It is particularly gratifying to me to be one of the earliest to read a paper in this building which is destined, I believe, for a period to which no limit can be set, to hold the records of the advancement and unity of a great nation. No happier idea than the Institute could have been devised for impressing on future generations a sense of the extent to which the Queen Empress has endeared herself to her people. Situated at the very heart of the Empire, in the greatest and most populous city the world has probably ever known, the Imperial Institute holds out a welcome hand to every possession of the Crown. It is too early yet to even imagine all the services the Institute may render in the future, but I venture to express the hope that it will continue to be an enduring symbol of the unity of many countries combined into one nation—great and powerful, not only or chiefly because of its wealth, but because of the freedom and happiness of its people. Already the usefulness of the Institute to particular Colonies has been made manifest. The exhibits from New Zealand have attracted considerable attention from a large number of visitors. The Colony will be able from time to time to give fresh evidences of its resources, and of the progress of its development. The Colonists will benefit by the impetus which a knowledge of the Colony's capabilities will give to the influx of suitable population and of capital available for industrial investments. In course of time this splendid building will probably become a pocket edition of the whole Empire. I venture to think that the small cost to the various dominions will be many times paid by the results.