Majesty.

Mr. Paxton has publicly stated, that his design for the Crystal Palace
originated in consequence of his having planned the house in which was
grown the first specimen of this gigantic plant at Chatsworth. Thus its
name will be immortalized in connexion with that of the Exhibition till
time immemorial. I think it may be justly denominated an emblem of
strength and power.

Before I entirely leave this subject, I cannot resist alluding to the
circumstance of my withdrawing works of great magnitude (and which I had
purposely prepared for competition), from the late great Exhibition. It
is due also to the gentlemen who formed the executive committee that a
true statement should be made respecting their exclusion. A rumour
having been circulated that they (the gentlemen of the executive
committee), refused to give me adequate space, I am anxious to repudiate
such statements, and to acknowledge that some of my best patronesses
previously to the opening of the Great Exhibition, and since that
period, have been various members of the families of those gentlemen and
the Royal commissioners. Ample space was allotted to me in the gallery,
and it was considered that as other wax flowers were to be arranged
there, mine would not suffer more than the rest; but the gentleman, and
I believe the only person who had anything to do with the arrangement of
mine, was Mr. Owen Jones. I acquit this gentleman of any invidious
feeling towards me, but can only regret that he did not personally
inspect my works. If he had, I feel persuaded he would have been amazed
at their magnitude and the bulk of labour executed by myself unassisted.
As it is, it is more than probable that I suffer in the opinion of some,
to the effect that I showed some degree of "temper" or obstinacy in
withdrawing them.

I am likewise anxious that it should be known that it was not the heat
of the gallery entirely that intimidated me. My plates of bent glass
were much larger than any in the Crystal Palace, and the groups were
arranged upon thirty hundred weight of stone. The whole formed such a
huge mass that it was deemed by scientific men to be impracticable to be
elevated to the gallery, without jeopardising what had been produced by
me by intense labour and profuse expense. The truth of this statement
can be testified by an examination of the works, which may be viewed
daily at my residence from ten till five o'clock (gratuitously). They
have already been i