Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 26th April 1851, Edition Town of 1, Page 382, Untitled Article

Page 382
Page 2
2 of 24

On this page

  • Text (6)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Untitled Article

      PROGRESS AT THE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION . , The progress of the arrangements in Hyde-park reads like a page of the Arabian Nights . The work goes on magically , and day after day net * objects of wonder are revealed . The rapidity with which exhibitors proceed in their work , and the apparent chads , out of which , as by some invisible agency , so much real order and beauty spring , are astounding . The public are now authoritatively informed that the Queen will inaugurate the opening of the Exposition in the presence of exhibitors , and those of the public who have paid their three guineas for a season ticket . Thia is as it should be : the received notions

      of court etiquette would be quite out of place on such an occasion . There is no reason for alarm ; though the Times does complain that a mob of gentlemen and ladies , especially the latter , cannot be kept in order in the presence of royalty so well as the mob of artisans and scavengers—a decided compliment to the good breeding of the latter . But , be it remarked , the Court , though " prepared to take part in the august ceremony of the first of May" with the people , must be considered , and will be conserved , as a ** thing apart . " The Queen will not mingle with her people—not even her respectable people—for fear she should be squeezed a little , and it would be positively republican to squeeze a Queen !

      The Exposition , which will be opened on Thursday , is mnv in a most picturesque condition . There are packages yet unopened , mingled with furniture , statues , manufactures , machinery already displayed . There are to be seen mighty statues , typical of two opposite states of civilization : in one place images of a Bayard and a Buckingham , clad in mail , and armed for the knightly fray ; in another , colossal counterfeits of Lords Eldon and Stowell , representatives of the rigidity of British law . While , overlooking all , stands Ms statue whose genius embraces all ages , and who typifies humanity in his dramas .

      There are Chance's model lighthouses , and Costa's model orchestra ; enormous transverse sections of mahogany trees , and blocks and planks of Canadian timber ; gigantic obelisks of coal outside , and gigantic machines within , the building . There is a Tnonetet railway engine , described as a mountain of iron , with driving-wheels eight feet in diameter , and a patent omnibus , which is to make every " busg oer" comfortable . And Gunter , the incomparable Gunter , has forwarded a magnificent and mighty wedding-cake , weighing 2001 bs . !

      Agricultural implements are on one side , and carriages of all kinds on the other . A French organ of vast size is built upon the eastern , and an English organ on the western , side of the nave ; and , as you look down this part of the building , you behold a gigantic mirror , twenty-seven feet high and fifteen feet wide . The Spitalfrelds weavers furnish a great Bilk trophy ; and the Swiss send no less than 2814 specimens of ribbons from the looms of Basle . Nepaul furnishes rat-traps ! which are irreverently supposed to have emanated from Birmingham ; and Cashmere sends shawls inwrought with silver and gold . There are statues and a magnificent stained glass window from Austria ; a group of amazons and other statues from Berlin ; the great lion from Bavaria , and the horses from Stuttgard . There is

      woodcarving from 1 uscany ; blocks of marble from the quarries used by Phidias ; mosaics and gem-engravings from Home ; stuffed animals , birds , and cutlery from Germany : and daguerreotype portraits of her statesmen from America . On the whole , the Exposition will certainly equal , if it do not surpass , ¦ all expectation . The splendour of vivid and gorgeous colours , the beauty and variety of the forms , and the effectiveness of the grouping , with organs at either end , fountains playing in the navo , giant sculptures flanking the" transept , enormous muchines working with the grace and gentleness of childhood , magnificent stuns , brocades , silks , satins , muslinH , tapestry , and all kinds of textile manufactures , together with the innumerable and indescribable assemblage of pro < - ducts from all parts of the globe , will afford a sight Unprecedented , unimagined , and unsurpassed . The commissioners have issued the following programme of the ceremony of the opening , and the regulations under which the holders of eeuHOii tickets will be admitted : — " Exhibitors' attendants who have been sanctioned by the executive committee will be admitted between the hours of eight and nine o ' clock , at doors specified on their cards , and will immediately take their placet ) by the counters or objects exhibited by their employers . " Holders of season tickets will be admitted at all doors on the east , south , and west of the building , between thehoura of nine and half-pant eleven o'clock , and ¦ will be allowed to take their places , subject to police regulationsin the lower part of the building , and in the galoff in the nave and transept . to the north of the centre chair of state will be placed . will assemble ut halft "" ^ « PPOHitc th « l > lllt - i eut » 've committee , and the , in full dreas or in plain of Canterbury , her Mai i i

      jesty's Ministers , tfee Gtafeat Olfiwrs of State , and the Foreign Ambassadors and Ministers , will take their places on the platform to the right and left of the chair of state in full 4 ttB 8 , also at half-past eleven o ' clock . " Her Majettjr , proceeding in state , with the Roy « l family , foreaA guests , &c , and her and their « ttit * s , trota Buckingham Palace , up Con « titution-hill , and down Hotten-row , Will eater the Exhibition Building by the aorth entrance , precisely at twelve o ' clock . She will MCend the platform , and take her seat in the chair of fete . * ' On her Majesty arrival a choir will Sing ' God save the Queen . '

      " On the Queen taking her seat , his Royal Highness Prince Albert will join the royal commissioners , and , when the music has ceased , proceed at their head to the platform , and read to her Majesty a short report of the proceedings of the commission up to that time , which he will then deliver to her Majesty , together with the catalogue of the articles exhibited . H « e » Majesty will return a gracious answer , handed to her by the Secretary of State . After which his Royal Highness Prince Albert ¦ will take his place again by the side of her Majesty . " The doyen of the corpB diplomatique will read an address to her Majesty on behalf of the foreign nations who have contributed to the Exhibition , to which her Majesty will likewise return a gracious answer . '' His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury will then say a prayer , invoking God ' s blessing upon the undertakingfollowed by a short anthem sung by the choir .

      , " A royal procession will then be formed , preceded by the commissioners , which will turn to the right , move to the west end of the nave by its north side , return to the east end of the nave by its south side , including the south end of the transept , and come back to the centre along the north side of the nave ; thus enabling all those present , who will be expected to keep the places which have been assigned to them , to see her Majesty and the procession . " During the procession the organs appointed will play marches , taking the music up at the Queen ' s approach . " On her Majesty ' s return to the platform , the Queen will declare * The Exhibition opened ! ' which will be announced to the public by a flourish of trumpets , and the firing of a royal salute on the north of the Serpentine ; whereupon the barriers which had kept the nave clear will be thrown open , and the public will be allowed to circulate .

      " Her Majesty will then return to Buckingham Palace by the route by which she came . " All the doors , which will have been closed at halfpast eleven o ' clock , will , upon her Majesty ' s departure , be opened again . " The following suggestion from a pamphlet published lately , entitled A Moral and Religious Guide to the Great Exhibition , by the Reverend J . A . Ernerton , D . D ., principal of Hanwell Collegiate School , is copied by the Expositor as " worthy the deep consideration of the Royal Executive Committee of the Great Exhibition . The inscription , ' Glory to God in the Highest , ' entirely forbids the chance of any man , whatever his peculiar religious opinions may be , taking offence . The motto is the suggestion of one who combines the rare character of a very worthy and high-minded divine with that of a liberal citizen of the world " : —

      " At the opening on the 1 st of May let a flag of large dimensions be raised , having upon it the inscription , Glory to God in the Highest . It would add to the effect if , at the moment it was elevated , all the other flags representing the various kingdoms and nations of the earth were lowered and again raised when affixed in its ptace . This might be repeated , if thought advisable , every morning . The most religious mind would be thus satisfied , inasmuch as it would be almost a literal fulfilment of the prediction , ' All kings shall fall down before Him , all nations shall do Him service , ' whilst there is no otic , be he Catholic or Protestant , Greek or Jew , follower of Mahomet or disciple of Confucius , who would not join in the adoration of his God . "

      Untitled Article

      We mentioned last week -that troops were being concentrated on London ; and we now find that the cavalry stationed in the metropolis will not , according to custom , quit it this summer : — "It has been deemed advisable , " says the Tinms , " not to move the Third and Fourth Dragoon Guards , the Eighth Hussars , atid Sixteenth Lancers . The Royal Dragoons , who were to have gone to Brighton , will be now stationed at Iiighgate nnd Hamputead in half billets , and the Fourth Light Dragoons will occupy barracks al Uxbridge . "

      The fashionable work ] , who ride in Hbtten-row , described as " a large portion of the inhabitants of the metropolis , " complain bitterly that the Row is choked up with " uncouth obstacles , " and that the " equestrians" " equitute" in peril of their lives . We quite agree that it would be better either to shut up the Row , or elHe to keep it clear of " lamppOBtn , lathes , and iron rails . " Perhaps " fashion" for once would kindly " cqttitiite" elsewhere ? Alexis Soyer has caused a huge tablecloth to lio manufactured for his Symposium , measuring in length 307 feet , in l > readth eight feet , weighing two hundred weight , and costing £ 50 . It will be exhibited on the 28 th , at " the encampment of all nations" !

      A workman fell from the roof of the Exposition liuilding on Tuesday , und wiih killed . The French Aotulirmy of Moral and Political Sciences han deputed two of ita members , MM , Itlunqui and Michel Chevulier , to visit the Exposition , und niuku a report on the subject .

      Untitled Article

      THE JSASTER HOLIDAYS . The spirit of « njo > rment seemed more widely diffused among the great mass of the London population at their Spring F * sttv * i this year than we have witnessed for A lottf time . On . Good Friday the great points of attraction were tlie railway stations ; but on Easter Monday the general rush was to the Dioramas , the Panoramas , the Theatres , the Crystal Palace in Hyde-park * and Greenwich Fair . The inhabitants ot the Kftst emerged in thousands from every street and alley , and directed their steps towards the West to behold the wonders of the aristocratic end of the metropolis ; the inhabitants of the West principally proceeded towards the parks , and the denizens of the South , and the centre wended their way towards Greenwicli . Cheapside , Ludgatehill , Fleet-street , and the Stmnd were thronged with pleasure seekers , and the parks presented an animated appearance . The Glass Palace and Wyld ' s monster Globe building in Leicester-square , were peculiar objects of attraction and interest ; and the numerous panoramas and dioramas and the National Gallery were all day frequented by an . immense concourse of

      eager visitors . The hoarding in front of Buckingham Palace having been removed , and the new railings and entrance in front of it having been exposed to view , large crowds of our Oriental population assembled in front of it on Monday . Amongst the crowds that ranged the streets during the day were many foreigners , who appeared to view the numberless sights of London with intense curiosity . The river presented a bustling and animated scene . All the piers were crowded , and the river was thronged with craft of every description , filled with pleasure parties proceeding in various directions , but chiefly to Battersea and Greenwich . Greenwich Park as usual

      had its amusements , and Greenwich Fair its frequenters , but not in such numbers as have visited it on many former occasions , owing to the uncertain state of the weather . At tie theatres great exertions were made to give the holiday folks a pleasant welcome and plenty of amusement ; new pieces being announced for their gratification at nearly all the houses . It was generally observed that the sight-Beekers conducted themselves with the greatest decorum .

      Untitled Article

      CONTINENTAL NEWS . The important " fact as to Fiance is the adoption of the Assemblee Nationcde by tie party who are openly conspiring for a restoration of monarchy—the Monarchy of the Fusion . This section of politicians is led by Guizot , Duchatel , Mole " , Saint Priest , De Pastoret , and , it is said , Berryer . Thiers is bitterly hostile to the fusionists , and De Broglie has declined to join them . They are the representatives of the defunct policy of Louis Philippe , and in the face of Young France cannot maintain a monarchy even if they overthrow the republic . While M . Guizot steps into the staff of the Legitimists , and adopts the Assemblde Nationale for the advocacy of the fusion , General Cavaignac constitutes himself virtual director his claims

      of the Siecle for the purpose of advocating , and the claims of his party , to power and the Presidency . Lamartine assumes the command of the Pays , and the Mountain is represented in the Republique , and partially in the Presse and National . Thus the politicians of France , as before 1830 and 1848 , are apain rallying in the press , and concocting a new revolution . Meanwhile the Charivari has been seized and prosecuted for a lithographic print under the head of" Actualites le prix de l ' adrohse aux Champs Elysees , " in which the President of the Republic is represented as encouraging the canditates for posts in the Ministry to discharge targets at a figure representing the Constitution , and promising a portfolio to the person who should succeed in striking it most effectually .

      The Portuguese insurrection has proceeded as languidly as possible . The King reached Santarem before Saldanha ; and the marshal , who had got together about 1000 men , did nothing . The extreme Liberals have not risen ; it beii . g understood that Saldanha would not come to terms . The accounts we have received come entirely from the Government party , and , therefore , must be looked on with suspicion . A telegraphic despatch from Madrid reached Paris on Tuesday , stating that the insurrection was virtually ended ; and that Saldanha , deperted by the soldiers , was running for the Spanish frontier .

      The Dresden Conferences have died a natural death . They w « re an admirable consequence of the farcical military manoeuvres in the summer . The attention of the police of Saxony has been directed to a " German National Loan , " to be raked in imitation of the Mazzini loan , for revolutionary purposes . There must bo some mistake . The Italian loan is for nationul indepoadence , not civil revolution . Spain is busy with election affairs . The Papal Government und its French Hbiri are prohibiting bookn oookh

      , seizing correspondence , nrwl nrrouti ' mr t . lw » , soiKing correspondence , und arresting the people . The Pope , personally , hus been engaged in firHt " cloning" and then " opening the mouths of Curdinultt Furnuri und Gtouseel" ! Switzerland has

      Untitled Article

      382 ® f > e He abet . [ Saturday ,

      Untitled Article

      , leries , exjjmtjyhe parts railed " ^ iMuiMroWn ^ Wll be raised J ^ f ^ llrT ^ I ^^ T ^ " ijflich a fS L < < J *' c * « v J t' ** J $ l' commissioners BfcWflwSiWS ^^ " dflHSfr 3 ^ 1 ^* 1 JW V ** ' «**< Sj ^ nT ^ I ?**? fo ' romjaBioners sW ' x * ^ f AwhhiBhop lauons , in w tower | j » « n leries , eUV 4 lt . ^ h e parts railed " ^ £ JMM | win 3 )* Ul be raised JSlPfiS , " T ^^ fVvf " i | P " ch a ° ' S ^ X l ^ ft . *\ f * Maj »»»* jftr cammissk Ifc m ! r '* % ^ ^ ty ! Awhhisho

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), April 26, 1851, page 382, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1880/page/2/