The Express.
London, England, 1861-05-20 00:00:00

(Stamped, ld. Additional.) tTWOPE N UE

THE WORKS OP THE unsAT EXHIBITION
BUILDING.

There was much apprehension felt by the council
and others concerned in this great work by the interference
of the district surveyor, Professor Donaldson, who pointed
out that the buildiug contravened in every respect the pro-
visions of the Building Act, which provides, and very pro-
peeiy, in ordinary cases, that no building shall be con-
structed beyond • certain extent (216,000 cubic feet)
without party wells and iron doors. Of course, if this ob-
jection were valid, there was an sod to this building until I
an act of parliament could be obtained to get over the diffi-
culty.
Under the circumstances, an appeal was made to
the Metropolitan Board of Works, who peones, a certain '
control over the district surveyors, and are • court of
appeal in all cases arising under that most ill-penned law,
the Building Act. In truth, much of the illileserred
odium to which this board is subjected arises from this
power of appeal, which brings before the board all ques-
tions of verandahs, projections, shop fronts, kc., which
used formerly to be referred to the magistrates. The board
caneot examine on oath, and have but little power of en-
forcing their decisions. These matters will be, perhaps,
cured when the Metropolitan Amendment Bill becomes law.
In the case, however, of the Exhibition building, the board
were, fortunately, not so powerless. The council memo-
rialised the board on Wednesday, who immediately directed
their architect, Mr. Vulliamy, to examine the plans, and,
with their solicitor, Mr. Smith, to advise them. Mr. Vul-
homy immediately reported that it appeared to them that
the building might be considered a temporary structure , by
which the present difficulty, and the necessity of divisious
by enormous party walls, might be avoided, the only re-
maining control being, that the district surveyor would be
left to see that the other important part of hb duty, vls.;
the stability and security of the building for eke public,
were satisfactorily carried out. The Metropolitan Board, at
their meeting on 'Friday, which was made special for the
purpose, unanimously adopted this view, and authorised
the building to proceed, and directed their architect to sign
the drawings forthwith. Thus this difficulty, which once
seemed so threatening, was got over by the promptitude of
the Metropolitan Board, after • delay of little more than
two days.-014erver.

FRANCE.

(nor ova own

PARIS, SATUSDAT Erato.
The election of a Grand Master for the Free-
=eons of France, which comes off to-morrow, has
suddenly mistimed the proportions of an affaire.
A few weeks ago no one would have doubted that
Prince Murat, who was elected in 1854 for the
usual term of seven years, would be re-elected as
a matter of course. I mentioned, however, some
few days since that there was a probability of his
being thrown out in eousequence of the disapproval
of the craft in general of his pretensions to the
throne of Naples, and of his vote in the Senate
against Prince Napoleon on the question of the
temporal power. The Sigcle to-day contains the
following remarkable attack, signed by M. Louis
Jourdain, upon the would be King of Naples :

I have not the honour to be • Freemason ; I never set
foot, even as • visitor, in a lodge, and never attended a file
of adoption • but from all that has been written on Free-
masonry, and from all that has been said to me by excellent
people, 1 know that the object of this vast association is
no. only the mutual relief of its members, but the prologs.
tion of the principles of liberty, toleration, sound morality,
and proems, which form the bases of modern society.
Freemasonry, in conformity with those principles, is con-
stituted democratically ; it is the people who elect
their chiefs and their great dignitaries, and the Grand
Master himself is thous by the free suffrages of
hie brothers. This is more than milkiest Measure to Free-
memory the sympathies of all who are not connected with
Roman compregations. The manner in which Prince Lucien
Murat has exercised his power has not been in harmony
with the principles of the isstitution, and that is why the
elections of the 20th May appear likely not to be favourable
to him. I have now before mo decrees of the Grand Muter
hearieg the seal of his arms, conetersigeed by • grand °Meer
of the order, and they give me an idea of what the Prince
would be if ever the Neapolitans should confer on him the
Grand Mastership of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It
is known that when the discussion took place in the Senate
on the question of the temporal power of the Papacy,
Prime Murat showed himself favourable, not
his speech—for he is no speaker but by
vote, to the cause which his cousin Prince Napoleon so elo-
quently combated. The Freemasons were profoundly
annoyed at that vote, which placed the Grand Master in
direct opposition to the principles of the order. A masonic
journal, L'laitiatioa, gave expression to their feelings. But
it appears that the Prince does not like criticism, for he
Immediately issued a decree thus conceived :
" We, Prince Lucien Murat, Grand Muter of the Masonic
Order in France ; seeing an article which has just been
published, he. • considering, to ; have decreed, and do
hereby decree, what follows :—Art. 1. The journal
L'lnitiation is provisionally suspended. Art. 2. Brother
Riche Garden, who signed the article, Venerable of the
lodge, the Temple den Families, is provisionally suspeuded.
A. 3. Our special representative, grand officer, &c., is
charged with the notification and execution of the present
decree. (The Prisee's seal.) L. MURAT."

Another decree followed, suspending the lodge of which
the writer of thearticle was the Venerable. Undoubtedly,
Movesigneur, your highness acta energetically. What, for
• poor little newspaper article which ruffled your self-love,
you not only suspendiaoieurnal, but the writer of the ar-
ticle, and an entire e as well. Fora trifle more you
would have suspended reetnasoury altogether, and that
would not, perhaps, have caused displeasure at Rome. One
can understand that such proceedings, and many others
which I will not relate here, have rendered this terrible
Grand Master somewhat unpopular among the Freemasons.
It is • matter of necessity for French Freemasons,
who, like other citizens, have no rights whatever
except by the toleration of the Emperor, to choose
'rand master who shall not.bo displeasing to his
Majesty. If they were to do otherwise the drawn
sword of their " tylers" would be found insufficient
to protect any lodge against the intrusion of gen-
darmes. In all probability Prince Napoleon will
be elected.

The appeal of Mrs. Paterson and her son in the
grest case of " Paterson v. Bonaparte" is set down
for bearing before M. President Devienne and the
First Chamber of the Imperial Court for June 3.
The Bourse was again weak. The reduction an-
nounoed in the Munittur of It per cent. upon the
I interest of Treasury bonds was counterbalanced by
the issue by the Bank of France of 230 millions of
railway obligations. Thu Route, after insignificant
fluctuations, closed at 69.25 and 69.40, with a fall
of 10e. and Sc. Mobilior fell 1.25. In railways
there was little change, but three or four lines
were from 1.25 to 2.50 lower.

The latest letters from St. Petersburg give a
black account of affairs in the Russian empire. It
is said that no less than 27 "governments" are in
a state of insurrection, on account of disputes about
the emancipation of the serfs.
M. Thiers means to divide his 20,000 f. prize—
supposing it to be confirmed to him by the vote of
a general meeting of the Institute—among four
authors ; but whether he means to choose them
himself, or to constitute some sort of tribunal foe
their selection, does not yet appear.
Queen Christina is to dine at the Tuileries to-
morrow, and in the evening Alexandre Dumas's
comedy of Un Manage ante Louis XV. will be
played before the court.
To-morrow (Whit-Sunday) a " Marionettes"
Theatre, which has obtained permission to fix itself
in the Tuileries gardens, under the chestnut treeeon
the Rue de Rivoli side, will be opened for the first
time.