The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-25 00:00:00

2HE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

The rush of goods into the building has not yet
commenced. The most remote of our colonies seem
to be the first in the field. St. Helena followed
close upon the goods from Liberia, and on Saturday
the collection from Prince Edward Island was de-
posited in the French Court, and yesterday that
from Newfoundland. These latter, of course, con-
sist entirely of colonial produce, but, among other
specimens from Prince Edward Island, is one which
may be fairly called a wonderful natural curiosity.
It is the largest and longest spar that has ever been
seen in this or any other country. That at Kew
Gardens, 190 feet high, was thought to be the lar-
gest single stick that was ever seen, but this gigantic
pole from Prince Edward Island completely dwarfs
it, being no less than 240 feet from end to end.
Placed straight on end by the side of the Monument
it would overtop even that lofty column by 38 feet.
Of course, it cannot be put upright as it ought to be
in any part of the building itself, and, as leaving it
on the ground would be simply to lose all its beauty
of proportion, a good suggestion has been made to
erect it, supported by guy ropes, as a monster flag-
staff in the centre of the Horticultural Gardens. It
will be a work of no ordinary difficulty to rear this
spar on end, but in order that there may be no
excuse about its not being seen to the fulleet ad-
vantage the colonists are themselves sending over
a party of riggers to hoist it on whatever site they
may get. Certainly the colonies seem all entering
into the spirit of the Exhibition with a zeal and
enterprise that almost outstrip the manufacturers
of the mother country. Canada is sending a very
fine collection of goods and produce, while Austra-
lia will be represented by a really superb exhibition,
and its Government has given £lO,OOO towards de-
fraying the expenses of sending it over, and setting
it out with proper effect. Among other curiosities
coming from Australia is a wooden obelisk, dead
gilt on the outside. This column is nearly 70 feet
high and some 10 feet square at the base. It repre-
sents exactly the bulk of gold which Australia has
sent to this country since 1861, and which in all
amounts to nearly 800 tons. The base of this
column will be surrounded by various specimens
of gold quartz from the different reefs, nuggets)
alluvial gold, washing-cradles, &c. In the depart-
ment of machinery in motion will be a quartz-
crushing machine in full work, and for the supply
of which a cargo of gold quartz is now on its way
to this country. In addition to this most charac-
teristic obelisk, another of grey polished granite is
coming from Scotland, from Mr. Sims's works at
Glasgow. Both the form and the inlaid gilt orna-
mentation in the sides of this are exceedingly beau-
tiful. This is to be erected in the centre of the nave
at the eastern end. At the western will be Mr.
Bell's beautiful obelisk commemorative of the Ex-
hibition of 1861. At the base will be allegorical
figures of the arts and sciences in bronze, and, be.
neath all, fountains of water flowing into a marble
basin which surrounds it. There will be many
beautiful trophies of this kind in the nave, on both
sides, and as fast as the painting of the roof pro-
gresses, and the great travelling scaffold is moved
lower down, the work of laying their foundations is
proceeded with. Elkington is to give a very beau-
tiful trophy, and so also are Kerr and Binns, of the
Worcester Works, both firms doing this in addition
to their ordinary exhibitions in the side courts.
There are to be plenty of fountains ; in fact, in this
matter there seems to be almost a superfluity. The
great firm of Minton is preparing a most beautiful
one in china, and there are two very fine and large
ones of cast iron from France, for which it seems
our neighbours have positively no room in their
Court, so that they are going begging for a place
anywhere. Room somehow or other will be found
for one in the nave, but the other must go to the
Horticultural Gardens. The first picture came in
from Switzerland on Saturday, and the first English
goods in the shape of two superb marble washstands
with mirrors from Mr. Jennings, of Holland-street.
The nave is nearly half painted, and much of the
rich effect which it will have when all is done can
now be realized. It certainly comes out remark-
ably well. The greater part of both of the
transepts is also finished, and the ecaffolding
is being pulled down as fast as the beams