The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-01 00:00:00

THE GREAT EXHIBITION.

The platforms which were carried out at the
various entrances to facilitate the loading of the goods are
being removed, and must of the cranes are taken down ;
the Sappers and Miners have disappeared, the police have
been reduced to • very small number, and on Saturday
the little rooms in which Colonel Reid, Messrs. Dilke,
Cole, &c., carried on their labours were being emptied of
their contents. The Executive Committee have already
taken their departure, and Lieutenant Paisley, and a
slender staff of engineers, at present represent the
Royal Commissioners. The great bulk of what re-
mains in the English side of tho trausept belongs
to the Royal Commissioners, to whom presents of all
descriptions have been made for the National Museum.
This museum at present occupies the site of the British
Statuary Court, which is tilled with a most heterogeneous
assemblage of goods and specimens of all kinds. Among
the latest donations is the bronze Statue of the " Eagle
Slayer," from the Colebrook Dale Company. In the
mining department, along the south wall of the building,
there u still a very numerous collection of mineralogical and
geological specimens, huge granite figures hum z-coland,
immense masses of stone 'ruin Portland and Derbyshire,
and blocks of coal from Northumberland and the midland
cuuuti..,s, which were got in with a great deal of trouble and
expense, and are now, to save the cost of removal, labelled
" Presented to the Royal Commissioners." The last rail-
way engine, drawn by fifteen horses, left the building on '
Saturday morning; the rails have all been pulled up and
removed, and the la►t traces of the great mechanical and
engineering marvels which were assembled in this quarter'
are gone.
Passing through the "foreign hoarding" we find that
France, which a few days ago looked as if she bad taken a
three months' have of the building, has conic out of hurl
compartments into the nave, whiett is encumbered with'
hundri ds of cases and packages all ready fur removal.
Austria has followed her example, and the whole of the
foreign states are literally muter weigh; Belgium looking
very much as if she would be last in the race. The quantity
of goods sold since the Exhibition tuts closed to the public
has ueen enormous, and it was the hope of further sales that
rendered the proceedings of the foreign exhibitors so ex-
tremely slow. The colossal seated figure of her Majesty in
sine, which was put up by the Vieille Monk4ne Company,
St. Michael overthrowing the rebel angel, and the groups
of Arabian horses, arc the prominent objects that remain in
the foreign nave. The royal commissioners have decided,
however, upon granting the foreign exhibitors another fort-
night to clear out the remainder of their goods; and the
building will be thrown open gratuitously to the public on
the let January, 1332.

TILE BELGIAN LoCONIOTIVE from the Crystal
Palace passed through the City on Saturday, on its way to
Belgium, drawn by 13 horses, and was the object of much
attention.

PRINCE ALBERT'S Blitru-PLACE.—The tableau of
plastic work, extending about eighteen feet hi front, sad
tea feet wide, and representing a rural fete at a suburban
chateau belonging to the Duke of Suxe Coburg Gotha, the
birth-place of Prince Albert, and the residence of her Ma-
jesty the Queen Vintoria when on her visit to the duke,
exhibited at the Crystal Palace, in the Prussian depart-
ment, No. 804, was on Friday sold by auction, in Leaden-
hall-street, by order of the Zollverein committee. The
tableau, that will be well remembered from its being one
of the general attractions in the Exhibition, contains about
four hundred moveable figures grouped in dances, bands
of music, and festive parties, all set in motion by much
complicated machinery, the cost in the construction, as
authoritatively asserted, being more than 800/., eubserilnd
by au association of manufacturers at Sonnenberg, Duchy of
Saxe Coburg Gotha. The object, it is stated, was to pre-
sent it to Prince Albert, who however declined it, but prof-
fered to purchase it on a price being named. From some
cause, not explained, the model fete remained with the
Zollverein committee, who, since the closing of the Great
Exhibition, obtained its passing the customs at the low esti-
mate of seven pounds ten shillings. At the sale, on Friday,'
it was sold for the comparatively trilling seta of twenty-six
pounds.
SIR JOSEPII PAXTON.—A striking profile likeness
of Sir J. Patton, lithographed by M. J. Lt. Lynch, from a
Daguerreotype by Kilburn, shows to advantage the joint
labours of the draughtsinan and the photographer. 1 here
are no rash interpolations on the pert of the copyist, who has
wisely trusted throughout to unerring mechanical guidance.
CHARGES AGAINST A CLERGYMAN ON THE
CHURCH oe ESOLAND.—At the Town Hall, at Fiahguard,
a commission was held this week to inquire into certain
charges preferred against the Rev. H. Nathan,_ rector of
the parish of Jordaustown, in the county of Pembroke.
The charges against him partook of a twofold character:
first, he was charged with having been repeatedly intoxi-
cated, to the scandal of his profession and religion; and,
second, it was alleged that he had on various occasions used
abusive and indecent language, unbecoming a clergyman
of the church of England. The commissioners before
whom the inquiry was held were the Rev. John Evans, of
Llanboidy; Rev. James Thomas' of Haverfurdwest; Rev.
George Retries, of Letterson ; Rev. J. P. Williams, of
Whitchurch ; and Rev. Thomas Watts, of Haverfordwest.
Mr. Nathan, who denied the various allegations against
him, was present, and conducted his own defence. Several
witnesses having been examined in support of the charges,
the chairman of the commission said the commissioners
considered that enough had been proved to call for the in-
stitution of further proceedings.
DISASTROUS ACCIDENT AT KENSINGTON.—On
Saturday morning an accident of a very lamentable nature
took place at Kensington, which has already resulted in the
death of one man, while two others and three lads have
been seriously injured. The accident occurred at some new
buildings in that part of Kensington known ae the " New
Town,' on the south side of the great western road, and
close to the turnpike grate. About eighteen months since
the old Kensington workhouse, which stood on the eastaide
of the Gloucester-road, leading to the old Brompton-road,
was vacated by the inmates, who were removed to the new
workhouse, and a lease of the ground was taken by Mr. In-
derwick, of Leicester-square, who immediately proceeded to
pull down the old building, and laid one a square of first-
class houses upon the site. One side of this new square is al-
ready finished, although not yet inhabited, and the car-
cases of the houses on the opposite side are built up to the
height of four stones above the basement, and roofed. It
was on this side of the square, formed of six houses joined
together, and two larger projecting ones at either end, that
the accident occurred. A number of plasterers were em-
ployed in putting up a massive projecting cornice between
the third and fourth stories of the central houses, and com-
menced their work on Saturday morning at the usual hour,
when everything appeared to be in the same state of secu-
rity as it was left on the previous evening. The men con-
tinued working on the top tier of the scaffolding, a height
of between forty and fitly feet from the ground, till about
twenty minutes to eight o'clock, when suddenly the whole
of the cornice work of four of the houses gave way, and
falling upon the scaffolding with great force, precipitated the
whole to the ground, with the persons at work thereon. The
loud crash was heard at a great distance. All the men em-
ployed upon the works immediately hastened to the "ambit-
once of the unfortunate suffer, re, who were buried under the
broken scaffolding and portions of the parapet wall, which
had also given way. The centre of the cornice was com-
posed of large fiat stones, one end of which was built into
the front wall, and all these had broken short off, and
come down. Three men and three stout lads, who were
serving the plasterers with cement, were found partly co•
vend by the stones and rubbish, five of whom were
promptly extricated, and conveyed in cabs to St. George's
Hospital. The sixth sufferer, who when carried out rip,
peared to be in a lifeless state, was attended by Mr. Abra-
ham, a surgeon residing close to the spot, and who had
hastened there on hearing the crash, but he was found to
be quite dead, the lower limbs being broken, and there
being also a serious fracture of the skull. The body was
shortly afterwards conveyed to the dead house of the New
Kensington Workhouse, where it awaits the coroner's in-
quest. On inspecting the buildings from which the cornice
has fallen, the remaining portions of the flat stones were
found to be still embedded in the wall, the exterior portion,
being much the greater part, and which supported the
whole weight of the cement, having broken off close to the
wall. The scaffolding, which has apparently fallen out-
wards, still remains supported by the firmly bound cords,
although some of the upright poles base been snapped
asunder at different lengths. The names of the sufferers
are :—Robert WoodWg, about 25 years of age (killed) ;
Dennis Hurley, 28 • Daniel Delany, 28 ; Dennis Earley,
15; John Calaghan;l4 ; and Michael Gorman, 14. On in-
quiring at the hospital on Saturday we were informed that
all the injured persons were progressing favourably. One
of the men has had the breast-bone broken, and one of the
lads has had his back severely strained ; the other injuries
are principally severe contusions. Many rumours are afloat
in the neighbourhood as to the cause of the accident, which
of course must be strictly investigated at the inquest. Ilad
the accident occurred only 20 minutes later in the day,
there would have been no serious result, as the men would
have left for breakfast.