The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-08 00:00:00

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

The past week again shows a decided gain upon
the daily attendance at this Exhibition as compared
with that of 1851. The total numbers admitted
upon each day, whether by season ticket or pay-
ment, are as follows :

1851.
Monday (Is.) 50,231
Tuesday (Is.) .... 49,866
Wednesday (Is.) 41,917
Thursday (Is.) a .... 44,209
Friday (2s. 6d.) 15,726
Saturday (25.6 d.) 12,597

1862.3

.... 51,242
.... 52,158
.... 49,163
.... 47,410
.... 20,600
.... 17,300

T0ta1.... 214,549 237,903
The gain from such sources as head-money from
the refreshment contractors, care of sticks and um
brellas, royalty in catalogues, &c., has also been
proportionately greater, so that, if the daily returns
only go on to the close as smoothly as they are
doing now, there isnot the slightest doubt but that
the Commissioners will wind up with a small ba-
lance in hand. The new and corrected editions of
the book of awards, with new editions of the indus-
trial and fine arts' catalogues, have just been issued,
and are selling remarkably well. In the preface
to the first-named work, Dr. Lyon Playfair states
that

" The first edition of the book of awards was prepared
under great pressure. The juries terminated their labours
on the 26th of June, and the award books had to be copied
for the printer and passed through the press, so as to be
ready for the State ceremony on the 11th July. By work-
ing all through the nights for a week the book of awards
was ready on the appointed day. It was necessary, how-
ever, to take the list of awards as they had been prepared
by the juries, without verifying them by the miuute-books.
This verification has now been made, and various awards
found in the minute-books, but by mistake not copied into
the list of awards, have been added. Not a single instance,
however, occurs of any new award having teen made."
It is quite true that there is no single instance
of any new award being made—if this is anything
to boast of, when it is admitted that many exhi-
bitors deserving a medal were overlooked by sheer
mistake. But, though no new awards have been
made, the present book itself shows that the condi-
tions which accompanied the award of each medal
have in many cases been most materially altered;
in some, so much so as virtually to make them new
awards altogether.

For some time past there have been rumours
afloat in the building to the effect that the affairs
of M. Veillard, the refreshment contractor for tbo
foreign department of the Exhibition, were in a
very unsatisfactory state. That such reports were
in circulation surprised none who had opportuni-
ties of observing the widely different systems on
which the English and French departments were
conducted. Mr. Morrish seemed to please every-
body when once he had got his plans into working
order; whereas M. Veillard unfortunately seemed
to please no one—not even the foreigners—so that
his half of the building was nearly always empty,
while Mr. Morrish has been daily sending away
thousands whom, with all his resources, he could
not accommodate. Much of this unpopularity
among the visitors may, no doubt, have been due
to M. Veillard's want of experience of the tastes of
the English people, just as Morrish might himself
have failed in Paris from the same reason. But,
whatever the cause, the fact remains that for some
time past M. Veillard's department has been a
losing concern; and the evidence of this were so
grave and numerous that a meeting of the chief
ceeditors was called last week, when the affairs of
the firm were found to be so embarrassed that M.
Veillard can no longer continue his contract.
In future it will be carried on by Mr. Morrish,
and the sum which he pays for this privilege forms
one of the very few real assets to meet the claims
of the many creditors. It inunnecessary to refer
further to the accounts which were submitted to
the creditors, as the whole matter will be investi-
gated in the Court of Bankruptcy. One item,
however, of £2,000 " head money" paid to a gen-
tleman in no way connected with the Exhibition,
or apparently with the refreshment contract,
created profound astonishment, especially as the
same gentleman claims £9OO more under the terms
of the agreement or arrangement by which he has
alroady let:elves:l the larger sum we have men-
tioned. Out of all this evil, however, comes good
to the public, or at least that large section of it
that visits the Exhibition, for M. Veillard's con-
tract now passes into the hands of Mr. Morrish,
who has more than sufficiently shown his skill and
good management in catering for the wants of holi-
day folks. If he only manages the additional
French department so suddenly added with the
same care as he has administered his own, there
will be no reason, as there has been lately, for
thousands of visitors going dinnerless away.

ACCIDENT' AND LOSS OF FIVE LIVES
47 MONKWEARMOUT.H.

SUNDERLAND, Saturday.—This morning, about
ten minutes past midnight, a shocking accident oc-
curred at Monkwearmouth Colliery, by which five
men lost their lives, and two others were injured.
Some time ago the A pit of the colliery was seriously
o
damaged by the bursting of a feeder in the side
of a shaft, which caused flooding of the working.
Since that time the A pit has been laid in, and
operations have been carried on for thoroughly
securing the shaft for the purpose. Scaffolding had
been put up at the 111andskin seam, 250 feet below
the surface, and another at the depth of 180
fathoms. In the upper scaffolding the stone at the
bad shown side of the shaft symptoms of giving
way ; and in order to prevent danger, the shaft had
been filled with stones and debris for eleven fathoms
above where
the scaffolding was placed. This
morning
a party of six men were employed in re-
pairingtbe stone walling of the shaft, in a cradle
fixed about ninety-four fathoms from the surface,
when the scaffolding below them suddenly gave
way, with the eleven fathoms debris which had
been placed above it. The whole mass fell down
the pit, carrying with it the scaffolding at the
Mandskin seam. The strong current of air caused
by the falling boby drew down the cradle, upon
which five men were buried at the bottom of the
pit by the rubbish which had fallen with them.
Another man who belonged to the party was absent
a few minutes at the time of the accident. The
names ,of the men who were killed are—Robert
Laing, aged 21, married, but without children ; R.
Bryden, aged 38, leaves a widow and three chil-
dren ; David Masson, 30, leaves a widow and child ;
James Hall, 34, leaves a widow and four children ;
and Charles 'Wright, who leaves a widow and seven
children. The bodies have not yet been recovered;
and owing to the difficulty of reaching them it is
probable that they will not be extracted for some
days. In addition to the loss of life two other per-
sons, Michael Quin and his son, were considerably
burned by the flames from the furnace in the
Mandskin seam, which is placed about 60 yards
from the shaft, having been blown upon them by
the current of air which was caused by the falling
rubbish. Their injuries, however, are not of a dan-
gerous kind. The mouth of the pit has been closed
to prevent ventilation being disarranged through
the absence of the scaffolding by which the passage
of air down the shaft was prevented.

SOUND OF CANNONS.—We stated that the reports
of cannon were heard plainly at this place on Tuesday, the
3d inst. It is now known that on that day fighting occur-
red throughout the whole forenoon at Strasburg, Virginia,
over one hundred miles in a direct line from this place, over
hills, mountains, and valleys. A gentleman in whom we
place implicit reliance informs us that on Saturday, the
31st of May, the day of the great battle near Richmond, he
was riding on the road near Baltimore, and heard a conti-
nuous roar in that direction, and at a time when there were
no indications of thunder. We are fully impressed with the
idea that the firing of cannon can be heard furthermuzh
te
than supposed. It must be over 150 miles to Richmond.--
lowsontown (U.S,) Advocate.
PLYMOUTH, Saturday.—The Union Steamship
Company's mail packet Briton, Commander Boxer, left the
Sound this afternoon for Ascension, St. Helena, and
Cape of Good Hope. She takes a full general cargo and 48
passengers, among whom are the following military officers,
Majors Montagu and Daniel, Captain Gurney, Lieu-
tenant Gray, and Ensign Drury. The next homeward
packet, the Dane, Commander Hoffman, arrived at the
Cape on July 16; she should leave on August 21, and may
be expected hero about the 28th inst. The United States
ship American Congress, Captain Woodward, 22 days from
New York, sent ashore two passengers here last eight, and
has proceeded up Chancel for Loom,