The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-02 00:00:00

EVENING, A ITGUST 2, 1852.

I GREENWICH SHERIFFS' COURT, July 31.
(Bofaze the UNDER•SHERIFF Of Kent and a Special Jury.)

WHITEBAIT DINNERS.
CODSELL V. THE COMMISSIONERS OP GREENWICH
HOSPITAL.

This was an inquiry under the recent Act for the
"Enlargement and Improvement of Greenwich Hospi-
tal," and the jury were summoned to assess the amount
of compensation to be paid by the Commissioners to the'
present claimant for her interest as tenant of the tavern
known as the " Ship Torbsy," situate close to the hospi-
tal, and facing the large steam-boat pier, which premises
are now required to be pulled down, in order that the pro-
posed improvements may ba made and fully carried out.
Mr. Edwin James and Mr. Phipson appeared for the
claimant; and the Attorney-General, Mr. Bodkin, aed
Mr..Bovill were counsel for the Hospital Commissioners.
It appeared that the claimant had been the tenant of
the premises in question for upwards of 12 years at an
annual rental of 1001. The deceased husband of this
lady had originally paid a premium of 5,0001. for the
lease, and it was alleged, and was now proved, that he
had by his exertions and influence created and obtaiad
a very considerable trade to the house prior to his death.
The inquiry, as it proceeded, became one of much
public interest and curiosity, from the disclosures which
wore made as to the immense profits which were gained
by the tavern-keepers of Greenwich, Blackwell, and
elsewhere, by the supply of the luxury recognised as a
" whitebait " dinner to the London visitor. Several of
the witnesses estimated that the profits upon a dinner of
this " little fish " as exceeding 300 per cent., and one of
the waiters, in answer to a question put by Mr. James,
gave, as instance, this fact—that on Thursday last they
had supplied as many as 44 " whitebait " dinners, for
which the charge made was half-a-crown per head, realis•
ing a sum of 5/. 103. The quantity of fish which had
been required to furnish these 44 dinners had only cost
the landlady Bs. 6d.
A great dsal of evidence having been given as to the
value of the business of the tavern, and also tea to the
value of the goodwill.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL addressed the jury in a
powerful speech, urging a diminution of the amount of
compensation claimed.
The UNDER-SHERIFF then summed up the evidence,
and

The jury, after having retired for some short space of
time, returned, when they fitated that they had assessed
the amount of compensation to which the claimant was
entitled at 5,1501.

It was rumoured in the court that an offer of 3,0001.
had been made to the claimant .previous to the inquiry,
but that that offer had been refused.

THE NEW CRYSTAL PALACE.

The first column of this marvellous structure will be
raised on Thursday next by Mr. Laing, M.P., the chair-
man of the Crystal Palace Company. Since our last
report of the arrangements contemplated by the pro-
jectors of the undertaking, the preliminaries for carrying
out thoroughly the'comprehensive design have been con-
cluded, and a thousand hands are already at work, that
faith may be kept and the building thrown open to the
public, on the let of May, 1853.
We are happy to be able to state that, so far as the
Government are concerned, no impediment will be
thrown in the way, and that there is now no fear of the
people's losing their palace on the day on which they
can best avail themselves of its many means of eleva-
tion and refinement. When the directors orthe Crystal
Palace Company applied some few weeks since to Lord
Derby for a charter, they communicated to his Lord-
ship the terms upon which they proposed to open
the building and grounds on Sundays. Tney were
of opinion that until after one o'clock no trains
should run from London, and the Crystal Palace itself
should be strictly closed. After that hour they pro-
posed to throw open the park and the winter garden, but
not to exhibit those departments of the building which
will partake exclusively of a manufacturing and com-
mercial character, the intention being to devote a certain
portion of the space to specimens of manufactures, &c.,
which the public will be invited upon certain conditions
to display. In the thin d place, the directors undertook
that on Sunday no spirituous liquors should be sold in
their grounds. On Monday last Lord Darcy requested
an interview with the directors, who, with Sir J. Pax-
ton, waited upon the Premier and the Home Secretary
in Dawning-street. At this meeting his Ingdship ac-
quiesced in the stipulations proffered by the Crystal Pa-
lace Company, suggested a few trifling variations, and
promised to grant the required charter.
Before the first column of the eigantic edifice is raised,
it will be interesting to trace the various modifications
which the design of the Crystal Palace has under-
gone, from the celebrated blottingpaper sketch of Sir
Joseph Paxton to its present state, as about to be
erected by the Crystal Palace Company, with all the im-
provements which those engaged upon it have been able
to suggest.
It will be remembered that the first design submitted
to the Royal Commission by Sir Joseph Paxton was a
building in three steps, consisting of a nave and four
side aisles, straight from end to end. But, in order to
meet the requirements of the Building Committee, a
transept was added in the centre; and when it was de-
cided that the large trees should be preserved and en-
closed within the building, this transept was moved east-
ward, thus dividing the building unequally, and, for the
purpose of covering the trees, an arched roof, similar
to the Chatsworth conservatory, was placed on the top
of it. It was suggested by Sir Charles Barry to con-
tinue this arched roof over the nave of the building, but
the idea was abandoned owing to the expense, and the
fear that the difficulties of construction might possibly
delay the opening of the Exhibition beyond the first of
May, 1851. It was felt 'universally that this feature
was wanting to render the Crystal Palace in Hyde-park
a perfect building, and it was one of -the earliest deei-
!ions of the Crystal Palace Company that the new build-
ing should have a circular roof to the nave. Other mo-
difications and improvements were subsequently adopted
from the requirements of the site, and these we shall now
proceed to describe.
The site chosen for the retereetion of the Crystal
Palace is an irregular parelletogram of 300 acres, ex-
tending from the Brighton Railway, where it has a
frontage of 1,300 feet; between the Sydenham and the
Anerley stations, to the road which borders the top of
Dulwich wood, where it has a frontage towards the road
of 3,000 feet. The fall from this point to the Brighton
Railway is 200 feet. It was at once felt that the only
position for the new building was on the summit of this
hill, and immediately adjoining the read. The building
placed in this commanding position will be visible from
London on the one side, and from a vast extent of coun-
try on the other. In consequence of the rapid fall of
the ground an additional story became necessary oil the
park front of the building; and this will remedy a de-
fect universally felt in the old building, viz., the little
elevation of the front.
By the choice of this site, also, a complete change be-
came necessary in the external character of the build=
ing- What in Hyde-park had been the side here
became the front. The great length of the old building
prevented it being comprehended in one view; it was
therefore shortened by 240 feet. A transept similar to
the transept of the old building was pieced at each
end, and a centre transept, with a vast circular roof 120
feet in diameter rising majestically over the circular
roof of the nave, The transepts, with their aisles, ad-
vance from the main line of the building, and thus form
a most majestic group; at the intersections of the roofs
of transepts and nave will be low towers, adding im-
mensely to the general effect.
A further improvement, of vast importance, was the
introduction of arched recesses at the ends of these
transepts, 24 feet deep; that of the centre transept, 194
'eat high and 120 feet wide; those of the side transepts,
150 feet high and 72 feet wide.
The improvements which have been made in the in-
terior are not less important, independent of the vast
additional effect afforded by the increased height of the
nave (44 feet higher than the old building). Advan-
tage has been taken of the necessities of the construc-
tion of this important feature to add greatly to the ar-
tistic effect of the interior.
In the old building the effect was secured by the
simple repetition of two elements, a column and a gir-
der, and although great grandeur was thus obtained, it
may be said that there was hardly sufficient variety, and
the fall effect of the vastness of the structure was not
entirely realized. At the extreme ends of the building,
the columns and girders fell so rapidly one on the other
that the eye had no means of measuring the length ;
this defect had to be remedied in the new building, and
it has been done in this wise—the columns and girders
do not keep to one line as before, but every 72 feet, pairs
of columns 24 feet apart, advance eight feet into the
nave, and from these columns spring arched girders eight
feet deep, in lattice-work of wrought iron, which sup-
port the longitudinal girders of the roof. These ad-
vancing columns are tied together, and thus form groups
of pillars, like those of a gothic cathedral. These
groups occurring every 72 feet down the nave thus fur-
nish the eye a means of measuring the building which it
had not before.

As regards the contents of the building it has already
been announced that the whole of the sides of the nave,
transepts, and the divisions on either side between the
several court* will be lined with the plants and trees of
every clime, interspersed with statues and works of art.
'On the noithreast side'of the building will be arranged
the historical galleries of sculpture and architecture with
casts of the finest works of sculpture and portions of
buildings of ancient art. On the south-east side will be
displayed similar collections of mediaeval art; while in
the north add south-west portions of the building. as
well as the whole of a 24-feet gallery round the, building,
will be devoted to the purposes of exhibition. The
machinery will be placed in the lower story on the park
aide, in a gallery 24 feet wide, extending the whole
length of the building.

Outside, the decorations will have reference fo the fur-
nishing of the interior. The ends of the building will
extend into large wings projecting a considerable dia-
taneeforward into the grounds, and encompassing terrace-
gardens which themselves occupy morn than 30 acres.
Attached to one of these glass wings will be the railway,
station, so arranged that persons descending from the
railway carriages are at once introduced to the pain°
by the wing. Those' wings will be terminated with
grand glass towers, from which will be obtained exten-
sive views of the gardens, fountains, and grounds, and
also a view of the surrounding Country to a very groat
distance. Beyond the terrace prdens, which will be,
adorned with fountains and statuary, Sir Joseph Paxton
has undertaken to carry out a design for waterworks,
temples, and statuary, in forms and on a scale hizherto
unknown. Two of the jets which he lilts in.band will
rise to a height of 200. feet, and will form the main
object of interest from the glass towers • already
spoken
of. Sir Joseph has also in preparation an unevalled
collection of hardy and half-hardy plants, and an illus-
trative series explanatory of the natural and Liar. wean
systems of botany. H 4 has already securcd for the
Crystal Palace Company the- magnificent collo:Hon of
palms and other choice plants brought together during
the past century by the Messrs. Lodridges, specimens
hitherto unrivalled in Europe, and is daily,
auding to the