The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-07-12
Opening Of the Crystal Palace-Prospect or a
Good Time.

count is furnished by cur special reporter.
Opening OF the Crystal Palace-Prospect OF
Good Time.
On Thursday morning, at nine o'clock. the
President of the United States is to be received
at the Battery, by the first division Of the New
York State militia and escorted thence up
Broadway to Forty-second street. and down
that street to the Crystal Palace, where he viii
occupy the post of honor to which he is entitled
in the ceremonials of the Inauguration. Rain
or shine the occasion will be grand one for
New York. The general desire to see the Pre-
sident is scarcely less than the impatient anx-
iety with which the public have waited the APP
pointed time for the opening Of this great exhi-
bition; and these facts. together with the alb
sence Of any other immediate subject of public
excitement warrant us in predicting such a
universal turn out on this coming Thursday as
has never been witnessed in this city, or on this
continent, before. The splendors of the occasion,
we doubt not, will eclipse the magniicenee Of
Kossuth's reception as far as the nightly null
ttude will exceed in numerical strength the
vast assemblage at Washington on the fourth
of March.
Nor do we apprehend that the show and
parade of this Inauguration of our Crystal
Palace will, in any great degree, transcend the
substantial merits of the exhibition On the
contrary. the mass of the articles collected to-
gether, domestic and foreign. we think will
satisfy the spectator that the result of this pri-
vate experiment, at general exhibition OF the
worlds industry, has been quite as successful
as could possibly have been expected, consider
ing the short interval since the London exhibit
ton, the present exhibition at Dublin, and the
numerous embarrassments with which our en-
terprising company have had to contend. The
list of European exhibitors is much larger. in
deed, than many would have expected in the
absence of any participation by the government
or it's high functionaries in the inception or
prosecution of this peculiar enterprise notwith
standing the fact that had the general govern
active working interest in its behalf the trans
atlantic contributors to our Crystal Palace
would. perhaps, have been immeasurably in
creased.
Strictly speaking therefore this is not a ma
tional. nor even a State, nor yet municipal,
exhibition of the worlds industry; but bold
venture of combination of private individuals,
with view not only to share with the country
the honors which may accrue, but to divide
among themselves the clear profits which may
be derived from the speculation. The only
"odor of nationality which will attach to it
will be due to the official visit of the President
with portion of his cabinet, and to the other
official representatives from the various States,
present at the Inauguration.
1t has been suggested that had the company
applied to Congress for the use of Governors
Island as the locality for their crystal palace, it
could have been obtained, and would have con-
trbuted incidentally to magnify the success of
the scheme, in more respects than one. For eX-
ample, the act of Congress ceding the island for
the purposes OF the exhibition would have given
it the stamp of nationality from the outset
This advantageous concession would have i'm
parted the necessary confidence to foreign gov
ernments manufacturers, artisans inventors,
artists, &C., to send on their specimens
with liberality which would have speedily
filed up the largest measure of space for their
accommodation. Then, again, Governors
Island would have afforded an immunity against
the present surroundings of the Palace, as CON-
plete as that of Hyde Park, while the open bay
with its worlds commerce, and the picturesque
landscape which environs it, and the cooling
breezes from old ocean, would have made the
locality still attractive to thousands when the
display of the worlds industry had become as
familiar to their eyes as the annual collections
of the American Institute.
But, as it is too late now to turn these COM
prehensive and beautiful ideas to airy practical
account, we must consent to take the Crystal
Palace where it is to wit between the Sixth
avenue and the Croton distributing reservoir,
west and east; and between Fortieth and Forty
second streets south and north, which makes
it between three and half and four miles up
town from the Battery. True it is over
Swallowed somewhat by the reservoir but that
is a solid and impressive feature, rather than a
drawback to The exhibition. True. this site is
among the crudities of the suburbs; but that
gives us the advantage of traversing the bulk
of the city in reaching it from the south and
from the north. the advantage of reaching it
without traversing the bulk of the city. True,
the streets surrounding it are exceedingly
dusty, and the neighborhood is deplorably des-
titute of shade; but, then, the streets can be
duly sprinkled as we suppose they will be, and
umbrellas are cheap to those not accustomed to
the sun. True, the world outside the palace
on all sides, excepting The side protected by the
massive fortress of the reservoir, is world Of
drinking shops and all sorts Of monstrosties
but while we can charge the lager bier estab
lishments TO the neglect of the Legislature
in the matter Of the Maine Liquor law
there il no doubt that host Of visiters
will avail themselves Of the golden opportunity
thus afforded to see the largest crocodiles
mules, oxen and buffaloes, and the liveliest Ca
,rri1yly nd