The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-27 00:00:00

PLOWER SHOW AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

The first Bower show of the year, the " great "
one in Crystal Palace classification, attracted a numerous
and fashionable audience to Sydeuhem on Saturday. In
other summers we should not have been particularly en-
thusiastic in praise of the weather, but the experience of
the last few weeks makes us thankful for small mercies,
and justifies us in calling a day upon which there was
neither sleet, nor snow, nor hail, nor blinding rain, an ex-
ceedingly auspicious one for the great dower show. The
air outside, it is true, was chill, but the flowers and the
spectators inside did not feel it. The former were quite at
home in the longest conservatory in she world, and the
palace authorities had taken oars that the latter should be
made as comfortable as possible. The arrangement of the
awnings had been entirely remodelled, the top being
made fist, and the sides coining down so as to tone down
the light, and make a suitable background for the flowers,
which, in consequence of this excellent arrangement,
perhaps never looked more lovely. They were all of
course exotics, and tenderly reared greenhouse plants; and
although not quite so numerous as on former occasions,
were of very superior quality. The "stove and greenhouse "
family, whether exhibited by amateurs or professionals,
were pronounced to be the best that had ever been men at
the Crystal Palace—unsurpamsble we should call them,
but that experience teaches us what our English nursery.
men can do, and that each great success only stimulates
them to further exertions. Crowds gathered all day round
Mr. Bull's " Pitcher plant" and Mr. Wylie's " /Witten&
magnifica," both entire novelties, and the latter the most
graceful plant in form and the most delicate in colour that
ever came under our notice at a flower show. If there be
a successor of Cellini or a rival of Froinent Mewrioe, who
writes for a design for an epergne or "testimonial,"
let him sit down before the Medinella magnifica, take
a drawing, and, if he can, reproduce it in gold, or silver,
or electroplate. The heaths were also splendid, and the
wonderful
foliage of some of the specimens much admired.
The large clam of plants which come under the general
head of " exotic orehids " was rather weakly represented,
but this was the only weak place in the show. The strife
between Paul, of Cheshunt, and Turner, of Slough, as to
who shall produce the most beautiful roses, excited the
usual interest amongst the public, and none but the in-
itiated dared to say which:was the best. The pelargoniums
also were magnificent, and the azaleas gave a glow to the
whole interior, with their abundant wealth of colour. On
the whole the show was a complete success—the most
beautiful plants and flowers in the world, the best possible
place to see them in, and such a temperature, preserved
by artificial means, as justified the gay and airy toilettes
of the ladies, made us forget that this was " the merry
month of May" according to the mode of the year 1867.

TIM BISHOP or LONDON'S FUND.—Yesterday
in most of the churches and chapels of the diocese of
London a pastoral letter was read from the bishop, and
collections made in behalf of the fund which bears his
name. At St. James's, Pioeadilly,there was an immense

congregation, there being present the Earl of Derby, the
Earl of Powis, Viscount Sydney, Lord Egerton of Tattoo,
the Bishop of London, the Bishop of Winchester, and a
large number of the nobility. The sermon was preached
by the Rev. Dr. T. L Claughton, bishop elect of Roches-
ter, who selected for his text the 3rd chapter of St. Paul's
Epistle to Titus, verges 4to S. He drew an alarming picture
of the spiritual destitution of many parts of London, and ear-
nestly commended the plan for meeting it which the Bishop
of London has proposed. It appears that the actual sum
paid in money to the fund amounts up to the present time
to 200,0001., the sum paid and promised being 300,0001.
' These contributions had been met by grants from the
ecclesiastical commissioners to the extent of 500,0001.,
while private individuals, by their exertions in the
various parishes, had raised a sum of 850,0001.
to meet the same objects. By means of the money
directly subscribed to the fund 115 clergy and 64 lay
assistants had been added to the staff of the diocese.
Grants bad been made for .57 permanent churches and for
71 sites for churches, parsonage., do., while a sum of
25,668/. had been voted for educational purposes. In order
to secure one clergymen for every 2,000 of the population
twice as many clergy would be required as had been
secured, with a proportionate number of churches and
schools. At Westminster Abbey the sermon on behalf of
the fund was preached by the Bishop of Oxford ,• at Christ
Church, Marylebone, by the Rev. Charles Kingsley, M.A.,
of Cambridge ; at Kensington, by Archdeacon Sinclair •
at Homey, by the Dean of Ely. In most of the church.;
the matter was taken up with much spirit, and through
the collections of the day a oonsiderable addition will be
made to the available balance of the fund.

_
CRYSTAL PALACE. HALIP-A-GUINZA DAY,
Saroanav, May 2.s.—Admimions on payment, 2.515 ; ditto
by season tioksis, 11,873; total visitors, 14,351.