The Express.
London, England, 1862-04-29 00:00:00

THE GREAT HANDEL FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA.

There is at present on private view at the Music-
hall, Store-street, previous to its removal to the Great
Exhibition building, a model of the orchestra at the Crystal
Palace, as it will appear when the Great Handel Festival is
to be celebrated there in June next. The orchestra is con-
tained in • handsome and substantial oak case, and Is
modelled on the scale of half an inch to a foot. The num-
ber of figures is somewhat under 4,000, but they are so
well arranged that they scarcely appear half so n.any.
There are 10 figures on every eight inches square, the great
organ being the central point around which the various groups
of performers, male and female, are arranged. The figures are
modelled and sculptured by Mr. Wm. Beattie. A greet
deal of variety and character baa been imparted to the
miniature musicians—Mr. Costa with his wand directing the
operations of the entire orchestra. The colouring also is
happily diversified, and the appearance of the whole model
is that of • pretty and pleasing picture. Apart from its
merit as • work of art, the model will answer the purpose
of notifying to the thousands who will visit the Exhibition
at South Kensiegtoo nest month that the festival of the
greatest composer of sacred music is to be celebrated next
June in the most delightful of palaces, by one of the largest
orchestras Urger& resembled under a single roof.

The Emperor, the Empress, and the Queen of
Holland honoured the Oyesesse Theatre, Paris, with their
presence on Saturday night, to see M. Sardon's new piece,
Le Perle Noire.
The King of Holland is expected in Paris towards
the beginning of neat week. His Majesty is at present
45 years of age, having been born on the 19th Feb., 1817,
and has filled the throne of Holland since the 12th May,
1849. The Queen of Holland, daughter of the King of
Wnrtemberg, was born on the 17th of May, 1818, and mar-
ried King William 111. on the 18th June, 1839. Two
princes are the issue of this marriage.
The Austrian Gazette states that the Empress of
Austria made an excursion on terns/rata on the 23rd inst.,
for the first time during her stay at Venice, her Majesty
having gone to Vicenza, to visit the Archduchess Hilde-
gard..
A deputation from the lace manufacturers of
Nancy lately waited on the Empress Eugenie to solicit her
patronage. The Empress replied to the deputies by showing
them several boxes filled with loos the produce of their
manufactories. She told them farther that she would not
only not lose any opportunity of serving their interests, but
she would by her example procure them its many customers

as possible.
The FeuiUe de Thcoin of the 19th inst. states
that M. Jourdain, one of the principal spinners of that
town, has informed his workmen that after the present
week he will Sod himself under the cruel necessity of re-
ducing their hours of labour in his manufactory by two-
thirds, is order that his stock of cotton may last the
&mem Me added, however, that he would reduce their
weer by only one-third. The sacrifice M. Jourdain is rir
solved to make, in order to give bread to hie numerous
operatives, is estimated at 1,000(r. a week.
Two Berlin journals announce—on the strength
of statements in private letters end newspapers from New
York—the arrival in the latter city of Lieutenants Von
Sobbe and Pntaki, the two Prussian officers who first slew
an ion servant and then broke the parole, which had been
most blameably accepted as almost the sole security for their
safe keepisg until their fate should hi decided upon. The
New York Denorrat of the sth inst. heeds its mention of
them with the words " Arrival of Two Murderers," and,
after stating that they had gone by way of Ostend to South.
aniptoo, and thence had taken the steamer to America,
mentions that they were arrested ea landing, sod oolekcjad
before the Prussian coused.reeral, who, however, declared
that he had no instructions respecting them, and could not
stir in the matter. Other American papers have protested,
it appears, against the idea of their admission into the
Federel army.
The 3f uniteur Vinieole, in reference to the effect
of the frost of the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th, on the vines,
states that, if some vineyards in Lower Burgundy, the
Marne, the two Charente*, sod the environs of Paris, have
been more or less injured, there d good reason to hope
that the greet majority of the best vineyards will yield a
good croli.
A Frankfort paper states, from Brussels, that a
noble Belgian bigot ham placed a rum of 100,0001. In the
heads of the Cardinal Archbishop of Malian for the nee el
the Pope in his eventual crusade spinet the revolution, and
that each lavishness, is sock a cause, bad aroused universal
isdigeation in the Belgian capital, in presence of the
great distress and misery now prevailing among the manu-
facturing population of Ghent.