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

PROP7NCTIAL SHARI MABZETS.

LlTraltooL. MAT U.—Sales to-day . —Eastern Cav:t:a.
Great Western, 71—lanoaster and Carlisle. loO—.lino.
and Windermere, 161 6-I6—Lancashire and 1 orkshce, 10is
Wa 9l—London and North Western, 94 41 4—Lonslon and Ponds
estern, 100—tilelland, 1281(—Newcastle and Carlisle. 120—
Math gastem, Bal.—Grand Trunk of Canada, 241—Grent Luxem-
bourg, 14 15-16-41reat Western of Canada, 121—Illinois Cets-
teal, paid op, 55 61—Erie exassessment, ss,—Sainbre and Mesas,
111_10.16 end. - Albano,/ .lbettedi. 1i 1 19-19 new.
llammlirrna, MAT 2l.—There eas • falba better mark*tbnit
not mush business reported.— linnets Central, fie d .2 , —Lan-
cashire and Yorashire lOC —Manchester and Slietbeld, 414—
Ditto, 6 Pref., 4—North Eastern iLoels. 6.sl—South Eastern,
Bt—Northern Counties Bank,; 746 prem.
Bi unman Sit, MAT U.—There were sales In Birmingham of
Joist Stock Bank ,Liagted, at 04 prem. Itetrupolit m Wagon,
14 prem. and Birmingham Wagon Preference at 1 psem. Bir-
mingham Canal. quoted IN to 964: Birmingham lianktag Com-
pany shame& to I : Britannia 3.16 to 1 prem. Market
steady, with MUG doing.

THE HARTLEY COLLIERY CATABTEOPaR—The
report of Mr. Kaaren Blackwell au the late catastrophe at
Bartley, in the official investigation of which. ea the repro-
aeotative of the Hone-office, that gentleman took rant. has
been published. The document is one of cousalmahle im-
pormoce, end will doubtless be read with lat.-rest, ..s wad-
ng to throw additional light on the Mreemetanr... of that
fearful calamity, and the Datum of the legislative measures
which should be adopted with a view to the prevention of
similar accidents in future. From the date of the entry
found on the person of the overman, .'.mour, Mr. Blackwell
concludes that the men in the pit died not later than the
afternoon of the day socoeediug the fatal occurrence, and
Um death of the sufferers, he thinks, had been attended
with comparatively little pain. The material of the
engiombeem, which occasioned so great a sacrifice of
human life, is represented as having been of "fair" quality,
and the breakage is attributed to the violent concussion to
which it was subjected, when its =as wee arre.ted
coming in coated. with the spring beneath, after the
couuterbaLuiciog load in the abaft was partielly or wholly
lost. The insonvenience and danger of single shafts, both
in point of ventilation and as a mesas of ingress in egress
tote miners, are emphatically dwelt upon by Mr. Black-
well, and en earnest desire is expressed that each a system
should henceforth be abolished, the cost of a different and
more safe arrangement being, in many instances. of a very
trivial character. Bach is • summary of thin elaborate report,
and It is to be hoped that the preent minim of periturarek
now fast approachiag towards • close, may eat per over
without some action being taken upon so vital mad iimpeetaits
• subject. —Nnrcastle C/srossick.

1{

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

Nothing can be more gratifying to the friends of
national progress, popular enlightenment, and
innocent amusement, than the rapidity with which
our great Exhibition is warming rip into complete
and vigorous vitality under improved
management,
and through the adoption of a few simple remedial
measures which, until within the last few days,
were obvious to every person who strolled through
the building, except those who were mainly respon-
sible for their adoption. The visitor who sat under
the eastern dome on Saturday last, and looked
down the now almost cleared and noble nave,
skirted with fine statues or other objects of high art,
and interspersed with hothouse greenery, could
scarcely recognise in the magnificent vista, thickly
dotted with a brilliant crowd of delighted pro-
menaders, the same space which some three weeks
since reminded him in one spot of a chandler's
shop, in another of au ironmonger's store, and
everywhere of chime, confusion, bad taste, disorder,
and total want of the power of arrangement. It is true
that a great deal still remains tobe done, and we speak
in sinoerecommendation of what has been done as an
encouragement to f uture efforts ; for, notwithstanding
the marvellous progress that has been made within
the last few days, it will require all the exertions of
the promoters of this great undertaking, assisted by
the talent which they have recently called to their
aid, to win the race from inexorable time, and to
secure that great and true English test of ultimate
success the balance sheet.
The Canadian peep-show still rears its unsightly
head in defiance of the beautiful stained glass win-
dow, which like "many a flower" remains "doomed
to blush unseen," its architects being so much in
love with their bandywork as to remain deaf to all
the solicitations of Mr. Cole. Still nearer to the
central platform, Tasmania, reminiscent of its
former position as a penal colony, has erected what
looks like a lofty gibbet, perhaps as an evidence of
its right to be called a civilized community • and
the result of these two eyesores being allowed to
remain is, that the transept in which they stand
is completely spoiled and thrown away, for nobody
thinks of venturing down into what reminds them
of a waterside timber yard, to look at the many
really interesting objects which have been sent
over, both horn America and Australia. Nova
Scotia has a moat attractive court, but it re-
mains a desert, and there are scores of
objects from Australia which people would
run to and admire ; but what with the fear of
being overwhelmed by the great timber piles from
above, and of breaking their shins amongst the
logs, stumps, and battens below, they give the
quarter a wide berth, and our colonists have, in
consequence, to complain of as much neglect in the
International Exhibition as ever they experienced
iu the imperial parliament. In the nave, also,
some of the original squatters still continue obdu-
rate. Mr. Nicolay's menagerie, like the London
Tavern, "staring o'er the way," protrudes its two
savage tigers into the very centre of the pro-
menade, ready to devour any unlucky visitor who
should dare to whisper a word against the supe-
riority of " trophies" over all other modes of
central decoration. We shall be obliged to find a
new explanation of the word in the next edition of
the dictionary. The mind which suggested " tro-
phies" as a means of ornamenting the Exhibition
building never intended that the word should
mean candle-boxes, or fur-shops, or coach-stands,
or heaps of ironmongery. The ancients carried
their trophies in their triumphal processions, and
piled them at the termination of the march, and
there would not be the slightest objection to form-
ing a procession for the trophy-holders of the nave,
in which they might march down the centre, bear-
ing their precious wares aloft, and to appropriate
music—the Dutch concert, for example—and pile
them anywhere they liked beyond the boundaries
of the building.
The first sensation experienced on entering the
building on Saturday was one of exquisite pleasure
at finding the great Majolica Fountain, the triumph
and ne plus ultra of the potter's art, at last a com-
pleted work, shooting its diamond spray up to-
wards the crystal roof, and diffusing coolness, the
sweet monotonous music of falling water, and a
dreamy sense of beauty in every direction. First,
the sound caught and pleased the ear, then the
sparkle of the water delighted the eye, and, finally,
as we approached the edge of the basin, the noble
design, the gay but well chosen colours, and the
happy appropriateness of the figures, extorted un-
qualified admiration. Lowest down on the fountain
a cordon of lusty Tritons spurted bold jets from
grotesque shells ; next above them a bright circle of
water nymphs supported between every two a rosy
lttfle cherub, who poured down a silver thread, and
at the pinnacle a noble figure of St. George
trampled on and fought with a terrific dragon, the
strife creating such a shower of glistening spray as
wrapped the whole tableau in a bare which the
descending sunbeam tinted like a rainbow. Every
one felt, and thousands uttered the word "success",
and the Majolica Fountain was at once installed
as one of the chief "lions" of the Exhibition.
On the western platform, Herr Pauer, more
faithful to his appointment than other players of
far leas eminence, entertained a crowded and
fashionable audience with some masterly piano-
forte music. It is needless to say that the per-
former WWI loudly applauded, but the pleasure of
the listeners would have been very much enhanced
if' care had been taken to keep order within a
reasonable radius of the instrument. This, how-
ever, was not done, as almost immediately above
the player's head a vigorous hammering was sus-
tained, and close at hie side, the turnstiles kept
up an unceasing " click, click." This latter, of
course, could not be helped, and the only remedy
will be to remove the piano next time further
from the entrance. It is not improbablealso but that
the great novelty of hearing these now celebrated
pieces of mechanism going with anything like
regularity may have been as pleasing as the music
to some of the spectators ; but surely the hammering
might have been suspended for half an hour, as also a
series of miniatureShoeburynees experiments, which
were performed with a formidable battery of ginger-
beer bottles, close to the professor'. ear, all the time
Le was playing. A cork went off with a tremendous
report iu the middle of one of his most delicate
pianissimos, and evidently startled even his well-
disciplined nerves. Some arrangement and orga-
nisation respecting the musical displays are amongst
the first details that must be attended to, and they
are matters in which the exhibitors themselves
should give their heartiest co-operation, seeing that
they are the must interested in procuring for their
instruments a fair hearing. One fact is, it is said,
worth a thousand arguments ; and it is a fact that
one of the first results of the piano experiments of
Saturday week, and their subsequent mention in the
papers, was that on Monday a purchaser was found
to pay 250 guineas for Collard's "grand," which
had been one of the imstrumentspleyed on. Nothing
would be easier than to arrange a programme for
each day, which might be advertised in the papers,
and posted in conspicuous parts of the build-
ing. Everyone should get hie fair turn, and
it should be the care of each exhibitor to
secure the services of a competent performer. In
this way, the public would be attracted, and would
be made acquainted with the merits of each maker ;
in addition to which, a most favourable opportunity
would be afforded for bringing out a mine of young
professional talent which is now withering iu the
cold shade of the musical aristocracy.
The latest work published in connexion with the
International Exlubition is a " Popular Guide,"
compiled and written by Mr. Edward M'Dermott,
and which will be found exceedingly useful to those
whose time or means will permit of only one or
two visits. It is published by Messrs. W. H.
Smith and Son, of the Strand, and sold at the ex-
ceedingly moderate price of one shilling.
The number of visitors admitted on Saturday was
as follows :--Season tickets, 10,176 ; on payment of
65., 5,278 ; total, 15,04.
Among the visitor during the day were the ex-
Queen of the French and suite, his Royal High-
nem the Duke of Cambridge, Countess of Morning-
ton, Duke and Duchess of Manchester, Lord Semi-