The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-06 00:00:00

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

In the New York money-market on the 22d there was
scarcely any demand at any rate of interest, very little doing
in the way of permanent investment, and few people in need
of accommodation. The rates were therefore little more
than nominal. Gold was quoted at 11 to 1 prem., and the
rates of discount on Bank notes from to 65; United States
6 per cent. Treasury notes par to dis.
The stock of cotton being gradually reduced prices had
slightly advanced, middling uplands being quoted 29x;
New Orleans and Texas, 301. The flour market, influenced
by the advices per steamship City of New York, ruled
firmer, and prices advanced 5c to 10c per barrel, closing
buoyant and firm, at an advance compared with the previ-
ous Friday of 10c to 15c per brl, Canada flour was also ac-
tive and decidedly firmer.

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

Yesterday was the first of the five-shilling days,
and the attendance of paying visitors was decidedly
less than was expected. At most times the building
was full, and in the afternoon especially; but out of
all the crowd those who paid at the doors formed an
exceedingly small percentage of the season ticket-
holders. In fact, there is no line of demarcation
between the class that are willing to pay ss. a visit
and those who can afford season tickets, and 'we
think that those who paid yesterday were quite
exceptional cases to the general rule—persons
who for some reasons, such as leaving town and
having only time for two or three visits, naturally
preferred paying their ss. a-day to buying a
three-guinea season ticket, which they may be
unable after this week to use. But even those
who have not these reasons can hardly be
blamed for declining to pay ss. to see the Ex-
hibition in its present very unfinished state. No
matter how select the audience may be, people
don't care to pay to see the, as yet, very in-
complete display—to assemble in a building a very
large part of which is still only filled with empty
cases or crowded with exhibitors' assistants unpack.
ing and arranging goods. In point of attraction
these ought to be the shilling days, and the five-
shilling days should commence at the end of this
month, when there will be a complete Exhibition,
which now there most certainly is not. The indif-
ference now shown to completing the objects for
exhibition appears all the more striking by contrast
with the wonderful efforts made before the open-
ing. Then we spoke of what was done as one of
the most gigantic illustrations of rapid work, but
since -the Ist of May, in every place except the
French Court, the utmost apathy seems to have
taken possession of the exhibitors. some have
either been granted or have taken the privilege of
putting a bar across the entrance to their courts,
and thus they have remained since Thursday,
making scarcely any progress. Exhibitors complain
that there is such difficulty in getting passes for
their assistants that they can accomplish little or
nothing. Whether this complaint is just or not, we
mention it as the excuse which is given for ac-
knowledged shortcomings. But whoever is in fault,
the fact remains the same, that both ground floor
and galleries are almost as backward in their
arrangements now as they were on the day of the
opening, and as they seem likely to be a month
hence, unless stringent measures are adopted to en-
fore immediate completion. If the fault is with the
exhibitors, they will certainly be the sufferers, for
they are losing the opportunity of effecting sales
which are now being made in the various collec-
tions ready for inspection. Considering what a
short time tho building has beeu vpcucO,
large proportion of the things exhibited has been
already sold, though of course they cannot be re-
moved until the Exhibition is over. Jewelry is
going fast. Half the abjects in the beautiful
collections of Berlin and Dresden china have found
Purchasers. For almost every article shown by
'Minton and Copeland there are rival competitors,
and yesterday the whole collection of Worcester
enamels was taken by Phillips, of Bond-street. In
the same way the finest specimens of engraved glass
shown by Pellatt, Dobson and Pearce, and Cope-
land have all their claimants. The display made by
the latter house has just been increased by the ex-
hibitionjewelled dessert service of the
crystal. It is a specimen of the highest
brightestorder ofofa glass
table glass.

The trophies of ironwork in the nave, transepts,
and hardware courts are now deservedly attracting
admiration. Pre-eminent among them for design and
finish is the screen for Hereford Cathedral, manu-
factured at Coventry by the Shadmore Art Company,
It is a most elaborate specimen of wrought-iron,
brass, and copper work. Unfortunately, the work of
completingthis screen makes but slow progress, and
like many other fine things yet to be finished, the
shilling visitors only will see them at their best.
The Colebrook-dale gates are fine specimens of cast-
ing, though not clearer or better than the gates ex-
hibited in the side courts by the Falkirk Ironworks.
Close by these, in a little court in front, are a num-
ber of small groups of stags, dogs, &c., each of
which was cast in iron at a single casting. When
we remember that fluidity is, after all, only a pos-
sible condition of iron, it seemsmarvellous how such
small and intricate castings could ever have been
accomplished, and with as much clearness as if they
been chased. Barnard and Bishop's wrought-iron
gates are suffering from the dust as much as they
have suffered throughout from the dull inartistic