The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-19 00:00:00

AMERICA.

Mr. D. GRIFFTH asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether his attention had been drawn to the prgelamation
of the President of the United States offering $lOO,OOO
for the arrest of Mr. Jeffenon Davis ; and, whether her
Majesty's Ministers were prepared to make any representa-

tions to the Government of the United States in reference
to the treatment of the Southern leaders.

Lord PALMERSTON—The only answer I can give to
the question of the hon. gentleman is that her Majesty's
Government have no intention to attempt any interference
with the internal affairs of America. (Loud cheers.)
• (LEFT SITTING.)

THE INTERNATIONAL REFORMATORY
EXHIBITION.

OPENING CEREMONIAL-(THIS DAY.

The ceremony of opening this exhibition, at the Agri-
cultural Hall, Islington, took place this day by his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales.
The articles of exhibition were arranged on stalls erected
on either side of the hall, and on innumerables stall in the
centre, and consisted principally of articles of wearing
apparel—plain and ornamental—iron and tin ware, mats,
carpets, rugs, furniture, and embroidery, sent from all
parts of the world : from Baden, Switzerland, Portugal,
Hanover, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States,
Prussia, Italy, France, Wurtemburg, Saxony, Ghent, Bel-
gium, Austria, St. Hubert's, and all the reformatory insti-
tutions in Great Britain.
At the end of the hall a chair of state was placed on a
raised dais for his Royal Highness, surrounded by others
for the more distinguished visitors, and a choice display of
flowers placed at the back of the chairs gave a very beau-
tiful appearance to the spot. On either side of the Great
Exhibition organ the boys and girls from the English re-
fo atories were ranged, forming a choir of upwards of
1,000 voices.
The galleries were all occupied by stalls, the names of
the institutions or countries, contributing the article;
being well displayed in white letters on a red ground.
The appearance of the hall, filled with a brilliant company,
principally of ladies, was very imposing. Amongst thpse
present were the Earl of Shaftesbury, Miss Burdett
Coutts, the Hon. W. Cowper, Mr. J. A. Smith, M.P., Mr.
Tite, M.P., Mr. Cave, M.P., Hon. Mr. Kinnaird, M• P.)
Sir C. Fox, &c.

A very excellent selection of music occuping the time
until the hour fixed for the arrival of his Royal Highness
(four o'clock) was executed by the band of the corps of
Commissionaires, and on the grand organ by the Rev. Mr.
J. Xempthorne, M.A., and precisely at the appointed hour,
just as the last sounds of the magnificent Hallelujah
Chorus were dying away, a flourish of trumpets an-
nounced the arrival within the building of his Royal
Highness and suite. The majority of the committee were
in attendance to receive his Royal Highness, and he was
then conducted to the dais, the Archbishop of Canterbury
walking on the Prince's right, the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs
following on the left.

On the arrival of his Royal Highness at the dais in front
of the orchestra the vast assemblage of children sang the

"In doing so they have borne testimony, common
with ourselves, to the value of those international exhibi-
tions in promoting the growth of those Christian and kind
feelings towards each other which we ought to pray should
animate the whole of the nations of the world."
The children then sang the Old Hundredth Psalm, and
his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury :then offered up
a prayer, at the conclusion of which the children sang a
piece of music entitled " Gotha," the music being the com-
position of his late Royal Highness the Prince Consort.
This portion of the ceremony having conclUdedi his
Royal Highness then advanced to the front of the dais and
exclaimed, in a loud voice, " I declare this Exhibition
open." The announcement was received with vociferous
cheering.

His Eoyal Highness then descended the dais, and was
conducted by the committee round the hall to inspect the
articles of which the exhibition was comprised. The work
from Wurtemburg attracted his royal highnetses attention,
and so did the extremely beautiful embroidery sent from
the British Syrian Industrial School. This contribution
consisted of cushions, purses, table-covers, and ladies' girdles
of velvet, upon which was worked devices of the most ex-
quisite design in gold thread. When the fearful massacres
in the Lebanon, and other parts of Syria, in 1860, placed
thousands of widows and orphans within the reach of
Christian sympathy, and an English lady, Mrs. Bowen
Thompson, hasttened to raise the unhappy creatures
in their social position by instructing them in needle
work and other useful occupations. The benevolent ob-
ject prospered, and now a very remunerative return is
made, as Messrs. Howell and James, of Regent-street, have
undertaken the sale of the articles for the committee. A
contribution from a prison in Ghent excitedmuch curiosity,
as did the straw manufactures from Austria. The contri-
butions from the English reformatories were quite worthy
of the country—the various articles of useful wearing
apparel, being made in a manner that distanced all compe-
tition. ,There were some very excellent specimens of
cabinet work, all of which reflected great credit on the
institutions sending them for exhibition.
The prince, having made a circuit of the building, took
leave of the committee, and on entering his carriage in the
Liverpool-road he was received with loud and great
cheering, amidstwhich the Prince.