Near the very middle of the building, close by the crystal fountain, there are the splendid iron gates from Coalbrookdale, which look very magnificent. I fancy Samson would find it rather a difficult matter trying to bear off _these_ gates on his back, strong as he was. Close by these gates there is a gigantic statue of our good Queen, on horseback, which towers high over our heads; and she sits smiling at us as if she could see us looking so delighted. There are several gigantic things at the Exhibition. Here, for one, is a monster cake, covered with the most superb ornaments; it is four feet high, and weighs about two-hundred and twenty-five pounds. Yonder is another monster contribution, an immense map of the busy city of Manchester; and there is a huge railway carriage; and still further on, there is an iron wire, one mile long. At a little distance stands a magnificent bed and bedstead, fit for the Queen to sleep in. It came from Edinburgh, and is made mostly of materials which can be produced in Scotland. And in this direction, we can see a set of beautiful mantelpieces and fenders, from Sheffield, all decorated in the most elegant manner. The first mantelpiece we must look at is made of cast-iron; the mouldings of the cornice are richly ornamented, and supported by little pillars covered with graceful wreaths of oak-leaves, while the freize is adorned with a cluster of rich fruit. The next mantelpiece is painted white and gold, and has a burnished steel grate; while the third is painted blue and gold, and has a stove made on a new plan, for it is managed so that its own brightness shall help to throw out the heat of the fire in an equal and agreeable manner. The fourth and last mantelpiece is painted black, and ornamented with ormolu; it contains a polished steel stove. Three ormolu fenders, and five bright ones are placed together with the mantelpieces; and they certainly make a goodly show. But we must now leave them, and go on to see some other wonders. Here are several most beautiful loo-tables inlaid, and they seem to attract a good deal of attention from more than us. You look a little puzzled at the word _inlaid_; I think I must explain it to you, by telling you that it means pieces of different material let into a piece of furniture to ornament it. There are numerous models of various buildings in the Crystal Palace; those of York Cathedral, and Chance's Lighthouse, are particularly well made. There is also a model of the Britannia Tubular Bridge; and there are models of many of the fine public works of London. Here is a pair of scissors made in Sheffield, and ornamented in the most beautiful way, with a crown for a handle; and yonder are a pair of cotton stockings from Ireland, spun so fine that they look exactly like silk, and indeed you would be likely to mistake them for silk, if you were not told they were merely cotton.