OPENING OF THE GREAT INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1013, 26 July 1862, Page 4

OPENING OF THE GREAT INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

The following is abstracted from a special supplement: of the 'Home News' devotedto the subject:— ; THE OPENING. Our second Great International Exhibition was opened at South Kensington on the Ist of M%y, with ail befitting ceremony, and with even more than hoped-for success. In 1851, the royal commissioners were more anxious, and the public may have had greater expectations., Exhibitions had then a freshness and a novelty which made Sir Joseph Paxton's great glass structure and every thing connected with it'seem almost like a romance. The whole thing was new and untried. An industrial collection upon so vast a scale was an experiment, the design of the building was an experiment, the building itself was an experiment. On the present occasion, nobody prophesied that, though glass and iron might do for jvdukp's conservatory, they would not hold together when employed to roof 25 acres. There were ho horrid visions of a falling dome drowning the crash of the first opening chorus; no fears lest London should be looted by hordes of savage , foreigners, attracted here by the " shilling days," and unable to withstand the temptations of Lombard street and Cornhill. Nobody expected a failure at opening, or u tragedy at ending. Everything happened as it was arranged and expected, with all bat the regularity of clockwork. This may have been less exciting, but can hardly be called less satisfactory. The day, indeed, had one dark shadow. Of the

hundreds of thousands who lined the streets and thronged the building, few forgot the Prince by whom the great work of the day was encouraged and helped on—who sowed, but reaped not; and many were the kindly and regretful words spoken of the Royal Lady who would have been so gladly welcomed, and on this occasion was so sorely missed. The* absence of the Queen, and the cause, of . that absence, marred the state pageant, and produced fa partial gloom, which an impressive and imposing, ceremonial could not wholly dispel. The weather was extremely favorable. May-day had dawned brightly and brilliantly, but at .8 o'clock intending visitors looked out upon a sullen sky and rain falling in torrents. Presently, however, the clouds cleared away. The rain having laid the dust, the sun dried the roads, so that there was little or no mud, and intelligent foreigners who saw and felt the rays, admitted freely that" nous autres" also have a sun. ARRIVAL OF VISITORS.—PROCESSIONS TO THE EXHIBITION. Between 11 and 12 o'clock the great mass< of'distinguished visitors began to reach Soiith Kensington. Of the earlier arrivals, the majority had been persons not in any official position, and the ladies, by whom they were accompanied, having by some inscrutable but nearly universal instinct selected "white dresses, bonnets orshawls, the cortege wore greatly the aspect of a long-drawn wedding procession. But the character of the scene was changed when bright showy uniforms, and liveries hardly less gaudy, came glittering down the line. In all the varied and gorgeous colourings ot U rencn, Austrian, Russian, Bavarian, Saxon, q.nd otiier European, embassies, iri the :less/ dazzling, but still rich and diversified garb of private households, a rapid , and bewildering succession of. equipages swarmed up, to the western dome chiefly, and deposited their occupa.nts. The Hay tian embassy and the Japanese ambassadors were the objects ot greatest interest to the spectators,, The latter, especially, differed from all their of the corps diplomatique in bringing with them an elaborate armament, which seemed rather but of place in a temple of Peace, though, de rigueur, according to Japanese etiquette. , ,> ; The entrance in Cromwell-road had been reserved specially for the royal commissioners, for members of the Britishroyal family, and for other illustrious j personages." . Shortly .' after, half-past 12 o'clock their Royal Highnesses, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the Princess Mary arrived and were received with a royal salute. On alighting they were met arid conducted to their places'sbyfEarl. Granville, the Duke of. Buckingham,, and others of, the Exhibition commissioners., Atl o'clock; precisely the carriages conveying the royal commissioners deputed by Her Majesty to open the Exhibition reached the same entrance, haying proceeded in'procession from Buckingham-palace. The following was the order observed:—The Speaker of the House of Commons, Lord Palmerston, the Earl Of' Derby, the ' Lord. Chamberlain, the "Lord Chancellor, -the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Duke • of l Cambridge. r The commissioners were received 'Jvith,military hooor& Lord Palmerston descended from; his,carriage with difficulty, but no sooner had he alighted than he engaged in earnest conversation with theassembled Exhibition commissioners. Recent sufferingbetrayed itself in Lord Derby'?, face. ; immediately following the royal commissioners i.was the mourn fur aspect of which impressed the spectators more deeply by its contrast [with all tliat had gone, before. It was merely a file (of carriages,.driving at the same'pace as all the rest; but the'deep black liveries of the servknts, and still more with the event that, was being celebrated, struck the minds of those who Ipoked upon ithem,.as forcibly as ever did the.slave's warning in the classic triumphs, or the memento mori 'of later ; times. In the royal carriages were the Crown Prince of Prussia and Prince Oscar ..of, §.weden, with; their, respective suites. The Crown Prince, who .was very warmly cheered, wore the uniform of a Prussian general,' the epaulets covered with crape. His Royal Highness wore- the riband. and jewel, and also the star of the Order of the - Garter. . 7 THE OUTSIDE CROWD. ; As the equipages drove away from the different doors of entrance, it was a matter of some little interest to discover bow they could be disposed of. Along all the approaches to the building the cry was ; " Still they come," but the police laid .apart a -strip of ground inside the park, between the Knightsbridge • road and the new ride, and here, just opposite to the' entrance of the New Horticultural grounds, vehicles, as fast as they were vacated, were parked like artillery—" packed" would possibly be a more appropriate phrase—-in a species of ring fence, with a view to relieve the thoroughfares as much as possible. '• By half-past 12 the doors were closed against any but privileged persons, and when the royal party also, had disappeared within the building the crowd outside were driven to their wits' end for amusement. Tlie flags'in the Bromptori road—rather a beggarlyshow of hunting—did; not bear much inspection, though an expansive greeting upon one of them bid "Welcome to all nations."—Walking rounds and round the Exhibition building in the glare of noon- : day soon tired out the strongest pedestrians. The Ethiopians found their vocation difficult in an ever shiftingiCrowd.,- ;Nor could you, to pass a way the time, go on buying canes for a : penny" or cheap fusees for yoiir cigar. The itinerant venders, however, drove a roaring trade in liquors and decba-. tionsbfcuribUsnames and wonderful flavour. Some ' youths, possibly of Scotch extraction, sold " to-day's 'Times' and Exhibition plans at a modest profit of 500 per cent.; and maps, plans, guides, and medals —apything and "everything with which the word could he .coupled—were; in immense' , On the whole the crowd, : under the influence of fine weather, were, patient: and good, humoured to a degree. There was much crowding, itt the Exhibition" road, where the 1 strains of the orchestra and choir were faintly heard. The Hallelujah Chorus was folloWed witlrinterestj and at the vell;known strains of the, National Anthem the.cry . of " Hats off!" becameperemptory, and was not to he disobeyed with impunity. Then the cheers ,of the,lucky folk inside--, 1 /V., ' Like broken thunders that, at distance ropr, '. . Or biHpwg ranmuriug'bn the hollow shore,' told of some crowning act of the day's ceremonial. The clieers were immediately echoed, and again arid again repeated, with interest. The crowd were determined to assist in the opening, and gave it the fiat of .their vpices. Heartily they did it too, and the people in the distance took up the shouts, which may, thus have travelled to Hyde park corner. The Horse Artillery, stationed on the site of the Exhibition of \ 1851, fired a royal salute at the same moment, and thris the outside world celebrated the opening of the Exhibition of 1862. : ' ; j THE PROCESSION. The j&rst . scattered elements of the procession began to assemble in the south court shortly before 12. Thither came the superintendents of the various classes,' dropping in by twos and threes.' They had all been'grimy, harrassed, and overworked through all the previous night, but how they shone out a pageant in court dress and uniforms, and made believe to look as if they never knew what work was in their lives, as if the perfection and success of each class in this great industrial gathering was not mainly due to their own unceasing care and toil;' For long months past they had all been persuading, entreating, pacifying,, threatening, and flehtine with exhibitors, stimulating each one to the utmost, and acting in the double. capacity of promoters and mediators. Yet there was 'an. esprit de corps on May, 1 among all Jhe executive staff, from holiest' to/lowest,/ whicUjbrpught- t]wp fresh upoa theiscene of as if the whole Exhibition : was the work of other hands, and they were-Only present to add _ cm the.grand finale.' < Mr. EftirbairnlSir. Clhartea.DjJk£ the Duke of Buckingham,,and ; :Mr..Sftndford werjs each in theirplaces jongr before, :thq appointed time, thowing no traces of " before—of having, in fact, onjy' left' the building as the public were admitted, to don their uniforms. Though: last, not least, among the hardest ot nam ■workers, were Mr. Kelk and Messrs. Charles and Thomas Lucas, probably the only three men m the , kingdom whocould have executed the huge woric j

with which they were intrusted within the allotted time. With the completion of this Exhibition building, it may he mentioned by the way, Mr. Kelk terminates his useful'labors .as a contractor. ; The Poet Laureate figured in the programme,; but not in the procession. : Lord Granville had been one of the first among : the distinguished personages to enter the procession : court, when, as a matter of course, he was most warmly welcomed, arid' congratulated upon the success so far of the great undertaking, to the completeness of which he has contributed so largely by his own untiring personal influence and exertions. Before his lordship left his house in Burton-street, he received a telegram from the Crown Priricess of Prussia, highly characteristic of' the interest. which ■ she still takes in all relating to this country. It was as follows:— > • ■ ; i. * ! Berlin Palace, May 1, 9 a.m. FROM VICTORIA, CROWN I TO THE BAUL GRANVILLE. PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA. J . ; My best wishes for the success of to-day's ceremony, and of the whole undertaking. ■ Princess Rotal. Just before 1 o'clock the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary arrived at the Cromwell-i road entrance, and were received with all tributes due to royalty by the guard of honor of the household ''troop's outside 1 the building, and the 'almost' equally fine body of men furnished by the. Hon., • Artillery Company, who were stationed within the great porch. This arrival caused a momentary excitement, as vivid as it wa? for the ; excessive cheers from the crowd outside proclaimed ! the arrival of the Duke of Cambridge and Lord ; Palmerston with the other Special Cqmmissoners, and almost as they entered the building the word was given for the procession to fall in. At a quarter past 1 exactly, a shrill:,blast from the trumpeters of the Life Guards, which pealed through the whole building, announced'that the procession had begun to move. On each side of the nave, north and south, a wide space had been railed off, which served as a path through the dense crowd; ; and, turning to the left, the pageant moved in the ! order which had been pre-arranged along this guarded way towards the western' where "the ' opening part of the ceremonial was to take place. : The Duke of Cambridge, as he passed along, was ,i , loudly cheered, and the great political leaders, Lord .Palmerston and Lord Derby, who, on this occasion, 'appeared in close conjunction, were also warmly i ! received. Lord Palmerston , looked well and , as j ; vigorous as ever, but it had evidently cost Lord ;,Derby a great effort to be present. He was still suffering severely from the effects of a recent ill- ; ness, and walked lame with the assistance of a stick. The Lord Chancellor and the Speaker were attended by their sergeants-at-arms, carrying their maces. THE CEREMONIAL.' ' • ' i On a raised dais, under the western dome, had been erected a magnificent canopy, draped with ; Utrecht velvet, and underneath were ranged chairs !of state for the Queen's commissioners—the Duke of ; Cambridge taking the centre, with the Prince of [Prussia on his right and Prince Oscar of Sweden on j his left. I The frequent changes which had been made in (the arrangements for tjie opening ceremonial might, : perhaps, have betokened, some irresolution in the !minds of the executive; arid s did, no doubt, cause not ia little inconvenience to some of the exhibitors, but Sthe wisdom of.the decision which made the spacious jarea under tlie dome the scene of this portion of the I jceremony, instead of''the centre of the building, as \} was originally intended,,yras fully justified by the magnificent scene ; which was presented when the procession had grouped'round the raised dais on • which the Qrieen's commissioners were placed. As ra spectacle this,,was ~the.f most impressive point in 'the., day's ceremonial. ,In the glittering crowd beneath were grouped together in a glowing mass every variety of uniform, from the modest blue and gold of the Windsor to the dazzling splendour of the Greek commissioner. Stretching away behind was the rich perspective of the nave, with the vast :expanse of the densely-packed orchestra as a background—hidden at points by the obstructive trophies ibut still visible and effective as a grand whole. But the brilliancy of the scene was not its chief interest, i In that throng were gathered" together some of the ■ greatest names in the arts, sciences, and manufactures of the country.- The various colonies and dependencies, which carry England's empire as a girdle round the earth were represented; and there too, were the delegates of all the great nations of the earth. In the persons of the commissioners of ; 1851 the great exemplar of these peaceful contests 'was commemorated, and, additional weight and ; solemnity were added to the occasion by the presence of the chief leaders of the state. When his royal highness and the other commissioners had taken 'their seats, Earl Granville, who, with his colleagues, were grouped immediately in front of the dais, !advanced forward iarid said:— " May it please your royal highness and my lords ;commissioners,—ln the name of her Majesty's comJmissioners who have charge of the international Exhibition of 1862,1 have the honor of presenting iyour royal highness and the other commissioners for •opening the Exhibition a most humble address. We ■especially offer to your Majesty our, condolence for the loss irreparable which her Majesty and the Ination have sustained, and we thank her Majesty for i allowing her selves to be represented by your royal, and the other 'commissioners on'this occasion ; and we beg to express our great gratitude to: ;his Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Prussia land his Royal Highness Prince Oscar of Sweden, ifor having honored the Exhibition with their presence this day. We also offer our thanks to.the I commissioners, British and foreign, who have asisisted in this work ; and we venture to express our confidence that this work will be thought worthy of pranking amongst the international exhibitions which [in the future may periodically occur." | His lordship then handed to his royal highness a I lengthy address, which began by an allusion to the isad bereavement which had deprived the inaugural ceremony of her Majesty's presence; and,rafter; thanking the Crown Prince of Prussia, Prince Oscar of Sweden, and the other foreign visitors, for, the fhonor they had done the Exhibition bjr their coming ito England for the purpose of attending.*the ceremony, proceeded to detail the circumstances under Iwhich the scheme of a second International Exhi-' Ibition . had been originated arid'carried out, arid concluded by a sketch of the arrangement and design |of the building, and the general feature of the . 'Exhibition. The address, however, was not wad. } ;r, : ' It was at this point that the only contretemps— !and it was but a slight one—occurred; ' 'Possibly jthere might have been a difficulty in;.telegraphirigito;: |M. Costa what was going on so far away from him;, [but, whatever was the cause, just as Lord ; Granville jcommenced bis short- speech, the orchestra at the , other end began to sing " God Save the Queen." arid (his lordship finished his address to the commission-. ;ers with that accompaniment in the distance.; The ; Duke of Cambridge, however, waited patiently.until jthe music ceased,'and* the' last' nbtfes died •away, read the following reply in a joud ;apd, vvoice, which was distinctly audible at a considerable 'distance:— ' ! ' j "We cannot perform the duty which the. Queen jias done us the honor to commit to us as her Majesty's representatives on this occasion, ■without our heartfelt regret that this inaugural • ;ceremony is deprived of her Majesty's presence by khe sad bereavement which has overwhelmed the jnation witfa universal sorrow. We share most sin!cerely your feelings of deep sympathy with her {Majesty in the -'grievous affliction with which the [Almightyhas, seen fit to visit her Majesty and the Iwhole people of this realm. It is impossible to conItemplate the) spectacle this day presented to our {view without being painfully reminded how great a ■loss we ali' Sustained in the Illustrious jPrince, with , whose*name the first Great Inter•national Exhibition was so intimately connected, land whose enlarged views and enlightened judgment |were conspicuous, irijhis appreciation of the benefits {which such undertakings are calculated to confer upon the cduiiwy. We are commanded by the 'Queen to assure,ypu of the warm interest which her ■ ! Majesty cannot fail to take in this Exhibition, and ■of her Majesty's earnest wishes that its success may 1 amply., fulfil the intentions, and (expectations with ( , which it was projected, and may richly reward the Zeal and energy, aided by the cordial co-operatioq of t

distinguished men of various countries, by which it has been carried into execution. We heartily join in the prayer that the International Exhibition of 1862, beyond largely conducing to the present enjoyment and instruction, will ,be hereafter recorded as an important link in the chain of International Exhibitions, by which the nations of the world may be drawn together in the noblest rivalry, and from which they may mutually derive the greatest advantages."-- -- : : • This concluded the portion of the ceremony which wa3 appointed to take place under the western dome, and the procession slowly unwound itself, and proceeded in the same order as before down the nave. The brilliant coluriin, as' it moved along with ■ the sunlight upon it, but its gaudy'lines toned down and relieved by the cooler tints of the dresses of the. ladies who lined the passage on each side, was a magnificent sight, from the galleries, but'the vista, looking westward, down the nave from the platform, and terminating in,the gaily decked parterre of the orchestra, was still'finer. As the procession moved off, the bands of the. Foot Guards, stationed on the western platform, played Handel's " March" in Scipio, but 'when it had advanced well out of earshot; pipers of the Fusilier Guards, who closed the rear, struck up a pibroch, which might have been very appropriate, but scarcely seemed to be ' appreciated: by those i near enough to suffer all its shrillness. : / Under the eastern dome, where the vast concourse of distinguished visitors, not officially engaged in the ceremony, had long been congregated, a dais had been erected close by the Majolica fountain, where the Queen's coriimissioners took their seats on the , chairs of state provided for them. The ceremonial music was a triumphant success. The enormous crowd of people exercised a salutary influence in checking and concentrating the body of sound. In the verses of the National Anthem, which 1 preceded the address delivered by Lord Granville and the procession up the nave to the eastern dome, the women's voices came upon the ! ear with a clear and silvery tone that was eminently musical and.delightful. In the response with full chorus and orchestra, it is true the reverberation might'be'described as excessive, if placed in comparison with what it would be in an ordinary concertrhall, on however large a scale; but this drawback, which all musicians knew to be inevitable, was condoned in a great measure by a peculiar mellowness, softening the asperity of the louder instruments, and :by a certain indefinable grandeur | to which it were vain to seek a parallel, except at the Handel Festival in the Crystal Palace. But the .National Anthem to English ears sounds gratefully and well under any conditions, always excepting those to which.it is occasionally submitted at our Italiari Opera-houses. ,;The"special musical performances" commenced with the magnificent piece which, under the name of " Ouverture en forme de Marche," the most celebrated composer now living and still incessantly and busily engaged in the pursuit of fame, has contributed to our great industrial festival. Though perhaps, on the whole not more carefully executed, lor with more precision, than at the rehearsal on April 30, the effect of the overture was, for obvious reasons, at least thrice as great; and this must have been admitted by M. MeyCrbeet himself, not the least remarkable personage among .the brilliant assemblage near the eastern dome. The " Triumphal March," with which it opens, played y as it was by the giant orchestra of picked musicians, - and first-, class amateurs, would have roused the ardor of ever so phlegmatic and unwilling a hero. Mr. Costa now yielded the "baton" to M. Sainton, but remained in the orchestra near the conductor's place,'while that gentleman directed the performance of the Ode which our Poet Laureate and our Cambridge Professor of Music conjointly furnished for this ihemorable occasion. The execution of the work was, happily, all that could have been wished. The opening corah— " Uplift a thousand voices full and sweet, " In this wide hall with earth's invention stored, " And praise tho invisible, universal Lord,',' —the appropriate thank-offering at this important festival, was sung with remarkable decision and a justness of intonation that never seemed to waver. The effect of the trumpets, giving out the melody of the corale in unison with the upper voices, was extremely solemn and impressive. The next movement in the minor key— " 0 silent father of our Kings to be, " Mourned in this golden hour of jubilee,' " For this, for all, we weep our thanks to thee!" —must have made its way to the hearts of all the vast assembly. The recitative a la Mendelssohn, " And is the goal so far away?"; the reference to the opening corale— " Oh ye, the wise who think, the wise who reign," and the whole of the final chorus—iri which the composer borrows the theme of the corale, to extend and develope it into a movement of sustained beauty and interest, as melodiously flowing as it is full of sentiment—offered no point for criticism, a marked impression being created by the passage in unison to the words— " Breaking their mailed fleets and armed towers, " And ruling by obeying nature's powers," —one of the most original and impressive in the Ode. The orchestral accompaniments were beyond reproach; and indeed the general execution of Professor. Bennett's unaffected beautiful -work was " creditable all concerned—in an equal degree to singers,'players, and conductors. The overture of M. Auber wound up the " special music" with extraordinary'spirit. Mr. Costa (who after the Ode resumed; his position at the head of the orchestra) directed the performance with his wonted energy; and certainly' had the renowned French musician been present he would have found little to complain of. ; ' At the conclusion of the special music, the Bishop - of London, with much fervency, read an appropriate prayer. How Handel's mighty choral hymns—the " Hallelujah" arid "Amen" from the "Messiah"—which coming directly after the prayer of the Bishop of London, formed a portion of the religious ceremony, towered above ill in sublimity, it is almost superfluous to relate. - After the "Amen" the National Anthem was again sung, and \yith this the music to the religious .'part of the ceremony came to a conclusion. ! ,Ttie:Duke of; Cambridge then rose, and in a loud voice said, "By command of the Queen, I now declare the; Exhibition open." , The trumpets of the Life Guards saluted the anndunceriieUt with a prolonged fanfare, and the crowd echoed %; back with a cheer, which was taken up and spread from one end of the building to the other., : :ii ■ - • Thus ended the official ceremonial. Part of the procession made its way to the picture galleries, and the barriershaving been removed which confined )theni ito . 'their,',appropriate quarters, the visitors rapidly dispersed all over the building. There must have beeri at this time about 37,000 people in the Exhibition'; but, except in the passage north and south of the nave, there was little difficulty in moving about.