The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-23 00:00:00

MR. ALBERT SMITH.

Last night Mr. Albert Smith's entertainment of
his " Tour to China," which has been so eagerly
expected by the public, was given for the first time
to an audience which choked every corner of the
Egyptian-hall, and which comprised many of the
notabilities in literary, artistic, and fashionable
circles. The arrangement of ie room is of the
prettiest and most elaborate nature. The pr°-
scenium represents a flower-garden pavilion in the
neighbourhood of Canton, fitted up for " Singsong'
Pigeon," or theatrical entertainments. To the left
is a portion of a garden, with a circular opening in
the wall for entrance, containing a joss-house, or
temple, with a veritable bronze joss. In addition
to these there is a Canton shop, fitted UP
in exact imitation of the original, and co-
vered with bills, placards, bamboo work, ban-
ners, and various other properties, which are lite-
rally genuine, having been purchased in China and
brought over by the enterprising lecturer. Those
acquainted with the room in its Mont Blanc days
—by which expression we mean the entire of civi-
lised England—will recollect the thorough Swiss
appearance of the entire place : to them it will be
sufficient to say that the Oriental details are equally
scrupulously carried out.
In the introduction we find our entertainer asleep
on the deck of the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany's boat, and the air " Ever of thee I'm fondly
dreaming" serves as the key-note to his vision of
his old love, his ascent of Mont Blanc, which is
pictorially represented in a passing diorama. This
first part commences at Shepheard's Hotel at Cairo,
most faithfully represented, where we make the
acquaintance of the outward and homeward-bound
mail passengers. To this succeeds views of a street,
in Cairo, of the Sphynx and the Pyramids, and of
the Desert and the Railway, all most admirably
painted. In this portion of his journey Mr. Small
renews his acquaintance with his old friend Brown,
as the type of the travelling young Englishman,
and he winds up his first part with a medley '
song+,
descriptive of the passengers, crews, and tracks in
two of the Peninsular and Oriental steamers from
Suez to Hong Kong, which is a marvel of neat
composition and of telling and rapid execution. ,
The second part of the entertainment is devotee'
to China proper. From Mr. Beverley's brush we
have the most admirable views of the city and
harbour of Victoria, of a Waterside Bazaar in Hog
Kong, of the old European factories at Canton, and
of Howqua's gardens ; but from Mr. Albert Smith!
mouth we have a rapid hydrostatically compressed
notion of Chinese life and manners, commencing
with our infantile ideas, and concluding with his
actual experience, told in that pleasant, chatty'
familiar manner, of which he is the sole master.
In his passage in a gunboat he encounters
Edwards, the ill-used engineer, who has a more
wonderful
.grievance than he has ever yet developed'
and who sings a more unintelligible and lachrymose
song than has ever yet penetrated beyond the wall.°
of a country ale-house. Other old friends too are,
introduced with great effect, and a rapid resume 01
the " Home News" is given in place of Galiynatti
but a further account of these and of the entertain-
ment generally we must reserve for a subsequent
notice. At present it will be sufficient to say that
Mr. Albert Smith was received on his appearance
with a deafening round of applause, again and again
renewed ; that throughout the entertainment there
was no single hitch ; that the sound of laughter
and applause rolled unceasingly from first to last:,
and that there is every reason to believe " China?,
will prove as legitimate a success as " Mont Blanc'
and reflect as much credit on its talented and spirited
originator.

THE NEW PALACE FOR THE PEOPLE

AT MUSIVELL-HILL.

This undertaking, which until quite recently has
been considered chimerical, seems likely to become
an accomplished fact. On Tuesday afternoon the
designs for its construction were privately exhibited
at St. James's Hall ; they are by Mr. Owen Jones'
and do vast credit to his experience and skill. The
grounds of the new palace will be entirely Or'
rounded by a carriage drive. In order to give the,
public an idea of the progressive development of
the gardening art, portions of the land will he,
planted in the early English style, and in that c"..
the French, Italian, Dutch, and our own modern
day ; there will also be special grounds for archery'
and cricket. In the centre of the gardens, on an
eminence, will stand the palace to which they are,
accessory. Like its predecessor, it will be erected
with iron and glass. There are no transepts; 5
circular dome, upwards of '2OO feet in diameter, rises
from the centre of the building, between four
towers with cupola-shaped tops ; this elevation
with the towers forms a square block, 276 by 276. It
is intended that the dome should be separated by
glazed walls from the rest of the palace, and will, when
heated, form a winter garden in the most prominent
site in the building, visible from all its parts. Frern
this point two naves, each 336 ft. by 120 fc., stretch,
east and west, terminating in two towers 01
similar design to the four centre ones. At 001
extremity of the building proper is a semicir-
cular colonnade of 120 feet internal diame-
ter. Thesro with the area they enclose, will form
the refreshment department. The total length of
the proposed building is 1,296 ft., the greatest
width, '192 ft. There will be two galleries 48 ft.
wide running round the dome and naves, and the
total area of these, with the ground floor, reaches
740,862 ft. Each nave will possess two aisles 72
ft. in width. The nave to the east will be devoted
to!the general illustration of fine arts, the aisle to
the north being specially assigned to ancient, and
the southern to modern art. In the western nave,
productions of a purely industrial character will be
represented. The courts of the palace will be 111,
the principal gallery ; those over the industrial,
nave will be severally dedicated to tapestry,mixec
fabrics, clothing, cutlery, painting, and the cera-
mic art, while the'courts over the fine art portion
will be devoted to sociology, biology, chemistry',
mathematics, astronomy, and physics. The south
front of the building is quite plain, but that towards
the north is built out in the centre to a large Bony
circular projection 216 feet in diameter, the interior
of which will be fitted up as a lecture theatre,
capable of seating nearly 10,000 spectators, all
.of
whom, it it stated, will be able to see and hear dis-
tinctly. This theatre is surrounded by corridors.
24 feet wide, communicating with the main build-
ing, and which will form the principal entrance
from the north.

The new palace will be distant from Oxford;
street about five miles, and will have its principal
communication with the metropolis by the Great
Northern Railway, from whose station of Night:
ingale's Nest, a branch will be constructed of about
a mile and a half in length to the palace direct.
It may be summarily stated that the designs 61'
Mr. Owen Jones are both elegant and practicable.
The general effect of the building is light an;
graceful. Its site is in the midst of a crowded and
respectable neighbourhood, and if it could be
erected at a moderate cost, it might prove a specula'
tion as profitable to the shareholders as it certaiell
would be advantageous to the public.