The Express.
London, England, 1862-05-26 00:00:00

THE EVRICE93; A MONDAY EVENING; Al AY 26, 1862.

fard de Redcliffe, Lord Hopetoun, Lord Lennox,
and Dr. Gibson, army medical director general.
The following are the arrangements for the week
ending May 31 .—The building will be open to the
public at 10 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednes-
day, Thursday, and Friday, at 2a. Tuesday,
; and on
Saturday, at 12 a m., at 53.

TRW CRYSTAL PALACNIIrprINSIMW. Iltttlltg[Tlffe
The Directors of the Crystal Palate have oer- —"—
taint no cause to complain of the predominant attractions tefiIIiOFOLITAN COUNTY COURTS.
Bitting days appointed kw the teems week. •
of the International Exhibition. The probability is that, War 111111 M, St Marittestwaa.—itonday, May 26; Twist,
any new and special object of interest or curiosity Is the 27 . Wednesday, 10
298%Wirry, Portlandroad.—lyedneaday, May 28 . Thursday,
cause of increased attraction to every other haunt of that 30.
vast public of sight-seers and pleasure-seeker of whom if sauxeose. MerylWonevoad.—Thursday, May 29.
the floating population of oar greet capital is composed. We oel4°2B.xYrt'ne whitebe!"-gr°l6. Monday, May 20; Wectlus-
believe this to be a frequent experience in theatrical apron- umumeavini. Denematenmee.—Tuesday. May 27 Wednes-
lations, when the notoriety of some particular performance day, 28. Felder. SS
MBOILEDIECM Oldatreet.raid.—Monday, May 28; Tuesday, 27 ;
makes playgoing fashionable fora season. At all events. Th,...am., se,
the planet of South Kensington has not eclipsed the fixed Bow, How-road.—wedeesday, May tt ; Friday, to.
star sydeobeee. On Na contrary, it hoe set Wurrsciurn, Omit Present/trent —Thursday, May 12,:
of Friday, Pr
au immense multitude of stargazers in motion from all HOUTHWATM Ihreiaatreet.—Monday, May 26; Wednesday, 28:
parts of the world, who insist on seeing everything, ewe- Thunder. 28Camb; Friday, so.
LAMBETH, erwa New-road.—Tuesday, May
of : Wed
dally that wonderful palace glue which seems to mown- 211.
tints all the rays of all the London horizons. So the seism I WAND/ROMA, Bonthetreet—Thursday, Mai 7 IS.
of 1862 promises to be the most prosperous that the Crystal BeiCITT °tem', Gulidhall-buildings•—W , May 28 ;
Palace has yet recorded. There is nothing that astonishes
and charms the foreigner so much as this superb creation of
modern enterprise—a pekoe which furnishes to rich
and poor a continual feast of sight and wend
which ministers to all tastes, however simple or refined ;
which is an academy, and • pictured history of all the arts,
a gymnasium, a garden, an enchanting Announce. We
have beard many Frenchmen say that to behold the Palace
of Crystal was worth a week's exile from the beloved Bou-
levards. Nothing but familiarity shuts English eyes to the
fact that one of the wonders of the world is within half an
hour's ride from London-bridge.
On no =aloe has the Palace which we owe to the gash's
of a Patton and IM Owen Jones, looked move dazzlingly
beautiful than on Saturday lest, when the first pest Flower
Show of the season drew some fourteen thoussod delighted
visitors. All the omens were propitious. An English
summer's day ; sot too bright or too sultry, but set fair, and
with • misty veil over the green soft distance, which made
the Palace sad its gardens look like an immense diamond
surrounded with emeralds. It was one of those days when
every hour towards the evening the atmosphere becomes
more tender and more transparent. Early in the morning
the judges of the show were busily elapsed in making their
swards, and then, from 11 o'clock till four, • rapid succeesion
of long crowded trains from London-bridge and Vic-
toria stations poured into the Palace terminus. At
twelve o'clock the doors were open to the public,
and presently, for those who came expressly to see the
flowers and the fountains, and to hair the orchestral and
military concerts, began • series of performances on the
organ, by the military band, by the Palace orchestra, in-
terrupted only by the playing of the Great Fountains. We
have sever seen so vast a multitude so thoroughly end
unreservedly gratified.
The Crystal Ps/ace bids fair to Weems as proverbially
lucky in its Flower Show weather as the Botanic Gardens
are usually unfortunate, and the Crystal Palace is, so far as
the show itself is concerned, independent of all chances or
changes of weather. In the transept and nave fourteen
thousand people can lounge about literally " at large," and,
under a velarlum which would not have disgraced •
Roman amphitheatre, • population that would astonish a
German duchy can make as good weather as it likes. On
Saturday, two lines of spectators kept moving up and down
the double bank of flowers in • continuous stream. The
gigantic Handel orchestra, now completely roofed in,
had • most imposing appearance, crowded as it was
on both rides from the roof to the lowest nat.
At the corners of the transept and the naves ism.=
bunches of ashes threw a flush of warmth end *alma ewer
the dreams of the ladies, who seemed to vie with the aid
in delicate brilliancy and lavish variety of tints. flare
was a show of English bemoan in the employ enough W
drive the speckles continental proselyte to despair. Bet to
speak of the flower,. A finer collection at orchids, makes,
pelargoniums, cinsrarias, calosolariw, and heaths bee
seldom, if ever, been exhibited. The roses, too, though it
was sot their day, were most remarkable for fulness of
blossom and variety ; several entirely new specimens made
their appearance under pleasant or popular names • and it II
would be difficult to illustrate the triumphs of horticulture
to greater advantage. The music, which is always • power-
ful attraction on Saturdays, was on this occasion of quite an
exceptional character. Indeed, under the able and vigorous
auspices of Mr. Manna, the leader of the orchestra, the
Crystal Palace is acquiring classical distinction by its con-
certs. Early in the afternoon the band of the Coldstream
Guards played (among other pieces) with admirable spirit and
effect Auber's International Inauguration March. Later, the
orchestral bend, coneiderahly reinforced, played Meyerbeer's
International Overture, and (for the second tints) the March
composed for the coronation of the King of Presets. These
striking compositions, of which we have already ma.
dared account to our readers, were on this occa-
sion played to perfection. Perhaps, however, both
the overture and the march (especially the former)
are heard to more advantage in • theatre or couoert-room,
as the scores are written with all the illustrious composer's
elaboration of design. Still, such are the power and
affluence of the instrumentation, that the grandeur of the
harmonica and the richness of the combinations lost none of
their power in that colossal wile on Saturday. The most
telling of all the pieces, however, was decidedly
the sublime prayer from Rossini's Mose in Epitto, given by
the full orchestra and the great organ. This was rap-
turously re-demanded. After the concert the audience dis-
persed themselves over the Palace and the gardens, and
an exclamation we heard more than once during
the day was, What • pity the Great Exhibi-
tion is not bore ! " There would, no doubt, be much
to say for and against this idea. At all events, it was uni-
versally expressed on Saturday. We subjoin • list of the
first prises for flowering plants and fruits. Of the latter
the grapes and strawberries were noticeable ; the rest was
comparatively insignificant. On the whole, we may con-
gratulate the Directors of the Crystal Paws on • day
which was throughout sad in every respect most happy
and successful.