The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-29 00:00:00

APRIL 29, 1852.

Mr. Dilke, Mr. Cole, Captain Owen, and Mr. Car-
penter were also present.
Lord Feversham had an interview with Mr. Secretary
Walpole yesterday at the Home .office.
The Oxford University Commissioners had an inter-
, view on Tuesday with Mr. Secretary Walpole at the
Home-office. Present—the Bishop of Norwich, the Dean
of Carlisle, the Master of Pembroke, the Rev. H. G.
Liddell, J. L, Dampier, Esq., th© Rev. Professor Powell,
the Rev. J. H. S. Johnson, and the Rev. A. P. Stanley
(secretary).
A deputation from the Church of Scotland, consisting
of the. Rev. Dr. Simpson, Mr. John Tait, and Mr. Davij
Smith, had an interview with Mr. Secretary Walpole at
the Homo-office on Tuesday.
Dispatches were received at the Colonial-office yes-
terday from the Governor of Canada and the Governors
of the other North American provinces.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE.
The meeting at Exeter-hall, for the preservation of the
Crystal Palace on its present site, ought to have weight
with a Legislature which professes to represent all
orders and classes of the people. If there was not
everybody there," there was at lest a very fair dele-
gation. Religion, morality, and benevolence bad their
active representatives ie Shaftesbury and Harrowby ;
economy and public spirit in Hume and Wakloy; from
Scotland there was the accomplished Thane and the
eloquent Presbyter; Lancashire sent a Heywood, and
Sir Joseph Paxton might well have appeared as the
prince of florists, but that his fame in that department
has been eclipsed by his conception of the edifice, which
was the subject of the meeting. There are not many
causes that command so wide a concurrence, or so varied
an advocacy. Oar public men have their antipathies as
well as their sympaties, and it may ba many years be-
fore, as the almanacks express it, we shall see so many
planets at once above the horizon. But the demoastation
was as comprehensive in its results as in its speakers.
We cannot call to mind a single objection to the pre-
servation of the building on its present site that was not
fully met, from the frivolities and dishonesties of Lord
Seymour's so-called " Report," to the frantic stuff we
occasionally see in the papers from here and there a
tradesman who ascribes his want of business to any
cause but the true one. With the offer to take the
building on a lease from the Crown, and to maintain it,
under proper regulations, on the self-supporting prin-
ciple, there is an end to all the interesting forebodings
about expense, public indifference, and failure. It is
now placed beyond doubt that the real apprehension at
the bottom of these prophecies is lest the building should
prove too durable, the glass too proof against hailstorms,
and the Paxton gutters too cheaply adapted for perma-
nence; lest the vast area should find too many uses, the
building be made too attractive, and the frequenters
become too many and too constant. That is the real
bugbear which haunts on the one hand the aristocracy
of the neighbourhood. and on the other a few tradesmen,
who, not having the necessary gift of addressing them-
selves to the changes around them, think all the world
is to stand still that they may do so themselves. Let

it be plainly understooa—fo; there is now no other
construction to be put on the efforts of the mal-
contents--that they are only too sure that the
Exhibition, once permitted to stand, will become
one of the institutions of the realm. The comprehen-
sive nature of the offer made to the Government leaves
no other alternative; for the capitalists who have made
it, besides undertaking the improvement, maintenance,
custody, warming, and filling of the structure, are pre-
pared to settle the little questions of s. d. with the
contractor over the way. It is difficult to say what more
they can do to meet the West-end and " vested interest"
objections, unless they shall also undertake to convey
to and fro, in tunnels or in balloons, that plebeian but
numerous portion of the visitors who do not possess car-
riages of their own. We had almost emitted—for in-
deed it is scarcely worth notice—the story about the
solemn undertaking that the building should be removed
as soon as it had answered its purpose. Lord Carlisle's
letter disposes of that. If the promise was made by any-
body, it was made by him; it was made with respect to
a building which was never erected, and to a Legislature
which need not enforce the promise a moment longer
than it pleases. When the two parties to an engage-
ment are equally desirous to bring it to an end, there
need no longer be any difficulty about it.
It ought to be fully known and understood what is
the precise question now before the public. It is not
whether the building should remain on its present site
or be altogether destroyed—be banished to the Champs
Elyte2s, " disappear into space"—or be cut up into a
hundred provincial mimicries. Jt is simply, as we are
given to understand, whether the above-mentioned offer
shall be accepted, and the building be permitted to stand
on its present site, or whether, in consequence of another
offer, it shall be removed and re-erected on another site
near the metropolis, and not without its recommenda-
tions. It has been proposed to transfer the building to
Wimbledon-park, which, till lately, was little known to
the majority of Londoners, except by the large piece of
green that stood for it in the maps of London and the
neighbourhood; but which has, at last, fallen into the
hands of speculators. The site, the soil, the turf,
the woods, and the lake, will all bear comparison
with those to which the building owes so much
of its present attractions. The South-Western
Railway Company are ready to lay down a new
line of rails from the Waterloo station right up to
the proposed site, and to carry the visitors for a penny
there and a penny back; that is, receiving twopence oat
of every shilling ticket issued at Waterloo station and
presented at the Exhibition. Tile journey, therefore,
would be less tedious, less costly, and less liable to an-
noyances than it proved to most visitors last year; and,
with the carriage there and back included in the shilling
charged for admission, the wonder of the ago would be
once more brought home to our doors. There aro so
many things in favour of this proposal that we could
almost find it in our heart to give up Hyde-park once
more to the exclusive use of dandies, dowagers and lap-
dogs. Let the aristocracy of the West-end be undis-
turbed in their enjoyment of our beautiful parks and
national gardens. Let them continue to show their pre-
sent laudable jealousy of royal and popular encroach-
ments. It is possible that the people may henceforth
secede to a park of their own. To the discovery of the
Great Exhibition, and the discovery of the Crystal
Palace, may now perhaps ba added the discovery of a
system for the conveyance of a hundred thousand visi-
tors fivo miles into the country in the morning, and
back again at night. It is only a question of materials
and arrangement, and, if the demand is made, it will
be met before long.
_ _

Wo shall be told, perhaps, that this settles the ques-
tion. If there is no objection whatever to Wimbledon-
park, and plenty of objections to llyde-park, let the
objectionable site be spared and the unobjectionable one
be adopted. But the question is not so easily d;
spored
of. The Exhibition in Hydo•park will still be public
property in some sort, being leased under proper regu-
lations, and with a certain right of control reserved to
the Government. It will, in fact, bo in the same position
precisely as the Zoological and Botanic Gardens in Re-
gent's-park. In Wimbledon-park the Exhibition will
be as thoroughly a private undertaking as Cremorne-
gardens, or Rosherville-gardens, or tne Surrey Zoolo-
gical, or the tea-gardens at Anerley, on the Croydon
line. Now, though we have reason to believe that the
gentlemen who propose to plant the Crystal
Palace in Wimbledon•park will endeavour to keep as
much as possible up to the standard of the Great Ex-
hibition, and preserve the prestige which they carry with
them, yet they will be under no express obligation to do
so, and will be under no special responsibility. Having
to attract and entertain myriads of vulgar excursionists
every day, they will be obliged to pay more attention to
the commissariat than the Royal Commission thought
suitable to the occasion; they will not feel themselves
bound to exclude intoxicating beverages; they may pos-
sibly allow cookery on the premises; and even go so
far as to provide out.of-door sports, perhaps dancing,
and theatrical representations. If the concern does not
otherwise answer they will certainly do whatever
speculators have been accustomed to do under
similar circumstances; they will part with a good
many scruples rather than be utterly ruined.
But without asking what they will do, or what
they will not do, there is ono point of difference
between the two sites about which there can be no doubt.
Like the Great Exhibition, Zoological Gardens, and the,
Botanic Garden, the " Crystal Palace," if suffered to re-
main in Hyde-park, will be closed on Sunday. In Wim-
bledon-park its chief chance of support will be its Sun-
day visitors, and it will doubtless become a principal fea-
ture of the metropolitan Sabbath. To the speculators it
will be a matter of necessity, and the Legislature will
not, in consistency, have the right to interfere. Now,
considering the national antipathy to the opening of our
public exhibitions on Sunday, we submit this choice of
difficulties to those who are hesitating between Hyde-
park and Wimbledon-park. The question extends, of
course, to all private sites. Once out of the roach of the
State, the Crystal Palace will inevitably becomef a Sun-
day exhibition; so thewo wish to sa i roila,i,,tif.la
profanation must take caret keep it at hve
omet

-----------
WRITING ON NEWSPAPERS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE EXETER AND PLYMOUTH
GAZETTE.
Sir,—Some time ago it was stated among your notices
to correspondents, that on application
Post-office, you had been informed that it was not al.
lowed to write upon the cover was duly
newspape, even
though the usual postage stamp was duly affixed to it!
A friend of mine, thinking so absurd a state of tont.ge
could not be possible, took the trouble to
.write to
" head quarters" for information.
.The following is a
copia vera of the reply transmitted in due for n?:—
" General Post-office, Bth April, 1852.
"Sir,—ln reply to your letter of the 9t
hlh ult. I beg to
acquaint you that the charge upon the espper, of
which the enclosed is the cover, is correct.
has been affixed, but the
"Newspapers sent by the post may have writing upon
them when a postage stamp
privilege does not extend to the cover.--I am, Sir,
obedient humble servant, your
.6 V. TILLEY, Assistant Secretary."
Now, as it clearly cannot make the slightest difference
dpilffaecrednoene
to the revenue whether the said ". writing"
the paper or on. the cover, " provided always',
th e
piece of red sticking-plaster, popularly culled ~ \Tully
spittle," is duly daubed on, the affair exhibits ai.iaotlieer"
will
comestam tamely submit to
striking illustration of the well. known remark of Vol-
taire, namely, that. " John. Bull
any kind of absurdity
,provided it
most obedient
an Act of Parliament. '—l am, Sir, your1 the form of
A LOVER OF RATIO
servant, XAL REFORM.

MRS. VIACFARREN'S MATINEES.--The first is fixed
for Saturday next, at the Beethoven Rooms, and we do hope
the room will be crowded in every part. Mrs. Macfarren
has acquired some fame as a pianists, and will be assisted on
the occasion by a numerous corps of professionals, added to
which, when we state that she has a husband who has lost
his sight, and rendered incapable of following his profession
as an artist!
we feel convinced that the most extensive
patronage Toff he MINA to this praiseworthy effort,

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND'S LEVEE.—His
Grace received yesterday Vice-Admiral Sir W. Pym,
Rear-Admiral Rejnoidt,, Rear-Admiral Byng, Rear-
Admiral Watts, Rear-Admiral Feeling, Rear-Admiral
Mends.

ADMIRAL PARKER'S LEVEE.—The following officers
were received yesterday :—Admiral G. Rutherford,
Lieutenant F. Smyth, Commander De Courcy, Lieute-
nant R. B. Miller, Lieutenant •. M. Jackson, Lieute-
nant H. Trollops, Commander H. Harvey, Captain H.
Dairies, Commander C. Hornby, Commander J. B.
Bond, Commander Thomas Chaloner, Commander J. C.
Gill, Lieutenant W. Davis, Lieutenant W. C. Nowell,
Lieutenant H. Payne, Mr. G. Bower, Lieutenant C.
Pasco, Captain W. Radcliffe, Lieutenant Hemmans,
Captain Cooper Key, Lieutenant White,Captain Farquhar.
PORTSMOUTH, WEDNESDAY.—AdmiraI Sir William
Parker, Bart., dined with the Commander-in-Chief, Ad-
miral Sir Thomas Briggs, last evening, returning on
board the Queen.
This morning the Sprightly was placed at the disposal
of :3ir William Parker. He left the Q leen, attended by
his Flag Lieutenanr, Augustus Phillimore, and his Se-
cretary, Charles Richards, Esq., soon after breakfast,
for the Sprightly. On the Gallant Admiral's leaving
his ship, yards were manned. and the crew cheered er2-
thusiaqically. The Superb, 10, Captain Purcell, paid
the same compliment; while the Hercules and other
ships manned their rig; in and cheered.
Sir William landed' trona' the Sprightly at Sallyport
at half-past ten o'clock, where the carriage of Admiral
Sir T. Brigg% was in waiting to convey him to the Land-
port terminus, and the Admiral proceeded by train for
London. We are glad to perceive the Admiral looks
well and hearty; his twelve years of continued service
have made no perceptible change in his appearance; he
seems as active and energetic as ever he was. It is
rather a singular matter to have two admirals' flags,
blue at the main, flying at the same time at Portsmouth.
Sir William Parker's will come down to-night at sunset.
Sir William Parker left his family on board the
Queen; but they left the vessel at two o'clock, going
either to Southampton or Cowes in the Sprightly.
The Bee was in attendance yesterday, and took Lady
Stirling and family on board the Queen, and afterwards
conveyed them to Cowes.

The Portsmouth yacht, with the Rear-admiral super-
intendent on board, with the gentleman from the Pay-
office, proceeded to Spithead to pay the Rodney, which
ship proceeded to Plymouth on Friday. Wind westerly,
moderate, and cloudy.
The Hercules, 72, Lieutenant F. Diggens, of the
Queen, acting commander, has brought home troops and
invalids from Malta, and passengers, Captain and Mrs.
Spring, 24th Regiment; Mr. Bragg, clerk of the works,
R.E.; Lieutenant G. M'Laren, R.N., to join the Blen-
heim, &c. She has also on board an immense quantity
of condemned Goldner's preEerved meats to return into
store.

The Queen, we are informed, has a defective rudder,
and one of her beams sprung.
PLYMOUTH, APRIL 28.—The East Indiaman Barham,
Captain W. Vaile, was off the port yesterday and landed
passengers from Madras—Lieutenant-Colonel Strange,
Her Majesty's 25th Foot; and Lieutenant Cunningham
and wife, 2d Madras Naive Infantry; and from Calcutta
—Major Whish, 60th Bengal Native Infantry, and lady.
The Barham has a cargo of sugar, indigo, jute, &c., and
left Calcutta on the 22d of December, Madras on the
6th of January, Cape of Good Hope on the 3d of March.
Spoke, north of Ascension, the Amathea, of and for
Liverpool from Calcutta; and on the Line, the Bowling,
of Liverpool. and the United States' bark Corinza, both
outward hound. Passengers gone on in the Barham--.
Captain Scott, Madras Invalids; Dr. Kane, Madras
Army; Dr. Lucas, Her Majesty's 80th Foot; Captain
Gordon, late Bengal Army; the Rev. Mr. Henry from
the Cape, several ladies, and in all 45 children.
The merchant ship Scindian, Captain W. Cammol,
laden with coffee, cocoa nut oil, coir, cinnamon, &c.,
from Ceylon, has landed passengers here. Her dates
are—Ceylon, 14th of December; arrived at the Cape of
Good Hope on the 12th of February! sailed on the 14th;
touched at St. Helena on the 24th of February, and
sailed therefrom on the 25th. The Scindian, on the 25th
inst., landed at Scilly Captain Maricheau and lady and
the Rev. Mr. Blousfield; landed bore, Mr. and Mrs.
Crabbe, Mr. and Mrs. Williams, and Dr. Dobson,
staff-surgeon, first class. Mr: Dordell died on the
passage.
DEVONPORT, WEDNESDAY.—The Hecate steam-sloop,
Commander Hand, sailed from Davenport on Tuesday
afternoon for Portsmouth, where it is said the officerg
and crew are to bo turned over to the Geyser.
The Avon Lteam-tender left Dovonport on Monday,
with supernumeraries for Portsmouth.
The Tortoise lighter sailed from Devonport on Tues-
day, with stores for Portsmouth.
SHEERNESS, APRIL 28.—Her Majesty's screw steam-
frigate Horatio, 22, Captain the lion. S. T. Carnegie,
has had the defective shaft of the feed-pump repaired,
and a new one made to take with her on her trial cruise,
so as to prevent the necessity of her returning to port,
should the old one
give way. She was to have started
nce of its blowing a gale
on Saturday, but in consequence
from the eastward she was prevented. She will not

leave port for three or four days.
The Diligence, navy transport, arrived on Tuesday
morning in tow of the Adder, Mr. James Watt in
charge, and proceeded westward.
Her Majesty's mail-packet Vivid, Captain Smithett,
passed by here on Tuesday en, route to Dover.
The Goodwill, dockyard-lighter, Patrick master,
sailed yesterday evening with stores for Devonport-yard,
Tne Lumsden, of South Shields, W. Smith, master.
from London for Newcastle, parted with all her anchors
and cables in the Swin during the late gale, and drove
across the Maplin-sand close to the sea-wall, between
Foulness-poies and Fisherman's-head.
EmuTum.—ln our report of Monday of the casual-
ties caused by the heavy gale of Friday, it was made to
appear that the Pythagoras, of Whitby, and five other
vessels which had suffered therefrom, put into Chat-
ham, whereas they came into Sheerness from distress of
weather.
Woonwtort, APRIL 28.—The Comte d'Aquila, wear-
ing the unform of a Vice-Admiral of the Neapolitan
fleet, attended by his Aide.de• Camp, and accompanied by
the Ambassador at the Court of St. James's from the
Court of the King of the Two Sicilies, arrived at Graves-
end at eleven o'c:ock A.M. to-day, having left London by
the ten o'clock down train of the North Kent Railway,
and immediately after his arrival embarked on board the
Lightning steam-vessel, Master-Commander Henry W.
Allen, that vessel having left Woolwich at halt-past
eight o'clock to be in waiting at Gravesend, with Lieu-
tenant George E. K. Gore, Flag-Lieutenant to Commo-
dore Henry Eden, in charge of the barge of the Fisgard,
to attend on the Comte d'Aquila during his visit to
Sheerness Dockyard. When the Lightning, with the
Compte d'Aquila on board, arrived at Sheerness, she
, was received by a Royal salute from the Waterloo, Cap-
' tain Hon. Montagu Stopford, flag-ship of Vice-Admiral
Jocelyn Percy, C. 13., Commander-in-Chief at the Nore;
from the London. 90, Captain G. R. Mundy; the Mo-
narch, 84, Captain Charles Hope; and the Horatio,
24, screw steam-frigate, Captain Honourable S. T. Car-
negie. The barge of the Waterloo rowed to the Light-
ning, and Captain Honourable Montagu Stopford,
with Flag-Liutenant Honourable 0. W. M. Lambert,
went on board awl welcomed the Comte d'Aquila to
Sheerness. The Comte left the Lightning in the barge
of the Fisgard, steered by Flag .Lieutenant Gore, and
on landing at Sheerness Dockyard was received by Vice-
Admiral Jocelyn Percy,
C.B , Commander-in-Chief;
Captain Charles Hope, Superintendent of Sheerness
Dockyard, with the heads of the various departments,
and a guard of honour of the Royal Artillery, under
Captain Wodehoui.e. A field battery, tinder Lieutenant
Hope, Royal Artillery, fired a royal salute to announce
the landing of the Comte at that naval port. The Comte
d'Aquila, was then conducted over the dockyard by
Captain Superintendent Charles Hope, accompanied by
the head officers of the departments. The first place
where a great range of
hviusiiitdeidngswiassapthpreoprrigiagtiendg se, where
storerooms for the rigging
and sails of every description of vessels in the Royal
Nquantity of hemp and iron rope,
and a large supply of sails and
with a Navvy. The 0
wTehr
feu l immense
cables,
sail cloth in process of being cut up and formed into
sails, appeared to convey to the Comte an idea of the
great resources in store in this country for naval use. In
one of the large rooms the Comte was shown a model of
Sheerness Dockyard, made very perfect,
number re- '
on a scale of one
quarter of an inch to a foot, and exhibiting the mannerne
conthsterudcistitoanncoe° that naval port.
in which the buildings and docks and evearnydereetion are
q ti i builtre
don t
to
b e piles,s sunk
kd
for showingthe
The Comte after leaving the rigging house
board the Amphion in dock, and vi— g- house went on
the engines of that vessel; he also went below to look at
the Howe, 120, and the Ganges, paid a passing visit to
the Achille, 78, and Russell, i 284, both in dock, and
Comte subsequently visited the , both in the basin. The
and the powerful hydraulic factory and the saw mills
water out of the docks after machine for emptying the
In the smithery hvessels have been docked.
department
ful Nasmyth's steam-harn e witnessed a very power-
iron of upwards of 6 cwt., and
at work, forging a lump of
the perfection to which the hammer,wasimmediately after shown
giving a blow equal, when having the power of
tons weight, had been brought,at its utmost exertion, to 38
hie presence without breaking when it cracked a nut in
d'Aquila, after a short visit
the kernel. The Comte
steam-frigate, building to the Tribune, 30, screw
with • • at Sheerness, left that naval port
similar honours to those h© received on landing,
Vice-Admiral Jocelyn Percy, Captain Superintendent
Charles Hope, and a number of officers being present, the
guard of honour in attendance and the field battery
and all the vessels in
salute. When the C commission again firing a royal
board the Li ht • orate d'Aquila again embarked on
g ning, the Neapolitan flag was hoisted at
the masthead, and she left for Chatham, as be intended
to return to town by the North Kent Railway from
Stood by special train.

RETENTION OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE.—'Yesterday
two additional meetings were held for the purpose of testing
the opinions and feelings of the inhabitants of the metro-
polis, with reference to retaining the Crystal Palace as a
place of public resort for the improvement, the recreation,
and amusement of the people. One, which was held at
Southwark Town-hall. was a meeting of the inhabitants of
the borough of Southwark, who were convened by the High
Bailiff of the Borough, Mr. Pritchard, in compliance with a
requisition which had been presented to him. Various reso-
lutions were passed, expressing the deep interest that was
felt by the meeting in the movement for preserving this edi-
fice, and it was unanimously agreed that petitions to
abo_ff
Houses of Parliament should be signed by the High B
ted.
on behalf of the meeting, and be immediately prlesoernough
The other was a meeting of the inhabitants of the a
The
of Lambeth, at the Horns Tavern, Kennington.
Pb'orough, Mr. Wi
chair was taken by Mr. D'Eyncourty • who was accom-
panied by the other representative of
andthe
other gentlemen.
Hams, M.P., Mr. Macgregor,
was
favour of
The opinion of the meeting
present site, and adapt-
preserving the Crystal Palace
education and amusement. Both
ing it to purposes of g
on itsu, nanimo"
in
meetings were numerously ded, especially by the labour-
,
ing classes.