SINCE the great International Exhibition of 1851, promoted by the late lamented and ever-to-be-remembered PRINCE Conr- SORT, and carried to a successful termina- tion under his auspices, there have been many such exhibitions in this and other countries. All of them have been of the most interesting and beneficial cha- racter, bringing together for comparison, imitation, and acquirement of useful know- ledge, the various natural products and manufactures of the world, for the mutual benefit of all civilized nations.

But, besides these great displays, there have been intermediate technical exhibi- tions, confined to a specific subject, such as the late highly interesting Electric Exhibitions at Paris and London, and that held in April last at the Agricultural Hall, in London, mainly of articles de- signed to save or preserve human life.

Amongst the most interesting and use- ful of this class of Exhibitions have been the International Fisheries Exhibition at Berlin, in 1880, the National Fisheries Exhibition at Norwich, in 1881, and that at Edinburgh in the present year.

So great indeed was the public interest felt in the Norwich Exhibition, that those gentlemen who had taken an active part in organising and carrying it out—promi- nent amongst whom was Mr. EDWARD BIRKBECK, M.P. for North Norfolk—de- cided at a private meeting to exert them- selves to bring about a "Great Interna- tional Fisheries Exhibition " in London.

The immediate result of that decision was that a large and influential meeting was held at Fishmongers' Hall in August, 1881, presided over by the MARQUIS OF EXETER, at -which it was resolved that such an exhibition would be of the greatest benefit and importance to fishing indus- tries throughout the world; a General and an Executive Committee were formed. Her Majesty THE QUEEN graciously consented to give her name as Patron; H.B.H. the PRINCE of WALES accepted the office of President; and their Royal Highnesses the DUKES of EDINBURGH, CONNAUGHT, ALBANY, PRINCE CHRISTIAN, H.S.H. the DUKE of TECK, and also the leading members of the present and late Govern- ments, and many other influential noble- men and gentlemen were nominated Vice- Presidents.

Subsequently, after bestowing long and anxious consideration, and with the assist- ance of leading scientific men, the Com- mittee arranged the prospectus of the proposed Exhibition, classifying the vari- ous objects to be included in.it, "com- prising everything illustrative of sea and fresh-water fisheries; the preparation, pre- servation, and utilisation of fish ; fish culture; the natural history of fish, and literature connected with fishing;" and another department having relation to the economic condition of fishermen.

It was further decided to give prizes on important subjects connected with fishing, and, with a view to turn the  Exhibition to practical account, to hole conferences for the purpose of reading and discussing subjects specially con- nected with the fishing industries.

Finally, it was decided that the Ex- hibition should be opened on the 1st May, 1883.

The next step was to hold a public meeting in London to elicit the approval interest, and pecuniary aid of the authori- ties, public bodies, and general public of the metropolis. Accordingly, on the 27th of February last an influential public meeting was held at Willis's Rooms, pre- sided over by H.R.H. the PRINCE of WALES supported by the DUKES of EDINBURGH and TECK, some leading members of the Cabinet and Government, most of the ambassadors and other representatives o: foreign countries, by the LORD MAYOR and Civic Authorities, and by a large number of noblemen and other influential persons.

At this meeting many interesting statements were made illustrative 01 the magnitude and importance of the fisheries of the United Kingdom. Amongst others, it was stated in the Report of the Committee, read to the meeting by its Chairman, the DUKE of RICHMOND and GORDON, that, at the lowest calculation, 550,000 tons of fish are annually taken in British waters by our own fishermen; that, according to Professor Huxley, 3,000,000,000 of herrings are annually taken in the North Sea alone; that 130,629 tons of fish were delivered in Billingsgate Market in one year; and that the fisheries of the United Kingdom are carried on by about 35,000 boats and vessels, giving employment to no -less than 110,000 people afloat. Illustrative of the general interest taken in all relat- ing to fish, it was stated that no less than 483,000 persons visited the Berlin Ex- hibition in ten weeks, and 70,000 the Provincial Exhibition at Norwich in three weeks. Nor is it to be wondered at, that so much interest should be felt in the subject. Apart from the great value of fish as a nutritive and wholesome article of food, the great mysterious ocean in which, with the exception of the compara- tively few fresh-water fish, they live, has from the earliest times possessed a charm in the eyes of man. It was as it were, of old, another and an unknown world to him.

The creatures it contained could not exist for even a few minutes in his world, breathing the air he breathed, neither could he for even as long a time inhale the saline fluid, which to them was as the breath of life. It was to him a dread abyss, from which none returned who once descended to its unfathomable depths. He had seen some of the monsters that dwelt in it, the whale, and probably the shark, the alligator and crocodile in its tributary rivers, and possibly some now extinct species, and in imagination he even lo- cated in it some of his deities who ruled the world of waters, as others did the earth and air. Even almost to the pre- sent day civilized people have credited accounts of sea-nymphs or mer-maids and mer-men; but, although the discoveries of science and advancement of general know- ledge have dissipated all such preposterous beliefs, the sea still possesses a mystery and charm of its own to many minds, in- dependently of the incalculable services of which it is the medium for the benefit of man.

In treating, however, of the advantages of such an Exhibition as the one now determined on, and in advocating its patronage by all classes of the public, we have to take a practical, rather than a sentimental, view of the question.

What then are the advantages likely to be derived from an International Fisheries Exhibition? 1. In common with all International Exhibitions, the promotion of amity and friendship between the people of different nations, for, without indulging in the Utopian illusion that they are likely to alter human nature and result in uni- versal peace, we may feel assured that .hey tend to dissipate existing prejudices and animosities between different races and peoples, by bringing them together n the pursuit of a common useful object, and affording opportunities for the exer- cise of mutual courtesies, as well as peace- ful commercial intercourse.

2. The acquirement of knowledge of all that has been learned by other nations on the special object of the Exhibition, in this instance of the fisheries of the world; of all pertaining to fish, and the means by which they are captured; to fishermen, their boats and nets, and lines and bait, and their skilful use. And we shall be sure to find that if in some matters we are pre-eminent, there are some whereon we have much to learn from other countries.

8. Possibly, some enlightenment on the vital question, whether or not the sea is over-fished, or if the re-production of fish, in excess of consumption, is being gradu- ally diminished by injudicious fishing at wrong seasons, or by the wholesale de- struction of spawn or of young fish before large enough to be of edible .value, and as to what steps, if any, might be practicable to remedy the existing evil if found to exist.

4. The dissemination of all that experi- ence has taught as to the lengthened and varied .modes of preservation of fish as food after capture, and of the transfer to and acclimatization of living fish in the seas and inland waters where they have not previously existed.

5. To learn if anything more can be done than has already been done to render the avocation of a fisherman less perilous than it has hitherto been, and to reduce the number of widows and orphans in the fishing villages of our coast, which is aug- mented by well nigh every winter's gale.

In this last question the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION is specially in- terested. Apart from its falling within its own sphere of operations, the saving of life on our coasts, the Institution is specially interested in the lives of our fishing population, as by far the greater number of its life-boats are manned by fishermen, who skilfully work them, and fearlessly risk their own lives in the humane, but perilous service, and it must ever therefore take a lively interest, in all that concerns their welfare.

Some twelve years ago the Institution was happily instrumental in introducing a general improvement in the fishing boats of the east coast of Scotland, by placing on it four sample semi-decked boats, which, when caught in gales of wind at a distance from the land, could be temporarily hatched over and battened down, and thereby rendered as safe as a decked vessel; and such boats are now in general use on that coast.

Hoping to further promote the safety of our fishermen, the Institution has now undertaken to provide the master or owner of every fishing vessel engaged at long dis- tances from the land with a good aneroid barometer at less than half its wholesale cost, which the Committee of the Institu- tion think, by warning them of approach- ing gales, might often be the means of their reaching ports of safety before too late, and thus be instrumental in saving their lives.

In conclusion, we have only to express our gratification at the prospect of so in- valuable an Exhibition being held, and the hope that it may be as highly appre- ciated and supported by the British public as it deserves.

We may add that the Exhibition is to be held at the Horticultural Gardens, South Kensington.