The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-26 00:00:00

CRYSTAL PALACE.

The Palace at Sydenham is now thrown open to
the public on Good Fridays, and affords a holiday, equally
good for the mind and the body, to thousands of hard-
working people. The so-celled religious objections to their
being allowed to enjoy what they enjoy so seldom—a day
passed in ere, rest, fresh air, imnshine, and healthful
recreation, in the midst of the beauties of maitre and art,
are rapidly passing away, and will was be heard no more.
The sight of so much innocent happiness as we witnessed
yenerday ought to be sufficient to convince the most bigotted
The beauty of the weather lessened the inconveniences of
locomotion, and the crowds of visitors, though they grumbled
• little, abowed admirable quietness and good humour.
The entertainments provided for the holiday-mskers were
all rensicaL There was a regular concert of sacred music ;
and there were also performances by the band of the Cold-
stream Guards, and by Mr. Coward on the Handel Festival
cepa. But many of the viaitors made additional entertain-
manta for themselves ; for during the whole day the beau-
tiful grounds, now warning the verdant hum of spring,
were crowded with joyous groups, who naturally preferred
the pleasure of the open air to ineffectual attempts
to listen to music which they found quite out of earshot.
The concert began at half-past three, by which time the
Palace as well as the grounds were at their fulled. The
solo vocalists were Madame Rudersdorlf, Miss Westbrook,
Miss Whytock, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Patsy, and Mr.
Weise. There was a talembly-sized chorus, and the usual
Crystal Palace orchestra was strengthened by some ad-
ditional instruments, beloagiog (we presume) to the Cold-
stream Band. The great object of attraction was evi-
dently Mr. Sims Reeved. When this most popular
of tenon appeared in his place in the make of the
great Handel Festival Orchestra, he was greeted
with prolonged acclamations. He began the recitative,
" Comfort ye, my people," and had not proceeded beyond
a few bars, when the shouts recommenced, and continued
till he found it necessary to break off. It was found that
the noises consisted of a call for him to quit his place and
oome forward to the front of the orchestra, that he might
be better heard ; and when he understand this call he pro.
ceeded at aloe to obey it. As soon as the adieum saw him
beginning to come forward they bunt into a shout such as
we never heard before—a deafening shout, which made the
walls of the building vibrate. The change of position was
much for the better; and he gave the sublime open-
ing of TAe Memiatt with incomparable power and
grandeur, raising the feelings of the assemblage to
the highest pitch of excitement. Madame Ruderelorff next '
rime forward t 3 sing the soprano solo in Raudia's Stahat
Mater, and WM ,rreeted Cu Reeves had been) with loud
calls to come forward. Rut she did not understand them
apparently, for she remained in her place, and sang the air,
screaming with all her might, but ineffectually, against a
storm of noises which accompanied the whole of her per.
formance. We wonder that Mr. Manna did not, with his
usual tact, at oar, adopt Mr. Reeves's correction of his
evidently faulty arrangement of the orchestra. Bat
from this period of the concert it was adopted by the
performers themselves. Mr. Reeves afterwards sang the
tenor air, " If with all your hart." from Itlijah, and "The
enemy said," from I arad in Egmg. Madame Rnderedorff
sang "Let the bright Seraphim," and the air, "I will
extol thee," from Costa's Mi. Miss Westbrook sod Miss
Whytock sang the pretty duet, " Quis eat homo," from
licesines &alai Mater ; Mr. Patsy sang the aria, " Pro
peocatis" from the same work ; Mr. Weiss sang " The
trumpet shall sound," with Mr. Harper's trumpet
accompaniment ; and the duet " The Lord is a man of
war" was sung by Mr. Weiss and Mr. Patey. All then
performances were warmly applauded.

TEE TENCENTENARY of SH•ILLISPEASK.—The ar-
rangemente for celebrating the tercentenary of Shakespeare
at Stratford-on•Avoo are now in a good state of forward-
ness. The monster pavilion in which the public dinner,
hall, oratorios, concerts, and theatricals ere to come off, is
so far finished uto be given up to the decimators. It will
be open to the public daring Easter week. The building is
twelve sided. Its diameter is 170 feet, the stage is 50 feet
deep, and proscenium 70 feet wide, while the auditorium
will accommodate some 5,000 persons. At night it will
be lighted a:th an immense comma MiOgu burners. For the
opening banquet tables will be placed for I,oooguarte. Ten tons
of iron sod 14,000 cubic feet of timber were used in the
erection of the building. The following is a brief programme
of the arrangements for the week :—Saturday, April 2.3.
Laying the foundation.stone of the monumental memorial.
Banquet at the pavilion, Earl of Carlisle in the chair. At
night a display of fireworks. Sunday, 24. Sermons and col-
lections at the parish church. Monday, 25. Performance of
the Memtiah at the ;Pavilion • Mr. Mellon conductor, and
Titian., Sainton-Dolby, Sims Reeves, and Bentley, as prin.
• Evening: Cencest of Shakesperian music. Tuesday.
%. Excursions topiaries in the neighbourhood connected with
Shakespeare's name. Evening : Performance of TrdftA
Night, by the Haymarket company. Mr. Sothern also to
appear in a abort piece "of peculiar construction." Wed-
r =day, 27. Morning: Readings of Shakespeare's plays.
Evening : Perfonnatioe of /hamlet Hamlet, Mr. Fearer.
Thursday, *..N. Morning: Concert of instrumental music
end glees from Shakespeare's plays. Evening : Performance
of As You Like It. Friday, 'ZJ. A fang dress ball. The
otiose of tickets are fixed rather high, vu., a guinea and
half a guinea. The dinner and ball tickets a guinea each.
High rats are asked for lodgings, but the premium will be
relieved by the railway, which will speedily convey visitors
to Birmingham, Leamington, Warwick, Worcester,
veto, Evesham, ho.
WESTMINSTER ABBET.—TiIe consecration of the
Bishop of Ely will take place in Westminster Abbey on
Easter Tuesday. March 29, at 11 o'clock. The collection at
the offertory will be given to the Bishop of Loedon's Fund.
Tickets of admission may be had on application at the
I office of the " Bishop of London's Food," at 79, Pall.mall,
! between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday, March 28. The
j Special Servics will commence is the Abbey on the first
Sunday after Easter, April 3, at 7 p.m. The following
are the preachers for the month of April: —April 3, the
Dean of Westminster; Aprillo, the Archbishop of York;
! Apr; 17, the Rev. Hugh Stowell, minister of Christ
Church, Salford, Manchester, chaplain to the Bishop of
• Manchester, boomer, canoe of Chester ; April 24, the Rev.
J. R. Woodford, vicar of Kempeford, chaplain to the
Bishop of Oxford.
' THE CLASSICAL Tamos.—The senior classic of this
year Mr. H. W. Mom of St. John's, was educated first at
the 'Lincoln Orammar School, and for the last three years
of his school life at Shrewsbury. It is a fact worth noticing
that, since 15.17, three hearlboys of Lincoln school have,
after being transplanted, taken very distinguished places
among Dr. Kennedy's pupils. One of these—the present
lioacl•boy at Shrewsbury—is a brother of the senior classic.