The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-30 00:00:00

'l7 E SUN,

object whatever.—(Hear, hear.) There had been
nothing about the Exhibition that was not
gratifying and successful; but nevertheless it must dis-
appear by the Ist of June, and therefore he proposed
that no steps should be taken towards the removal of the
building till the Ist of May, so as to afford time for a
Bill being passed next session, if snail was thought advi-
sable, to authorize the Commissioners to retain pos,es-
sion of the palace.—(Hear, hear.) The Commissioners
would not, in a pecuniary point of view, be held respon-
sible; and he must at the same time say, that be thought
Mr. Paxton and Messrs. Fox and Henderson, who had
distinguished themselves so much in the erection of the
building, deserved much from the Commissioners in the
way of reward, and he should not he sorry to hear that
a considerable sum came to them when the change took
place.—(Hear, hear.) It had been stated by good judges
that a very little change, at a moderate expense, would
adapt the building to its new use, for the comfort, re-
creation, and instruction of the inhabitsns.—(Hear,
hear.) In that particular part of the metropolis there
was a general absence of places of public resort and
amusement. The only place of public resort was Tat-
tersall's—(A laugh)—there was nothing analogous to
the Zoological and Botanical gardens in the Regent's-
park. As to any nuisance being created rf
which the inhabitants could complain, he might
observe that the arrangements of the police hitherto
had been excellent, end the same order could be
easily preserved under whatever character the Crystal
Palace appeared.—(Hear, hear.) The particular style
of architecture called crystal architecture was new to
historians, and the megnifiaent specimen in Hyde-park
would, no doubt, be spoken of in future history as one 01
the great features of the age iu which wo lived, and one
not unworthy to be ranked with railways, the penny
postage, and other inventions.—(Hear.) There were
besides, associations connected with this building that

ought to create a feeling favourable to its pre3ervation;
such, for example, as the magnificent scene at the open-
ing of the Exhibition by her Majesty. The Crystal
Palace might be described as the nearest approach to a
ladies' club that had ever been constructed, for there,
under proper regulations, a lady might walk about with
as much security and quiet as in her own drawicg-roote.
—(Hear, hear.) As to the changes to be made in the
building, a variety might be suggested for consideration,
such as fitting up the lower sashes with glass, intaxsec-
ting it with streets, and so on; but all he asked at pre-
sent was the sanction of the House for delay, in order
that future arrangements might be well considered.—
(Hear, hear.) He was satisfied that the conversion of
the Crystal Palace into a place of public resort would
tend greatly to promote the sanitary condition of the
inhabitants, inasmuch as it would enable many persons
to go out frequently for personal enjoyment who would
otherwise remain at their firesides, to the injury of their
general health—(Hear, hear)—while it could, at the
same time, be made conducive to the promotion of scien.
tific pursuits.—(Elear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman
concluded by making his motion as above.
Colonel SIBTHORP would oppose out and out the
motion of the Hon. Member. He had declared his op-
position to the erection of this Crystal Palace from the
first, as he considered it a gross attack upon the rights
of the people of this country.—(A laugh.) He was
somewhat gratified when he found he was borne out in
that opinion by such men as Lord Brougham, Lord
Campbell, and Mr. Justice Creswell; and ho had never
seen any cause to change the views he had at first ex-
pressed. What had been the resuh of the erection of this
Crystal Palace? In the first place there had been, and
for a long time to come would be, gross desecration of the
Sabbath—(A laugh)—demoralization of the people, and
a complete disunion of parties. In the next place,
poverty greater than existed before had been engendered.
He bad heard with pain that the poor of this country
had been seduced to come up to see this palace.—(A
laugh.) All that they had saved and all they could
borrow had been in many cases spent in this foolish
journey, and he knew he spoke facts when he stated that
not only had they borrowed money but pawned their
clothes to enable them to come up to this " World's
Fair," as it was called; and now they were left without
a penny in their pockets. One-half of the tradesmen in
the metropolis and the provincial towns would tell them

that their trade w,.is lost—that they had no
customers—all had gone to the Crystal Palace—(A
laugh)—not merely for amusement, but, what was worse,
to make future orders for the goods of foreigners, who
came here to undersell the honest, industrious, and
heavily-taxed people of England. The Crystal Palace
might be a wonderful building externally, though he
scarcely knew anything about it, for he considered it his
dirty not to give it the slightest encouragement. He
asked if it was the intention to break the solemn pledge
and contract that had been made, and signed and sealed
by her gracious Majesty, to remove this building? He
believed that morally, religiously, and socially speak-
ing, it was a great curse to the country; and he hoped
it was in such a state that it would come down whether

they would or not, as it could not be kept up except at
very great expense. After the exhibition of meanness
on the part of the Commissioners when they came to
that House and asked money for the payment of their
clerks, he could expect nothinc, at their hands but
trickery and manoeuvring. lie had given his might to
oppose the erection of the Crystal Palace, though in
that they were thwarted by the late Attorney-General ;
and now as an honest man he felt it his duty to oppose
by every means in his power the motion of the Hon.
Gentleman opposite.

Mr. LABOUCHERE had no intention of following
the Gallant Officer through the great variety of topics to
which he had adverted in his discursive speech, but, as
one of the Commissioners, he begged to offer a few ob-
servations. He did not agree with the Gallant Officer
in the general estimate he had formed of the merits of
the Exhibition.—(Hear, hear.) His belief was that it
had not only ministered to the gratification of hundreds
of thousands of persons of all ranks and conditions—
(Hear, hear)—but that its permanent effects on the trade
of this country, as well as on the improvement of all the
arts that ministered to the comfort and well-being of
the people, would not be little.—(Hear, hear.) He de-
spaired, however, of making any impression upon the
mind of the Gallant Colonel by any arguments he
could use, and therefore would leave that question to
the general sense of the House.—(felear, hear.) But the
Gallant Officer talked of the general demoralization of
the country caused by this Exhibition. Now, be be-
lieved nothing could be more moral, in the highest
sense of the word, more humanizing, or civilizing,
than the great spectacle they had seen in this coun-
try.—(Hear, hear.) So different were his views from
those of the Gallant Colonel, that though he had seen
with admiration the magnificent assemblage of works of
industry collected within the marvellous structure which
the genius of Paxton had raised, yet there was another
spectacle he had seen with still greater delight, and that
was the orderly demeanour of the hundreds of thousands
of our fellow-countrymen of all ranks and classes, from
the hives of industry in the macufacturing towns, as well
as from the agricultural districts, almost without a single
case being brought before the police, and without the
slightest disturbance of the public peace, in spite of those
sinister observations they had heard so much of, that the
metropolis would be a scene of disorder, if not actually
burnt and pillaged.—(Cheers.) Nor could he omit to
say how gratifying it was to end that, notwithstanding
the great influx of foreigners to our shores, there had
scarcely occurred among them any more than amonr, our
Own countrymen, a paltry police case or the slightest
breach of the public peace.—(Hear.) He therefore formed
a very different estimate of the Exhibition from that en-
tertained by the Gallant Officer; and he could not help re-
ferring to the circumstance, so gratifying to them as
Englishmen, while it had excited the admiration of fo-
reigners, that all this had taken place without any display
of military—(Cbeers)—that the mere staff of the police-
man, enforced by the love of order and of law which
happily distinguished the people of this country, had
crushed everything like disorder, notwithstanding that
the streets of the metropolis were crowded beyond all
former precedent.—(Cheers.) He would now make a
few remarks upon the motion before the House. The
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Heywood) had brought forward a
motion, asking the House, not to pledge themselves to
the eventual and permanent maintenance of the building,
but to consent that a sort of reprieve should be given
to it, so as to enable them next session fully to consider
the matter.—(Hear, hear.) On that question he, as a
Commissioner, and as a member of the Government,
would express no opinion whatever. He held that it was
a question for that House to decide.—(Hear, hear.) Both
as a Commissioner and as a member cf the Government,
he considered himself pledged to pull down the building,
unless that House expressed a different opinion. Fur
his
part, not for all that was in the Crystal Palace
would he be a party to the violation of that pledge, with-
out the consent of the House 01 Commons.—(Hear,
hear.) At the same time it was right the House
should be mindful of how the Commissioners stood in
regard to this matter. The engagement which was
entered into with Messrs. Fox and Henderson as
to the taking down of the palace presented two alter-
natives. It was, is the first Rlace, agreed to pay a
certain sum for the use of the building far a certain time;
and that it should then be taken down; but, if it should
bo finally resolved to retain the building by the Commis-
sioners, it was then agreed that they should purchase
pay, for the use of the building about
it by They had paid, or
purchased, they the payment of a further sum.
together 190,0001.
had engaged to
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more, building
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It was also agreed that:unless the Commissioners gave
notice to Messrs. Fox and Henderson for the removal of
the palace before a certain day they should be bound to
purchase it, so that even if the building were to stand
they would be obliged to give that notice, unless those
gentlemen were ready to release them from that obliga-
tion. The Commissioners were, in fact, bound to pull
down the Crystal Palace, unless the House interfered to
prevent it. The whole question was before the House,
and he would not give an opinion on the subject one way
or the other. Every Member was
perfectly competent
to form a judgment upon it, and it was pre-eminently
the duty of the House to decide the question. He should
not vote on the motion, but wait and see what decision
the House came to.

Sir R. INGLIS, differing entirely as he did from the
feelings expressed by his Ron. and Gallant Friend (Cd.
Sibthorp) on this subject, nevertheless concurred with
him in the conclusion at which he had arrived, namely,
that the House was not at liberty to alter the contract
into which the Commissioners had catered wi[h regard
to the removal of the building from Hyde•park. He
agreed with his Right Hon. Friend (Hr. Labouehere) in
all that ho had said as to the bzinefits which had already
resulted from the Exhibition. And when they acknow-
ledged those results, it behoved them not to be proud,
but thankful that there had been communicated to a
larger mass of their fellow-creatures than bad ever be-
tore been congregated trgether more rational,
gent, and bem.ficial pleasure than had b..en ever before
enjoyed. He did not hesitate to confess that he was one
et thoselast
year, though he did net prognosticate
evil, did in his secret mind anticipate almost all the evils
which ethers openly aoretold. Thank Go.„i! he could now
bear his testimony to the truth of all OW his Right
Hon. Friend had stated as to the good conduct of the