The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-25 00:00:00

THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

Now that the opening is fixed for the 10th of June,
the staff of the company are straining every nerve to
get creditably through the large amount of work which
can thus no longer be postponed. It is somewhat start-
ling to go over the place and see how much they have to
do, but what in this country must be done generally is
done ; and the men who have already achieved such
wonders are not likely to acknowledge even impossibilities
at the last moment. Sir Joseph Paxton has assumed an
absolute dictatorship, and exercises summary jurisclio-
tion over everything and everybody, within and around
the building. This is the right way of going to work
in such an emergency, and, as his has been conspi-
cuously the master-mind throughout the undertak-
ing, both officers and directors will readily acquiesce
in his constituting himself pro. tem. a sort of modern
"Mayor of the Palace" at Sydenham. Already the
vast interior begins to assume a dressed and orderly
appearance. The statues, no longer herded and hustled
about, have their proper positions assigned to them, and
the general arrangements of the nave and transepts take
their final form. From the further end of the building,
to which it has for months been confined, the collection
of plants is now rapidly extending along the entire length;
nor will the favourable anticipations that have been
formed of the delightful and refreshing effect of green
foliage heightening and relieving the general system
of decoration be at all disappointed. The etherial
architecture, the sculpture, and the plants harmonise
admirably, constituting of themselves a display almost
fabulously imposing. At present the immense propor-
tions of the building dwarf the vegetation. Two Nor-
folk. Island pines, the finest specimens in the kingdom,
have been placed in the grand transept, and look mere
saplings ; but we are told that they really are so,
and that a time will come when their tops, now hardly
level with the second set of girders, will reach almost to
the arched and glittering roof. Departing from the ar-
rangement of the old Crystal Palace, the central sweep
of the nave has been cleared of everything to disturb the
impression of its length and size, except the fountains;
and the same plan has been adopted with the grand tran-
sept, which, with a few large objects at either end and
at the points of intersection, is to be left to produce Its
full effect upon the mind of the spectator. Nothing more
will be attempted than to help the eye to measure the
greatness of these imposing spaces. One of the aids for
doing so will be Ostler's famous crystal fountain, which
is now rising with renovated splendour in the interior.
'ith great propriety it still occupies the centre of the
old transept which stood in Hyde-park, and will, no
doubt, for many a long year to come, awaken remini-
scences of the service which it did as a trysting spot in
1851.

Although the Palace is about to be throw
u9mparatively unfinished state, yet those people thrown
open
are3B i in
very
much mistaken who on that account jump to the conclu-
sion that it is not worth se Ia
every department the work is quite
Jen
enoughthe m
aeandtviamnee.ed
occupy many visits in exhausting its interest. Thought
the gardens, for example, are not finished, and we can 4
not have the great fountains in play till next year, yet
where else in the world can one see such terraces —such
thousands of marble vases, all filled with sweet smelling
flowers—so noble a prospect—or such arrangements for
providing to the pent-up inhabitants of a great city the
blessings of fresh air and delightful country recrea-
tion We have no misgivings as to the brilliant suc-
cess of the opening. The Queen's presence alone in-
sures that. A grand canopied dais is being constructed
for hei reception and that of the royal family in the
centre transept. Approached on all sides by a double flight
of steps, it will be placed in such a position as to be
within view, not only of all spectators in the transept,
but also of those assembled along the nave. On either
hand will be placed the foreign ambassadors and the
members of the Government—who have all been spe-
cially invited and will attend in official costume. Seats
have been reserved for peers and peeresses, and for
the members of the House of Commons and the ladies,
who intend being present as season ticketholders. The
Royal Commissioners and Executive Committee of
1851, the Commissioners who visited the United
States last year, Mr. Dargan and the Committee of
the Dublin Exhibition, the Imperial Commissioners
from France to represent the Exposition of next
year in Paris, the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of Lon-
don, the Mayors of the large provincial towns, and
the Presidents of the chief societies in the
metropolis will all be asked to attend. Such an
assemblage collected in the grand area of the centre
transept, with the Queen in the midst, will alone
form a spectacle of the highest attractiveness. While
the i-pace affords facilities for vastly increased effects,
few of the formalities which attended the ceremonial of
the opening in Hyde-park will be omitted. Her Ma-
jesty will be in the morning costume, and the Royal
procession in the building may not be conducted with
such high state, but, otherwise, whatever difference may
be made will be to the advantage of the Crystal Palace
Company. A chorus of 1,000 voices will be present, to
which the harmonic societies, not only of the metropolis,
but of Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds,
Bradford, and other large towns will contribute their
best singers. In addition to the company's brass band
two military bands will be in attendance. This im-
posing body of 1,400 vocal and instrumental per-
formers will be accommodated on a platform rising
tier above tier from the ground in amphitheatrie
form, and occupying the area of the great transept
immediately behind the Royal dais. M. Costa will
officiate as conductor, and promises to give the
Hallelujah Chorus and the National Anthem with a
musical effect which has never been equalled in this
country. When the Queen has taken her seat upon the
dais, Mr. Laing, the chairman, will read an address to
her Majesty, describing briefly the objects for which the
Crystal Palace and park have been formed, and tracing
its origin to the Great Exhibition of 1851. The chief
officers of the company will then in succession present
to her Majesty the handbooks describing their respec-
tive departments. After this a Royal procession will be
formed, and the Queen, attended by the Court, will tra-
verse the entire length of the main building, taking on
her way a view of the park from the lower balcony of
the grand transept. On her return to the dais his Grace
the Archbishop of Canterbury will offer up a prayer for
the success of the undertaking. The " Hallelujah
Chorus" will then be performed. and her Majesty, hay.
ing declared the palace open, will take her departure.
The public will not fail to observe what an extraordi-
nary mark of her royal favour the Queen is thus pre-
parel to confer upon the enterprise of a private company.
Seldom, indeed, have undertakings of a commercial cha-
racter been so honoured. She has visted the works re-
peatedly in their progress, and knows more about them
. than most of her subjects. A fine suite of apartments
is being prepared for her use at the north end of the
• building by Mr. Crace, of Wigmore-street. She is a
large contributor of plants, and she has set everybody
who can follow it the example of how they ought to
act towards the Crystal Palace Company, by becoming
a season ticketholder. Let all those who can follow
her example. Even the directors and officers of
the company have done so. The question, whether
by the natural and healthy agency of a joint-
stock company we can do something more than.
has yet been attempted to correct the sordid and lower-
ing tendencies of the age, is about to be decided. If
Sydenham does not take with the public, we cannot ex-
pect for many years to see the experiment repeated. If
the financial results justify the enterprise, it is difficult
to calculate all the advantages which the other great
towns of the kingdom, and, indeed, large communities
throughout the civilised world may derive from so en-
couraging an example. So far as success can be com-
manded by a liberal expenditure of capital in the execu-
tion of a magnificent design, all that could be reasonably
expected has been accomplished. It only remains by
judicious and vigorous management to get the outlay
_
that may still be necessary well in hand—to see that
v e
to
ory becomepossible facilityitua l
ei
ist
oarilso_r afforded itno et
ka be
thelisnugch st epublic
may be requisite to place the exhibition of modern in-
dustry on a level with the artistic attractions of the
sculpture courts, and the other more showy but less re•
munerative portions of the general scheme.

THE NEW SMITHFIELD MARKET.---The City Corpo.
ration are bestirring themselves respecting the new
hasa b at
Copenhagen-fields. The con-
tracteen taken by Mr. Richard
Smithfield
fo r the cattlew omrakrsk market
Walker, of Bermondsey, who is proceeding energetically
with its execution. The building and other erections
are to be of the most substantial character, and they are
to consist entirely of brick and iron. The bulk of the
iron work, amounting to several thousand tons, is to be
galvanised by Messrs. Morewood and Rt.:gars tinder
their patent. It is, as we understand, the intention to
open the market before Christmas next.
DEPARTURE OF THE AFRICAN EXPLORING EINEM.
Tism—This interesting expedition, so. important to the
scientific and commercial communities, is now fairly
started, for the steamer Pleiad, by which the exploring
will be carried on, has sailed for her destination. The
Pleiad was tried on the river on Saturday week, and
attained a speed, under steaml of ten knots an hour,
thus maintaining the reputation of her builder, Mr.
John Laird. On Wednesday last she sailed for King*.
town, and took her departure from there on Saturday.
for Fernando Po direct. Captain Johnston, who com-
manded the steamer Argentina, accompanied her that
far, after which she will be under the charge of Mr. Be-
croft, the British consul at Fernando Po, for the remain-
der of the expedition. The explorers are all medical gen-
tlemen of scientific attainments. Dr. Taylor, Mr. Hutchi-
son, Mr. Crawford, and Mr. Whyatt accompanied the
Pleiad from this port ; and two more gentlemen in the
Admiralty service will join her at Fernando Po. Dr.
Taylor is well known in the African trade, and has been
on that coast for several years. Mr. Hutchinson has
also followed his profession in that locality for some time,
and is the author of a series of instructive papers which
have recently appeared in a local contemporary on the
subject of Western Africa. The others are younger men,
but not a whit less earnest than their elder associates in
the desire to carry the expedition to a successful issue.
The Pleiad will explore the rivers Niger and Schada,f
for the purpose of making geographical surveys, d
endeavouring to open up a trade with those almosaltnwujno-
known parts. Only four of the crew of thevtehseseresselll
be white men, so that there is little chance of
gi-
nator and chief promoter of the expedditelooli
theM
being left destitute of a crew to work
expedition
_ _Thre
places to
Mac-
gregor Laird, whose personal knowoleerg
arrangements for
be visited enabled him to make pr
The Admiralty contri-
the carrying out of the scheme.
rta i
buses a large proportion of the t p
tehxpe, but the vessel is
Mr. Laird's. The resulf e_ nse
and
looked to with interest.— Livei pool Courierng will be
THE GREAT NORTHERN RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for
£17,174 6 2
week last year
Corresponding
the week ending May 14,1854
LA.NCA.BILIRE AND . YORKSHIRE RAlLWAY.—Traffic re-
turn for the week ending May 21, 1854. ..... £19,386 12 1
oareoponclog week last Yuri ...... nin,

HOUSE Or COMMONS--(YESTERDA.t.)
kttorrirry DISPOSAL BILL.
On the qui:at:ion for resuming the adjourned debate
sen the second reading of this bill,
Mr. MALINS supported the bill, the object of which
was to prevent professed nuns from disposing of their
property in favour of convents, without the deed or in-
strument of disposal was executed in the same manner
as deeds are executed by married women in favour of
their husbands. No objection had been made to the
principle of the bill, but it was said the preamble con-
ained improper assertions, As the preamble, however,
-was a matter of secondary importance, he was sure his
hon. and learned friend who had charge of the melt,
sure would consent to strike it out altogether, if
the house would only sanction the substance of the
bill. The hon. and learned gentleman then proceeded
to argue that ladies who take religious vows renounce
the world and its temporal affairs, so that they bad no
free will in the disposal of their property ; and it was
-therefore only right that some protection of the sort
proposed by this bill should be thrown around them.
Sir J. YOUNG had hoped that the hon. and learned
member for Enniskillen would have been disposed to
follow the example of the hon. member for Bath, and,
withdrawing his bill, relieve the house from those po-
lemical discussions which had produced so much excite-
ment out of doors, and especially in Ireland. With
regard, however, to the bill. itself, it was hardly likely
that it would be accepted. by the Roman Catholics,
coming from the quarter it did. The evils or injustice of
the system which the bill dealt with, fell wholly upon
Roman Catholics, and. if the bill had. come from
a"msoem.
bar professing, that faith, there might: baTa _ '
me
reason for adopting it, but coming from a Protestant
member who was not remarkable for any predelictions
in favout of Catholicism, it was only natural that it
should be looked upon with doubt and distrust.
Sesides, the- Roman. Catholics received it as cast-
ing a dishonourable' sospicioa upon an important
class of their bodr: and knowing that there was no
foundation for isocline suspicion, they had unanimously
rejected :with scorn. A stronger- animus actuated
the promoters of the bill than a desire to assimulate the
law relating to nuns, with that affecting married women,
and hence the bill, supposing its provisions had been
sound, would have been distasteful to the Roman Catho-
lics. He denied_ _that the Government opposed measures
like this for the Bike of obtaining Roman Catholic sup-
port, they, resisted them because they were opposed to
the tolerant spirit of the Reformation, and being ani-
mated by the same feeling, he was confident the house,
would negative the second reading of this bill.
Sir Js.PAKINGTON denied that this was a polemical
question, and said lie viewed this subject from. a directly
opposite point to that of a religious view. Ile protested
also against its being supposed. that the supporters of
this bill were .actuated by a persecuting spirit, or that
the provisions of the bill were at all opposed to the
principles of toleration established. by the Reformation.
The policy of the Church of Risme was aggressive and
anti-tolerant, but that should, never induce him to sup-
port any attack upon the religious liberty of his Roman
Catholic fellow-subjects.. This bill, however, meditated_,
no suck attack, it was altogether divested f anything
like a religious character, and proposed to deal only with
one of the temporal matters of the Roman Catholics.
The only ground upon which this question could be dis-
cussed, was simply this : was there, or was there
not, something in the constitution of these mo-
nastic and conventual establishments which vio-
lated the rights of the subject. ? • He believed there
was as their rules and regulations interfered with the
great civil right of disposing of private property, and
that was the reason why he supported this bill, which
would only extend to Roman Catholics the same law
that already applied to Protestant. He denied that the
bill assumed that the disposal of property in favour of
convents was invariably made under undue influence ;
it assumed_ nothing of the sort, but it did assume that
there were occasional cases of such a disposal being made
-under duress, and it was to meet such cases
that it was now proposed to assimilate the
law in -reference to the inmates of convents with that
which applied to married women. In the absence of a
bill of, this nature there was only one alternative for the
house to adopt, and that was to revive the law which
held nuns to be civilly dead.
Mr. HADFIELD thought the acts of the right hon.
baronet presented a strange contrast to his professions.
.He professed to entertain a high respect for the Roman
Catholics, and yet he was ready to support a bill which
cast a most offensive insult upon that body. The Roman
Catholics made no demand upon the house in support
of their religion, and what right, then, had the house to
interfere with their religious establishments ? but, above
all, what right had the supporters of the bill to interfere
with them ? None whatever ; and he advised the house
to reject the bill, as in this enlightened age neither this
nor any other mortmain law was necessary for the sup-
port of civil rights. He felt humbled as a Member of
Parliamentto find these religious differences being forced
upon thehouse. In the American Legislature polemical
discussions were never allowed to take up the time of
the senators, because there the religious sentiments of
all were respected, and the same rule ought to prevail
In the House of Commons.
Mr.. COLLIER suggested an amendment to the
bill, and observed that if these amendments were
made, he could see no objection to the measure.
The purpose of this measure was but a corol-
lary to the Mortmain Bill, and having sanctioned
the second reading of that bill, he could not understand
why the house should reject this one.
Mr. J. FITZGERALD reminded the house that con-
vents had existed both in this country and in Ireland
for many ages, and it was very strange that these
abuses had never been heard of until the honourabie
and learned member for Enniskillen came forward to
remedy them with this bill. If such abuses did exist,
which he denied, except in an occasional case, the
common law of the land was quite sufficient
to meet them without a bill of this nature, as recent
trials in the Irish courts, both law and equity, fully
established. The bill was false in its preamble insulting
in its language, as it was intended to be, while it vio-
lated the maxim of our law, that those who as-
es2rted a fact should prove it.!
Mr. F. SCULLY opposed the bill.
Mr. WILKINSON also opposed the bill, and thought
this a most improper time to bring such a bill forward.
He deprecated these dissensions in the house upon
polemical subjects, or their inevitable consequence must
be the separation of Church and State.
Mr. LIDDELL supported the bill, and contended
that both monastic and conventual establishments were
of questionable legality. The inmates of both were in
a state of spiritual and moral subjection to their su-
periors, and by that undue influence they were com-
pelled to dispose of the property for the benefit, of
such institutions to the utter neglect of their kinsmen,
and it was upon that ground that he supported the prin-
ciple of the bill. He differed with some of its details it
was true, but the objection which he entertained
in this respect, which went especially to the se-
cond clause, could be removed in committee.
Mr. J. O'CONNELL insisted that the majority of
the supporters of this bill were acting under the delusion,
first that while the bill was necessary for securing their
civil liberty, it would not be offensive to the Roman
Catholics. He urged the hon. and learned member for
:Enniskillen to pursue the generous and common
sense course of withdrawing the bill, which, though it
could result in no good to the people generally, was yet
calculated to create an unhappy dissension between
England and Ireland.
Lord BERNARD gave his cordial support to the
bill, which might be thwarted this year, but assuredly
would be carried next.
Sergeant SHEE observed that this debate had pro-
ceeded upon the notion—erroneous, of course—that an
act done under religious vows must be considered an in-
-voluntary act. Nov, a more irreligious opinion than that he
had never heard ; it was impossible to suppose that an
act done under a vow was involuntary—it might be dis-
tasteful, as not nnfrequently happened in post obit obli-
gations, but it would be to overthrow all morality to say
that an act done under the sanction of a vow to the
Almighty God was an involuntary act. Of what use
then, would this bill be ? None whatever, unless it
went the length of declaring that such vows were illegal,
which they certainly were not, either in the Protestant
or the. Catholic Church.. It would revive all the evils
of civil death with none of its advantages ; and instead
Zweei°ll4%Citii3B Attod, it would be productive of incalculable
The • - 'lll.ng, and heartburning in Catholic families.
prineikla of this bill tried just after the reforma-
tion, both mate
and though .1:11 and in Holland, where it failed,
the sincerity of the hon. and
learnesl (ma tted.
imploeu tie who had charge of the bill, he must
of such a measu Pie
re before he inflicted the injustice
are upon the
realms. Catholic community of these
Mr. FREWITI supperts, the bill.
Sir J. FITZGMayt,"
Ate this
the house that this
was not &mom's,' ehinitOwas
Catholicquestion,
,c6Usidering
that Ireland, country, ititlPlied the
Tee
army with recruits It would do no good,
of odui,whileit
" might endang the loyalty at least eine
house Would herre-
Majesty's subjects, and he hoped 'the
ject it
Mr.. MAGIBRE rose to oppose the bill, and o
pied the attention of the house until a queiter,toe;.
o'clock, when the debate was further adjourned.
MEDICAL GRAONDON) DUATES
B (UNILL.ERSITY' ma
LIV
This bill was read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on Monday next.
CRUELTY TO ANIMALS` BILL:
This bill was read a second time, and ordered to be
committed.

THE MALT TAX.
Mr. WILSON, of ways and means,
in committee
moved the following drawbacks of Excise
" Provided always, that if th quantity malt mashed
and used in the production of such spirits shall be less than
after the rate of one bushel of barley malt,
or ono bushel
and three-tenth parts of a bushel of malt ma
de from bear
or bigg, for every two gallons of proof spirits charged with
duty a deduction from the amount of such allowance shall
be made after the rate of four shillings for every bushel of
barley malt, and every bushel and three-tenth parts of a
bushel of bear t,r bigg malt which shall respectively be so
deficient.
" And for and upon such spirits distilled in Scot•
land from malt only, and on which the allowance afore-
said shall have made, and which said spirits shall be
duly removed from warehouse for exportation, or
for use as ships stores, and be duly exported or
shipped as, stores under and according to the
laws land regulStions of Customs in such respect, I
over and above *** allow ince aforesaid; and—in
lieu of the drawback granted and payable under the
eleventh section of the Act 11 and 12 Vic. c. 122, for every
gallon of such spirits actually exported or shipped as
stores as aforesaid a drawback of Bd.
" And for and upon such spirits distilled in England or
Ireland from malt only, and which shall be duly removed
trona warehouse for exportation, or• for use as ships'