The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-03 00:00:00

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

It may be recorded of the Great Exhibition which
for the last few months has attracted so many
visitors to South Kensington, that, having been
heralded into life with innumerable announcements,
and opened with much Mat and ambitions ceremo-
nial, its final clone was one of the quietest, least
impressive, and dullest things that could possibly
be imagined, so dull, indeed,that it was hardly
possible for a person present to believe that he
was then witnessing the last day of a show for the
attractions of which the ends of the world had been
drawn together, which had reckoned its six millions
of spectators, and which will most probably be the
last thing of the kind that can be witnessed or i
par-
ticipated
n by the grown-up people of the present
generation.
The doors were opened at the usual Saturday
hour, but the crowd that rushed in was not as great
as the usual Saturday crowd, for although the at-
tendance recorded is large, it included an extraor-
dinary number of ticket-holders, and these latter do
not come in until a later period of the day. On the
entry of the public the same thing happened which
we have observed every day since the opening,
namely, that the first grand rush was made for the
Koh-i-noor, and the second for the buns, and that
until these two important features of the show
had been discussed, the public cared nothing
for textiles or ceramics, or pictures, or machinery in
motion. There was, perhaps, a more than ordinary
determination towards the pictures on Saturday, of
conscientious people who believed that the pictures
were things that ought to be "done," but the
amount of critical examination was not more ex-
cessive than usual. The truth is that the atmo-
sphere during the last week or two having been
of a not very clear character, there would
have been very little use in any of our art.
amateurs doing more than, in legal phrase,
"entering an appearance." In the machinery
in motion annex, the bands which con-
nected the different machines with the steam
power were ceremoniously cut, with appropriate
libations, the magnetic light was extinguished, and
the diamond grinder of the season shut up his wheel
and retired from business. This part of the build-
ing has neversbeen full on fashionable days, and the
final Saturday was no exception to the rule. The
"upper ten thousand" seem to be more devoted to
culinary than to mechanical science, and very much
to prefer the flavour of soup in the refreshment-
rooms to that of steam in the western annex. The
working classes alone take interest in the great
triumphs of their national ingenuity, and urban
artisans crowd round and fondle the huge "mules"
and locomotives with as much interest as their rural
brethren would a fine horse or a prize ox. But both
"gentle and simple" agree in one thing, they like
beer, and in the latter days of the week they nar-
rowly escaped a great calamity. For the List time
during the season the fountains of Allaopp, which
in six months had supplied six millions of thirsty
souls with their best beloved stimulant, ran dry on
Thursday last, and a short interregnum occurred
of which the horrors can be better conceived can
described. However, the vast resources of the
firm, and the energy of its representative' were soon
found equal to the strain, the normal supply of
beer was restored, and the visitors of the last two
days were supplied with abundant means for quaff-
ing their farewell potations.
For the on* attempt at a formal ceremonial
wherewith to terminate the season the public are
indebted to Mr. Howley and the Sacred Harmonic
Society, who at four o'clock came to sing the Na-
tional Anthem. Mr. Linden escorted the Orphean
Band, male and female, to the western platform,
when, the gentlemen on the floor, and the ladies
in the gallery, they at once commenced singing the
National Anthem. The female voices had an excellent
effect, but the males' were drowned by the organs,
which, according to our impression, were all playing
together in a manner which was at once enthu-
' siastic and independent. The exhibitors of brass
instruments also threw in the aid of their trom-
bones and bombard', so that altogether a
very sufficient body of sound was obtained,
i how-
ever the words of the anthem might suffer n dis-
tinctness. At the conclusion of the anthem there
was an encore, and some cheering and waving of
handkerchiefs, but the prevailing emotion was
rather sad than otherwise, and people seemed to
feel that they were bidding farewell to a friend as
they turned their footsteps towards the various
entrances, and submitted passively, and with grave
countenances, to the incessant " Pass on " of the
police.
The building was thoroughly cleared out at the
usual hour, and the departing visitors had one con-
solation in their sorrow, and that was that they
were then for the last time submitting to the
persecutions of the Arabs and the insolence of the
' cabmen. Both these " parties" were game to the
last, and did not bate a single item of their annoy-
! ances. But peoplc submitted to them with smiles
of suppressed triumph, for they knew that the
reign of terror was over, and that one effect of it
had been thoroughly to disclose such a state
of things vehicular in the great metropolis as must
eventuate in legislative interferenes at a very early
I period of the next session of parliament.
E Amongst the distinguished visitors on Saturday
, were his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge,
E Lord H. Lennox, Lord Torrin.,:ton' Lord afostyn,
Dowager Duchess of Sutherland, Lord and Lady
Kiunoul, Lord and Lady E. Bruce, Viscount
Sid-
' uey, Viscount Chelsea, Mr. Mouckton Mines,
I M.P., Princess Amalie of Schleswig Holstein
Augustenburg and suite, Count Ebastin, &c. We
observed Sir Wentworth Dilke and Mr. Sandford
, on the eastern platform, late in the evening, mown-
irgly watching with great iutentues.s the exit of
their last Exhibition audience. . .

The following is a return of the number of visi-
tors to the Exhibition during last week, the
season ticket visitors being divided from those who
paid at the doors

31 onday, Oct. 27, Shilling Day ..
Tuesday, Oct. in, Shilling Dar ...
Wednesday, Oct. IS/, Shilling buy
Thursday, Oct. 30, Shilling Day...

F.llllOll Payment iota.
Tickets.
6,313 62,4307 5&1,51
6.449 52,917 649,8
7.:44 67.251 131,696
7,516 61,151 6,701.

Total Shilling Days 'in MO 2.-n, 291,7a=
Friday. Oct. lialfu-crunn Day
Saturday, Nov. 1, lialia,crown Day

Total 53.533 208,318 319,852
The above figures show an increase of nearly
80,000 visitors compared with the previous week.
The total number of visitors to the two Exhibi-
tions (1851 and 1862) now stand thus :

1851.
Open from Ist May to 11th October inclusive-24 weeks, 141
Exhibition days :
Season tickets Verily estimated:
Payment (vouched)

773.771
6,166,429

Total 6,039,200
1862.
Open from Ist Nay to lit November inclnalve—n weekl.l4
Exhibition days :
Season tickets (including tree list' 1.015,"89
Payment and day tickets (unvoucloed , 6,095.1.00

0,110,980

When tho space below the eastern dome had
been reached, at the closing of the Exhibition on Saturday
afternoon, and the crowd had gained the door, the police
saw to their dismay that • select party was quietly seated
in the gallery at the angle of the traosept and Dare watch'
Dig with evident pleasure the gradual retirement of their
fellow visitors on the ground floor. Had General N'Clellair
suddenly o;scovered Stonewall Jackson or Colonel Stuart
with some Confederates in his rear he could not have base
more astonished at the discovery than was the bewildered
policeman at seeing this select party. "Well, I'm blowel,°
was the emphatic exclamation of one of the sergeants. led
forthwith • small posse of police was detached from the
main body to the attack of the enemy is the rear. They
were soon driven from their position, and compelled to
the retiring crowds. At length the outer doors were
closed, but when the building was reported as cleared *
woman was seen to emerge from one cf the multi, where
she had been quietly seated, for she had resolved that she
would be the last visitor who should leave the building, and.
with • woman's determination, she accomplished ber
pose. The merit of being the last to leave the Exhibitios
of 1862 belongs to the fair sex.
With the close of the Exhibition there are unme•
ems change* both in the coat of travel by some cony/roam
in the metropolis and in the hours during which maim
places of resort for sightseers are open. Oa the river deem'
boats there is a general reduction of the fares, and on some
of the lines of omnibuses • similar reduction has beep marl&