appoint such several persons of ability, as you may think fit to be Local Commissioners, in such parts of Our Kingdom and in Foreign parts, as you may think fit, to aid you in the premises; which said Local Commissioners or any of them, shall and may be removed by you, or any three or more of you, from time to time, at your will and pleasure, full power and authority being hereby given to you, or any three or more of you, to appoint others in their places respectively:

And furthermore, we do, by these presents, give and grant to you, or any three or more of you, full power and authority to call before you, or any three or more of you, all such persons as you shall judge necessary by whom you may be the better informed of the truth of the premises, and to inquire of the premises, and every part thereof, by all lawful ways and means whatsoever.

And Our further will and pleasure is that, for the purpose of aiding you in the execution of these premises, We hereby appoint Our trusty and well beloved John Scott Russell and Stafford Henry Northcote, Esquires, to be Joint Secretaries to this Our Commission.

And for carrying into effect what you shall direct to be done in respect to the said Exhibition, We hereby appoint the said Henry Cole, Charles Wentworth Dilke the younger, George Drew, Francis Fuller, and Robert Stephenson, to be the Executive Committee in the premises, and the said Matthew Digby Wyatt to be the Secretary of the said Executive Committee.

And Our further will and pleasure is that you or any three or more of you, when and so often as need or occasion shall require, do report to us, in writing, under your hands and seals respectively, all and every of the several proceedings of yourselves had by virtue of these presents, together with such other matters if any, as may be deserving of our Royal consideration touching or concerning the premises.

And, lastly, We do by these presents ordain, that this Our Commission shall continue in full force and virtue, and that you, our said Commissioners, or any three or more of you, shall and may from time to time, and at any place or places, proceed in the execution thereof, and of every matter and thing therein contained, although the same be not continued from time to time by adjournment.

Given at our Court, at Saint James’s, the third day of January, 1850, in the thirteenth year of Our reign.

By Her Majesty’s command,

G. Grey.

EXHIBITION OF INDUSTRY OF ALL NATIONS TO BE HOLDEN IN LONDON, IN 1851.

Palace of Westminster,
14th March, 1850.

Her Majesty’s Commissioners for the promotion of the Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations to be held in London in the year 1851, after careful consideration of the arrangements to be made for the admission of the productions of foreign countries to the Exhibition, have directed the publication of the following statement for the information and guidance of Foreign Exhibitors.

The Commissioners have already given notice that, however large may be the building that is to be erected, it is necessary that they should reserve to themselves ample powers of selection and rejection in respect of the articles which may be forwarded for exhibition. The necessity for making some provision for limiting the extent, and defining the character, of the Exhibition, is too obvious to need any comment; but the mode in which the powers thus reserved should be exercised, particularly with reference to the productions of foreign countries, is a matter requiring very serious deliberation.

The Commissioners have felt that it would be desirable, as far as possible, to prevent any persons from sending hither articles which cannot be admitted, rather than to reject the articles after their arrival in London. They feel also that the delicate and responsible task of deciding on the admission or rejection of articles destined for exhibition by foreign contributors ought not to be imposed upon any English tribunal, but should be referred to one having the confidence of the Exhibitors themselves, and standing entirely free from possible imputations of national partiality. They accordingly propose to admit to exhibition such foreign articles only as may be forwarded to them by the Central Authority (whatever may be its nature) in each country. They will communicate to such Central Authority the amount of space which can be allowed to the productions of the country for which it acts, and will also state the conditions and limitations which may from time to time be decided on with respect to the admission of articles.

All articles forwarded by such Central Authority will then be admitted, provided they do not require a greater aggregate amount of space than that assigned to the productions of the country from which they come; and, provided also that they do not violate the conditions and limitations of which due notice shall have been given. It will rest with the Central Authority in each country to decide upon the merits of the several articles presented for exhibition, and to take care that those which are sent are such as fairly represent the industry of their fellow countrymen.

Her Majesty’s Commissioners will consider that to be the Central Authority in each case, which is stated to be so by the Government of its country. Having once been put in communication with a Central Authority in any country, they must decline, absolutely and entirely, any communication with private and unauthorized individuals; and should any such be addressed to them, they can only refer it to the central body. This decision is essentially necessary, in order to prevent confusion.