INTRODUCTION 
extensive areas embraced by the British empire, but this want is met 
more or less in other ways. First, the self-governing portions of the 
empire maintain representatives under various titles, who make it part 
of their business to disseminate information likely to promote trade 
between the mother country and the dominions which they represent. 
Then, in the case of the other parts of the empire, the Colonial Office 
issues from time to time reports similar in their content to those received 
from consuls in foreign countries. Thirdly, in recent years the home 
government has appointed trade commissioners to various parts of the 
world, including those belonging to the empire. 
83. The establishment of chambers of commerce, or voluntary 
associations of merchants in different localities, is now almost universal, 
and similar chambers are now getting established by merchants of 
different countries in foreign cities where a large amount of business 
is conducted. It isin keeping with modern tendencies that an Associa- 
tion of British Chambers of Commerce and an International Chamber 
of Commerce have now been formed. 
34. Another method of promoting national commerce now coming 
into more and more general use all the world over is the establishment 
of commercial libraries and museums, the nature of which will be under- 
stood from an account of one of the largest and best institutions of 
the kind in Europe. That referred to is the State Commercial Museum 
at Brussels, the first of severalerected in Belgium with the aim of furnish- 
ing Belgian manufacturers with the means of practically learning the 
articles of commerce preferred in various foreign countries, and the 
conditions under which such articles can be profitably exported.” The 
collection of articles exhibited in the museum has been selected with 
three objects: *1, exportation ; 2, importation ; 3, packing and pre- 
paration of samples’! ‘The classification adopted is not geographical, 
but by similarity of produce, apart from nationality. That is to say, 
that all goods of similar type (say linings) are juxtaposed, in order that 
manufacturer, merchant, buyer, and workman may compare the 
material, skill in weaving, price, dye, finish, and make-up of the 
merchandise of different nationalities. A manufacturer, say of 
blankets, is thus enabled to confine his inquiries concerning these 
bextiles, and if he wishes for information in relation to them he rings an 
electric bell fixed in the case, which intimates to the attendant both who 
has called for his services, and the register which will be required. The 
numbers on the patterns correspond throughout with the registers 
containing data as to origin, price, duty, carriage, packing, season of 
sale, as also with the catalogue and the duplicates from which cuttings, 
for imitation, can be obtained.’? Exhibitions are a kind of temporary 
commercial museum, and floating exhibitions intended to convey 
samples of a country’s commodities to various stations in distant 
i2 
' Cons. Rep., Ann. Ser. 76, p. 20. 
! Lond. Chamb. of Com. Journ. 1886, Oct. Supp. p. 10.