The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-06 00:00:00

were superior. It must be admitted that amidst oho
striking sad noble qualities oftho labouring men of England
there was a slight deficiency in that polish, and those
esthetic qualifications which refined the character of some
nations of the continent. It was not true according to
the representation of the Englishman in the 1- reach
vaudeville, that they went about with bulldogs at their
heels and halters round their wire.' treks —Claud laughter)
—but still they must admit that that popular exaggeration
was founded upon some taint and reunite degree of veri-
similitude. (Hear, hear.) It must he admitted, then, that
if they could furnish the masses of the people with a rather
more refined and ennobling recreation than they could lied
on Windmill bill or at Greenwich fair, or, wove tibia
either, in the gin palace, they would have gone a great
towards advancing to perfection the characterof the Enable
nation. (Hear, hear.) The character of the nation had even
in his recolketion ;mule great advances, more especially
among the labouring classes, and he believed the time had
now come when the gentlemen of England meat look to
themselves if they wished to keep their places—(mar,
hear)—if they wanted to keep in advance in all the gush,
ties that went to make th, perfect Englishman. (Cheers.)
Ile had no doubt but that th. y would dose, and that, what
elevating the character of the masses, they sheath( ace the
aristocracy elevating themselves to still greater heights sad
more intellectual refinements. (Cheers.) It apiaared to
him that the true doctrine of equality was, not dreggiag
down the high tri the level of the low, but elevating the low
'to tho level of the high. (Loud cheers.) Au to the
means of recreation, the whale question depended
Use t, us ptation they could hold out to those cla.sid to Viet
the palace. As regarded the temptation to visit, he thought
I that the experience of the Exhibitioi, of Mil fully eau.
feted the notion that the people of England wi re ma.
worthy of enlightened recreation, and :hat to offer it to
them was only throwing pearls before swina. They sow
there millions of visitors in a period of less clan el,
months, conducting themselves with the greatest eierairum,
and such conduct was the best refutation of the cinema,
to which he had adverted, and the beet proof that it they
made a place worthy of the people of England, they would
flock to it in myriad., as they had done before. (cheers)
As to the means of instruction, it must be watershed that
they proposed in this building to combine instruction with
emma:meat ; and as to the means of instruction which they
proposed to offer, he could not illustrate the general prilddlF
pie better than by referring to the notorious fact, that the
tendency of the pre sent ago was no longer to appeal to
the intellect by dry abstractions, or mere a ord., but to ap-
peal to all the senses of the human being, men, offering to
him, as it were, illustrate.) editions of the works of nature
and of science. (Cheers.) Their great object was to pre.
. sent illustrated editions of all the marvels a Lief, art sad
science had created an this nineteenth century. Ile would
give them one instance. They proposed to give an ether*.
luaical series of the whole human family, in which the
young man who had not means to purchase large works, of
who had been studying Dr. Pritchard, might come there
and for a shilling get Is comprehensive notion of the subject.
(Hear, hear.) Another illustration might be tumid in their
process of the cotton manufacture, in which, with. art read-
, ing crabbed books, or involving themselves in the dust sad
whirl of a Manchester cotton-mill, they might s•-e the inane-
' facture at a glance, from the moment the rats material went
in uutil it emerged in the beautiful gauze and muslin wish
which so many of the fair ladies around him were dec 'rated.
As far, then, as instruction was cone rued there would be
no deficiency in the new Crystal Palace. But to el, acted
to commonplace objects of commercial utility, be would ask
what was another great principle of the present day ?
What stared them in the face at every turning ? Ginned
advertising vans and Brubdignagian boots. The principle
was the principle of advertising. (Hear, hear.) It
was in our commercial age • principle of first-
rate necessity, enabling people to compare the
value they obtained in one place with the value
in another. (Hear, hear.) Great an. unrivalled as were
the glories of the great Exhibition of Dell, great us were
the exertions of the patriots who promoted it, he could tell
them that alter all it eves the princiale of advertisiiig that
started that wonder. (hear, hear.) And let him further
tell them, that a place like that would be frequented by
numerous classes whom an advertiser would like to attract.
All foreigners would inevitably visit them, all country
visitors to town could resort to them, so that theta
palace would be the best and hugest advertising van that
had ever beet exhibited. (Hear, hear.) It would supply
another great want which had been often felt, ill I, ing
great national bazaar. They all knew that in the early
ages of commerce there were large fairs attracting great
masses of people, and having enormous traffic. Modern
improvements had superseded these, but the Exhibition of
1801 showed that a world's fair was still a commer-
cial necessity. Let them only imagine will m their
arrangement of the Cryetal Palace was earned
out, what a new development would he given
to another subject, what influence it would have
on the business of shopping. Speaking as he did in the
presence of the fair sex, he must say that the way iit which
shopping was:at present carried on was by no 1111,111, agree-
able or elevating to the lords of the creation. (Laughter.)
If they could bring all the masterpieces of art together,
truer tastes would he formed, true restbetic principles of
dr.ss would be established, and great benefits would be
conferred on society. This was a subject of which the
importance could not be over-rated, but as many gentlemen
were to follow him, he would not detain them thither titan
by again proposing "Success to the Crystal Palace."
(Loud cheers )
Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL said the toast he had to pro-
pose would .apply to nearly all that were present. It
was " The visitors who had honoured them with their
presence upon this occasion." (Cheers.) Ile felt proud as
one of the humblest of those who had been engaged in
carrying out the design, to see there so large a body of
ladies and gentlemen, so distinguished by their position la
society, by their personal character and by the extensive
influence which they possessed amongst that great corn.
=nit, for whom this undertaking was designed—the Eng-
lish people. (Loud cheers) He was proud to see them
there that day, because he discerned in their presence some-
thing like a guarantee fur their cordial good-will towards
the undertaking, and of their beginning faith, at least, in the
ability and sincerity of those who were connected with dead
who professed themselves anxious to carry it out in the best
manner and in the way calculated to accomplish the greatest
social results. (Cheers.) Now, he could speak with the
greater freedom upon this subject, because there belonged
to him very little indeed of the merit of what had been
done ; end he declared that up to that moment they had
all had doubts as to the possibility of the undertaking. It
was believed to be impossible that the Crystal Palace could
be perpetuated. It appeared impossible, in the first place,
that any money coxed be got to purchase is ; but ten En-
glishmen said to each other, " W e will buy the Crystal
Palace." (Casten) These ten men believed in each other,
and they believed also in the people of England. (Loud
cheers.) They believed that the people of England pos-
sessed those characteristics which popular of iuion, eves
amongst ourselves, had denied to them. (Hear, hear.) It
had been denied that they could appre elate and enjoy
the treasures of art which had long been thrown open to the
nations of the continent. It was thought that nothing but
the ring, the tavern, the gin-palace, and those rougher
sports had any charms for Englishmen ; but but year, as
their chairman had said, sae million persons had confessed
that the happiest and most improving hours of their lives
had been those which they had spent in the Crystal Palace.
The ten Englishmen, therefore, believed in the true clone-
teristica of their countrymen—they tabled the money, and
bought the Crystal Palace. (Lou/ cheers and laughter.)
That was the first impossibility which had been achieved,
and he (Mr. Russell) must acknowledge that it did look
very lake an impossibility to carry it any further. One fine
morning, about twenty gentlemen came to take pa/erica
of their purchase, and he confessed that he, fur arse, felt—
and the feeling was shared by alt the rest--
that they had got an elephant. (Laud Isughter.)
Ile need not remind them of the old story respecting the
in which an eastern potentate used to ruin a nab•
ject who had offended him. lie gave him an elephant—if
possible a white one—and the unfortunate man not darisp
to get rid of the huge beast was obliged to keep it until it
had eaten him out of house and home. (Laughter.) Now
they had got an elephant—a crystal elephant—and they
had nothing to feed it with. (Loud laughter) The park
in which it grazed, and in which it ought to be browzing at
that moment—(hear, hear)—Was token front them; bat
still they had faith in each other and in the people of Eng-
land. (Hear, bear.) The people of Eng; awl came to them
and said, " The elephant shall be fed—there is
the money "—(laughter and cheers)—and when the
people had paid down 600,00 W. to perpetuate the
Crystal Palace, they (the promoters) felt that they had
not reckoned upon their countrymen in vain. (Loud them)
They had got the elephant and they had got a park for It
but this second difficulty they would never have got over
had it not been for the handsome manner in which they
had been met by the directory of the London and Brighton
Railway, one o, whom was the proprietor of that brooded
park, but who preferred to give it up and go out of it him-
self rather than deprive them of no suitable a site. (Cheers.)
They bad been willing to offer him a large price, but be
had not been willing to accept it. lie said, " I will take
no large price tor such a popular undertaking. I will
merely refer it to an arbitrator to say what the land is
worth • and I will not take a halfpenny more." Lod
cheers!) Thus they bad got their elephant and their park,
but they bad not got nearly all. Their elephant was an old
elephant and they wanted a new one. (Laughter.) They
wanted a mill similar to that which they hail seen in their
earlier days, into which they could put their old elephant
and grind it into a new one. (Renewed TINY
had found such a mill, and they had found such a nollerin
Sir Joseph l'azton. (Great cheering.) Ile believed that
just as the old Crystal Palace was a much finer, grater,e
and more perfect idea, considering the temporary nature of
the structure, than had ever before been seen, just so
much would the new palace surpass in grandear,
effect, and usefulness, its predecessor in tilde-
park. (Loud cheers.) And so another impossibility
had been achieved. (Hear, hear.) They hid Meesrs. Fos
and Henderson, the distinguished contractors, there to as-
sure them, that as surely as the old Crystal Palace was
opened on the Ist of May, 1861, so surely would the new
Crystal Palace be opened is Crystal Palace Park on the
of May, 18.53; and thou they would have another Mowed-
bility accomplished. (Great sheers.) Ile begged "
propose the health of "The visitors," coupling with the
toast the name of Sir Chu. Lyall. (Enthusiastic applause.)
' Sir C. LY ELL said it was with much surprise that be
heard his name coupled with the toast, sod he could oaly
attribute it to the equally unexpected honour uffich had
been paid him in his appointment to assist in the arraarr
meat
sad
one featureanni'a t
whichi°nof thethnew the
Crystall
There
hut for which they must look in vain at Kew, at the Braes!,
Museum, and the new Museum of Economic Geoleity. It
would be impouiblo in those institutions to attempt.
illustration of the geographical des .., Debut n of 00 lIVOIS
globe ; but it was that geographical and °lnnate arrange-
and inanimate products of the different portions of the