THE GREAT INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES EXHIBITION.
Her Majesty the Queen has appointed the 12th of May for the opening of the International Fisheries Exhibition, which an influential and energetic committee, under the active presidency of the Prince of Wales, had developed to a magnitude undreamt of by those concerned in its early beginnings.
The idea of an international Fisheries Exhibition arose out of the success of the show of British fishery held at Norwich a short time ago; and the president and executive of the latter formed the nucleus of the far more powerful body by whom the present enterprise has been brought about.
The plan of the buildings embraces the whole of the twenty-two acres of the Horticultural Gardens; the upper half, left in its usual state of cultivation, will form a pleasant lounge and resting place for visitors in the intervals of their study of the collections. This element of garden accommodation was one of the most attractive features at the Paris Exhibition of 1878.
As the plan of the buildings is straggling and extended, and widely separates the classes, the most convenient mode of seeing the show will probably be found by going through the surrounding buildings first, and then taking the annexes as they occur.
THE INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES EXHIBITION, LONDON.
BLOCK PLAN.--A, Switzerland; B, Isle of Man; C, Bahamas and W.I. Islands; D, Hawaii; E, Poland; F, Portugal;
G, Austria; H, Germany; I, France; J, Italy; K, Greece; L, China; M, India and Ceylon; N, Straits Settlements;
O, Japan; P, Tasmania; Q, New South Wales.--Scale 200 feet to the inch.
On entering the main doors in the Exhibition Road, we pass through the Vestibule to the Council Room of the Royal Horticultural Society, which has been decorated for the reception of marine paintings, river subjects, and fish pictures of all sorts, by modern artists.
Leaving the Fine Arts behind, the principal building of the Exhibition is before us--that devoted to the deep sea fisheries of Great Britain. It is a handsome wooden structure, 750 feet in length, 50 feet wide, and 30 feet at its greatest height. The model of this, as well as of the other temporary wooden buildings, is the same as that of the annexes of the great Exhibition of 1862.
On our left are the Dining Rooms with the kitchens in the rear. The third room, set apart for cheap fish dinners (one of the features of the Exhibition), is to be decorated at the expense of the Baroness Burdett Coutts, and its walls are to be hung with pictures lent by the Fishmongers' Company, who have also furnished the requisite chairs and tables, and have made arrangements for a daily supply of cheap fish, while almost everything necessary to its maintenance (forks, spoons, table-linen, etc.) will be lent by various firms.