The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-25 00:00:00

Royal Horticultural Society's Floral Fete,

The Queen's birthday was celebrated at the gar-
dens of the Royal Horticultural Society by one of
those delightful floralfetes which stand so deservedly
high in public estimation, altel prove so attractive
to the frequenters of the South Kensington grounds.
Hitherto the exhibitions of the society have been
almost exclusively confined to the display of the
choicest and most highly-cultivated flowers, but the
show yesterday inaugurated an interesting and im-
portant new feature, consisting for the most part of
a collection of ingenious designs, showing the vari-
ous uses to which flowers may be applied in the
decoration of halls, drawing-rooms, balconies,
churches, and buildings generally. Many of these
designs displayed exquisite taste, and the blending
of the colours of cultivated and wild flowers, with
sprays, leaves, and branches of every description
was very beautiful. 'lle entries in the several des
partments were numerous, especially when it is
considered that this is the first time an exhibition
of this description has been held in connection with
the Royal Horticultural Society. The floral fête
took place in the arcades, which are now covered
with glass, and thoroughly protected from incle-
ment weather. The two entrances, one in Prince
Albert-road and the other in the Exhibition-road,
have beeu constructed, so that now, in case a fall of
rain should occur on an appointed fête day, visitors
need not suffer the same amount of incon-
venience and disappointment they have previously
done, for they can attend the show and witness the
whole of the designs without being for one moment
exposed to the weather. The gardens yesterday
presented a charming appearance, and looked to the
best possible advantage. The weather was megni-
ficent, the still shining out with its utmost brilliancy.
Crowds of gaily dressed ladies, after leaving the
arcades, distributed themselves about the grounds
and the conservatories, where they admired the ad-
mirable perfection to which the flowers and plants
under Mr. Eyles' careful superintendence have been
brought. The whole of the cascades and fountains,
including Minton's majolica fountain from the In-
ternational Exhibition of 1862, were played, aad
three bands of music enlivened the proceedings by
their admirable selections of operatic music. The
bands were those of the Ist Middlesex Volunteers,
the St. George's Rifles, and the Civil Service Rifle
Volunteers. Altogether the scene was gay and
animated. The show was a great success, and the
promoters have good reason to congratulate them-
selves upon the happy inauguration of a new and
interesting feature of floral fetes. The number of
visitors was no less than 9,338.
The following is the award of prizes :
CLASS I.—For Floral Decorations of Buildings, Halls,

Drawing-Rooms, Conservatories, &c.
Miss Wint, prize of £2, for pendant baskets.
Messrs. Naylor and Co., honourable mention, for grace-
fulness and variety of glass ornaments.
Messrs. Claudet and Houghton, baskets in galvanised
ironwork, commended for graceful design.
Coalbrookdale Iron Company, iron and terracotta vases,
chair., and ornaments for gardens, honourable mention and
highly commended.
Messrs. Banting (March's patent), mirrors, toilet glasses,
plateaux for flowers, jardiniere, &c., honourable mention,
highly commended for novelty, beauty, and ingenuity.
Dobson and Pearce, honourabl3 mention for ornamental
glasses for flowers, highly commended for novelty, beauty,
and ingenuity.
Barr and Sugden, prize of £2, for window conservatory
plant-cases.
Mr. Lucking, prize of £l, for small baskets of plants for
rooms and table decoration.
Mr. Bull, special prize of 5, for ornamental and decorative
plants.
Mr- Drewett, gardener to Mrs. Cubbitt, of Denbies,
Dorking, honourable mention for cut flowers.
CLASS ll.—For the Decorations of Churches.

Miss Alice Sutherland, ornamenting a stone chancel
screen—Christmas, prize of £l, for novelty and simplicity
in working flowers in diaper.
Miss Sutherland, prize of LI, for working flowers in
diaper for stone chancel screen—Easter.
Miss Annie Sutherland, honourable mention for a har-
vest thanksgiving decoration.
Mrs. Mould, prize of £l, for an Easter cross.
Miss Gray, a floral cross. honourable mention.
CLASS Hl.—For Balconies and Windows.

Coalbrookdale Iron Company, for iron windows, gardens,
honourable mention, princirle highly commended.
CLISS IV.—For Decorations of Dinner and Supper
Tables.

Viscountess Holmeadale, honourable mention for dinner
and supper table decorations, and highly commended for
great taste and arrangement.
Mr Robson, prize of 10s, gardener to Viscountess
Holmesdale, for drawing-room ornamentation and decora-
tion.
Miss Wint, honourable mention for dinner table decora-
tions.
Lady Hume Campbell, a circular plateau of flowers for
the centre of a circular dinner table, highly commended for
taste and effect.
Class Vl.—For Garlands and Miscellaneous.
Charles Noble, for seedling rhododendrons, honourable

mention.
Miss Yates, prize of £l, for ornamental screens and
baskets of flowers.
The little Boys of Spencer House, Wimbledon-common,
prize of 108.2 motto in wild flowers.
Messrs. J. Carter and Co,, prize of £l, for hardy bulbous
plants.
Miss H. Sutherland, prize of £l, for a festoon for a
balcony. _ _ _

CLASS Vll.—Artificial Flowers for the Person.
Miss Beaumont, shell flowers, honourable mention.
Miss Wetherfield, prize of £l, paper flowers for table
decoration.
Miss Stodart, prize of £l, rice-paper flowers.
The judges were the Duchess of Buccleueli, the
Duchess of Marlborough, the Marchioness of Water-
ford, Vicountess Combermere, Lady Holmesdale,
Lady Augusta Stuart, Lady Cecilia Bingham, Lady
Dorothy Nevill, Lord Henry Gordon Lennox, &c.
The Rhododendron Show opens on Saturday next,
as a special fete.

The society holds its first conversazione to-morrow
evening, the 26th inst., at nine o'clock, in the
Garden, at South Kensington. The fellows and
guests will be received by the President, the Duke
of Buccleuch. The great conservatory has been
fitted up with gas for the purpose of holding these
evening receptions, it being now well established
by experience that the injury done to plants in
places lighted by gee is simply the result of defective
ventilation. The conversazione is strictly private
to the fellows of the society, the public not being
admitted, and none but a few guests of the very
highest rank being invited, and to prevent improper
admissions fellows must exhibit this year's tickets.
Gentlemen will be in evening dress; ladies either in
full dress or demi-toilette, as if the evening is fine
they may choose to stroll through the garden.
Arrangements will be made for taking ladies' cloaks,
but not gentleman's hats.

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, May 24.—1 n the general aspect of
the cloth-market there is no material change since
last Tuesday. There is a pretty fair inquiry, but
it is accompanied with a decided indisposition on
the part of buyers to operate to any extent, and
where any purchases have been made they have
been only for small quantities. Manufacturers are
firm at last week's rates, and the lowness of stocks
enable them to hold for full quotations to make.
The business done has been very small. In home
trade yarns we have had a very quiet market.
Prices, though nominally the same as last week,
are reallys.; somewhat weaker, particularly in the
lower counts. For 50's and upward sellers hold for
the full rates of last week. The business of the
day has been small. For shipping yarns the
market has been very firm, and business has been
done to a fair amount, chiefly for Germany and the
Mediterranean, For the orders given out the
prices obtained have been fully equal to those of the
last and previous weeks. Lou gsstapled yarns have
again been most sought after, and for these spinners
tt quire extreme prices. This branch of the market
closes very strong, and there is an impression that
prices will improve before the close of the week.
The market for cloth and yarn, taken as a whole, is
still somewhat of a holyday character; the buyers
in the market are few,and those disposed to operate
are cautious, and unwilling to enter into large
transactions under present circumstances. Messrs.
John Slagg and Co. report of the cloth market :
" Our market is still inactive, and buyers show but
little disposition to operate. There is, however, no
weakness in prices, manufacturers holding firmly
to the quotations of last week."
LEEDS, 24 Al.—The woollen cloth markets have
been quiet this morning, the attendance of both
buyers and sellers being rather below than above an
average. At present there is no great quantity of
goods suitable for the fall trade on offer in the cloth
halls; and as this is about the interregnum between
the full summer and the winter trade, there is a
corresponding lack of activity for the purchase of
such goods. There is a fair demand for piece dyed
blacks, the prices of which are advancing. Indeed,
from the high price of wool and other raw mate-
rials, manufacturers say they are under the neces-
city of asking some advance on late terms for most
new goods. As to the new clip of English wools,
the prices in the Yorkshire markets are higher than
they were ever known. For the colonial wools at
the current sales in London there is a good demand
by the worsted manufacturers as well as by the
woollen firms. There is also a strong competition
on the part of foreign buyers. Ali these things
combine to produce an impression that woollen
goods must speedily advance in price. The woollen
mills troughout this district are all actively at
work.
NOTTINGHAM, 24th.—There was a good attend-
ance of merchants and manufacturers at this Ex-
change-hall to-day, and a fair demand was experi.
enced for lace yarns at recent prices. Hosiery yarns
met a moderate sale, at little or no alteration in
prices. Silks are firm, especially the finest sorts of
Italian. Brown nets have advanced 10 per cent..
but the demand has undergone no improvement.
ROCHDALE, 23d.—There was not a very large
attendance of buyers in th© flannel market to-day,
but a good stroke of business was done at full prices.
The manufacturers are all well employed, and they
show no great disposition to take large orders at
the present rates. There is a good demand for
Yorkshire goods, especially for scourers, and late
quotations are fully maintained. Wools keep very
firm in price, but manufacturers are not buying
very largely, being desirous of seeing more of the
new clip in the market before they lay in stocks.