The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-31 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MARCH 31, 1862.

TILE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION,_

At no time since the commencement of the build-
ing has such an amount of work of all kinds• been
accomplished as during the past week. The English
exhibitors seem to have been fully awakened to the
danger of being too late, and have begun to send in
their goods, erect their courts, and fill their cases
with.such rapid energy as has already placed them
on a par with their foreign competitors who have
had so long a start. If the same progressive rate is
maintained during the next week, the English will
be beyond a doubt far ahead of the foreign courts
both with regard to goods and cases. During every
day the roads leading to the Exhibition are now
blocked with van loads of packages, which it taxes
the energies of hundreds of men to unload as fast as
they arrive; and Mr. Thompson, the most untiring
and indefatigable of general superintendents, has
even his capacity for business overwhelmed in the
multiplicity of duties thrown upon him, while Mr.
Sandford, who, in addition to his duties as secre-
tary, is the supreme general manager of all, has to
rush through the building as if he Was possessed,
to avoid the stream of questioners, applicants, or
remonstrants who flock to him from all parts the
instant he makes his appearance in the interior.
There are, of course, other men who could have got
through the same amount of work as Mr. Sandford,
but there are very few who could have managed it
as he has contrived to, so as to give satisfaction to
all. Last week no less than 9,000 packages came
into the building, of which about 4,000 were foreign,
5,060 English. In the corresponding week of 1851
the deliveries were scarcely over 4,000 cases. It
would be very easy to make arrangements for the
reception and unloading of these packages if the
slightest intimation could be given in advance of
either their weight or size. But a mass of 40 tons
is not unloaded without a little previous arrange-
ment, and even the best plans are liable to be upset
when the packages prove to be too large to come in
at any of the entrances, as has been the case with
two or three already. It is a singular fact that
as a general rule the average ,weight of goods in
classes is nearly three times as great as in 1861 ;
while the number is only one-third greater. The
preliminary arrangements for the opening ceremony
have been arranged, and on Saturday the Commis-
sioners issued the following official notification :
" CEREMONIAL TO BE OBSERVED AT THE STATE
OPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

" The Queen being anxious to mark her interest
in the success of an undertaking, in promoting
which the Prince Consort had taken a most active
part, has notified her wish that the opening of the
Exhibition should bear as much as possible the
character of a national ceremony. Her Majesty has
therefore been pleased, under the present impossi-
bility of herself performing that ceremony, to ap-
point his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge,
K.G., His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, the
Lord High Chancellor, the Earl of Derby, K.G.,
and Viscount Palmerston, K.G., G.C.8., to be her
representatives to conduct it in her name.

" 1. Her Majesty's Ministers and the Royal Com-
missioners for the Exhibition of 1851 will attend in
the procession, and her Majesty's Commissioners for
the Exhibition will invite the Royal and distin-
guished persons at the head of the respective
Foreign Commissions, the Foreign Ambassadors and
Ministers accredited to this country, to take part in
the ceremony.
" 2. Her Majesty's Commissioners will seek the
co• operation of the guarantors of the Exhibition,
jurors, members of both Houses of Parliament, heads
of the Church, Universities, law, army, navy, and
Volunteers, the municipalities, scientific and artistic
institutions, the local and other committees aiding
tho Exhibition, &c., in giving to the State opening
a national character. For such persons there will
be a number of reserved seats, but the number
necessarily limited. While desiring to meet the
wishes of all, her Majesty's Commissioners must
reserve to themselves full power of dealing with the
arrangements according to their discretion. Her
Majesty's Commissioners request that gentlemen
occupying officially reserved seats will appear in
uniform, official, or Court dress.

"3. The principal ceremonies will take place under
the two domes and along the whole length of the
nave. The official reception of her Majesty's repre-
sentatives and of distinguished visitors taking part
in the ceremonial will be held in the Central South
Court. The procession will start from this point
and proceed to the west dome. Here will be a chair
of state, and, after a verse of the National Anthem
has been sung, an Address will be received. The
procession will then move down the nave to the
east dome, where the musical performances will
take place, after which the procession will return
to the throne at the west dome, a prayer will be
offered by the Bishop of London, and the Hallelujah
chorus and the National Anthem will be sung. The
opening of the Exhibition will be declared by his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. Military
bands will be stationed in the South Central Court.
" By order of her Majesty's Commissioners,
" F. R. SANDFORD, Sec.
" International Exhibition, March 28."

The Commissioners have also issued the conditions
under which they are prepared to receive tenders
for the sole right of photographing in the building
during the time of the Exhibition. Many of the
great photographers have anxiously looked forward
to the publication of this document, and were pre-
pared to offer considerable sums for the privilege of
taking views, &c. ; bnt the third condition of the
Commissioners has up to the present almost entirely
debarred any from making an offer, for if this rule
is adhered to it would be simply impossible to take
any views at all. It is as follows :
" Her Majesty's Commissioners will not provide
any space or room for photographers, or for their
processes of developing or preparing their plates or
otherwise, all of which processes must be carried on
beyond the limits of the Exhibition buildings."
Now, as it happens, there is not a single place
within any moderate distance of the building which
a photographer could now secure, while, even if
there were fifty such, every one at all acquainted
with photography knows how futile it would be
to take views in a building with a bad light,
with plates brought from a distance of even a
quarter of a mile or so. There is plenty of
space near the eastern annexe which might be al-
lotted to photographers without inconvenience, and
unless some such concession is made, the Commis-
sioners are not likely to get any but a very small
tender. The other conditions are principally to the
effect that all photographs must be taken before 10
a.m., and none sold in the building, though even
these amount to nothing, as her Majesty's Commis-
sioners reserve to themselves the right of making
from time to time such rules, regulations, and con-
ditions as to the hours within which and the mode
and places in which the privilege may be exercised
or otherwise as they may think necessary.
Messrs. Kelk and Lucas have accomplished won-
ders in the way of work last week, It is some-
thing almost marvellous to see the rapidity with
which they progress, not only with the building,
but with exhibitors' cases and foundations. Those
great obstacles to progress, the monstrous scaffolds
of the eastern and western domes, are at last down.
The last timber of the eastern dome was lowered on
Saturday, and only one or two remain under the
western. The unfortunate delays which at first
arose in the erection of the eastern dome so alarmed
the contractors that the task of putting up the
western one was handed over to Mr. Ashton, than
whom no one has had more experience, both here
and abroad, in the erection of iron exhibition build-
ings. From this division of labour a keen rivalry
naturally sprang up to see which would get done
first, and the odds were heavily in favour of the
eastern dome, which had nearly six weeks' start of
the western. But in spite of these advantages, Mr.
Alton steadily gained on his competing structure
in the east; and the long contest which has ex-

cited great interest in the building, was virtually
brought to a close on Saturday, when both were
finished almost simultaneously, Mr. Ashton winning
by the difference of time he started with—that is,
very nearly six weeks. Of course, to accomplish
such a result Mr. Clemence's wonderful web of scaf-
folding—the largest and strongest that has ever been
erected in this country, had to be sawn and hacked
down piecemeal; and the dome ribs were tested in the
severest possible manner in loWering down huge un-
couth masses of timber, all bolted together, just as
they were sawn away, N'Ow that both scaffolds
are nothing
of importance belonging to the
down
contractors'
work remains to be done—in fact, so
forward is everything that with a little extra pres-
sure the building could be opened ou the 15th of
next month, and easily by the 20th, in a far better
state of arrangement than in 1851. Nothing now
intervenes to cloak the efrect'of the interior decora-
twioanrsmeosft
the
approbation.dom es, h
whichie 'deservedly elicits the
inscriptions in white
letters on a rich blue ground round the belt of the
western and eastern domes are appropriate, though,
we think that for the million it is almost a mistake
put in
Latin. Both are taken from
cles, that round the east dome
both riches and honour come of
to
se hnßagve, 73,
,kt
oh
ee
fLm
co pradur
Thee, and Thou reigneth over, all; and in Thine
hand is power and might; andin Thine hand it is
whileto round the west is painted,
makehine,
og r e
et
r;
d''
is the eittkeitess, and the power,
and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty ;
for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is
Thine; Thine is the kingdom, 0 Lord, and Thou art
exalted as head above all." On the walls terminat-
ing each transept also similar appropriate sentences
are inscribed.

In 1851 the courts for naval and military ap-
pliances and weapons of war were but poorly re-
presented. At that time breech-loading guns, per-
cussion shells, of almost unlimited powers of
destruction, iron-plated frigates, Minie rifles (for the
Enfield was not then thought of) would all have
been and quite out of place
in looked
a upon a s
buildingwhere
intruders
nations
were to meet for
Exhibition of 1851
general welfare of s great era of peace among
nations. were only to strive
wfriaesndtolyinraivuagluryrataelone. The
of
ftuthree
man-
kind, irrespective of creed or country, and at that
promotion For
the
time there really seemed to be some chance that
such halcyon days would come to pass, if not in
in Europe, at least in the United States. It is
a significant commentary on the change which
has within 10 short years come ever the spirit of
nations to find that the classes Which comprise naval
and military weapons in this Exhibition will be
almost better represented than any other in the
building—that the great trophy of Armstrong,
rising from the coils to the finished gun, or the cases
which show the first step in the manufacture of the
Enfield till the rifle is completed, will be looked
upon with more interest than any branch of trade
or manufacture which exemplifies material progress
and civilisation. It is a simple fact, however, that
no branch of scientific or industrial art has within

the last 10 years been so fruitful of great results as
those which have attended the efforts of various
nations to discover the laws which lead to the more
speedy destruction of their fellow creatures. Eng-
land alone has grown from the Brown Bess to the
Enfield rifle, from long 32's to rifled 300-pounders,
from wooden three-deckers to huge, fast, black-
looking iron frigates, one of which would be a heavy
overmatch for a whole Channel fleet. It is not
probable that Foreign Courts will show much of
their real progress in these matters. It is in the
nature of Continental Governments to keep these
things as secret as possible, but "the English collec-
tion in these.classes (11 and 12) will be one of the
finest and most varied ever broaght together in
_this
country. MajSr ACinstus Vaal, of the`engal
Staff Corps, has charge of this portion of the exhi-
bition, which he has managed to get into the highest
possible state of perfection.
Class 11 comprises military engineering, ordnance
and accoutrements, which are again subdivided into
clothing and accoutrements, tents, camp equipage,
&c., arms, and ordnance. In this latter sub.elass
there is, of course, an immense collection of weapons,
including every description of mechanical and
scientific novelty, from Enfield rifles up to 600-
pounders, and all of them inventionsof the last five
or six years. In the nave fronting this court will
be placed the 110 pounder Armstrong and the 100-
pounder Whitworth, flanking on either side a
superb trophy of small arms from Birmingham. In
the court itself will be a most curious trophy of
Armstrongs, which will illustrate the mode of
manufacture of this wonderful weapon, from
the first rough iron coil to the finished
gun. This trophy will be more than 25 feet high,
and weigh nearly 50 tons. There will also be care-
fully detailed models of some of our best fortifica-
tions at Portsmouth, Plymouth, &c., with a model
of London, surrounded by the projected lines of de-
fence, which were spoken of some time since. The
Engineers also send a whole series of models of bar-
racks, hospitals, rolling bridges, field and floating
suspension bridges, with fascines and gabions made
on a new principle, ambulance waggons of all kinds
for sick and wounded, sunken barriers for closing
harbours and rivers, models of sap shields, of ballis-
tic and gun pendulums, and models illustrating the
parabolic theory of the flight of projectiles in vacuo.
There will also be some finished specimens of gun
carriages from Woolwich. Of course, every de-
scription of breech-loading rifle will be there, in-
cluding the celebrated American invention of Mr.
Storm, which we hope will attract the attention
from our authorities it will be found really to de-
serve when seen side by side with its competitors.
A very large number of these Storm rifles are now
being made for the Federal army. There will also
be a fine collection of rifled projectiles fired since
1854, with one of the huge shells made for the
monster mortar, which weighs 22 owt. Improve-
ments in field tents and camp equipage generally
will be well represented, with a most important
improvement in suspending the soldier's knapsack,
so as to relieve thim of half the fatigue now en-
dured in the field and on line of march. Sir Harry
Jones sends a series of military maps and some beau-

tifully executed specimens of photozincography.
Class 12 comprises ships for purposes of war and
and commerce, boats, barges, and yachts, ships'
tackle and rigging. In this class may be studied
the architectural construction of almost every pos-
sible description of vessel in existence or about to
be produced for war or commerce. There are ships
sinkable and unsinkable, penetrable and impene-
trable, ships armour-plated, iron-cased, iron-
shielded ; some to engage an enemy below the
surface of the water as well as above it—in fact,
every means of destruction and methods of averting
it which the science of attack or defence has yet sug-
gested. Here will be shown a most valuable and
interesting series of models lent by the Admiralty,
illustrating the progress made in naval architecture
for war purposes from the time of the Great Harry
(1514) do Nn to the present day. A fine and very
large model of her Majesty's ship Queen will be
viewed with interest, standing side by side with
an equally fine model of the iron frigate Northum-
berland, now building. Visitors may thus at once
form their opinions of the respective merits of one
of our finest men-of-War of 1839 and one of our
largest frigates of 1862. The finest model that has
probably ever been made in this country is shown
by the Thames iron works as a trophy in the nave.
It is their chef-dceuvre the Warrior, built to scale,
and in every respect, even to her plating and Arm-
strong guns, a miniature iron frigate. Near the
Northumberland will also be a model of an iron-
shielded ship, of which report alread,/
speaks most
highly. An interesting series of
models of ships,
built on Mr. Scott Russell's wa:fe line
principle,
since 1851, will also be showr,i. These will be so
arranged, or rather hung, t'. to allow professional
visitors to at once form orinions on the comparative

merits of the principle on which the lines are con-
structed.

We believe that her Majesty will again permit
the exhibition of the Koh-i-noor this year. We
venture to think that the Commissioners might so
arrange as to exhibit the whole of the Crown
regalia from the Tower in the same case with its
splendid diamond. A very small compensation to
those interested in showing it at the 'rower would
guarantee them from loss by the change, and allmi
millions to see what they otherwise have very little
chance of seeing.