The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-17 00:00:00

TILE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITON
OF 1862.

The progress of the building at South Kensington
during the past week has been unusually rapid.
Every day of this exceptionally fine weather is so
much gain to the contractors in point of time ; and,
indeed, so much advance has been made that there
is little doubt that, if they choose, Messrs. Kelk
and Lucas may bring their labours to a conclusion
at a period much within that fixed for the comple-
tion of the structure. At the present time no fewer
than 960 men are at work on the ground, indepen-
dently of those employed at Thames Bank, where
the iron for the domes is being prepared. The
scaffolding for the eastern dome having been com-
pleted, its erection will be proceeded with imme-
diately ; most of the material is in a state of cue
preparation having been brought to the ground,
and lying ready to be fixed. In the nave, ten
ribs of the roof have been raised; eight have been
raised in the south-eastern, and two in the north-
eastern aieles. Eight windows of the clerestory in
the nave are in their places, and such advance has
been made with the roofing as to enable some opi-
nion to be formed with regard to the important
question of light. A notion seems to prevail that,
whereas the glass building of 1851 was on the whole
rather too light, in the parts of the structure of
1862 which will be especially set apart for exhibi-
tion there will not be light enough. Considering
that the building is intended for an exhibition in
summer weather chiefly, it seems that as regards
light it will be sufficiently and indeed well adapted
forits purpose. The scaffolding of the western dome
is creeping up fast, and has reached to a height of
five stories. All the iron columns under the picture
galleries have been fixed, and the glazing of the top
lights.has been begun. The demands for space which
flowed in at an early period had rendered necessary
the consideration of an enlargement of the building,
or at least of that part of it which is temporary in
its character; and it has now been decided that an
" annexe," similar in plan and in material, but of
lesser dimensions to that on the western side, front-
ing Prince Albert's-road, shall be erected on the
eastern side in Exhibition-road. This will be de-
voted mainly, if not altogether, to the display of
agricultural implements, and it is proposed to have
an open court in the middle of it. Some idea may
be formed of the character of the machinery which
can be, and no doubt will be exhibited, when it is
stated that among a host of others the following
eminent firms have applied for space, some of them
for almost as much as the commissioners have at
their disposal :—Messrs. It. Stephenson and Co.,
Sharpe, Stuart, and Co., Neilson and Co., R. Na-
pier and Sons, of Glasgow, Todd and M'Groger,
Maudslay and Field, Whitworth and Co., R. Fair-
bairn and Co., Platt and Co., Besemeres and Co.,
Warsan and Co., J. Napier and Sons, S. Scott
Russell and Co., the London and North Western
Railway Company, Sir William Armstrong, &c.
Numerous additions have been made to the list
of commissioners which have been appointed.
Among the added foreign commissioners will be
found those for Costa Rica, Ecuador, Holstein,
Uruguay, and Venezuela. To the colonial list there
has been added Prince Edward's Island, Bermuda,
Barbadoes, Jamaica, St. Helena, Ceylon, Mauritius,
and Hong Kong. The local committees at home
have been considerably increased, and the additions
comprise Arbroath, Aylesbury, Carnarvon, Dublin,
Dunfermline, Elgin, Exeter, Leeds, Leek, Maccles-
field, Neath, Newton-Abbott, Redruth, &c. All
this shows that the net-work of the scheme of the
Exhibition is spreading further and further, and
that the space which it will ultimately enclose can-
not yet be adequately calculated upon. The mention
of the word " space" reminds us that it is a term
which brings with it a fearful sound to the ears of
the executive. They approach the allotment with
much anxiety, and it should be well understood that
the space applied for being as nearly as possible ten
times greater than that which can be allotted, the
different committees will have to exercise the utmost
discretion in the manner in which they apportion
that which they have to dispose of. It will be ne-
cessary for them, in the first place, to strike out of
the lists applications made for the reception of ob-
jects which have no interest in an industrial exhi-
bition, or which do not fairly represent the industry
of the country. It may be said, in a parenthesis,
that some of the applications which have been made
have been of the most absurd character. In some
cases persons were even desirous of being allowed
to exhibit monsters, real or sham, and more or less
disgusting; in fact, demanding that the " world's
fair" should have some of the features which used to
distinguish the fairs of Greenwich and St. Bartho-
lomew's. No one but those who have had to exa-
mine the applications which have been sent in can
form an idea of the curious nature of many of them.
Many intending exhibitors, under the idea that the
space allotted will be in proportion to that demanded,
have applied for quantities far in excess of their
actual requirements. The authorities do not recog-
nise that these demands give any title to space, and
it will be the duty of the committees to see that
those who may be deemed entitled to space obtain
no more than is absolutely sufficient to meet their
fair necessities. No one in any case can be consi-
dered an exhibitor until he has been so constituted
by a committee. It has been stated that many of
the exhibitors propose to use the cases which they
have had made for former exhibitions, and it is
well that they should understand that, owing to
the very different nature of the building designed
for the Exhibition of next year to that of any pre-
vious exposition, it is not likely that many of such
cases could be used, even supposing that there was
adequate space in which to place them.

LADVERTISEMEN T.)—Holloway's Ointment and Pills
Never at Fault.—ln all irritation of the skin, sores, ulcers,
burns, and scrofulous enlargements of the glands,
way's Ointment Ointment presents a ready and easy means of cure,
which never disappoint the most favourable expectations.
It manifests a peculiar power in restraining inflammation,
removing stagnation, cooling the heated blood, and check-
ing all acrimonious or unhealthy discharges. Whilst thus
acting locally, the Pills are no less remarkable for their
power in improving the general condition and habit of
body, which render tho cures complete and permanent.
Under the genial influence of these potent remedies the
puny infant becomes the robust child, the pale and ema-
ciated regain colour and rotundity, and the dyspeptic eats
freely without fear,

MR. W. ETVAII7; M.P., 02V NATIONAL

AFFAIRS.

M.P., addressed
Mr. W. E wart,his constituents,
at Dumfries, on Friday evening last, in the Market-
hall, which was crowded in every part. The chair
was taken by ex-Provost Leighton.
Mr. E WART, after speaking of the beneficial effects
of an annual visit by a representative to his consti-
tuents, for the interchange of sentiments, proceeded
to speak of measures which had been introduced
r) in the last Session of Parliament. Referring first
to Scotch measures, he said that to many of the
Bl:ri,s introduced by the Lord-Advocate he had given
his coi .dial support, but some of those Bills were
not successful : the Rona'Bill fell by the wayside,
and the ,Salmon Fisheries Bill was lost in the
troubled waters of legislatvre ; but some did sur-
vive—for instance, the Scilool Bill, the County
Registration Bill, and others. To the School Bill
he had rejoiced to give his support, wishing to bet-
ter the condition of the schoolmasters of Scotland,
but he did not think the Bill went far enough. The
County Reg„;stration Bills were also supported by
him. The Scotch members had a very practical
way of settling their subjects of legislation. The
Irish members were very fond of making long
speeches, and sometimes, ho might say, not very
quiet or composed or collected; but the Scotch
members assembled and held a kind of Scotch Par-
liament; they discussed their measures before they.
were introduced into the House of Commons, and
were generally passed unanimously. ]gut they
his constituent's would have a right to ask in the
words of Shaksp
care "not only how he was accom-
panied, but likewise how he spent his time." He had
been engaged in the eLirly part of the Session on a
very important committe e connected with the pub-
licswhich all of them woult I
business of the house,
consider might be considerably improved. (Cheers.)
He had ventured to make a pr oposition which he
hoped would be acceded to, and he thought it
would—that one night in the week of the time of the
House of Commons might be devoted to the serious.
business of the country—that is, that one night
in the week might be given to the public estimates,
which was, perhaps, the most important public busi-
ness they had to transact. (Cheers.) He hoped
they might see more rational hours in the House of
Commons, and, as with other labouring men there
are fixed hours in which they begin and terminate
their labours, he hoped the same might be the case
in the House of Commons, and that they would see
no more of that irrational midnight, or indeed early
morning legislation to which they had been too long
accustomed. It was no great advantage to see a
large number of the members in the arms of sleep,
and he was reminded on such occasions of the lines
of Cowper, which they might be allowed to parody :
" Sweet sleep enjoys the chairman in the chair,
And sleep tired members on the bench above,

And sleep the clerks below."
(Cheers.) He hoped they might have a more rational
mode of proceeding, and that habits of business
would be introduced—habits so far different that
economy of labour would be the result. (Cheers.)
The hon. gentleman next referred to the bills for
simplifying the laws of England, to which he had
given his labour and support, beli,9ving them steps in
the right direction. Another question to which he
had given much attention had proce,.'ded in a satis-
factory manner. Two or three years agk.l he found
great attention directed to the question of British
settlers in India, and he was happy to say tht2t, in
conformity with the recommendation of the com-
mittee, the Government of India allowed land now
to be sold in fee simple, in proprietorship—in fact,
there was now freehold property in land to English
subjects; and he thought that would be a great
advantage in connecting the people of India with
the people of England. (Cheers.) He believed that
until there were such English settlements in India
they would never dovelope the resources of that
country. (Hear, hear.) Great interest had lately
been taken in the question of the recent changes
which had been made by the minute of the Council
of Education in respect to the education of this
country. This was a deeply important subject, and
for his own part, if he must give his opinion, he
would candidly confess he thought the Government
had been too hasty in interfering with the arrange-
ment; they would have acted much more wisely
had they paused. (Hear.) He thought that when
men undertook a business under certain offers on
the part of the Government they ought not to be
hastily interfered with ; and he was afraid Govern-
ment had been somewhat premature on this occa-
sion. (Cheers.)