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

o f the palace, too, cast its gloom over the land, and
sight-seeing and pleasure-seeking we re at a dis-
count. But in spite of these unfavourable 'auspices,
'.rx defiance of many discouraging cirieamstances,
ithe great task of the Exhibition was carried. boldly
through; and although there were seime respects
in which we might all have wished for improve-
ment—although its splendour could • clot efface from
our recollections that sparkling, fairy structure,
which, to borrow MILTON'S SC iscism, was the
fairest of all its successors—yet., on the whole, its
success was conclusive and sectqactory. The Royal
Ccmnaissioners had neither Iva easy nor a gracious
task; and the closely-prim ted 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 stricture 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 skill, of
which we have not too many favourable samples.
The jokes cracked at the expense of the "Brompton
Boilers," "the melon
glasses," and other variations
of style and title of the hapless building, must cer-
tainly have been anything but amusing to Captain
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
eoefoexecu-
tion, and take refuge in the arguments of
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
fact 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
critic, but, at least, the condemned structure a as not

insignificant in p9into.f 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 of glass.

Other figures, showing the amount of iron, lead,
lime, and sand, are in equal proportion, while the
items of 95 tons of putty and 133 tons of nails tes-
tify to the activity of the workmen. For the labour
incurred in putting the unwieldy structure together,
Messrs. KELK 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 corn-

munications with 9,000 British exhibitors, and
directed the establishment of 103 local committees
at home, 40 similar associations abroad, as well as
other agencies ia India and the colonies. A better
test of the amount of labour despatched by the de-

partments 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

52,670. The discrepancy in the figures is due to

the issuing of circulars. From this catalogue of
numbers we must not omit the sum total of visitors,

who reached the goodly array of 6,211,103. Alto

gather the statistics of this by-gone pageant 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 our countrymen in heathen
nations is, instead of being the prelude of peace,
and the harbinger of civilisation, only tends to
4, aggression, violence, and blood." It will not
appear to impartial observers that the
blame of these sad events rests entirely with
our :management, 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-
nnsltahuegwhtakoenofoutrhecdouipnitormymateisn who
ts,
and
,
have
es
faofilleorwceedoi
proved offensive and injurious to the Government
and the people. It is a strange tact 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.

porting the just claims of the
.Mr. COBDEN, in the House ofuCnoitmedmosntsa,tiens soup:-
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
aim and object is to expatiate on the virtues of all
those 'who are arrayed in arms against us, and espe-
cially to expose the great faults and culpable con-
duct of all who belong to their own side in the
affray or consultation, or whatever is going on. It
seems, however, on the present occasion, as if these
votaries of quiet were trying to outdo themselves
in their diatribes against Englishmen. Thus,
e who represent B
mweeracree
and civilisation
nthivait ho
listatios
n in b ernritSisehascoamre-
often "lawless and unserupulo.us eliractors."
employing strong
and the very virulence of the remark shows how
language,
This is certainly
prejudice will mislead the judgment, and confuse
the understanding. These unhappy characters who
are thus graphically described are occasioning, we
are told, the greatest injuries and inflicting the
deepest wrongs on
the Japanese community. Their
outrageous goings on have aggravated the diffieul-