, 1863-07-23

CrJSt1I Palace.
From Nr. Beecher's third letter to the N. 7.
Independent, We gather the following admira-
bic description Of the sJdenham Crystal Pal
ace:
hare jnst returned from spending day at
e5denham Crystal Palace, aud that accouuss
Tor the foregoing ktr,sin. The day was glorl-
GUS. EyerynodJ had saId~ 'sfou must 70 to
sydenhaml" I had read descriptions of it.
let, the meaning Of it never dswned upon
NE TIL to'day-this most wonderful of all
modern English achievements. Even nftcr
having been at Chatsworth, cne Of the Duke
of DtyonBhlre's Beats, repnted. hitherto. to
be the finest in the world for land dscape- .,ar-
denfpg-Syd ydenham Is still more wonderful.
This great Crystal Palace, vast but not mass
i've. springs into such huge proportions,
at1uctn1e, that you can scarcely believe
II to be more than q picturo; or If q
veritable building, one which the winds will
blow away. It is the very antithesls of castles
mid cathed1a1a. These impress you BY their
sendity. They are mountains Of stone, and
seem to be durable "a the mountains from
which the stone was hevn. Against their
huge walls las dashed battle and siege, almost
III vain. Time itself, that ns7er raises its
siege, seems In vatu. with wind, and art, and
frost, to have assailed many mighty medieval
structures. And when you LOOK upon them,
you feel tie solidity, the mAssiveness. But
this film upon the sky-the gossamer spun
transparent specter Of q palacel Can 1t be
real, durable, tangible?
The grounds on which this ETHEREAL pile Is
erected are worthy of the vast jewell which
tLey hold upon their bosom There Is every
variation Of hue and slope. The grass Ia
only English grass can be-. Cut into Its green
are trnu;nerabIe beds Of gorgeous flowers Of
every hue. You are dazed and dazzled at
the wealth Of flowers, the clumps Of rhodo-
pcndrons, the belts, beds, and ribbons Of
color, the circles Of roses. I have travelled In
the prairies Of the Great West, and seen the
sheets and bil1ows Of flowers TINT stretch with
endless profnsion there. There are no such
wild and e1trayagant abundance hero. It
WAS as II the Hover angel had sounded the
trumpet, and psnirie Of flowers had rushed
to camp 10 be brigaded and marshaled; and
now, III ranks and squadrons, in files or COM
Eauies, they carry their floral 1ances to this
and pools abound. The most gorgeous dream
Of the Arabian nights would turn pale and
fade out In the presence Of this substantial
glory Of horticultural skill. II I had had
time, I should have been amazed at the utera-
ture If color spread cut here. .
Ing loose and disconnected1y. Here they
we're gathered into artistic groups by similar
tiles Or contrasts. I had aeen them ecutter-
ed allhahet OF beauty, every letter BY ITSELF
Hele they we're composed into words and
sentences. My eye drank and was drunk with
color: tnrned from The grounds to the
lnildl1g, and from it again to the grounds.
o happy people, who can come hithcr so
easiy! Fer, the immortal glory Of this en-
tcrk1iBe ts this, that this palace aud grounds,
that have no parallel equal In the Wor1d, are
presented By the wealth Of London to the
common people! do not believe that 30 ex-
tiaordinary . combination OF rational pleas
ever before comlAned- Not for the Govern
ment, not for kings OF mobiles, nor for a rich
and refined class, but for the great common
people has this miracle Of beauty and use been
wrought
Within is every variety Of food for bodily
hunger, capitally tcrret, simple for those
who need or can afford little, and sumptous
for those who choose it. Every proyiaiop is
made for the incidental wants Of throngs Of
men, women and children, But now comes
the marTels. You live in Egypt and walk in
the temples. You stand in Greek halls. You
sse the Altars and Statues, the Parthenon, the
friezes, the gods. You enter Roman dwell
Ing. AL Is reproduced as in the days OF
Augustus. You stand in the gorgeous Alnam-
bra, in tompefian house, ID tins Byzantine
cou0, in The Norman, the early English, the
full Gothic buildings or courts. The Illusion
a - eontp.e;e' p.s, a iiWe ~ ~ asaa: Inc oid nas
suIG su5.d wv, ~ enu aas - L. ~ 4sIace =
-;Jsi,r a;a-aat 1tem an W 1a IN As1snt ages ano
time You 1oo=a your identity, whether you
are ancient or modern-whether you ore at
Athens, or Rome, Or Byzantium, you caunot
teA. ~ ~ ~ gorgeous uream: Is thi
eome solceless kaleidoscope, whose every
tnrn Tell 1altles me elements o. various ages and
The Illusion Is increased by fha unity nf ali
CLIMATES ~ tne vegetable kingdom. Underthis
elass hemisphere me temperate and torrtd
xohes su"eHtogetneFl III peace. Iheze u roon
iof eserytnlng As you stand At one end, you
4ook doWn 1nrousn crystal aisle more than
e1teen hunaIed 1eet, ond over this long, lu-
hundred and nty-four feet in the center,
and q hundred and ten On either side Of 1t.
along ms Fasl tIack are gathered the Fatest
'egeIaole pfoouc1lona o. Inc globe, growing
In eon, or az, or "ater, Vines cover the iron
celumns, ano spread out thetr 1lmy branches
along Tug e,,s1 connecting Eods Huge pendant
l' batksts M hIied WITH trailing plants, swing IN
the air At nights that hide their. support, and
sanse thecl to seem sen supported. Marble
jlnea reservoirs OF "atei,, artiftcially
nt afed, arc covered With acIuatic
lAles' From step to step, al the Why down,
you come upon the most magnitlcently
line the whole long interior, SO that you ina.
gne 3onTselI 4ook1nE down an avenue Of
son.e ee1traoldlnarJ % iosest. hled with Under.
~ 1,sn1 ~ sdnss" a1a mossea. Out ol
,r',at sr,.,,;.ito aeast; ~ s.sp' ReeP hno
.nuos Iequn.te @ sla eleas4ons ~ a1'.< tnere atg
c1sts c1 " a1raost eFe.J lenoHnea OF nsaa1llal
s' ~ t,s y. ~ st.nse4 u 1ong sequence.
enS Haas ~ uase SseF seen ~
engsa;slnss, aeaa IL oooks' neala' OF IN CON
asst NJ. 4sn you u anln pe4@Se VI misa-
~ aov .san n'sreo ~ ,t tba,n w w, c1anos 1a
-, .1,;nes 5asaso 5.snso ~ .sa isaso
FraTv ata,e o,ana raaasssa {on {.n ,eoh Upon
r1c'n!e .,, gauenea noM a1ons t9e sides
10 10 ,y n1sy mouAu asFeE emu, lae pot-
y. .i.tt y. g:tleLy p1e9ents 5ou VIII a!m9st every
.ass 11Se. ~ 5ou neeu " 5gaa o1 tnese
,nnnssI w at ain a71os aaso 4c noy VILE
.n'a;..s .nuanua " ag'ast .,l;nh os uumn IL tae
sana peoplE :. are lnseaains tns oauaing, g, Is 81
4u4cs ~ X ~ were tonesoMe oo"et u Tue
a. noous. aas ~ ~ IT. YOU ttlea N eya aso 5ooe;
CIV 1o"n u ano ns.en " ssly no9.e pana tn4s
1gaess c33e - aSassaing sselc pc;,a use ssiany.
.hns :uts n's sH.ious ~ sat.sy R.'es 5ou ssst "
teestnIe; re- md of tnat variety running through
a. a. t9e schools Of time; Arc you weary Of
.as TX , c1tor '31 IN Inc canvas. 20 yo9
wea1y q tn1s! Mu 5oo take ~alk around
ai..1p.:I MalMG:peuao 9 nAes, o1 nmoa9 PAINS ana
s!sau..c 1eIns. " a'aong G1ore anu cinnamon,
PepPsI ano elngss' la auo ceuse plants: Or
Tousa y9u lla pourseu oI company:
do put inio tne R1ounas- ~ some one
81 81 me WALKS Jon can IN = moment 20
Aldaen IN secluaeu, leaiy covers: or Eou may
teek tae iake and aftanclal islana' and sec the
Seo4ogaeaa,, ne1ioos lsptssensea ~ st5aSa, aud
na ants ~ ah iom'
n uoa d ain"i nr no+ ,.o ~, - ,,
hathar as ~ 49, unt;an ds dIn;np -
m;,h 1hs ia AZ Gonta - GrseI ~ u Ronan
VII tAe o!u AVPsss Vt u 0teehs " Nuuau,
q ooan' nsssI o1Gs slspsGaea hxs taas mas
4dEhee, E1QtE kLuut E.u2l1s4 tEcl nuu pastry.