifcation. 20,000 L for prizes, and 50,0001., at least,
for a building, were set down as required. The idea of
a Royal Commission, with his Royal Highness at its
head, originated, we believe, with Mr. Fuller; the So-
ciety of Arts possessing, under its own charter, the re-
quisites for working all details. The caution of, we
believe, Mr. Labouchere made the actual investment of
the 20,0001. a condition before such a Commission should
issue. With the visits of Mr. Cole, Mr. Fuller,
and Mr. Scott Russell through this country and
abroad, with Mr. Digby Wyatt for their secre-
tary, to organize the raising of the necessary funds—
with the ultimate issue of the Royal Commission—with
the struggles for a site—with the squabbles about a
building—with the amount of prejudice with which, both
in and out of Parliament, the whole undertaking had to
contend—with the difficulty of finding the contractor,—
the great difficulty of all—with the chance picking-up of
Mr. Paxton's most beautiful and immortal "Crystal
Palace," its opening, and so forth, the public are fami-
liar, but not with the wondrous smoothness and har-
mony with which the whole management and economy
have been worked, from first to last, by those who took
the Herculean task in band. The great secret lay in
confiding it to so few. Three thorough men of business,
invested with responsibility, and allowed a commensu-
rate discretion, presided over by one clear, comprehensive,
vigorous mind, of patient judgment and commanding
influence, sufficed to carve out and carry through what,
had there been more extended councils, never would
have seen the light. When the Royal Commission is-
sued the work was half achieved, and then the working
committee was only iccreased to six. How those six
have discharged their most onerous and responsible
duties the world have had the opportunity of observing.
Their organization has been perfect—a lesson for those
leagued in extensive undertakings. We have said that
" the contractor" was the one great want of all. Had ho
not been found, and found at the time at which he was,
the triumph of this country—the wonder of the world—
had never been. We note this, because we have not
seen that any other journal has drawn attention to
it. We note it out of simple justice to the Messrs.
Munday, for they it was who, when contractor after
contractor had been applied to, and had refused, when
one of no mean experience, after having consented, had
withdrawn, came forward in a spirit which shall be
judged of by their after acts, and rescued from certain
and ignominious failure the undertaking which has given
to this country a triumph without a parallel in the annals
of the world. Messrs. Munday it was who, through the
instrumentality of Mr. Fuller, were sought out and in-
duced to take the contract, which ne other could be
found to touch, and by that contract they bound them-
selves to this—to pay down, and they paid, 20,0004
to undertake the whole cost of the building—to pro-
vide office and officers—to advance money for the
preliminary expenses—and to take the whole risk of
the lose. Should there be any profits, they were to
have two-thirds; the Society of Arts the othor. Out
of the contractors' two-thirds were to come all preli-
minary expenses, all costs of management, all costs of
the Exhibition itself, exclusive of the building, and all
expenses whatever, not included in the foregoing. In the
month of November, after the contracts had been signed,
caution and vigilance for the public interest oa the part
of some one--Mr. Labouchere, we believe—led him to
suggest that some entailment of? these anticipated profits
(100,0000 was desirable, if fairly practicable—a direct
application to Messrs. Munday was made for their con-
sent to this, and to extend the period for determining
the contract. Again, that consent was given.
They agreed to let the amount of profit they
were to have be decided entirely by arbitration,
when the Exhibition should be over, and to extend
the period for determining the contract alto-
gether to the 31st of March. This settled, the Messrs.
Munday, as the recognised and accepted contractors, be-
gan and proceeded with the preliminary works, and so
things went on until Mr. Paxton and his glittering pro-
ject crossed the path. The public know the history of
its acceptance. Messrs. Munday and their contract were
no longer needed, and, under the arbitration clause in
that contract, it was determined that the contract should
be put an end to, the amount of compensation being in
the bosom of the arbitrators. But this is not all. The
notices were given, but the arbitration, from some
eauso or other, failing, a now arbitrator be-
came necessary. Messrs. Monday being asked to
name one, gave permission to the Commissioners to
select one of their own body as sole arbitrator. They
selected Mr. Robert Stephenson. He made his award.
It appeared in print some time, if we remember
rightly, about the 23d of July last. Accompanied by
this noticeable fact, there appeared on the same day,
in the editorial columns of the same paper, an article
on the award. In the award, the amount awarded was
not given; in the article it was. The amount, if we
remember right, was 5,0001., some odd. Whether this
has more than paid Messrs. Munday the mere money
out of pocket we know not. We have heard of no
complaint on their part either against the arbitrator
or his award. But we can imagine that while the
notes of wonderment and admiration and praise of the
" Crystal Palace" and its "Exhibition" have been
ringing through the world—while the names of
" Mr. Paxton," and of " Messrs. Fox and Henderson,"
and " Mr. Owen Jones," have been, and worthily,
on the lips of all, with princes for their panegy-
rists, and tens of thousands, nay, millions, have echoed
back the well-earned tribute of applause, and no place
has been apparently given in the minds of any. to so
i
much as t o names of Messrs. Munday ! wocavne
well
believe believe that those gentlemen may, nay must,
i h
keenly the simple omission; but we claim rthaem that
henceforth they be remembered whenever enterprise, and
love of country, and high-minded liberality shall find
place and be appreciated. We know that his Royal
Highness Prince Albert has expressed himself in terms
of high and deserved commendation of their liberality.
Surely the nation can do no less. Ought it, ought the
Commission, to do no more? The destination of the sur-
plus
will be found to be, the establishment of a Central
School of Design in the metropolis, under tho charge,
we suspect, of Mr. Paxton, as curator, with affiliated
branches in all or most of the principal manufacturing
towns. One omission in the beneficial results that have
proceeded from the first public Exhibition of the
Industry of all Nations we must supply, and that is,
that its effect has been to deepen and widen to an immea-
surable extent the feelings of affectionate loyalty and
devotion of the people of this country to their beloved
Queen. The experiment had been well made bad it
borne no other fruits; and we speak the feelings of
every one who has had any oportunity of judging,
when we say, that throughout the whole of this mo-
mentous undertaking but one impression has remained
upon the mind of those engaged in it of the condescend-
ing kindness, the clear-seeing sagacity, the unques-
tioned high ability, extensive information, untiring
energy, and thorough business-like habits of his Royal
'Highness Prince Albert. He has achieved for this
country a noble and a peaceful triumph. He has won
for bid beloved Consort and her Throne and crown a