The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-23 00:00:00

THE GREAT INTERNATIONAL EXHI-
BITION.

As yet nothing has been done by the Committee
of Taste towards deciding on the painting of the
interior. We don't at all mean to say that nothing
has been painted, for nearly the whole of the nave
is painted in all the colours of the rainbow. There
is a " Harlequin" set of bays and columns and bits
of roof on both sides, down half its entire length.
One set has been experimented on by an amateur,
and this piece adorns the building about as much as
tattooing beautifies the human being. Beyond these
are some other attempts, the best undoubtedly being
those of Mr. Kelk and Capt. Fowke. The former has
tinted the round handsome columns in front and

the square principals at the back of a pale green,
with a vertical crimson stripe. It looks well enough
in the columns, but jars sadly with the neutral
drab colour of the roof above. Those of Captain

Fowke are pale yellow ochre columns, with a blue
and white roof ; but here the roof looks hard, and
the columns entirely fail to satisfy the eye. To
sum up all, however, no attempt has given perfect
satisfaction except to its own immediate author, and
the thing seems almost as far off a settlement as
ever. Everybody seems in favour of gilding, except
the Commissioners, who are wise enough to see that
the expense of this must come out of their funds,
and that the cost to do anything with an interior
as large as that of the building at South Kensing-
ton would amount to a very heavy sum. The best
attempt towards decorating the roof has been made
by painting the boards in diagonal lines of white
and blueish gray converging to the centre ; but the
colours are so pale that even this has a washy
effect, and the tints must be much stronger before
they look well. Hardly any of the attempts made
give the principals, or square columns close to and
behind the round ones on each side of the nave, a
different shade of colour from that immediately in
front of it. Yet we are much mistaken if it will
not be found absolutely necessary to do this ; at
least, if the painting is kept as it should be—sub-
servient to the architecture of the interior.
But, as we have said, nothing is decided, and the
painting is now as much in the way of progress as
the domes were formerly. It was rumoured that
the committee were about to seek the assistance of
Mr. Owen Jones and Mr. Grace, but this is not
true. Like every one else, we may have our opi-
nion as to which of the two gentlemen is best
qualified for the duty, though of this we shall say
nothing. If either were given the work it would
of course be done, but if both were called in the
chances of completion would be more remote than
ever. The decoration has in fact been confided to
Mr. Crace, subject to the approval of Captain
Fowke and Messrs. Kelk and Lucas, and without at
all wishing to derogate from Mr. Crace's skill we
do hope that those on whom the decision finally
rests will do their utmost to get as light de-
corations as possible. The building will ab-
solutely require light tints, and the want of
these will almost spoil its whole effect. Next
to the importance of having light colours is
the necessity of deciding on them at once, for the
long delay is getting to be almost a serious obstacle.
Till the painting of the nave is done the monstrous
travelling scaffold cannot be removed. Till the east
and west transepts are painted the web of timbers
which now fills them must remain, and till these
are down and sawn up half the floors cannot be laid,
and, till the floors are down, neither articles can be
placed nor counters erected. Everybody knows that
at the end there will be at this building the same
hurry, confusion, night and day work to get things
in some order for the opening as was at that of
1851, and with this knowledge before them the
present apparently unnecessary delay and loss of
time seem unaccountable. For the rest, though a
great deal yet remains to do, the work connected
with the building itself is well in hand, and the
enormous supplies of material which are daily and
hourly poured in from almost every description of
smithy, foundery, workshop, or factory in the king-
dom, show that there is no chance of failure in
finishing the building on the part of the contractors.
The northern courts are behind the southern both
in brickwork, floor, and roofing, but even here there
is nothing which it is not felt could be finished in a
fortnight if an emergency arose. The refreshment
rooms overlooking the Horticultural-gardens are
well advanced, and the sashes being in the windows
one is able to judge of the effect of this side from
the gardens themselves. As nearly as possible, a
style of architecture similar to the arcades beneath
has been followed, and the effect of the whole is
singularly light, graceful, and picturesque. Not so,
however, is the terminal tower of the transept which
bounds it on the east, which has, to say the least, a
squat, blunt, abrupt look, which, by comparison
with the graceful architecture of the refreshment
rooms and gardens around, is downright ugly,
Externally the lofty range of picture galleries is
complete, with the exception of the decorations
with which it is intended to surmount the cornices
and capitals. The recesses of the arcades are merely
filled in with cement. Hereafter, though not during
the Exhibition time, these recesses will be covered
pith mosaics.
On Friday the last ribs of the western dome were
hoisted to their places, and the work of riveting at
this part also will now commence. While on the
subject of the domes we may refer with deference
to the opinions expressed by many competent per-
sons that the iron belts on which the thrust of the
dome ribs all come are made in the slightest man-
ner possible, consistent with the idea that they will
be equal to the strain they will undoubtedly have
to bear, more especially with a high wind pressing
on one side of the dome. The matter, we believe,
has already attracted the attention of some members
of the Building Committee, but it would perhaps be
as well now before the work is further advanced
that both belts should be again examined and the
question of their strength finally set at rest.
The accounts of the efforts made by the French
manufacturers become more glowing every day,
and there is now no doubt that the spaces allotted
to our allies will be among the chief attractions of
the whole building. All the courts are to be fitted
up en suite in the most costly style, with back-
grounds of mirrors, &c. America has signified her
intention of accepting the whole of the space al-
lotted to her-30,000 ft. It is said she will chiefly
exhibit small labour-saving machines and locomo-
lives. The latter, for their great weight, will re-
quire foundations of no ordinary strength. As
upon the last occasion, we shall have from Vienna
carved wood furniture of the most elaborate descrip-
tion, and vases of malachite from Russia that a man
might swim in.
All the allotments to English exhibitors have
been issued, and in most cases taken up. As was
expected, there has been a great deal of angry con-
troversy and correspondence upon all demands for
space having been enema, ously reduced by the Com-
missioners. Even the most successful have seldom
got more than 8 or 10 per cent. on the amount they
asked, while large numbers have
ve got less than a
A
fiftieth of their demand. five or six per
cent. of the whole number to wa •
om space was
allotted have therefore refused to exhibit at all.
Among these dissentients-are several eminent firms,
whose absence is certainly to be regretted, and
perhaps not the less so because it must ultimately;
injure themselves. Every foot has been allotted to
the various trades and manufactures with the most
rigid impartiality, and, therefore, no matter how
much exhibitors may be disappointed attheuproen-
duction of their demands, they may depend
it that what they have got is the very utmost the
Commissioners could, with justice to others, allow,
and that for the diminution of their claims the
applicants in nine cases out of ten have only them-
selves to blame. In 1851 about one-third of the
space applied for was granted. This time the amount
granted has probably nf.t been more than 1-10th or
1-12th of the space sought. In 1851 the exhi-
bitor who wanted 60ft applied for it, and got 20.
This time, wanting again 60, he has tried to get it by
asking for 600. In these cases of exorbitant demands
(and they have been the majority) the Commis-
sioners have replied by asking applicants to specify
the articles they intended to exhibit. This was
nearly always declined ; in some cases from fear of
professional rivalry, though, in most, from the ex-
hibitor not wishing to convict himself of having de-
intaed Many times more space than he could fill