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4 INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1876. our art-industries, as the first World's Fair improved those of Great Britain. Having thus alluded to some of the important bearings which In ternational Exhibitions have on modern progress, and before consid ering the architectural exhibits contained in the various buildings, a few words about the locality and the buildings themselves may not be amiss. The Exhibition grounds in Fairmount Park, which possess the most striking natural advantages, comprise about 240 acres, and are on an elevated plateau traversed by two small streams flowing into the Schuylkill River. This admirably-adapted site, well wooded and picturesque, has rather the form of an irregular, equilateral triangle, the south side of which is occupied by the Main Building and Ma chinery Hall, while Memorial, Horticultural, and Agricultural Halls are on the north side, with the Women’s Pavilion, the United States Government Building, and most of the State buildings grouped to wards the northwest. Interspersed among these are about two hun dred structures, comprising Commissioners’ buildings, those for the special exhibits, cafes, restaurants, bazaars, etc. The grounds are tastefully laid out as a landscape garden, with asphalted roads and walks following the natural contour of the land. A few broad, straight avenues, furnishing a more direct communication between the most important points, are wisely introduced, and form a grand and noble feature; while, on account of the vast extent of the grounds and the great distance between the buildings, a novel feature, that of a passen ger railway running in close proximity to the principal buildings, has been introduced. The Exhibition buildings, with few exceptions, are well adapted to their various purposes, and are appropriate in design and neatly exe cuted. It is to be regretted, however, that more attention was not paid to the various structures erected by the different States and by special exhibitors. With the exception of a few typical structures,— mostly erected by foreign nations,—little can be said in commenda tion in fact, the great majority are beneath criticism, architecturally considered, whereas a proper attention to this important subject would have added much to the exterior beauty of the Exhibition. Without entering into minute details of the various buildings of the Exhibition, a few general remarks may not here be inappropriate. The Main Exhibition Building is parallelogram in form, and covers an area of more than 20 acres. It is 1880 feet long, 464 feet wide, and 70 feet high, and was erected in about eighteen months, at a cost of $1,580,000. The principal nave, 120 feet wide, extends between