A Special Centennial Exposition Number. As the great Exhibition opens on the 10th of May, we have thought we should devote our May number largely to Centennial matter. We believe our Centennial pages, twenty-six in number, will be found to contain many items interesting independently of their connection with the Exhibition. Some of the facts and even some of the engravings have before' appeared in our pages; but the necessity or at least the desirability of repeating these in giving a comprehensive exhibit of the Exhibition is so obvious that we deem an apology scarcely demanded. We propose to continue our notice of points of interest in the City, in the Park, and in the Centennial Grounds, in our June number, giving perhaps a dozen or sixteen pages, and trust we shall be able to make this department interesting and profitable to our readers generally.

Our July Monthly. We have a number of valuable papers in hand soon to appear, from some of our most esteemed contributors; among these there are three which we propose to give in the July MONTHLY, viz., one on "Thomas Jefferson," one on The Immortal Five," and one on Patrick Henry (the last written at our urgent request by the great patriot-orator's eminent grandson, William Wirt Henry); besides these, Dr. Lossing's paper of the "Historic Buildings" series, is to treat of Independence Hall"— now, to make the set, so to speak, complete, we should very much like a "History of the Fair Copy' of the Declaration," we mean of the document preserved at Washington; we have seen essays in this direction, ut they have been weak and unsatisfactory, and we believe an exact and accurate history of that "fair copy," such as some of our careful writers (for instance, Mr. At Lee, Mr. Saffell, and others whom we could name) could prepare, would be prized by all of our readers.

Where lies the Source?-Who is Responsible?— The people of the United States have lately been startled by sad news from the National Capital. We have long been sally familiarized with rascality in lower circles of public life. State, County and City scamps are no longer able to create a ripple even in the small streams of local channels, while the peculations of the lower grades of officials in the various branches of the National service no longer disturb the placid surface of the great stream of National politics. Larger fish are coming to the surface, betrayed by long im munity and augmented greed into a degree of audacity that verifies the old maxim, that "whom the gods would destroy they first make mad;" for their audacity and foolhardiness is evidently a species of madness. When the Tweeds, the Warmouths, the Cardozas, the various specimens of Southern "scalawag” thieves, and the myriads of local scoundrels in almost all sections of our country, are one by one, indeed sometimes in shoals, caught up in the great net of "investigation," and so now, when the "crooked whiskey" school

are caught, and the Babcocks and Belknaps are exposed on the beach, there is a universal hue and cry-every one, except those detected and exposed, is now honest and must attest that honesty by joining in the outcry. There is a general disposition, too, to make this outcry partisan-to denounce not the criminals alone, but all of their respective political party associates. In New York and other quarters where the detected rascals are of the Democratic persuasion, behold the righteous Republicans horror-struck at the marvelous perfidy, not of the Tweed genus, but of the Democratic Party; in the Southern States where the detected rascals are chiefly of the Republican name, behold the righteous Democrats horror-struck at the marvelous perfidy, not of the "scalawag" genus, but of the Republican Party. So, too, in the case of the National scoundrels recently, exposed, we find the same partisan efforts to make, nay to steal, party capital.

But let us look calmly at the sad truths of the whole sad story, and we shall see it is not a party matter in any of the cases. The thieves are not all Republicans and they are not all Democrats; the thieves are not thieves because they call themselves by the one or by the other party name. "A rose by any other name will smell as sweet," and a thief has the same savor call him by what epithet you may.

We must look elsewhere than in party affiliations for the source of these public plunders and defalcations; we must look deeper than we are in the habit of looking.

The AMERICAN MONTHLY is a strictly non-partisan pub. lication, devoted especially to the promotion of true American sentiments and principles, and the advancement of the best interests of our Nation, its institutions and its citizens; as such we propose to attempt to apply the microscope of close criticism to this growing cancer of public vice—to lay bare its diagnosis, and to ask the people to apply the remedy. We cannot do this in one number, and shall not even enter upon the task in this number, beyond the general statement that we believe that the source lies neither with the Repub. lican nor the Democratic Party-that neither is responsible for the terrible condition of official depravity that is bringing reproach upon our Republic and her institutions: and farther that the true source is the people and that the people are responsible-you and we, dear readers, must be prepared to accept our proposition of this responsibility.

The approaching Presidential Election.-In years agone, we have been wont to have an excitement of feverheat intensity months before the meetings of the party conventions to present candidates for President and Vice President, but here we are on the very eve of these delectable assemblages of political Savants (June 14, Republican; June 27, Democratic), and none but "the leaders" of the respec. tive parties appear to care. Does not this indicate a healthy tendency on the part of the people? are the people not finding how worthless for good politicians are? We believe that

the interior, and as easily obtained the use of the chateau of St. Cloud. Here the floors were covered with superb carpets from the Savonnerie, the walls were hung with Gobelin tapestries, and the saloons and halls were adorned with the finest specimens of Sevres porcelain. At this exhibition, a plan was formed by which a fund could be raised for the benefit of the workmen. A decree of the directory frustrated this plan. The decree banished all the nobility from Paris. The Marquis was among those who were compelled to leave. Although this, the first French Industrial Exhibition was strangled at its birth, the idea had become a public one, and it was not lost. The spirit of nationality soon found inducement to further exertion. The Marquis returned after a time, and in 1798, made preparations for his second collection, locating it in the Maison D'Orsay in the Rue de Varennes. Thousands visited it and found not only products from the three departments above named but beautiful specimens of furniture, marqueterie, clocks,

Industrial Exhibitions of the Past.-The present is a most favorable time for retrospect relative to Industrial Exhibitions. Industry was first made the basis of popular exhibition during the stormy period of the French Revolution at a time when the bonds of society seemed to be snapped asunder, and eminent peril surrounded all the institutions of that country. At this period and, in fact, for years prior to it, three departments of manufactories in France had been under the especial rule and guidance of the government, viz., the porcelain works of Sevres, the tapestry works of the Gobelins, and the carpet works of the Savonnerie. In 1797 the French Directory appointed the Marquis d'Aveze, as Commissioner for these national establishments. He found them in a wretched condition, the operatives reduced to penury, and proofs were abundant that neither the government care nor government funds had been extended towards these exhibitions during the tumult that had marked the infancy of the Republic. He it was who conceived the idea that a new and freshened energy could be given these departments by forming a public exhibition of their products. He readily obtained the sanction of the minister of

YLON-SMITH F

many departments of manufacture. Such was the third, and the tre strictly national, where the expense was bene by the State. Then the government determined to make them annual, and to admit provincial towns w equality with Paris in respect to specimens admitted. This ve

not fully carried out, i the second did not occur until 1801.

This one, under the supervision of the Firs Consul, was held in the great quadrangle of the Louvre which was fitted up with gal leries for that purp It was marked by the excellence of its wo!

ens, cottons, carpes, fancy leathers and prin ing, and it was men

These were preliminary expositions, but they were speedily followed by others more formally under the direction of the government. When Napoleon returned flushed with victory, from his Italian cam

Jacquard. in answer to an offer from the Society of Arts, of England, of a prize for the invention of a loom for wear ing fish-nets, Jacquard produced a machine and won the prize.

paign, with visions of Roman triumph in his

mind, he bethought of a

Temple of Industry as a worthy pendant to the Temple of Glory, and such a Temple was erect ed in the Champ de Mars in 1798, with many advantages to manufactures and productions. This exhibition was open only three days, but the Parisians went fairly wild over it.

The jury system was established, and among the nine jurymen we find such men as Molard, Chaplat and Berthard. Among the exhibitors and prize holders, such men as Lenoir, Clouit, Payen and Brequet, men of great celebrity in

This second exhibition was open six days, and counted 229 exhibitors, against 119 in its predecessor. Sixty medals were distributed.

In 1802, the third National Exposition was held. The days were seven and the num

ber of exhibitors 540, to whom 224 medals were distributed.

From this came the establishment of the Societe de' Encouragement, a kind of society of arts, which has rendered much important service to French manufactures.

The fourth exhibition of 1806 was held when Napoleon had become a king-maker. A building was erected on the Esplanade des Invalides, and the exposition lasted twenty-four days, had 1,550 exhibitors, and distributed 650 medals. The distinguishing feature of this exposition was the great variety of textile goods, printed cottons, silk and thread lace, blonde, cloth, shawls, etc., steel and iron were also represented.

There was a long interval between this and the fifth exposition, which was held in 1819, in the court of the Louvre. The wars of Napoleon drew

to include products of the spun as well as the thrown material; mixed silk and wool had come into use. Cotton printing was general, and the making of paper in endless sheets a conquest of steam power. In the interval between