Chapter III, of Cassells Illustrated History of England, Volume 9 page 2

" The three great foreign states, or collections of states, now exhibiting are, of course, France, the Zollverein (or German Free-trade Union, which includes Prussia), and Austria. The French courts will probably be filled by between 3,000 and 4,000 exhibitors, and the Austrian display will probably be furnished by an equal number of firms and individuals. The Zollverein display is furnished by about 2,500 exhibitors, of whom Prussia can claim about 1,400. Russia shows through about 400 exhibitors, Holland through about 350, Spain through about 1,150, Portugal through 1,000, Norway through about 200, Sweden through 500, and Belgium through about 900. Here, without reckoning Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Greece, Egypt, and a few small states, we have at least 13,000 foreign exhibitors in the foreign part of the Exhibition; and, when the list is made complete, they will reach three times the number of British exhibitors. The only part of the above list in which no very remarkable increase can be noted is the Zollverein, as the exhibitors from these states in 1851 numbered 2,300. The other states, without an exception, show a wonderful increase of exhibitors; and largely as France was represented at the first Exhibition, her exhibitors now will be nearly doubled. The enormous increase of foreign exhibitors shows a spirit of competition, a self-reliance, and a faith in Industrial Exhibitions, which speak well for foreign industry."

According to the ground-plan of the Exhibition building, there was an enormous area, in the angle between the southern transept and the nave, reserved for the French department; and a curious circumstance occurred in connection with this, which, when one thinks of the later relations between France and Prussia, is not without interest. The French asked and obtained permission to inclose their court, and they accordingly erected high wooden partitions all round it, greatly to the disgust of Prussia, exhibiting in a more limited space west of the south transept, because the chief supply of light on which her exhibitors had reckoned was thus cut off, or at any rate greatly obscured, and they had little left to depend upon but the light from the clerestory windows far above. The French were appealed to to reduce the height of their partitions; but the representatives of "la grande nation" would not recede an inch: they agreed with their Emperor that " when France is satisfied, the world is at rest," at any rate, ought to be; and as the partitions perfectly answered the purpose of the French exhibitors, why should they put themselves out of the way for the sake of the semi-barbarous peoples beyond the Rhine? Since then the French have received a lesson severe enough to cure them for many a day of this national tendency to arrogance.

A few words now as to the magnificent collection of pictures. England had an advantage here over foreign countries; for, whereas it was allowable to exhibit any English picture painted within the century previous to the opening of the Exhibition - and, in fact, the best part of the collection did date from the last century, - the foreign collection included, with but trifling exceptions, none but works by living artists. Six thousand works of art, exclusive of sculpture, were displayed in these galleries. Such a gathering of the masterpieces of our best artists - Reynolds, Gainsborough, Wilson, and Hogarth - was never seen before. Who that had the good fortune to be present there could ever forget how the inimitable "Blue Boy" of Gainsborough seemed to light up one end of the gallery - how the lovely Duchess of Devonshire smiled and coquetted from the canvas of Reynolds - how satire, humour, and earnest purpose seemed to contend for the mastery in those wonderful serial pictures of Hogarth? The Pre-Raphaelite school, and all the more eminent living or recently deceased artists, with the exception of J. M. W. Turner, were well represented.

Oddly enough, the first case that was received and opened for the Exhibition of 1862 came from Africa, a continent not accustomed to take the lead in the industrial race, or in the march of humanity. This was from the free negro settlement of Liberia, and consisted of specimens of palm and other oils, native woods, &c.

The productions of the British colonies occupied a considerable area near the eastern dome, and were exceedingly interesting, especially those from Australia and New Zealand, in the curiosities from which there was a large native element which gave a piquant and peculiar character to the display.

The Exhibition was closed on the 1st of November, having been open for the period of six months. Yet vast as were the multitudes that daily thronged it, the concourse of visitors did not quite come up to the number in 1851. The total number was found to have been 6,117,450, about 50,000 under the gross number of visitors to the Exhibition of 1851.