The Express.
London, England, 1863-12-28 00:00:00

'BESS, MONDAY EVENING,

it must be nesembered that the Great Western and South
Wasters districts have now their own railway direct
to the Palace, and a beautiful line it is; and in
addition to this, that. were on Saturday more
people went by the roadie she then bed ever been known
before. Hundreds of permute, ourselves amongst the num-
ber, got tired of waiting, after two or three unsuccessful
charges cm the carriages, sad took refuge in "Four-
wheeler;' the numbers of which made quite a procession
as they toiled slowly up the steep Surrey hills. What the
crowd will be neat Boxing-day but one, when the high level
line of the London, Chatham, Lod Dover Coespeay will be
open, it is sot seer to foresee, especially as the new Lao avoids
the interminable steps so well known sad so moth dreeded
by the more ponderous visitors. The line would, we be-
lieve, bare bees open this Christmas, but for the peculiarly
heavy character of the temaelling—ooe tunnel in particular,
which is to run under "Sir Joseph Paiton's carner," being
maid to involve en immure extra amount at labour sad pre-
cautious.

But the perils of the journey, whether by rail or road
once over, the Palace interior/presented • eight which wail
worth going to see. We do not speak now of the sinner
meats, of which more anon, but of the 'class and the
; greenery,and the vat company, which melded beep:ammo-
dated under any other root in the world. At 3 o'clock the
ammonia& on the siege were in full swag, sad the crowd
had in consequince praised on towards the tasasept on
every side. At that taw the great Handel orchestra was full
to the roof, koking like • section of the Boma collegian, the
company gaging placidly and serenely down on the enraged
I animate, who were fiercely comieedin toe a good view
of the performances in the chew below. The 'moved
seats in the front had all been disposed at without rearva-
Um, and the refreshment tables in the mishit/garbed had
been turned into stands " to see the preassign" by the
juvenile portion of the company. The multitadisous Pater
Families stood manfully to his guns, with a young
Aetyanax on each shoulder, sod • miniature
pledge of connubial love on the top of his bead,
whilst the faithful wiser of his joys and sorrows supported
him like • hattrem against the surging crowd, sad be-
guiled the duty with passing maledictions on people who
were rade enough to stumble and almost break their
necks over her ample crinoline. We do not know whether
may of the young gentlemen present had read Leigh
Hunt's dory of the lover who won his mistress by carrying I
boo picks-back spa hill, but there were hundreds at the
Crystal Pelage on Saturday who showed similar dove-
Hos by patiently staggering for hours together ander
each fair borthese, the said fair buddies rewarding
their swains by shouting down front their cages of
vantage • faithful running description of the faa that
was going on upon the stage. Of this latter there
was comiderable variety, and of the bird most relished
by holiday visitors. There were the Chantrill
an active band of youthful gymnasts, from whose
bodies everything of osseous consistency had apparently
been carefully extracted, tend who twisted and tuned and
strained over a beetroots' bar until thereof rang again with
plaudits. Then there was the pretty divedielemeet by Mr.
Fnunptea's pupils—end who so clever as Yr. }Pampas in
marshalling children attractively on the step? There was,
a good many' years since, a juvenile ballet company orga-
nised by a Mr. Noble, which had • great swam ; &ad, dig
later, the Viennese children did wooden ; hut, with those
two exceptions, Mr. Frampton stand" alone in the arrange.
meet of juvenile ballets, which by the way are like juvesile
balls, often much prettier and more entertaining to look as
than the terpsichorean achievements of children of a larger
growth. After the ballet came the great juggler, Speer
Langlois Velocimane, whom name alone wee • tr amph, sad
the mystery of whose tricks was fearfully ee by the
distance from while some of the visitors watched them,
and which had a wonderful effect in leading "en-
chantment to the view." The " necromantic Islas" fol-
lowed, and the amusements on the siege woad up, with
Mr. Nelms Lee's ever-popular shadow pantomime. The
elect of this singular entertainment is sometbiro hke that
of looking at a dame with your ears stopped. It is tan, or
rather as Mr. Lee expressively calls it, "Shades of Fee,"
and certainly has • strange unearthly effect. Whim the
pantaloon takes his punishment, and yet you have so i
when harlequin smites the clown with his sword of lath,
the Whims is unbroken, you fancy that you are dreaming of
• pantomime, and are only convinced of the coot ary by the
thrusts, and pasha, end puha of the surrounding company,
who are wide awake and as anxious to see the ha as your-
self. So mach for the traersept performances, which are
salikiently attractive sod •appropriate to the mason, but
thin is this defeat about them, that slava 40,000
people eines to ses them, not more than 5,000 ever get
even a glimpse. If dtreadve amusements could be arranged
in the cadre the Handel ercheitra would accommodate its
6,000 spectators, the opposite transept galleries and floor
5,000, and, from the nave on sank side at least 10.000 more
could, with a little trouble, be brought within see* dis-
tance. At present moth* ma be more touching than the
agonies of the little childree whose parents have oome We,
and who, stationed in the cadmirts of the crowd, are tor-
mented every moment with the riogiog laugh of the more
fortunate juveniles who bad male in good time, aad ascend
favourable positions. Boxing-day at the Crystal Adam is
perhaps the most extensively patronised of our manual
amusements, and its spode and games should be so arranged
as to be accessible to all who come to witnem them. We
must not omit to mention that one of Mr. Nelms Lee's
effects—and it was • great novelty—was seen by every one,
we mean the performaoce after the manner of Map
din, who was rewarded with uproarious sprlause.
We have said that the getting to the palace was • great
achievement, and the appearance of the interior when you
eot there, an imposing sight, but it is "wheni evening
sheds, prevail," and the gas and the variegated lamps
"Take up the woedrous tale" that the climax of attraction
is reecho& It is then that the bright crystal designs
on the top of the great cope; the gigantic candelabra mer-
shelled in brilliant rows along the nave ' • the illuminated
Christmas tree, glide/kw from stem to topmost branch
with traaalneent diamonds and rubies, and studded with
unheard of timeares for the fortunate little ones ; the globs
lamps Bootleg dimly bright io the vague perspective ; and
that awful apectre,Nadm's giant balloon, swaying to and tro
in the weave overhead, all combine, conspire, and co-
operate, to produce an effect which every visitor will &epe-
eists, but which am hardly be sueleisotly described on
paper. lastly, for those who had not yet drunk deep
enough of pleasurable excitement, there was the going
home by the rail, but as we did not ourselves venture
upon that route, we must leave its various enjoyments to
the imagination of the reader.