The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-27 00:00:00

THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

According to the announcements issued, Saturday was
the day fixed for closing the works to all visitors—the
press, of course, excepted. As might have been
anticipated from the extreme fineness of the weather,
and the intense interest taken in the progress of this
gigantic structure, a large number of visitors availed
themselves of this last chance of seeing the progress of
the works. The various avenues leading to the palace
were quite thronged with vehicles and equestrians, and
among the latter were an unusual proportion of the
gentler sex. Stabling accommodation for the horses and
carriages was hardly to be obtained in the neighbourhood.
indeed the inhabitants of Norwood seemed quite over-
whelmed, and to calculate with something like fear what
the rush of visitors would be when once the palace
was fairly thrown open to the public. About 14,000
or 15,000 visitors paid at the doors during the
course cf the day. The Greek, Roman, and Pompeian
courts, as being the most advanced, were the
greatest objects of attraction, while the Alhambra, which
will far surpass them all when finished, received on
Saturday only a cursory glance from some of the more
adventurous explorers. The gardens, though in a very
backward state, and at present damp and inconvenient
to walk about in, were much patronised, as were also
the extraordinary geological productions of Mr. Water-
house Hawkings. It is intended to open the building to
the public on the 24th of May next ; though, of course,
at that early time very considerable portions of the inte-
rior adornments must be unfinished. Indeed, if the
company can manage to get the building any way pre-
sentable by the 24th they will have accomplished a very
miracle of labour, quite in keeping with the whole
scheme. The men work at the interior until nine o'clock
each evening, and the heads of departments speak confi-
dently of all being tolerably ready by the time mentioned.
It is said that her Majesty and his Royal Highness the
Prince Consort will be present at the public opening,
which will be of the most imposing nature, and on a
scale of grandeur hitherto unattempted.

FALL OF PART OF THE OLD CITY WALL OF EDIN-
BURGH.—LOSS OP LIFE.—On Wednesday afternoon last,
about 3 o'clock, a large portion of the wall of Edinburgh,
supposed to be from 300 to 400 years old, gave way, and
overwhelmed several persons in an immense mound of
earth and stones. The wall here bounded the ancient
city on the side of Canongate, and faced Leith Wynete
a very steep and narrow street, inhabited by d
population. It was from 25 t 0,27 feet in height on
high
nhi the
side of the street, but on the other side there was
bank, reaching to within five feet of the cope. The
weight of the embankment, to which a considerable ad-
dition had been made some years ago, bad evidently had
the effect of pressing the wall outwar
ndds,
to as,
be about on being
it fou .
plumbed a few weeks ago,
top, IA
eight inches off the line near the w e the
seemedpres-
sure to be increasing from the accumulation of
moisturewithin. Operations had been going on for the
drainage of Leith Wynd for some time, for the safety of
which beams of wood were placed against the wall as
buttresses. The drain having been carried past, a new
stone pillar was inserted in the wall, with the expectation
of giving it solidity ; and the supports were removed on
Wednesday forenoon, just three hours before the acci-
dent. The fall took place without warning of any kind,
so that those who were on the spot had no time' to
escape. The wall fell across the entire street, the cope
stones breaking into the windows of the shops oppo-
site. In falling, the wall carried with it a great part
of the embankment, so that the debris formed a huge
mound, which, from its weight and solidity, and from
the position of the street, appeared to be the work of
days to remove. The width of the gap at the top was fully
20 yards. The sufferers were chiefly children. Two
were extricated alive, but one of them is awfully muti-
lated, and is not expected to survive ; and two were, in
the course of the night, taken out dead. Two workmen
were injured by falling stones, but not seriously. It was
feared that several other persons seen to be in the im-
mediate neighbourhood a few moments before the acci-
dent had been crushed in the ruins, but up to Thursday
afternoon no more bodies had been found, and no in-
quiry had been made at the police-office for persons
missing. The work of excavation, however, was not
completed, so that the exact extent of the calamity could
not be ascertained. The event has occasioned great ex-
citement in the neighbourhood, and considerable reflec-
tion that the wall had been suffered to remain so long in
the dangerous position it has for some time done.