The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-09 00:00:00

THE GREAT EXIIIBITION OF 1851.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert, accompanied
by Earl Granville, Colonel Grey, Colonel Lloyd, Mr.
W. Cubitt, M.P., and Wild, Esq., yesterday
visited the building in course of erection in Hyde
Park. His Royal Highness was shown over the
works by Messrs. Fox and Henderson, the contrac-
tors ; W. Digby Wyatt, Esq., secretary of the Exe-
cutive Committee, and who is charged with the
superintendence of the building; Owen Jones, Esq,
charged with the decorative department ; and W.
Cochrane, Esq., the superintendent of the works.
His Royal Highness expressed himself highly
gratified with the progress of the works, and made
most minute inquiries into the various details of the
building. Upon arriving on the ground the first
object pointed out to the Prince was the hydraulic
press upon which a girder was being tested by a
pressure of twenty-two tons, after which several
columns and girders were raised and fixed in
their places, and his Royal Highness expressed his
astonishment at the celerity with which the opera-
tion was performed. The ingenious mode of forming
the gutters, fixing them in their situations, and the
manner in which the roof is constructed, were
minutely examined by the illustrious Prince. Several
questions were asked by his Royal Highness as to
the size and strength of the glass and as to the angle
at which it would be placed, and he expressed himself
fully satisfied with the answers given to his inquiries.
As his Royal Highness stood at the east end of the
long line of columns which are now erected to the
height of sixty-six feet on each side of the central
avenue, and which is now spanned by several of the
seventy-two feet girders, he repeatedly gave ex-
pression to his feelings of astonishment and de-
light at the magnitude of the undertaking, and the
grand and beautiful appearance which the building
cannot fail to present when completed. The
various machines for punching and drilling the
ironwork, for sawing to uniform lengths and angles,
for boring the vast number of sash bars required, for
sawing th© " tongues" for the "ploughed joints" of
the external wood-facing, and for painting and putty-
ing the sash bars—the latter machine worked by
steam—were minutely inspected by his Royal High-
ness, who warmly complimented Messrs. Fox and
Henderson on the progress which they bad made, and
on the great ability which those gentlemen had dis-
played in the arrangement of tha necessary details
and machinery for completing the undertaking. In
answer to a question put by his Royal Highness, he
was informed by the contractors that the whole of the
building would be completed by the Ist January. On
leaving the ground his Royal Highness was loudly
cheered by the workmen, as well as by a large crowd
of persons who had assembled outside the building.
On Friday Lord John Russell visited the building,
and was conducted over it by the contractors and
Digby Wyatt, Esq.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, Nov. 8.
The Queen and their Royal Highnesses the Prince
of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the younger mem-
bers of the Royal Family walked this afternoon in
the Home-park.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert left the Castle
for town at ten o clock this morning, attended by
Colonel the Honourable Charles Grey and Lieut.-
Colonel the Honourable Alexander Gordon. Ilia
Royal Highness travelled by a special train on the
Great Western Railway, and after arriving in London
inspected the building erecting in Hyde-park for the
Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations,
to be held in the year 1851. The Prince then pro-
ceeded to Buckingham Palace, and afterwards went
to Paddington, travelling to Windsor by a special
train, and returning to the Castle at two o'clock in
the afternoon.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess. de
Nemours arrived at the Castle about two o'clock this
afternoon, from Claremont, and partook of luncheon
with the Queen and the Prince. Their Royal High-
nesses took their departure in the afternoon.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert walked on the
Slopes this afternoon.
Their Royal Highnesses Prince Alfred, the Prin-
cess Alice, and the younger Royal children, took air-
ings in the Home Park this afternoon.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert went from the
Castle at half-past four o'clock to the Chapel Royal
of St. George, to be present at the performance of
ancient sacred music. The Prince was accompa-
nied by their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales
and the Princess Royal, and was attended by Lieu-
tenant-Colonel the Hon. Alexander Gordon and Mr.
Birch.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess
de Nemours paid a visit to her Royal Highness the
Duchess of Kent yesterday at her residence, Frog-
more.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday afternoon
at the Foreign-office, Downing-street. It was at-
tended by Lord John Russell, the Lord Chan-
cellor, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto,
Sir George Grey, Viscount Palmerston, Earl Grey,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Francis Baring,
Sir John Hobhouse, the,Earl of Carlisle, the Right
Hon. H. Labouchere, the Marquis of Clanricarde,
and the Right Hon. Fox Maule.
The Council sat two hours.

A deputation for the postponement of the hop-duty,
consisting of Mr. T. L. Hodges, M.P.; Sir Edmund
Fi ; Mr. Frewen, M.Y. ; Mr. Fuller,
M.P. ; Mr. Curteis, M.P. ; and Mr. A. J. B. Hope,
M.P.; had an interview with the Chancellor of the
Exchequer yesterday, at his official residence in
Downing-street.
The Duke of Northumberland had an interview
with Sir George Grey yesterday at the Home-office.
A deputation, consisting of Sir Peter Laurie, Mr.
Alderman Wilson, Mr. Blake, Mr. Bennoch, Mr. J.
Wood, Mr. R. Taylor, and the City Remembrancer,
had an interview with Lord John Russell yesterday,
at his official residence in Downing-street.
Sir Thomas Fremantle, chairman of the Customs,
had an interview yesterday with the Chancellor of the
Exchequer.
Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-
office, from the Governor of Malta.
Dispatches were sent off last evening from the Colo-
nial-office for the Governor of Canada; and also for
the Governors of the other North American co-
lonies.
The Rev. Viscount Hereford had an interview yes-
terday with Sir George Grey ; Mr. T. Curtis and
lessees of the Liverpool Magazines, had also an inter-
view with the Right Hon. Baronet ist the Home-office
yesterday.

THE HOP DUTY.--A deputation of Members of
Parliament from Kent and Sussex waited on the Chancellor.
of the Exchequer at his official residence in Downing-street
yesterday (Friday) for the purpose of presenting to the Right
Hon. Gentleman the memorial of the hop-growers, agreed to
at the meeting held at Hurst-green, on Thursday, the 31st
ultimo, praying the further postponement of the collection
of the ari ears of duty for the year 1849. The Members pre-
sent were T. Law Hodges, West Kent; Sir Edward
Filmer, West Kent; Mr. Frewen, East Sussex; Mr. Fuller,
East Sussex ; Mr. Curteis, Rye ; and Mr. W. B. Ilope, Maid-
stone. Mr. Hodges presented the memorial, and stated the
case of the hop-growers in its support. The Chancellor of
the Exchequer replied that he had already postponed the col-
lection of the duty for an entire year, and that on account of
the lateness of the present season, and upon the representa-
tion of the hop-growers themselves, he had further post-
poned it for one month, from the 15th of October to the 15th
of November instant, and that 110 W he should insist upon its
collection and enforce its payment when necessary. The de-
putation then retired.
RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE..--The section of the
Bordeaux Railway from Chattellerault to Poitiers was given
up to the company a few days ago by the Government engi-
neers. It is 39 kilometres (241,4 English miles) in length.
has resolved to open the section to the public
company
as that from Tours to Chattellerault, of
it is the continuation; so that in August, or perhaps
ialTnvthht,Tichuielyois next, the public will have railway communication
from Tours to Foitiere.—Gaiignanis