The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-26 00:00:00

critic, but, at least, the condemned structure as not

nsignificant in pintof size. A building must not be

regarded with contempt when it covers 241 acres,
demands 17,250,000 bricks, 1,300,000 superficial
feet of flooring, 225,854 superficial feet of zinc,
71,260 of slating, and 216,808 panes or glass.

Other figures, showing the amount of iron, lead,

,ime, and sand, are in equal proportion, while the
items of 95 tons of putty and 133 tons of nails tes-
ify to the activity of the workmen. For the labour
incurred is putting the unwieldy structure together,

Messrs. KELE. and LUCAS paid the sum of £138,348.

It was a good season for builders and bricklayers,
though, if rumour tells truth, many were the lives

paid for the towering domes. The Commissioners,
who assembled 180 times in full conclave, held com-

raunications with 9,000 British exhibitors, and

directed the establishment of 103 local committees

at home, 40 similar associations abroad, as well as

other agencies in India and the colonies. A better
test of the amount of labour despatched by the de-

partrnents is found, however, in the statistics of the

correspondence from March, 1861, to February,
1863. The Commissioners and their agents received

70,157 letters, while they despatched no less than
152,670. The discrepancy in the figures is due to

:he issuing of circulars. From this catalogue a

numbers we must not omit the sum total of visitors,
who reached the goodly array of 6,211,103. A:ito-

gether the statistics of this by-gone pagoan.t are
neither uninteresting nor unimportant, and, as the
Commissioners express their conviction that it is
but one in a chain of successive exhibitions of the

world's art, science, and industry, the records of its
difficulties and its triumphs, its failures and its suc-
cesses, will be read with some curiosity at a
later date.

The Peace Society apparently think it high time
o favour the public with a repetition of their wise
doings. They have just sent Lord RUSSELL a
memorial in reference to our relations with Japan.
It is to be trusted that the noble lord at the head
of the Foreign Department will not feel alarmed at
the direful prospect that is put before him in these
awful warnings and dread denunciations. The
"present menacing" state of relations between this
country and Japan have excited the " deep appre-
hension" of the memorialists, and they furthermore
declare that it is a " painful and deplorable fact "
that the arrival of onr countrymen in heathen
nations is, instead of being the prelude of peace,
and the harbinger of civilisation, only
tends to
"aggression, violence, and blood." It will not
appear to impartial observers that the
blame of these sad events rests entirely with
our
,rmanagement, but the Peace Society have
decided otherwise. The treaty with Japan was
obtained, they say, through fear, and we have failed
in keeping to the terms of that treaty. Then fol-
lows a fierce onslaught on our countrymen, Who
have followed in the wake of the diplomatists, and
proved offensive and injurious to the Government
and the people. It is a strange fact that all these
strenuous advocates for peace do not let their
charity begin at home, but are always inclined,
with just indignation, against their own country-
men.

Mr. COBDEN, in the House of Commons, in sup-
porting the just claims of the United States Go-
vernment, always took good care to abuse, in round
terms of censure, the conduct of his own nation,
and so on with all these would-be reformers. Their
ain and object is to expatiate on the virtues of all
thosew_ohoe:roe.arrayed in arms against us, and espe-
ciallyaffraydtcotf
aup she the great faults and culpable con-
or cousulotation, or whatever is going on. It
Weyer, belong to their own side in the
seems, ho
the
were
present occasion, as if these
votaries of quiet
unscrupulousi
n t
he pre seant
a trying to outdo themselves
in their diatribes a
we are told, that t Englishmen. Thus,
merce and civilisation represent
rtic Britishh
a Seasr a ct
characters."
roasm7-,
employing strop
often "lawless and
afinldistheiS vecreyrtvaiirnulylence of the remarkg a language,hoes
prejudice will mislead the judgment, and co how
the understanding. These unhappy character:fuhse
arethus graphically described are occasioning, We
are tcid,
the greatest injuries and ictlieting the
deepest wrongs on the Japanese community. Their
aggrilvvited the difficul-
outrageous goings on have

of the palace, too, cast its gle,om over the land, and
sight-seeing and pleaslare-'seeking were at a dis-
count. But in spite e f these unfavourable auspices,
in defiance of may y discouraging circumstances,
the great task of t'ae Exhibition was carried boldly
through; and although there were some respects
in which we /night all have wished Tor improve-
ment—althor ,gh its splendour could not efface from
our recoller;tions that sparkling, fairy structure,
which, to borrow MILTON'S solecism, was the
fairest of all its successors—yef, on the whole, its
succe'As was conclusive and satisfactory. The Royal
Commissioners had neither an easy nor a gracious
tank; and the closely-printed report in which they
have just summed up the particulars of their la-
bours, itself adds no inconsiderable item to them.
In many cases, in spite of all their labour, they
failed in giving entire satisfaction to the public,
and the most prominent of these exceptions was
the Exhibition Building itself ! The ugliness of
that vast and costly structure has become prover-
bial, although the expense is not great in propor-
tion to the size and extent of the building: It
has formed an unfortunate commentary on
British taste, never too highly estimated
by foreigners, on British architectural
samples.
ssakmill,los.f
which we have not too many favourable
The jokes cracked at the expense of the'`
Boilers," "the melon glasses," and h
, must
Captain c e r -
toafisntlyylehaavned
bteitelue
aoni
yththeihn
gapbleusts
abmuiulsdiinngg
FOWKE. We remember the cry of horror that was
raised from the green benches of St. Stephen's when
it was suggested that the same unlucky architect
should undertake some piece of ornamental work in
connection with our parks. Nothing can certainly
be said for its outward appearance. The Commis.
sioners give up any attempt to plead its cause on
the score of grandeur of style or beauty of execu-
tion, and take refuge in the arguments of economy,
convenience, and rapidity of execution. In the
first place, it may be asked, why architectural
beauty should not have occupied a prominent posi-
tion in their requirements. Why should not the
building itself be a specimen of our building
powers ? Why, when every art and science were
so largely represented, should the noble art of archi-
tecture be left unrepresented ? Is it because Eng-
gland can produce no great designers, no skilful
architects ; men who occupy the front rank in the
art of their day, as so many of our painters, musi-
cians, and sculptors do in their kindred vocation ?
This can scarcely be; and at all events the nation
would have felt more convinced of the humiliating
fact had the field been fair and open, the competi-
tion free and unrestricted. It will be a great satis-
faction to that numerous class who look on " a
primrose by the river's brim" with doubtful ques•
tionings of its value, to learn that at least, consider-
ing its great extent, the building was cheap. This
fait will also tend to mitigate the severity
of other strictures, since the Commissioners in-
form us with triumph that it is the cheapest
building of the size ever built. It had need to be,
since it is also the ugliest, may add some censorious