The Express.
London, England, 1862-10-20 00:00:00

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

The Exhibition will close on Saturday, the
let of November, but after that date there will be
a further period of a fortnight, during which the
public will be admitted, and the charge for admis-
sion will then, it is believed, be half-a-crown.
Holders of season tickets will, however, have the
same privilege as they now have, and the five-
guinea tickets will also be available during the
extra fortnight for the Horticultural Gardens.
The funds of the commissioners will, we apprehend,
benefit but little from this extension of time ; for
it has been decided that the picture galleries are
not to remain open after the Ist of November, and
the machinery annex will also be closed after that
date. The Exhibition will thus be divested of two
of its principal attractions. But, in addition to
this, it has been decided that " sculpture and light
goods, which can be carried by hand, may be
removed on Monday, the 3rd of November." The
terms of the regulation would seem to imply that
only such articles of sculpture as can be carried by
band are to be removed on that day. These, it is
scarcely necessary to say, would be very small
works ; but we believe the intention really is to
admit of the removal of any works of sculpture,
and also of such light goods as can be carried by
hand.
The highest temperature on Saturday by Negretti
and Zambra's patent thermometers was :—ln the
nave, 51.2 ; in the galleries, 51.2 ; in the western
annex, 57.1. The temperature of the dew point,
44.8. About five degrees cooler than on Friday.
The following were the total numbers admitted
on Saturday :
By season tickets
By payment

Total

15,849

THE EXHIBITION AND THE OMNIBUSES.

The moral courage and devotion to science and
art of the 10,000 visitors who paid their half-
crowns for a peep at the Exhibition on Saturday
cannot be sufficiently admired. Such an attendance
on such a day is conclusive at once as to the vita-
lity of the Exhibition, and the interest taken in it
by the public. Western London is now a desert,
but sail, close to its western boundary, the roads
are daily alive with people, all making their way to
South Kensington, or away from it, and invariably
finding the latter by far the more difficult strategic
operation. During these latter days of the Exhi•
bition, the omnibus proprietors have been trying
upon the British public a series of experiments
somewhat similar to those of the man who under-
took to train his horse to do without food. We
know that he at last got him down to a grain of corn
a day, and we also know the consequence. The
British public have now been got nearly down
to the grain a day of vehicular accommodation,
but, in spite of the short allowance, will probably
struggle on with their visits " under difficulties,"
until the close of the Exhibition. The struggle
which daily takes place for seats in any sort of
vehicle is certainly one of the most exciting and
amusing incidents of a shilling visit. From three
o'clock in the afternoon, the Arabs take possession
of all the avenues down to Hyde-park-corner one
way, and to Cadogan-pier on the other, with
generally a flying column along the upper road.
In better days, they contented themselves with
taking possession of the cabs, but now they also
surround the doors of the omnibuses ea they come
down, and keep every one out, and off, except their
own clients. They have established a law as irre-
vocable as any statute of the Modes and Persians,
that no individual of the rougher sex is
to take an inside seat ; and, if any
man, however Nature may have unfitted him
for the escalade to the roof, attempts to pass
the cordon, an indignation meeting is summoned on
the spot, and a resolution is put and agreed to nem.
con. by the crowd of females in waiting, that the
unhappy individual must be a foreigner, and is
certainly a disgrace to civilized society. The at-
tempts of old men, and lame men, and heavy men
to obey the Draconian law add very much to the
amusement of the bystanders, but are often at-
tended with danger to the acrobats themselves.
Latterly, the females, not finding the monopoly of
the inside of the omnibuses sufficient, have, under
the skilful marshalling of their Arab generals, also
invaded the roofs, and every evening scenes may
be witnessed in which the agility of the " Swift
ICamillae" is far more conspicuous than any fas-
tidious regard for what are vulgarly known as
" the proprieties." On Saturday, the compare,-
tively small numbers somewhat modified the evil,
although the weather exercised a counteracting in-
fluence. True, there were only about 15,000 at
the Exhibition, but walking away was impos-
sible, and therefore the omnibuses and the Arabs
and the cabmen had a perfect Saturnalia ; the at-
tempts of the men to get inside were more persis-
tent, the indignation meetings more frequent, and
the whole neighbourhood was in a chronic state of
scramble up to a late hour in the evening. Some-
thing certainly must be done to regulate the omni-
bus and cab service of Loudon. We know that a
legislative attempt in that direction has already
killed one valuable member of parliament, and re-
duced the great metropolis to a three days' depri-
vation of all means of locomotion, but still the
attempt must be repeated, even at the expense of
more senatorial martyrdom, and more state of siege,
and it must be persevered in unto emcees, if we do
not wish mighty London to be a disgrace in this
respect, and a laughing-stock to the whole civilized
se
world.

DISTRIBUTION OP PRIZES BF THE PAINTERS'
COMPANY.

It is well known that this company have lately
instituted an annual exhibition of work peculiar to the emit
they re t, it being the object to render their guild
practically useful. In pursuance of this intention they
have had an annual exhibition, at their hall in the City,
of what is technically termed graining, marbling, writ-
ing, and decorative work. This year, the International
Exhibition having attracted the principal exercises
of theee as of all other handiwork, the Psinten'
Company did not have their exhibition, but cer-
tain judges appointed by them proceeded to the
International Exhibition and awarded prizes for work de.
serving such notice, the principle of the award being that it
be made to the actual person performing the work, and not
to any firm merely getting up the work by the aid of various
workmen, the great desire of the company being that the
artisan should be stimulated to the °zeroes of his work as
an art as well as mere means of existence.
Ths prizes were on Saturday last awarded by the Master,
lir. J. Comfort, in full eourt, at the ancient hail of
the company, to the following priseholders, viz..—
Mr. J. Kennett, for graining; Mr. W. Read, for
marbling ; Mr. J. Bradley, for 'loathing ; Mr. J. L. Canticle,
for decoration, a silver medal each. To Mr. W. A. Grant,
for graining ; Mr. W. Medic for marbling; Mr. W. Pit-
man, for writing; Mr. H. Barrie, for decoration, a bronze
medal each. Te Mr. G. Lainson, for decoration, a cer-
tificate of merit ; and honourable mention was made of de-
corative work by Mr. James and Mr. J. Badgers, of Shef-
field, and to Mr. Ptinloary, for 'titan in an altar-piste by
?deems. Cox. The prisebolders, after the preesotation,dised
with the company ta their hall, it being the annual feast.

NOILWION MIIIIIOAI FumyAx.—A committee bee
just bees chases to cony out the detail' o this festival for
next mamma. sr. Joke Benedict has again been choose
000duator, sad has been requested to produce for the Dent
festival some novelty et his own composition.