The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-26 00:00:00

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

The Commissioners are sparing no efforts to
make the opening ceremony as grand a spectacle
as has ever been celebrated in England—grander
even, and more widely public, than that traditional
pageant, the coronation of George IV. The Royal
personages who are to be present on this occasion,
the Crown Prince of Prussia, Princo Oscar of

Sweden, and the Duke of Cambridge, will leave
Buckingham Palace in State, each attended by his
own suite, in state carriages, and accompanied by
escorts of cavalry. They will proceed up Constitution-
hill and along Hyde-park into the Albert-road, and
thence to the Southern entrance in the Cromwell-
road. All this route will be kept by mounted
patrols of the Household Cavalry. The time of
departure from the Palace will be so arranged that
this state cortege will follow close upon the great
procession from the city, which will turn off from
Piccadilly into Hyde Park also. This civic display
will consist of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs in their
state carriages, accompanied by their municipal
officers, and followed by the members of the Court
of Aldermen and Court of Common Council also in
their robes of office, uniform, or Court dress. This
part of the procession will be escorted by the mem-
bers of the Hon. Artillery Company to the number
of about 500. The Lord Provost of Glasgow, the
Lord Mayors of York and Dublin, and the Lord
Provost of Edinburgh will also come in state, and
form no inconsiderable portion of the splendour of
the show. The Lord Chancellor, Lord Chamberlain,
and Speaker of the House of Commons will, of
couse, be in state, the two former surrounded by all
the official paraphernalia allowed them by the con-
stitution, which in the case of the Lord Chancellor
is no less than seven official attendants. As part
of a pageant the Speaker in state is also capable of
great effects, and he like wise comes attended by his
officers. Nearly 200 Mayors of the various great
provincial towns have intimated their intention of
assisting at the ceremony, and all these will like-
wise wear their insignia and robes of office. Peers
will not attend in robes of state, but in official uni-
forms, uniforms as Lords-Lieutenant of counties, or
in Court dress. The same rule will apply to mem-
bers of the House of Commons taking part in the
processions. There will also be about 200 officers
of various Volunteer cups in uniform, and each
branch of the service—Household Troops, Infantry,
Cavalry, Artillery, Marines, and Seamen—will be
represented by detachments of officers and men.
Thc,ao ropreacntotive corps hiwn been chosen in regu-
lar order from the various branches of the service
stationed nearest London on that day. All her
Majesty's Ministers, the Commissioners for 1851,
Commissioners for 1862, and the Special Commis-
sioners for the opening will, of course, appear in
official uniforms.
These invited guests will enter under the western
dome, the south entrance from the Cromwell-
road being reserved exclusivelyfor Royal personages
and the Special Commissioners. The invited officials
will assemble in the South Court in the open space
between Minton's Court and Benson's great clock.
Around this opening are arranged various fine works
in marble, from the Italian and Roman Courts, and
the effect of these will be further heightened by a
splendid collection of the finest plants and flower-
ing shrubs from Kew.
The general visitors will be admitted between the
hours of 12 and half-past 1. The various entrances
at which the public will he admitted were examined
yesterday, and from calculations made as to the
number of ladies and gentlemenwho can pass through
au single turnstile in an hour, it appears that a
sufficient number of turnstile entrances are provided
to enable upwards of 100,000 visitors to enter in
less than an hour and a half. What the number
will be on the Ist of May it is of course impossible
to foretell, but it is certain it will be far larger than
was at first anticipated, when only 20,000 or 25,000
were counted upon. Already the amount received
for season tickets exceeds by £5,000 the amount re-
ceived up to the same time in 1851, and the sale is
proceeding in a still more rapidly increasing ratio.
At Exeter-hall alone yesterday the sale of tickets
exceeded £l,OOO, and it is evident as the day draws
near that the demand will bo immense. The three
bands of the Grenadier, Coldstream, and Fusileer
Guards will be brigaded together,under the conduct
of Mr. Godfrey, at 11 30, and these will play until
1 15, while the public are taking their seats. The
whole ceremony is expected to be over about half-
past 4, and at its conclusion the military bands will.
assemble in the orchestra and play till dusk. The
orchestra being thus used again brings up the ques-
tion why it cannot be retained for the performance
of the same bands during the following Friday and
Saturday. The admissions on those days, it must
be remembered, will only be by season tickets
or payment of a sovereign, and as even the most
enthusiastic sightseers will sit down during some
portion of the day, the bands will be no incon-
siderable attraction. In fact, the Commissioners
will scarcely be justified in having gone to the great
expense of erecting this large orchestra, unless it
is turned to good account during the two days fol-
lowing the opening.
The heat yesterday in the building was very
great, and the dust still greater, and more annoy-
ing. Of course the latter nuisance will be remedied
before the first of next month ; but the temperature
of the interior is always likely to be high—quite
as high, perhaps, as in 1851. The foreigners still
continue to be much behindhand, and the French
the most backward of all, though they received
their space nearly three weeks before that allotted
to any other country, English or foreign, was ready.
One of the great ornaments to the screen frontage
of their court— a most magnificent sheet of plate
glass, about 16 feet high by 10 feet wide, from the
works of St. Gobain—was accidentally destroyed
the day before yesterday. While being raised into
the frame provided for it the rope broke, and in a
second this magnificent sheet of glass was shivered
to a thousand fragments on the floor. Unless much
greater progress is made with this court, it is not
likely that the public will be admitted to it on the
opening day. Just now it is a mere mass of straw
and packing-cases, all, apparently, in the most hope-
less confusion. To do M. Roquet, the French super-
intendent, justice, none of this backwardness is due
to him. On the contrary, had his advice been
attended to the French Court would now be the
most advanced of all ; and, hoping against hope, he
is still labouring night and day to overtake the time
lost by the dilatoriness of the French exhibitore.
But, as we have all along said, this court, though
late, will, when finished, be one of the greatest at-
tractions of the building. Fspecially we can com-
mend to the notice of visitors some most exquisite
specimens of paper-printing in colours—paperlialag"