The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-03 00:00:00

THE CR STAL PALACE.

This building, the fate of which has been the sub-
ject of so much speculation, has, after a long inter-
regnum, been partially made accessible to the public
in rather a singular way. It will be remembered
that a large portion of the interior fittings was sup-
plied by Messrs. Fox and Henderson, the contrac-
tors. These fittings are now on sale by public auc-
tion, and, as it is necessary to admit purchasers, the
price of a catalogue, eihich is fid., secures the entrée.
Where curiosity is excited people are not slow to
avail themselves of an opportunity, and the sale of
catalogues, which on the first day amounted to 200,
now, after the interval 'of a week, reaches 1,500.
Business men attend in sufficient numbers, and the
details of the auction-mart are animated to a degree ;
so much so, indeed, that the first lot brought a price
about twice its original value, and throughout the
purchases effected have been more or less affected by
the associations of the spot. But it is almost unne-
cessary to say that a very small proportion of the cata-
logues are disposed of to persons anxious to avail
themselves of them, and that the majority buy as a
pretext to see the interior of the building. Nursery-
maids with their infant charges are, as soon as they
approach the south entrance of the transept, seized
with an irresistible impulse to participate in the
transactions in lumber going on within, and even
ladies' boarding-schools own the same influences.
Not less than 3,000 to 4,000 people were there yes-
terday, and wandered over the spacious interior with
feelinge of gratification and delight not difficult to de-
cipher in their faces. It is the commencement of a
new era in the history of this wonderful building,
which in itself contains features calculated to make it
permanently attractive, and, if the contractors only
play their cards well, they may render it so desirable
and popular a place of resort that its removal will
become an impossibility. At the same time it must
be remembered that in strict terms this wonderful
structure lies under sentence of death. Parliament
has suspended the execution of the extreme sentence
of the law Until its pleasure be taken on the subject,
and possibly it may preserve, or dismember, or des-
troy. It may see fit to vote the amount
requisite to render the Crystal Palace per-
manent, or it may sanction its distribution,
giving a limb to Battersea, another to Kew,
and_ another to Victoria-park, in the approved style of
dialing with the carcases of traitors. It may also
thjeeesthelasl th e Royal Commission has already done,
that bodyw within which the honours and triumphs of
what
accumulated. No one can confidently
predict
the
the result will he, but in the meantime,
and while
and white
mthaeak, wisdom of Parliament is still in reserve,
publicln have not yet had an opportunity
of finally
persognaulp. their minds upon the subject by
the aid of a
was
tinspection, it may be worth while
to state what substance of a report made to
the late Governmenuthrbeit
a committee appointed by the
Lords of the Treasury to the question of the
building. That
Lindley,
of three mem-
beri—Sir W. Cubitt, Dr.e
and Lord Sey-
mour. They examined witnesses end reported, we
would cost 2100'r
believe, in Aubst ••e.e as follows :____
ohoaotl.thtoe
make
estaitl
Palace, if retained,
.nt
PeQ •rmen ' and adapt it fur a wintof the arts ana
munue_r garden or
repository facrures and
Tv,
other objects
contemplated. 2. •
at if a portion
of it were removed to Kew it
-- Would •
entail
an outlay of 80,0001. 3. That a transposi-
tion to Battersea Wei worthy 0, serious:
consideration ; and, lastly, that:
4s!ructure batter
adapted for the purpoe€s to which lt Was contem-
plated that the Crystal Palace should he applied might
be constructed at a smaller charge than the estimate
of 200,0001. specified. The committee give no posi-
tive epinion as to the retention or removal of the
building, and their report will go b-fore Parliament
and have its due weight along with the effect which
may be produced 1311-,ill the public wind by a free
and unernbarrass, d inspection of the interior before
the question comes on for discussion. As far as the
Royal Commission are concerned, they have aban-
doned all idea of holding ou; a hand to help the in•
habitants of the metropolis who are interested in this
matter. Not only is the building absolutely in the
hands of the contractors, but the Commissioners have
issued orders to withdraw everything belonging to
them. Their collection, which is to form the ground-
work of a trades' museum, is, in compliance with a de-
cision come to on Monday, to be transferred to Ken-
sington Palace, and in a few days every vestige of
their connexion with the Crystal Palace will
have terminated ; the building will then have
to rely for its preservation entirely on public
feeling, and it remains to he seen whether the
Power which created it and gave it a world-wide
celebrity has also the will to render it permanent, for
the en.leyment. and advantage of the metropolis and
the country at prate,—'Tines.

------=--- „ ,
Fit"" RD BREAKWATER ON THE hIEItBEY.—A
report just Submitted
merce by Mr. viTnil.ted to the Liverpool Chamber of Com-
Roes contains a project, devised by Alr.
George Rennie, C.F.
vast sand-bank • ,'or the reclamation from the sea of the
s lz, ,1,,
of a breakwater esteeming
of the River Mersey by means
Point, five miles in lug seaward from the Black Rock
stated that, length.besidssini If carried into execution, it is
life and } ropertn it thewillgru t wans of averting much loss of
the port in a navigable poiriter,ial 1Y improve the entrance to
projects arisiog from this—ou'o4.hvk'w. There are two other
for the application 01
the sewage manure to the neigh ,e( being fur lands, and the other
the formation of a local building' '
..nait,l B,eietY, its purpose being
the very desirable one Of
every man the owner of
his own house." A meeting of
the Chamber of Cpmmerce
willbe held to-morrow (rtiumt.Y), when the projects will
entertained.
A Lur sr, To UATCEI A.SURscatii ;., .
is about-to be established in eiretwr•—it new jouinal
'in leis.: propectuS, gays: " Our ternTa, Ohio. The editor,
year. Gentlemen who pay in advance are two dollars a
rate obituary notice in oases of death.' will . receive a amt.
EXCISE Sul-F. BAN DI UATIONs.—Fro
cocurnent just printed by order of the lions of an Official
of Commons, it
appears
that last year the net superannuatieo
the Excise amounted to 147,7981 16e. 5.1 d. allowances by