The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-10 00:00:00

2he Crystal Palace at Sydenham was inaugurated
uttl3 afternoon with the pomp and ceremony be-
fitting so auspicious an occasion ; and Providence,
smiling upon the peaceful undertaking, blessed the
tTing with brilliant summer weather. Up till
chch..aer the metropolis had been visited with a cold,
ili the
atmosphere, while early this morning there
da4e'rery indication of a heavy fall of rain ; as the
n advanced, the wind changed to a more genial
:tiarter, making the air warm and balmy. As early
s
leYen o'clock season-ticket holders were on
th
move, and the trains which left London-
rldge were well filled with passengers. At
i
j'aklt half of the visitors must have belonged to
toilets
fair sex, whose bright and varied-coloured
gave the streets a complete holiday aspect.
The
number of carriages which passed over the
"ipterent bridges must have been immense, since
ti.°lll eight o'clock in the moruin until three in
In afternoon the approaches to the Crystal
converging out of Lambeth, presented the
PPearance of the carriage -drive in Hyde Park. The
arrangement
of the police to meet this tremendous
o
ittlx of fashionables were most admirable; and as
each vehicle set down at one of the many entrances
ad.the Palace, it was drafted off into the byelanes
:aeent to the building, being compelled to take
pturn in the order in which it arrived. Never,
hags, were there so many carriages of all de-
le
e 'tlltiions, from the humble cab to the emblazoned
quipage, collected upon one spot. Epsom Downs
o
the Derby Day enjoys a full share of
Datrenage in this respect, but it can have been
n c'thing to the scene of to-day witnessed at Syden-
tb°. So much, then, for the route by the road,
e Pathways of which were as thickly lined with
estrians as the centre was choked up with vehi-
es. At the London-bridge station the scene was
equally crowded and exciting. The trains corn-
l'l'xiced running at the early hour of seven o'clock,
sad from that period down to three o'clock there
/vaa a continuous stream of people rolling
0
the line between there and the Palace.
classes of trains were provided for the occa-
t.°°) the first for the fortunate possessors of
ekets of admission to the building, and the
tel c°llel for the miscellaneous public, who, not
fleeelin Ig disposed, or unable to go to the ex-
es, a of becoming a season subscriber to the
h 1 .tin'bition, were yet anxious to examine the exter-
-4t.111 art of the glass edifice, while they at the same
0: 4 :ran a very good chance of witnessing the arrival
eon, equently
Majesty. The platforms of the station were
'4,1 equently mobbed, not to say crowded, during
the
tt whole of the morning ; but from the
ffet 'ence in the dress of the two classes it
weaB. easy to distinguish between those who
011,1° going inside and those who would have to
r ip with an outside view of the spectacle.
ass
pe ng along the line, ew catch a glimpse of the
tac e as you approach New Cross, and this morn-
tea tb ere being a bright sun shining above, it strongly
sem
.bled the dancing waters of a lake; but arrived,
It It i Elusion soon became dispelled, and the mind
Ina° lternately enraptured and confused by the
rro anding picture. To the right was a fine
W°0(1 y landscape, while on the left rose, in all
aajestic grandeur, the fabric which first
o:an ated from the genius of Paxton. Threading
a‘":, 11 'ay along the west side of the Palace, the
Or( 'aches got almost impassable as the grand
tiara nee is reached ; but branching off into
: neighbouring underwood, a few minutes'
intik brought us to the extreme end of the build-
g• Here is the well-known lane leading to
eeea all Spa, and on all hands fine hotels or
s3'..!,ets taverns are rapidT,y springing into
:labs ace. Behind these stands. the coppice of Nor-
ki°°el, and it would seem as if all the gipsies in the
jeg ;u oin had collected upon this spot to-day.
tending into the valley though which the
au ray passes, and to the right of Anuerley,
immense field was appropriated to the pur-
pose ;a of a sort of fair. Here were booths of
all aorta, petty gambling booths, gipsey tents,
tad hawker's wares, with pill tho shows and exhi-
ms usually met with at Greenwich, upon
t'!% spot were assembled. The pensentry and
iurers of the district : and, as if to remind us,
dst the excitement of this triumph of peace, of
" ruthless war raging in the East, here to be
j'ek rd above the noise and bustle of pipe and the
1.°11( rattle of a recruiting party. But glorious as
,"4, the interior of thin modern wonder of the
rld perhaps it was surpassed by the safety
au d regularity with which so many myriads of
ople were carried at almost lightning speed along
e rrailway, and whatever may be the cora-
3rcial success of tb.e undertaking, the proceed-
of to-day will long reflect credit upon the
ra ihvay management of the country in general,
ai;id that of the London and South Coast Company
"'t particular.
Though the special, trains to the Crystal Palace
e .°lntnenced running from London-bridge as early
" nine o'clock, thecloors of the building were not
Perl for the admission of the public until eleven,
byl which time a vast throng of persons, as well as
4eeng lines of vehicles of every description, were wait-
'llg to set down the: company that had collected at the
different entrances. Teat there should have been
t? considerable an assemblage four hours before
he arrival of her Majesty, which was fixed for
three o'clock, may perhaps excite some surprise ;
but it is not to be; wondered at, when it is known
that between 20,000 and 30,000 season tickets had
°,81:1 sold up to last evening, in addition to some
Vthousands of tickets of admission issued gra-
tuitously to specially favoured individuals
aod to parties n'ho were to take part in the cere-
mony. And tleis large early attendance of visitors
may be aceouiated for by the desire, not only to
secure good places for witnessing the grand spectacle
of the day, bu t to explore the various courts and
galleries of w hich they had heard so much, in this
magnificent fe•ection. On reaching the terminus
of the Crystal Palace Railway, the public, instead
°f being adueitted, as was anticipated, at that end
11 the buil ding, had to walk up the hill to
°° entravece of the transept on the east side
"-a rather fatiguing journey to all, but especially
to the fair. sex •, and it would have been anything
but agreetable had the weather been unfavourable ;
but being a real " Queen's day," and the air being
fresh, mild, and balmy, this pedestrian trip was
uoth pleasant and invigorating. In truth, all
seemed ebnfident that the presence of her Majesty
ould snare away those angry elements which tend
c) mar so many of our national exhibitions and
display;,l save, indeed, when royalty deigns to lend
"8 presence. No one seemed to have thought
of taking any precautions against either cold or
rain, f br umbrellas and overcoats were not to be seen;
and its to the ladies-, they appeared determined to
defy anything of the kind, judging from their
attire, which was of the lightest texture and of the
gayest and most choice colours.
When it was known that admission had corn-
Menced, there was a general rush towards each of
the doers, and the consolatory ejaculations of the
Felice that there was ample room and plenty of
time, with polite intimations to keep back, were of
310 avail, for the squeezing and crushing went on
Until the mob outside had considerably lessened,
and in the scramble the dresses of the male as well
48 female visitors got considerably disordered.
On entering (at the point mentioned) we were
forcibly struck at first sight with the great resem-
blance of the building to i ts progenitor in Hyde-park;
but scarcely a moment's reflection was required to
pronounce it infinitely superior as regards de-
decoration, and the interior arrangements.
The stiff straight lines which marred the prospec-
tive view of the old palace are done away with
here by the addition of two end transepts, and
other judicious alterations in the construction—
the whole mass of glass is totally unobstructed by
Objects of exhibition—the monotonous blue and
White of the Hyde-park building ie releved by a
happy mixture of red and yellow. The gorgeously
illeeorated Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Al-
hambra, Medimval, and other Courts are marked by
artistic tasteof the highest and most refined descrip-
tion, and while devoid of any semblance to places got
nP for mere show, appear to have all the solidity of
'nose edifices they are meant to represent. We
taa3r add, that, among the other things which tend
° render this place infinitely more beautiful and
perfect than the last, is the tasteful division of the
Whole ground floor into garden plots, with plants
d trees of every imaginable description, remark-
:4 for beauty and abundance of flower or foliage,
;vi..1,,4 likewise the numerous ornamental wire baskets
nch are suspended from the galleries in all I
di-
rections, with choice ferns and flowers hanging
gracefully over their sides.
dais
throne for her Majesty is erected on a raised
huge
in the centre transept, and is overhung with a
but rich and elegant canopy in crimson and
5°',4, With the mottoes, Dieu et mon droit, Doming
avvarn fac Reginam, Jec., upon it. Here the
Queen will sit with her f'ce towards the east.
the throne is en ill eelculei 0 inn' or of
seats
for the band and chorus, under the direction
of ,
kjosta, and on the right and left and front
(c4tenclillg to the
opposite end of the transept)