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The London industrial exhibition has, therefore, bestowed attention to all departments of trade, and, in consequence, also to printing; it has given all the industrial parties of the globe an opportunity of publicly exhibiting the productions of their industry.
The imperial institution that is confided to my direction has also obeyed this honorable call — and I may say it unhesitatingly, with a feeling of joy, although there was some fear that a comparison of our productions with those of the exhibitors of other countries might cause a very serious moment of criticism.
But the final result turned out to be more favorable than I thought. The jury bestowed in the XVII. class for "graphical arts" only one council-medal, and that one to the imperial Court and Government printing-office at Vienna alone. This distinction was so much the more honorable, as English and French jurymen had the most decided share in the distribution of the prizes. However, the reason of this happy result, though it came unexpected, is very near at hand: in all other printing establishments the graphic arts are each carried on separately, but all together are not nursed in any other establishment within or without Europe.
I tried to carry out the original idea of representing the whole department of graphic art with the different productions of the imperial printing-office, and I take herewith the liberty of presenting to this honorable meeting, by means of this apparatus, a part of the objects exhibited at London; this apparatus has the peculiar quality, that if it is closely examined, more knowledge may be derived from such an examination in a very short time, than could otherwise be obtained by the study of many months.
In the first and second drawers of this chest are specimens of printing and the letter specimens in 4 folio volumes. namely, —
