The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-11 00:00:00

THE CRYSTIL PALACE AND THE

CHRISTMAS TREE.

During the last few days there has been a good deal
of unusual bustle and excitement at the palace in the
getting up of decorations for the Christmas fete. If we
may judge from the eagerness and anxiety of the visitors,
old and young, on Thursday and Friday last, to watch
the progress of the decorations and examine the details
of the stupendous festive trophy which occupies the
centre of the great transept, we have no doubt that
when the public generally are apprised of it they will
pour down in large numbers and give all the young holi-
day folk a treat, comparad with which even the boule-
vards of Paris at this season have nothing to effer in
comparison. We have already described the general
design, which is now being very cleverly carried out
by Mr. Hurwitz. The central platform has three
stages, and the upper one is occupied by the great
Christmas tree, the father evidently of the numerous
families of little beauties clustered around him. " May
his shadow never be less." This monster tree is now
loaded with a variety of brilliant ornaments and nick-
nacks, a profusion of large and elegant Chinese lamps,
and a number of flags and banners of all nations, the
Turkish, supported by the French and English flags,
occupying the top of the tree. The square platform on
which the great tree rests is formed of large mirrors, and
these reflect the decorations, and multiply the trees and
other ornaments, giving much lightness and brilliancy
to the arrangement. On the terraces are the smaller
Christmas trees, forming two complete circles round the
great tree, one above the other. They all vary in their
form and decorations, and here will probably be found
specimens to suit all tastes and all pockets. Between
the trees are baskets filled with fruit, and surrounded by
moss, and pots and bequets of flowers fill up the interval F,
,and give the whole a rich variety of colouring and orna-
mentation which Mr. 0. Jones himself might envy. Not
the least appropriate of the festive emblems of this elegant
trophy are the massive yule logs which are placed at the
four corners ; they are covered with holly and ivy. From
the top of the great tree four wreaths of laurel and ever-
green proceed to the four corners of the interesting nave
and trAmpt, where they terminate at the fret floor gal-
leries. But during the progress of the works the idea
was stated of wreathing the whole of the front of the
galls rios and pillars in the central transept by suspending
festoons of a similar character, and Mr. Belshaw, having
obtained a whole cargo, by special train from various
points on the Brighton line, of holly, ivy, and laurel
(for which the people of London will not thank him next
week, when they find a famine and double prices in this
favourite department of decoration), has set a number of
of hands at work, and the whole of this part of the
building will soon be clothed in a livery of green, the
effect being much improved by the suspension of banners
at intervals all round the transept at the point where the
festoons are united.
We have already stated that there will be groups of
dead game placed at the four corners of the central
trophy, and they have just been erected under the super-
intendence of Mr. Bartlett, the celebrated taxidermist, who
has chargeof the natural history department of the palace.
One of these groups contains two hares, two wood pigeon;%,
a brace of snipe, a pair of black grouse, a bittern, a ahei.
drake and a pair of teal. Another has a turkey, two
wild ducks, two golden plovers, two white hares, three
red grouse, and two larks ; a third displays a goose,
three pheasants, a pair of red legged partridges, a caper-
cailzie, and pe-wit ; and the fourth, a swan, a pair of
partridges, a pair of woodcocks, a pair of curlews, a
guinea fowl, two rabbits, and a pheasant of a new breed,
knownto naturalists as the Ph.asianus torquatus, a
native of Japan. It was introduced into this country by
Mr. D. W. Mitchell, secretary to the Zoological Society,
on his estate in Bedfordshire, where it is apparently
thriving. The first specimens were shot a few days ago,
and forwarded to her Majesty, and .the one now at the
Crystal Palace is the only other specimen of this
rare bird which has been seen in this country. It
is smaller than the English pheasant, with a rich
plumage on the breast, and is said to be c'etcions
eating. The effect of th so groups, with the arms,
&c., accompanying them, is cry good, and in perfect
keeping with the other details of the trophy. On the
upper terrace a new material for decoration has been
introduced for the first time. It is a novel system of
illumination, by which trees and shrubs, animals, and
other objects, can be so constructed as to throw out a

soft and subdued light. In the present case we have
the stems of trees, from which fruit depends, coloured
after nature, and by means of gas introduced into the
interior of the fruit, the light is thrown out in a variety
of beautiful colours. The fruit and flowers are made of
opal glass, a semi-transparent medium, which is found
best adapted for the purpose. Bunches of grapes, roses,
and lilies of this material are here shown as fine illus-
trations of the- effect produced, and it can be applied
to statuary and other objects for out-of-door purposes.
Mr. F. Barnett has patented the invention in England
and abroad. Mr. Hurwitz, the decorator, who is the sole
agent, has been for some time past actively engaged in
carrying out the designs. The marble counters placed
around the central trophy are great points of at-
' 7:action for the holiday folk, the collection of bon
eons, Christmas gifts, fruit, flowers, and chocolate
figuresbeing astounding, and the salesare already brisk,
and betoken a stirring month for Mr. Solomon and his
assistants. Among other curiosities which collect large
crowds are a whole regiment of Cossacks, only in cho-
colate, a regiment of Zouaves ready to eat them up,
and a regiment of our gallant and picturessiue High-
landers. The trophy will, we believe, be 'lighted 'up
for an hour or two daily, to enable the public ti
judge better of the gay and varied character of the
decorations. On Saturday the only part lighted wa,
the ornamental trees and fruit on the four corners of the
platform, and the experiment will probably lead to the
illumination of the Chinese lanterns and other poitiore,
l of the trophy this week.
• Notwithstanding the coldness of the weather, the at-
tendance on Saturday was both numerous and fashion-
able.