The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-29 00:00:00

THE EXHIBITION BUILDING.

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Anything more desolate than the aspect of the
interior of the Exhibition, row that it is really clear,
is difficult to be conceived. For once in its evist-
ence it is not only empty, but even silent, and the
footfall of the visitor who enters on its vast expanse
of solitary floor goes c.clioing through the wide-
spread courts and lofty nave with a sound which,
though slight, is almost noise amid such stillness.
So indelibly is the place associated in one's mind
with eager crowds and hurrying feet that you
almost fail at first to recognise it under its present
aspect, when the wide-spreading side-courts can be
traversed by the eye from end to end, and the whole
length of the nave seen for the first time without
the break of a single object or individual. Minton's
fountain still stands in its old place, and the melan-
choly drip, drip of water from some of its leaky
pipes breaks the silence in anything but a cheerful
manner, while the green slime which has sadly dis-
figured the faces of some of the winged angels at
the base has a still more forlorn and unpleasant
effect. In the niches immediately beneath this dome
a few of Elkington's figures of the Magna Charta
barons frown grimly down upon the dust beneath.
In the nave is one solitary statue with beseeching
look and outstretched hand, as though protesting
against desertion and imploring removal. Near it
are the famous Norwich gates, dustier than of yore,
and in front of the gap in the earth where Benson's
great clock once stood, and daily chimed the hours,
still stands the over-coloured temple out of which,
like a queen from a twelfth-cake ornament, tho
tinted Venus used to simper at the crowds. There
is a small hole in the floor where the beautiful Glas-
gow obelisk once stood, which but the other day
was sold for £loo—rather less, we should think,
than the price of its gilding—and the boards are
deeply worn, and the very paint scrubbed from
the columns where the visitors used to so push and
struggle and be kept " moving on," that all might
see in turn the Koh-i-noor and other glittering
pebbles of i:Garrard's case. The Roman Court
looks like a deserted workshop, and a still damp
spot on the other side of the building marks were
stood that most' impotent of little fountains that
used to dribble about the floor, and block the
entrance to the ices court, and annoy everybody
that ventured near it. Beyond one or two such
little landmarks, one almost loses all idea of locality
in the great expanse,and with difficulty traces where
were the furniture courts and where the limits of
the glass and porcelain. Partitions which formerly
separated them are no 5, removed, or, more perplex-
ing still, stripped of the beautiful works which
formerly covered them, look like recent and unex-
pected constructions, to the cause of which the red
banners overhead marked " engineering," " naval
architecture," See., give no sort of clue. The most
constant of visitors, the most vigilant of officials,
would be sorely puzzled to mark out the great divi-
sions of the interior, with which only a few months
back we were all so familiar. On the foreign side
there is a great litter of straw and papers, amid
which whole flights of hungry, chattering sparrows
are eagerly searching for a meal, and go up with a
great flutter to the galleries as the visitor draws
near. One or two gloomy-looking glass cases, with
their windows half obscured with dust, are here
marked " for sale," and opposite the Swedish Court
the two Scandinavians, locked in deadly embrace,
struggle on the verge of a hole near them as though
it were more for the grave of the vanquished. The
French Court is as bare and as empty as it was a
few ditYs before the openings:loV* few defaced skips
,showing where their exquisite paper-hatigings were
displayed. Under the west dome the two tall poles
which used to carry the arms of England and Gotha
still remain, but stripped of all their Royal emblems,
even to the little gilt knobs at the top. The Royal
arms, that until lately lay between them ticketed
for sale, have, we presume, found a purchaser, for
their place amid the dust and litter is empty now.
Of all the busy, whirling wheels and rising pistons
in the machinery annexe, not a vestige remains.
There is no steam, no crowd, no noise, nor endless
perspective of life and movement which seemed to
have an almost fascinating power for the visitors to
the Exhibition. One may see through it now from
end to end, without a break even in the ground ex-
cept in some few places where economical exhibi-
tors have removed the earth to sell the bricks of
their foundations. The picture galleries, though
empty, look as they always did, so admirably
adapted for displaying pictures that it seems a waste
of capital and labour to leave their long array of
walls all tenantless and bare. The main galleries
of the building are, if possible, even less to be re-
cognised than the ground floor. Spain has left a
wreck of scantling behind her here, and France
acres of bare partitions. Perhaps, however, the
greatest changes of all are in the refreshment de-
partments, with their long rows of empty counters,
cheerless tables, and dry beer engines—so sugges-
tive of bygone festivities that it is quite painful to
look at them. Great quantities of Mr. Morrish's
extensive " plant " were sold before Christmas, but
the sale, which is again on, will have to be extended
over the next three weeks to get rid of the remain-
der. Even the metropolitan public are unequal to
the sudden consumption of 1000 dinner tables, 16,000
wine glasses, 22,000 tumblers, with table-cloths and
etceteras to match. In some cases at the general
sales of exhibitors' goods of all kinds which took
place soon after the close of the building the polices
realised were high, and the residue of the Indian
collection was last week sold at Christie and Man-
son's on almost as good terms as were realised in
the Exhibition. This, however, has not been the
rule, and many hundreds of pounds worth have been
sold for little more than the price of carting them
away.
The foreign exhibitors, as the last to come, were
the last to go, Austria being the first and France the
latest departure. The former, having sold every-
thing, had very little to remove; the latter, less
successful in its trade, taking back nearly as much
as it brought. The distribution of the prize medals
has been nearly completed in England, and just
completed by the Emperor in France. On the other
side the Channel the occasion was worthily made
the subject of a public ceremonial; on this the dis-
tribution has been effected by the more economical
and simple process of allowing the clerks at the
building to hand over the medals across the counter
to those of the successful competitors who chose to
call and prove their identity in due form.
Just now such of the executive staff as still re-
main at Smith Kensington are engaged in prepar-
ing the details and statistics for the report of the
Commissioners. This document is not likely to be
made public before the middle or end of next month
at the earliest. As we stated throughout, this re-
port will show no deficiency whatever in the ac-
counts, and therefore no call of any kind upon the
guarantors. No decision has been come to as to
the destination of the building itself, which we vc n-
ture to think, now that it is clear, might %%ill] ad-
vantage be thrown open to the public as a pro-
menade during certain hours of the day. Its vast
proportions, and rich, effective colouring, can now
be seen and fully realised. As a building, its inte-
rior has never yet been displayed so strikingly as
now, and the public, we are sure, would appreciate
the permission to visit it.

THE ACCIDENT AT THE PRINCESS'S THEATRE.---
DEATH or MISS SMITH,—We regret very much
to state that Miss Smith died at 5.45 yesterday after-
noon. At 11 o'clock at night Mrs, Hunt's condition WAN
unaltered.