ned, His Royal
Highness proposed the holding of a great Exhibition which should meet
the new needs of the time as his father's had done in 1851. Then, the
interests of British trade were cosmopolitan and Colonial development
slight and unimportant to the immediate concerns of England. Now,
British commerce was contracting with foreign countries and steadily
growing with British countries. Hence the new Exhibition should, he
thought, be confined to British resources and products and be Imperial
instead of international.

On November 10th, 1884, the Queen issued a Royal Commission to arrange
for the holding of an Exhibition of the products, manufactures and arts
of Her Majesty's Colonial and Indian dominions in the year 1886. The
Prince of Wales was to be President and Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen,
Secretary, of the Commission. The first meeting took place at
Marlborough House on March 30th, 1885, with His Royal Highness in the
chair. Amongst the members present were F. M. the Duke of Cambridge, the
Marquess of Salisbury, the Marquess of Lorne, the Earl of Derby, the
Earl of Dalhousie, Earl Cadogan, the Earl of Kimberley, the Earl of
Lytton, F. M. Lord Strathnairn, Mr. Edward Stanhope, Sir Stafford
Northcote, Mr. W. E. Forster, Sir M. E. Hicks-Beach, Sir H. T. Holland,
Sir John Rose, Sir R. G. W. Herbert, Sir Charles Tupper of Canada, Sir
Arthur Blyth of South Australia, Sir F. D. Bell of New Zealand, Sir Saul
Samuel of New South Wales, Mr. Charles Mills of Cape Colony, Mr. R.
Murray Smith of Victoria, Mr. James F. Garrick of Queensland, Sir W. C.
Seargeant, Sir G. C. M. Birdwood and many other distinguished
representatives of British, Colonial and Indian interests. In the course
of his somewhat lengthy speech detailing the objects of the movement and
the methods of operation, the Prince described the proposed Exhibition
as one by which the "reproductive resources" of the Colonies and India
would be brought before the British people and the different countries
concerned be able to "compare the advance made by each other in trade,
manufactures and general material progress". He pointed out the desire
of the Motherland to participate in the development of Colonial material
interests and then added: "We must remember that, as regards the
Colonies, they are the legitimate and natural homes, in future, of the
more adventurous and energetic portion of the population of these
Islands."

The Secretary announced that the preliminary