The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-08 00:00:00

The very unfavourable weather of yesterday, of
course, influenced the number of visitors to the
building, but not by any means to the extent that
might fairly have been anticipated. Up till 2
o'clock there were comparatively few, but after that
hour they came in very rapidly, until the interior
was quite as well filled even as on the day after the
opening. Among the very early arrivals were some
of the suite of the Japanese Ambassadors, who re-
mained sauntering about the various court till late
in the afternoon. Though wearing their double
swords, as a matter of course, they were attired in
the plainest and most sombre manner,even the semi-
State spotted silk robes which they wore at the
opening being discarded, and their dresses entirely
consisting of dark blue or black woollen cloth. The
same insouciant air of quiet languor which seems
habitual to them was as remarkable yesterday as
on other occasions. Nothing appeared to excite
their admiration, and very few things attracted even
their notice. A glance to the right and left, as
they passed through the courts, was about the
utmost they vouchsafed to anything, except,perhaps,
the roof of the building itself, at which they were
constantly looking. So sombre was their dress,
and so quiet their movements, that they passed
almost unobserved among the visitors, who would
probably never have noticed them at all but that
their long curved swords, worn one on each side of
their waistbelts, at once proclaimed who they were.
Before the opening of the building to the public
yesterday a good deal of anxiety was manifested
by the exhibitors to ascertain how far the roof had
proved water-tight during the heavy rains of the pre-
vious night. Of course, it had not proved water-
tight throughout, though the leakages were much
fewer than was generally expected. Some few of
these were caused by trifling defects in sashes or
glazing ; many by the stoppages of gutters, which
would never have been discovered but for the
sudden and heavy downpour. Most of these, of
course, were purely accidental,but some gutters had
evidently been wilfully blocked, and in one case
a column was not only stopped up but carefully
glazed across. A system, however, has now been
arranged by which almost instant notice is given of
any leakage in the space devoted to each class, and
a large staff of men are kept constantly on the watch
to remedy these defects at once, if possible ; so that
with two or three days' rain to show the weak
points, there is no reason whatever why the build-
ing should not be made as watertight as an ordi-
nary house. The canvass covering answers admi-
rably, when fixed, in keeping out both sun and rain.
We are very glad to announce that the clearing
of the nave, which we have so constantly pressed
upon the notice of Commissioners, is about to be ef-
fected. Long before the building opened we repeat-
edly pointed out the inconvenience to the public and
the injustice to exhibitors caused by their huddling
so many objects together in miserable disarray; and
since the opening of the building our opinion has
been so unequivocally endorsed by all who have en-
tered it that the committee have at last seen the
necessity of doing something to mitigate this most
unfortunate mis-arrangement. The only good view
of the interior is decidedly that from the dais down
the nave, and at present this is utterly destroyed.
Some objects will be removed to the side courts,
others will have conspicuous and far better positions
under the domes, where they really can be seen, and,
in short, the arrangements of the nave will be alto-
gether reformed. It is to be hoped that the exhibi-
tors will cheerfully acquiesce in the intended change,
which is,in truth, quite as much for their benefit as
it is for the convenience of the public. On is. days,
with 50,000 or 60,000 people in the building, the
nave would be quite impassable. Even now,
when only season•ticketholders are present, it is
very difficult to move along it. Another grievance
which we ventured to bring under notice is also
to be redressed. The exhibitors in the Eastern An-
nexe are to have an entrance for visitors in the
north end, so as to make this most interesting por-
tion of the Exhibition one of the main avenues
to the building. There is now therefore a very fair
chance of this portion of the display receiving the
notice that it really merits.
Another most necessary improvement which it is
intended to effect is to ascertain the daily attend-
ance of visitors. At present the statement of num-
bers is formed almost entirely upon guesswork, or
when only the registers of the turnstiles aro given
they are much below the mark, for, as we have al-
ready said, very many visitors, especially ladies,
prefer going round to passing through them, and
at one door at least they are left their choice. If
to these improvements the Commissioners will only
add one more, they will do much to promote the
public convenience—we mean that they should
allow a certain number of cabs to stand near the
chief doors of exit. There is plenty of waste space
in the neighbourhood to admit of this, and it would
really be a great public convenience, for, when the
building is closed, it is seldom that a cab can be got
within a mile of South Kensington. Yesterday
during the heavy rain this want of vehicles was of
course most keenly felt. The refreshment depart-
ments,and more especially that allotted to the French,
have not yet succeed in giving the satisfaction that
was anticipated. There is some excuse for this
perhaps in the fact that both contractors took charge
while their premises were so incomplete that they
may have been prevented acquitting themselves at
the commencement as they would wish. But a hun.
gry public will admit of no excuse, and, however
true this justification may have been during the first
few days, Mr. Morrish and M. Veillard will do well
to recollect that it cannot avail them much longer.
Both contractors we are aware have made great
preparations to meet all the wants of the public,
and the sooner they are developed in a practical
form the better.

France has made wonderful progress since the
opening day, and, large as is the space allotted to
her, there is scarcely a case in the department which
the severest critics would wish to suppress. When
all the huge boxes are unpacked—though the supply
seems inexhaustible, and as fast ES one is cleared
out another takes its place—the display will be mag-
nificent: Every branch of the articles de luxe, in
which our neighbours shine so conspicuously, is
fully represented. Messrs. Christofle occupy a whole
Court to themselves with beautiful specimens of
ofeverie and argenterie, and the splendid plateau-
which they have manufactured for the Hotel de Ville
will be one of the chief objects of attraction in the
Exhibition. Mellerio's display of diamond neck.
laces and bracelets is besieged all day long, and it
has been found necessary to assign to it a special
policeman, In the same case are some very fine eme-
rald brooches set in diamonds, though perhaps there
is more taste shown in the exquisite pearl orna-
ments which hang close by. The display is alto-
gether most dazzling, though it is said the most
costly specimens have yet to arrive. There are nu-
merous cases, too, of gilt and imitation jewellery
and of plated articles, which show more taste and
workmanship than we are generally accustomed to
find in this class of goods. Though the art does not
appear to be of a very high character, the church
plate shown by Messrs. Poussielque and Rusaud is
very superb ; and a reliquary-box, which they have
manufactured for Notre Dame, profusely adorned
with precious stones, presented for the purpose by
the ladies of Paris, is well worth searching out.
Rudolphi has sent some most beautiful specimens
of his oxydised silver, and the enamels of Dotin are
of the highest class. The Gobelins and Beauvais
tapestries are for the most part as yet covered, but
the three or four fauteuils visible yesterday show
that the Imperial establishments are still unap-
proachable in these manufactures. Of ornamental
furniture in every variety there is, of course, a large
display. Nothing is more remarkable in the
French department than the exquisite taste and
skill shown in the arrangement of the silks and vel-
vets, ribands, and other fabrics, and our West-end
drapers and milliners would do well to study the
valuable lesson here offered to them. The same
may be said of the array of artificial flowers,
in which our neighbours are certainly unsur-
passed. The Algeria Company exhibit some remark-
able specimens of their new onyx marble ; their
Louis XV. chieaneypiece in particular shows off the
beauty of the material with great effect.
Complete justice is hardly done to the display of
porcelain from Sevres from the manner in which it