The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-30 00:00:00

a far greater difficulty than fire. Any condensation,
it was explained, that might take place on the internal
surface of the glass roof would be caught and carried
off by the peculiar formation of the Paxton gutters.
This is found practically to be the case ; and even
after nights during which not a drop of rain has
fallen, there is an astonishing flow from the drains.
In this manner the interior of the building acts like a
still, and is every day becoming dryer and dryer.
The chance of a drip from the iron beams in summer
is thus proportionally diminished. If such did take
place it would be a serious nuisance, for there
exist no means for obviating it. Amidst other
changes which have been decided on since our last
notice, there is one which we are sure will give un-
alloyed satisfaction to all persons of taste. The Corne
missioners of Woods and Forests had undertaken
to enclose the building with railing ; and, in ful-
filment of that promise, they proceeded, with a sim-
plicity worthy of ancient Spartans, to place plain iron
posts in the ground, which they connected together
with a single rod of the same material. This afforded
very little protection to the external wall of the Ex-
hibition when the hoarding was removed and the
crowds of idlers collected there during the day used to
amuse themselves by twisting the louvre boards so as
to catch a peep of the interior. It was at once seen
that such a railing would never do, and accordingly a
very handsome one, 6i feet high, has been designed
by Mr. Owen Jones to take its place.
While the Crystal Palace thus rapidly approaches
the stage at which it will be ready for the reception
of goods intended for exhibition, the Executive Com-
mittee, having taken possession of. their offices within
the premises, are busily engaged in completing all
the arrangements requisite with reference to space.
From tine maps whiEls we . have sear France will be
far the largest contributor of any foreign country.
Next to it will come the Zollverein and Austria;
then Belgium. To these succeed Russia, Turkey,
and Switzerland. Holland, its commercial im-
portance considered, will occupy a very small
space. The northern states of Germany, not included
in the Zollverein, Egypt, Spain, Portugal, the Bra-
zils, and Mexico, have confined themselves within
still narrower limits, and China, Arabia, and Persia
have the smallest sections on the east side of the tran-
sept assigned to them. Of the British dependencies,
the East Indies claim the lion's share of room, and of
the whele ground assigned to industrial products of
the United Kingdoris, nearly one-half has been'appro-
priated to machinery. As far as possible, the dif-
ferent nations have been arranged in a manner cor-
responding to their distances from the equator; the
products of tropical climates being brought nearest to
the transept, and those of colder regions being placed
at the extremities of the building. While the Exhi-
bition lasts the Crystal Palace will be treated by the
Custom-house authorities as a bonded warehouse.
The reception of articles will commence, it is be-
lieved, on the 10th of next month, and a large party
of Sappers and Miners, intended to assist in this por-
tion of the work, have already had quarters assigned
to them in Kensington Palace.
The first and most difficult step in the necessary
preparations fora great industrial exhibition, the erec-
tion of a covered space within which it could be con-
veniently and suitably held, has now been accom-
plished. Other and hardly less ardous labours remain
to be achieved. An elaborate system of decoration,
extending internally and externally, over eighteen
acres of ground ; the entire filling up of that vast
space with stalls, tables, cases, &c.; the preparation
of walks and avenues, ornamented with statues, foun-
tains, and other objects of artistic beauty; the entire
arrangement of the countless number of articles
brought forward to be exhibited; the fixing of an im-
mense mass of machinery of the most complicated
description • the covering of the structure with a
monster shade of calico, to exclude the sun's rays ;
the organisation of the modes in which visitors are to
be admitted, property to be protected, and all the
business details of the Exhibition, strictly so called,
.to
be managed ;—these form an imperfect summary of
what must be done within eAsext three months.—
Times. s

REPEAL OF THE WINDOW-TAX.
A general meeting og.thlaainhabitants of Hammer-
smith and the neighbourhood took place last even-
ing, at the Albion Hall, Hammersmith, to petition
Parliament for the unconditional repeal of the
win-
dow-tax.
Mr. W. SIMPSON presided. He observed that
though it was generally understood that Government
intended to do something on this subject, unless the
pressure from without was applied they would be
very likely to neglect their duty. As a medical man
he considered the great argument against the window-
tax was on the score of its injurious effect on health.
Till it was repealed the full benefit would not be
derived from the repeal of the duty on glass ; when
both were done away we should see a new era in
architecture.—(Hear, hear) Not only ought the
window-tax to be repealed, but the whole system of
taxation stood in need of revision.
Mr. T. C. FLETCHEE, the secretary, read letters
from Lord Dudley Stuart, M.P., Sir De Lacy Evans,
M.P., Mr. Ewart, M.P., and Mr. John Williams,
M.P., all condemnatory of the tax, and expressing a
hope that the public feeling would be strongly mani-
fested against it. He had written to Lord R. Gros-
venor and Mr. Osborne, M.P., but from them no an-
swers had been received.
Mr. T. J. SERLE said; he was most anxious for a
repeal of the window duties, and did not object to the
substitution of a house-tax.—(No, no.) The worst
feature of the window-tax was the ignorant indiscri-
mination with ;which it was levied, being made to
press moat heavily upon the poor. The improvement
in architecture which its repeal would induce might
be judged from the beautiful bay and oriel windows
which characterised the architecture of the Tudor
age. He moved a resolution declaring the window-
tax obstructive to improvement, and one that pressed
unduly on the poor.
Mr. HOUGHTON seconded the resolution.
Mr. FLETCHER said that, instead of imposing a
house-tax, it would be better to increase the duty on
horses, carriages, and other articles of luxury. Of
the 2,428,000 houses in the country, only 340,000
paid the window duty ; supposing it repealed, all the
other houses would have additional windows put in,
and this would create a great demand for labour.
The resolution was unanimously adopted.
Admiral Sir C. Nerun was loudly cheered on
rising to move the second resolution. He thought
the window-tox the most obnoxious impost now
existing. In pressing for its entire and immediate
removal, it was not for them to suggest a substitute.
—(Cheers.) There would be this year a surplus of
two millions ; what the Chancellor of the Exchequer
would do with it no one could tell.—(Laughter.) He
would also have to grapple with the income-tax, and
probably he would not be able to carry it in its pre-
sent shape, which taxed incomes in the same propor-
tion as realized property.—(Hear, hear.) To this he
was decidedly opposed.—(Cheers.) He was a farmer
himself, but not a Protectionist; and he must say the
farmer was taxed most unjustly by income-tax; he
paid not on what he received, but what he ought to
receive.—(Hear, hear.) For his own part, he could
say that that had been nothing at all last year.—
(Laughter.) Then the taxes on soap and tea
were attracting attention; and there was no
doubt that a reduction of those duties would
greatly increase the consumption.—(Hear, hear.)
Still, he maintained the window-tax was the
one on whose total and entire abolition they
ought to insist without suggesting to the Chancellor
of the Exchequer what should be the substitute.—
(Cheers.) At present a builder studied how few
windows he could put in a house; and it frequently
happened that a large room was made instead of two
small ones to save a window. Not only the glazier,
but the carpenter and many other trades suffered
from this tax. He had always advocated the repeal
of this tax when in Parliament.—(Hear.)
He
not believe any substitute was necessary; let G?.v.e_r_e
ment set honestly to work to reduce the est:oolo'n'
Look at the enormous salaries of those in dockyards.
—look at the wasteful expenditure ireoeiovernment
—(Hear, hear.) Ever since the -ships h offices
-ships and pulling
had gone on a system of building It was said they
but why have
them to pieces again.—(Cheers.) but
Near a million of
rotted in harbour as
not have them laid down
in in harbour at all ? wthryy,
in slips all over the
country
iron fleet, which well as a
was
money had been spent on
now proved to
be all but useless.—(Hear.) Let the
_
1 demand relief from this wasteful outlay, and
peop•e• •er branch
call for economy in es yof the state. He
would not weaken the national defences, but would
improve them at a less expenditure than was now
incurred. It was only last year that the first attempt
had been made by any Minister to improve our mer-
cantile marine, which afforded the only means of
manning the navy.—(Hear.) He moved a resolution
declaring that the window-tax was a war-tax, im-
posed with an implied understanding that it should
cease when the war terminated; that after a peace of
36 years the tax was still continued, though neither
necessary for the purposes of war nor the efficient
maintenance of the army and navy • and that, conse-
quently, there had been a palpable breach of faith
with the country.—(Hear, hear.)

Mr. BROWN seconded the resolution.
Mr. R. H. KENNEDY -moved the adoption of a pe-
tition to Parliament founded on the foregoing refiolu•