The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-30 00:00:00

THE GREAT GLOBE.

The system of illustrating picturesque or historical scenes
in other lands, which has now reached so high a degree of
perfection in many of the metropolitan exhibitions, has
been nowhere carried out on a scale of greater magnitude
or with more ability and success than at the Great Globe,
in Leicester-square. The principle on which the system is
founded is a sound one, to bring vividly before the
eye things of which, from their nature, mere verbal
description, however graphic, can give but vague,
faint, or erroneous ideas, which it requires the
aid of the pictorial art to inform and to correct.
To this class of things belong scenery, costume, and arcbi-
tec!ure. Few will come away from am inspection of the
treasures of oriental illustration at the Great Globe without
feeling that a new light has been thrown upon their pre-
vious reading, and that they have been inspired with a
strong desire to know more of those far off lands, of which
they have just got so many lively and delightful impressions.
There could scarcely be a place better adapted for giving
clear and vivid notions on several points connected with
hose countries in the Last which for years have been kept
almost constantly before the public view than the exhibition
which forms the subject of the present notice. Turkey,
India, and China have been in all men's mouths, and it is
to these three great nations, to the illustration of their
s,cenery, architecture, dress, manners, social and domestic
life, that the Great Giobe has for a long time past, by dio-
ramic exnosition and by lecture, in a special manner devoted
itself. Nor is the interest attaching to those couutties, at
least to two of them, likely to be soon exhausted. An
irnaginaty cruise under the conduct of the lecturer
along the eastern coast of China, touching at various
points here and there, according as the beauty of
the scenery or historical and political associa'ions
may invite, will be found a treat worth enjoying. The
views are presented under a variety of aspects: at sun-
rise, at sunset, in the moonlight, with the twinkling stars
above, in the midst of storm, on occasions of some
great calamity or some national celebration, but nearly
always with some superadded grace, or the at'raction
of some associated interest. Equal in beauty is the
• Voyage around the southern shores of India. You set out
fermi Bombay, sail al'entg the Malabar coast, meeting the
pip:cing, shrieking sirnoorn on your way touch at Cape
Co:norin at sunrise, then round by Ceylon, touch at Point
Galle, at Madras, and finally land on the banks of the
Roughly. Having visited the principal paces in the " City
of Palaces," yen are then transported to scenes made memo-
rable by the recent mutiny to Lucknow with its Residency,
to Cawnpore, to the rock fsrtre,s of Gwalior, to Agra, to
Delhi under siege, when the Cashmere gate is being blown
open, and in various other aspects; and lastly, to the burn-
ing bungalows of Meerut. A few magnificent views of
fortresses,and scenery amongst the mountains of Cashmere

bring the grand diorama of" sites and scenes" in connection
with the great sepoy rebellion to a close. Independent of
their value as a means of instruc ion and delight, the views
possess no ordinary merit considered purely as works of art.
They are all from drawings, sketches, or photographs taken
on the spot, by native artists or by men of eminence whose
names are a sufficient guarantee fin. the fidelity of the repre-
sentation. The time between the dioramic exhibitions is
filled up by interesting and instructive lectures on various
subjects, such as the Atlantic telegraph, British Columbia,
and the British Colonies, physical geography, the history,
customs, manners, &c., of the Turks, Chinese, and Indians.
On the whole, the exhibition is an admirable one, and de-
serves to take rank amongst the permanent institutions of
the metropolis.