The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-04-02 00:00:00

THE PARIS PitHIBITION.

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The opening of the French International
Exhibition has created but little interest, for it
appears that at present the *so., in woman's
phrase, "It not late be seen," nor likely to be
so for 1031130 weeks to come, on account of th

unexpected backward condition of all the arrazi,
manta But the Exhibition bolding in the
Champs de More is universally characterised as
ugly beyond belief, and singularly enough, even
its rut site goes for nothing, to take off the
fearful effect of its excessive plainness on the
spectator. The Frent& th'emsePrea adnilt that
nothing could possibly be uglier. It resembles
an enormous gasometer, enclosing a series of
smaller gasometers, with a circular garden in the
common centre. From this centre roads and
avenues diverge to the circumferenee, like the
spokes of a wheel or the cross-threads of a spiders
web. In each of the circular compartments
thus formed and intersected certain departments
of indestry will find their plaoe, and this principle
of arrangement, excellent in its way, has
determined the form of the building. The
architect alleges that it will answer its main
purposes better than any other structure could
do, and with that success he is oontent. The
Emperor, it is said, even jokes on the ugliness
of the building; bui it is worse than ugly; it is
doubtful whether it is reasonably safe from fire.
The "big gasometer," as the Emperor himself
calls it, is constructed as if on purpose to burn
its contents; the insurance offices fight shy of it,
and some great exhibitors are frightened. The
danger seems to be of tho gravest kind, so grave
as to afford a hope that its very imminence will
make the authorities as careful so they are in a '
powder magasine. Lights, Cigars, and hob-
nailed shoes, ought all to be equally and
absolutely forbidden. The size of the building
is it:lmams., twice as large as the Kensington
Palace, and it cost an enormous sum, the
building and park not less then ten millions
of francs, and certainly two millions more
will be spent before all is done, making
little short of £500,000 sterling in all. This
large sum was raised by a grant of £240 000
from the State and •grant from the Munic.pslity
of Paris, and, in addition, a guarantee fund of
£480,000 was raised in th'e usual manner by
private anbeertption, Not a penny of the latter
sure has been called for, nor will it be • but, as
matte of counts, the money given by the Stste
and the Municipality has been spent to the last
farthing, and, to do every one Justice, none
seemed to have expected a different result
About £20,000 or £30,000 more will be raised
on the faith of the guarantee fund, and this will
cover the expense. Now as to the re-payments.
Profits there can never be from the reeeipta of
the building. Judging from our own and other
similar displays, they are not likely to amount
to more than £300,000. The prospect is that
re the will be no end of squabbles a ut money
matters and other things connected with the
international charaeter of the affair. The foreign
Commissioners are said to have formed a very
poor idea of the principles of the French admini-
stration. They do not scruple to say that it
was something like an international swindle for
the French Commissioners to invite the whole
world to contribute to their show, and then
compel every country to build ita own portion
of the exhibition building. That's what their
conduct amounts to. A roof and space are given
to England, and the other foreign countries ex-
hibiting; but they have been obliged to pay for
their own flooring, and to build all the
"annexes" in which they are to display
machinery. The official demand did not even
stop at that, for they were °Hared to contribute
to the establishment of "the park," which is to
be such a model of French taste; and the Commis-
sioners had the aleurance) as well as the mean-
ness, to propose that we should help to make
the new roads from the Seine to the Champs de
Mars. More than that, they endeavoured to
throw upon persons sending over their pictures
and statuary the expense of all the requirements
in connection with hanging, &c. Almost
worst of all, the time necessary for the
. . . . .

work has been entirely miscalculated, or the
means applied have utterly failed The in-
completeness of the exhibition arrangements
will, of course, keep away English visitors
for some time to come, and it seems that the
projectors of excursions 'on what may be called
the "tourist gang system," are in despair at the
very small fruit their advtirtisementh have yet
borne. Our metropolis will, no doubt, loee a
few thousands of its fashionable and unfsahion.
able residents during the early summer, but in
compensation many provincials will be pa-sing
through it, and it will receive not a few of the
American visitors to Paris desiring to see the
"old country" before they return home. Many
thousands of visitors will come to Paris from the
United titian tiering the summer, if the steam-
ship companies have not miscalculated. The
Gress Eastern alone is fitted to ccrry more than
three thousand on each voyage; and it is to be
hoped that the big ship will get her full com-
plement of passengers and bring them over in
safety and comfort, notwithstanding the fatal
accident in weighing her &inhere in the Mersey
the other day. whirh superstitious people might
take as an Coil omen.