Varieties.

Otago Witness, Issue 556, 26 July 1862, Page 7

Varieties.

We can only know ou^elves through the constant study how to govern ourselves.

Modesty promotes worth but conceals it, just a-; leaves aid the growth of fruit, and hide it from view. Tiie word " Hurrah " originated among the Oriental nations as a war cry, from the belief that a man who died on the field of battle for his country, went to heaven. It is derived from the Sclavonic word "Hurraj," wlvch means "To Paradise."

It is better to love apenon you cannot marry than to marry a person you cannot love. Slanderers, issuing from beautiful lips are like spiders crawling from the blushing heart of arose.

The End we all Desire.— The end of ft speech.

Unnecessary Patext for Poor People.— Stevens' patent for kneading (needing) bread. AG-exerous Idka — " Am told a Mr. Peabody," remarked a Swell, " lias appwopwiated a hundwed and fifty thousand pounds towawdsameliowating the condition of the London paw. A hundwed and fifty thousand pounds ! Half that sum would make mv wile and children happy, if a wa' marwied, and — a— • twice as match -would make me tolewaby comfatable."

Whenever I see a boy in buttons wheeling a perambulntor, I admire to rayselfhow compendiously his employers abridge their housekeeping account book by getting both nuree and footman into one page. If one cmld be conscious of all that is said of him in his absence he would probably become a very modest man indeed.

There is a farmer in Yorkshire who has a mile of children. His name is Furlong, and he has four boys and four girls. Bight furlongs make one mile.

The reading of most men is like a wardrobe of old clothes — seldom used.

A Joke by a Scotchman ! — A Scottish friend of ours, \vho3e sympathies are with the Southerner?, on hearing how the Merrimac had fought and crushed the Congress and the Cumberland, exclaimed, " Jih, sirs ! after sic a victory, how they wadmak' merry on board the Merrimac !"

Silent Spirit-Rapping. — Mr. Forster, the " medium," has not yet, we believe, gratified any of his clients with spirit-music, but he gives them an equivalent in the spirit-writing on his arm. which they may, if they please, take tor the *' devil's tattoo." At a fancy ball hist week in Paris a most ingeniously devised costume appeared, representing on one side marriage, and on the other widowhood.

The most iufallible way of preventing a kitchen door from creaking is said to -be to engage a servant girl whose sweethearts come to the hou3e to see her.

A lady advertising in the .Era for a situation, states that "she is acknowledged by the press and the public to be the beat singing chambermaid out of or in the metropolis."

A gentleman hearing that two of his female friends had quarrelled, asked " Did they call each other ugly?" "No." "Or old?" "No." "Well, then, we can soon make them friends again." "Can a man see without eyes?" asked the professor. " Yes sir," was the prompt answer. " Pray, sir, how do you make that out ?" cried the professor. "He can see with one, sir, 1 ' replied the Juvenis.

Too Frequently the Case.— What is the difference between an author and a critic ? — The oue writes the book, the other too often wrongs it. — Fun.

A soldier who was once wounded in battle set up a terrible bellowing. An Irishman, wlioiay near, with both legs shot off, immediately sung out, "Bad luck to the likes of you ; do yer think that nobody is kilt but yourself."

Mrs. Edmund BlancharJ, of Cambridge, N. H., was caught in a bear trap a few days since while out blue-berrying. The trap had been set by her husband to catch a bear that had been troubling him this season. — Daily Post. When a person takes affront, he is very often taken aback.

Which is preferable, to be covered with rags, or not to have a rag on your back t The pen is mightier than the sword, but neither is of much use without the holder.

Elderly ladies are more staid than young ones, which accounts for the economical Bmalhiess of their waste.

When a man complains of hig coffee being thick, he has generally, "strong grounds" for his remarks. Church bells are the mo.«t obedient of all things, for thoy always ring when they are "tolled." A pair of heads are doubtless plural, and yet it would be singular to see them upon one pair of shoulders.

When a man overdraws liis account at the bank, he has only to present himself there in order to reooive a check.

The difference between a ship and a farmer is that the one often ploughs the seas, and the other often sees the plough. Dr. Dufosse proves to us that fishes have voices. Lending our ears to this foot, we wonder what language the fishes are in the liahit of speaking 1 .-We suppose it must be the language of the Finns. Paul Delaroche's celebrated picture of "Marie Antoinette led to execution," has been purchased for the enormous sum of £32,000, by a — we need hardly say wealthy — London brewer. " John," said a father to his son one day, when he caught Mm shaving the down off his upper lip, " don't throw your shaving water out where there are any barefoot boys, for they might get their feet pricked." Strange Worcester Custom When a Woiv cester girl is kissed, she looks surprised, and says— "How could your To which the swain is sure to reply—" It will give me pleasure to show you," and proceeds to give her a duplicate. Good taste is the •' luminous shadow' 1 of all vir tues. It is social discretion, intellectual kindness, it is external modesty and propriety, it is apparent unselfishness. It wounds no feelings, it infringes on no decorums, it respects all scruples. Crinoline Ashore and Afloat. We've mail-clad vessels ; iron grates Our ladies' robes conceal j Our shios' sides fenced with armour plates j ; Our girls with ribs of steel. .„."•,,■_ , ■ ■ ; $teel ribs will safe from capture m^vke.;' uv : ' Her. Majesty'i marine! ... • tjfsKH-n- • . . And when do you expect to; take .i%j&i ,/„-) • t . ; . A wife fy criuoUaiiJ-HPKBj*^ O^)si«x;q.\vs..

OPENING OF THE GREAT INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION. The Home News devotes a separate Supplement to an elaborate account of the opening of the Great Exhibition. The account is an almost vc-halim reprint of that published in the Times. Our limits will not permit us to reproduce it in lull, but the following is a careful abstract :—: — THE OPENING. Our second Great International Exhibition was opened at South Kensington on the Ist of May, with all befittiug 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 Pyxton's great glass structure and everything 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 expeiimont, the desi«n of the building was an experiments the building itself was an experiment. On the present occasion, nobody prophesied that, though glass and iron might do for a duke's conservatory, they would not hold together when employed to root 25 acres. There were no horrid visions of a falling dome drowning the cra&h of the first opening chorus ; no fears lest London should be looted by hordes of savage foreigners, attracted here by the " shilling day;," and unable to withstand the temptations of Lombard-street and Cornhili. Nobody expected a failure at opening, or a tragedy at ending. Everything happened as it was arranged and expected, with all but the regularity of clockwork.. This may have been less excitiDg, but can hardly be called less satisfactory. The daj , indeed, hod one dark shadow. Of the hundreds of thousands who lined the streets and thronged the building, few forgot the prince by m horn the groat work of the day was encouraged and helped on— who sowed, but reaped not ; and manj vi ere the kindly and rep^-etful word* spoken of the Royal Lady who would have been so gladly welcomed, and on this occasion was so sorely raissbd. The absence ct the Queen, and the cause of that absence, marred the State pageant, and produced a partial gloom which an impressive and imposing ceremonial <.yuM not wholly dispel. The weather was extremely f.ivorablc. May-day had dawned brightly and briliiriin.lv, but at S o'clock intending visitors looked oui ii,M).i a ridlen sky and rain falling iv torrent-*. Pre-m-..'U\ havever, the clouds cleared away. The rain it vvi/.-i laid the dust, the sun dried the roads, so thai t: Kl -' va-> little or no mud, and intelligent foreigners ■\> lii' : r.v and felt the rays, admitted freely that 7iotii av,ii\s ako have a sun. THE APPROACHES. The important operation of getting to the building was commenced betimes. Detachments of police be pan to make their appearance in the streets near the iisJuKvion about 9 o'clock, but before that hour — in .faol, before 8 o'clock — files of carriages lined botli siu a of the building 1 , and stretched far away tc Kni'-diLsbridqc in one direction, and across the part in aiwilicr. Gaily-attired flock"* of season-ticket holders began to assemble about the various doors of entrance, hoping apparently for some relaxation of the rule as to I lie the hour ot entrance, of which they might be enabled to take advantage. For nearly an hour the character of tha gathering remained unchanged, tl-.ouak the lines of carriages doubled and lengthened! and the crowd at the doors deepened; but as time advanced, foreigners, and especially Frenchmen— \\ hose expected invasion must actually have taken place at last — swarmed in every avenue, seeking their proper door of entrance. Those who issued that sumptuary law about " Court dress," and stili nice tho -e who questioned or discussed it in the public journals, have much to answer for in the confusion which they produced in the minds of oui woi-thy neighbours, and for the garments— fearfullj and wondei fully made — in which they led them t( array themselves. But there was one national and distinctive feature which any uknse, however arbitrary, could not induce them to abandon. They preserved in its integrity that inimitable hat, of whicl the first and motive object appears to be that its brirr fl'pH approach as nearly r.s possible to the shape of th< letter V. Indications were not wanting for the desperate race against time in which the authorities had been compelled to engage. From the very entrance where the most illustrious visitors were to hi admitted, boards, packing-cases, shavings, and dehrl of all kinds were being hurriedly ejected, and for smnH fragments of these one grade of society wa stmjrgl'ug. whi'e at another side of the building ; difi'eVent grade was longing for the time to corai when they might appropriate its best places. Tin Exhibition itself and the mansions in its neighbourhood were gay with flags of almost every nationality. arrival of visitors.— processions to thj exhibition. Between 11 and 12 o'clock the great mass of dis fjnguished visitors began to reach Soutli Kensing' ton. Of the earlier arrivals, the majority had beei persons not in tmy official position, and the ladies by whom they were accompanied, ha\ing by some inscrutable but nearly universal instmct seloctei while dresses, bonnets or shawls, the cortege wor j^reatly the r.speet of a long-drawn wedding proces sion. But the character of the scene was changei when bright anil showy uniforms, and liveries hardb lees gaudy, came glittering down the line. In al the varied and gorgeous colourings of French, Aus trian, Russian, Bavarian, Saxon, and other Euro pean embassies, in the less dazzling, but still riel and diversified garb of private households, a rapii and bewildering succession of equipages swarmed up to the western dome chiefly, and deposited their occupants. The Havtian embassy and the Japanesi ambassadors were the objects {of greatest interest t( the spectators. The latter, especially, differed fron all then: brethern of the corps diplomatique in bringing with them an elaborate armament, which scesnec rather out oi place in a temple of Peace, though, d< rigiuwr, according to Japanese etiquette. The entrance iv Cromwell-road had been reservec specially for the royal commissioners, for members o: the British royal family, and for other illustrious personages. Shortly after half-past 12 o'clock their .Royal High ne&ses the Duchess of Cambridge, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the Mary arrived and were received with a royal salute. Or alighting they were met and conducted to their places by Earl Granville, the Duke of Buckingham, end others of the Exhibition commissioners. At ] o'clock precisely the carriages conveying the roya 1 commissioners deputed by her Majesty to open the Exhibition reached the same entrance, having pro cceded in procession from Buckingham-palace. The following was the order observed :— The Speaker oi the Hou.se of Commons, Lord Palmerston, €he Earl of Derby, the Lord Chamberlain, the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Duke of Cambridge. The commissioners were received with military honors. Lord Paknerston descended front hi.s carriage with difficulty, but no sooner had h; alighted than he engaged in earnest conversation witi the assembled Exhibition commissioners. Receni Buffering betrayed itself in Lord Derby's face. Immediately following the royal commission rs was i corky!}, the mournful aspect of which impressed the spectators more deeply by its contrast "with all thai 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 servants, and still more the associations connected with the < vent that waa being celebrated, struck the minds ot those who looketl upon them as forcibly as ever did the slave's warning in the classic triumphs, or the memento mori of latei times. In the royal carriages were the Crown Prince of Prussia and Prince Oscar of Sweden, with theii 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 alsc the star of the Order of the Garter. SCENES AT TIIH DOORS. It was at one time intended to admit the general visitors as soon as ever they chose to present themselves at the doors, nnd in this anticipation a very large number of carriages were drawn up before 9 o'clock, extending in 'a line completely round the building up the Exhibition road, and far past Knighrsbridge. But at 9 o'clock it was not possible to admit the visitors. Sweepers, seamstresses, and carpenters, were still busy. Many came early who had vouchers for the rc*'i ved seats, and many of the most distinguished rank, -v do lind reserved seats, but who, from some unfortunnt • contretemps, postal or official, had not received their vouchers, came early also, but found the (loci's inexorably closed to all. Tiie temporary exclusion of these important arrivnte would have given rise to deep dissatisfaction hut for the kindness and care of the executive staff, who, amid all their worry, found time for little acts of courissy, and who broke the rules wholesale' and smuggled in official personages who might otherwise have found considerable difficulty in effecting their entrance in time. In this manner gradually and stealthily as they slowly filtered through" the lines of police, who could not or would not read the rules, a tolerable sprinkling of visitors entered before 10 o'clock. But by then, also, a still greater number wero waiting at the doors r/hich everybody wauted to open ; only ss matter of course no one had die keys save the usual mythical In*specfor of Police, who was not to be traced even by his most indefatigable subordinates. To nil inquiries the same answer was returned: he has just "gone round/"' and was certain to be back "in a minute," which every one conversant with public ceremonies knew at once to mean the authorities^ were not quite prepared for the visit of the public just then. Sir Richard Mayne, Captain Labahnondiere, and Captain Ha<ris were all present, but the working of the police arrangement* was' left to Jljri, Superintendent Durkin, and it Is mere justice to him and those under him to say that, v&y ' trying "duty was discharged with kindness and moderation, and certainly, with the most complete success, as far as the geneml order of the arrangements was concerned. It was nearly eleven before the much eought for Inspector with the keys of tho doors was at last found, and they were opened, and then, indeed,' the-'buildinij filled with a mscttilom tapftUtv dhd' rush of ''feet, above all the noise of which dia6inc% heard the oft reiterated words of must' have'-their Beasofl-tiokets tes&yf "It/S'iMP gwje Ma'ato, you

1 cant't, pass until you sign it ;'' fee., &c, all indicating thp,t, in spite ot every premonitory warning, people would come with their tickets in the unfamiliar pocket of a new dress, and nfter much runima^iug and flurried search while still in the grasp of the turnstile, produce them, unsigned. Of course, theie was some confusion and inucn inconvenience to many while the building filled. Ladies would get into block A with tickets for block B, and into block C without any tickets at all, and before ttoh o ?tiansgressors the police were powerless. What could all the force do against the staid haaleur, and pa&aive insouciance, of a group of fashionable women, who iecuivcd the information that they had "no business there," with such slight evidences of satisfaction s"« seemed to prove that the mere fact of its being to ■ bidden ground added zest to its possession '? Wi 1 gentlemen, in or out of uniform, the police could, and did deal, but the ladies overstepped rules and regulations with a coolness that was positively refreshing, and with a meek urbanity and confidence that they were doing what was quite right, before which even the pentleiucn stewards at last gave way, and for a titno were evicted from their posts of office. Other minor disarrangements were c.wsed by visitors with tickets for door A trying to cntor under the oreliebtra; but, oi> the whole, all went on *cry well, and the whole building swarmed with thousands in the course of au hoyafter its opening. TIIE OUTSIDE CROWD. As the equipages drove away from the different doors of entrance, it was a matter of some little interest to <liscovcr how they could be disposed of. Alone; all the approaches to the building the cry was " Still they come, 1 ' but the police laid apart a strip of ground inside the park, between the Knightsbridge-ro:td and the new ride, and here, just opposite the entrance to the new Horticultuial grounds, vehicles, as fast as they were vacated, ■Here parked like artillery — "packed" would possibly be & 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 a»ain<=t any but privileged perbons, and when the royal party also had disappeared within the building the crowd outside were driven to their wits' end for amusement. The flags in the Brompton-road— rather a beggarly siiow of bunting — did not bear much inspection, though an expansive greeting upon one of them bid "Welcome to all nations." Walking round and round the Exhibition building in the glare of noonday soon tired out the strongest pedestrians. The Ethiopians found their vocation difficult in an ever-shifting crowd. Nor could you, to pass away the time, go oil buying "bamboo canes for a penny,'' or cheap fusecc for your cigar. The itinerant venders, however, drove a roaring trade in liquors and decoctions of cv- : rious names and wonderlul flavor. Some youths, possibly of Scotch extraction, sold "to-day's Time*' and Exhibition plan at a modest profit of some 500 per cent. ; and iaap^, plans, guides, and meials — anything and everything with which the word " Exhibition" could be coupled — were in immense request. On the whole the crowd, under the influence of fine weather, were patient and good-humored to a degree. There was much crowding in the Exhibition-road, where the strains of the orchestra and choir were faintly heard. The Hallelujah Chorus was followed with interest, and at the well-known strains of the National Anthem the cry of "Hats off!" became peremptory, and was not to be disobeyed with impunity. Tlieu the cheers of the lucky folk inside— " Like broken thunders that at distance roar, " Or billows mvi muring on tho hollow bhore," told of some crowning act of the day's ceremonial. The cheers were immediately echoed, and again and again repeated with interest. The crowd weru determined to ll assist in the opening, and give it the fiat of their voices. 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 Horso Artillery, stationed on the site of the Exhibition of 1851, fired a royal salute at the sam c moment, and thus the outside world celebrated the opening of the Exhibition of 18G2. THE INTERIOR. The actual preparations for getting the building 1 ready for the public may be said to have 1 commenced on Wednesday (April 30) at 11 1 o'clock, when the workmen were driven a! 1 most by force out of the inteiior, am 1 1 the executive undertook the task of cleaving it up for the opening. This, indeed, w<is a I .boiir, and at first • it seemed hopeless. Our readers may guesswhat Ir.'i ■ to be done when we say that Kelk and Lucas retainer : no less than 12£ Omen to assist the executive staff in th< 1 ; hundreds of odd jobs that were still to be finished everywhere. Floors had to be rcpaiied in evciy couvc and gallery of the building , mounds of staw, shavings, sawdust, packing-cases, full, and empty, to be 1 removed ; barriers to be erected ; things to he pullrd up often only to be nailed down ag;-m; while the commissioners themselves went about altering, trans1 posing, erecting this and concealing that, repeating, 1 rescinding, and contradicting their orders, and, in i short, going; through the usual formula of hard and very unnecessary work— the official prelude to all ' these our public ccremonia's. It is superfluous to '■ say tint there wa=t much more work aclua"y re- ; quired to be done than it was possible to accomplish in the time, and, this being so, it made no great ' matter that at the eleventh hour it was suddenly ' doubled by the re-aiTangtments and disarrangement's. • of all the programme of the ceremonial. There wa^ ■ a sort of rehearsal on April 30, and blank conste..ia- ] tion fell on all the officials when, at the last moment, ■ it was found that from the places allotted to distinguished visitors nothing whatever could be heard, while from the seats generously given up to the public nothing could either be heard or seen. The commissioners were prepared for some shortcomings in the eligibility of the various stations, but not for such a total collapse as this. In the first oiliciai agony of the discovery it was nlternately proposed to move the orchestra, to clear the nave, to shift the throne, and, as the impossibility , of each and all of these proposals there was successively demonstrated, a grand council w;>' at last held, at which the Duke of Cainbiidge ar>' Lord Palmerston assisted, and Kelk and Lucas we.c called in as practical men to put a veto on impossibilities, in case it shou'd be suggested to erect another dome or a new wing to the building. The result of the deliberation was, of course, to change everything, and to allow just sufficient time for the completion of this transformation to give the officia's an opportunity of changing again before the opening to the public. We need not descant upon the mysterious agencies which at length enabled the building to be opened in what seemed almost aa fonvaid a state of preparation as that of 1851. To accomplish this was a supeiihuinan task. THE PROCT.SSION. The first scattcre 1 elements of the procession began to assemble in the South Court shortly before 12. Thither came the superintendentsof the various classe*, dropping in hy twos and threes. They had all been grimy, harassed, and overworked t'lnough all the previous night, but now they shono out a paifect pageant in court dress and uniforms, and made believe to look as it they never knew what work was in their lives as if the perfection and success of eacL cla.ss ia 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 1 , pacifying, threatening, and fighting with exhibitois, 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 pil the executive staff, from highest to lowest, which brought them fresh upon the sceno of action , apparently aa calm as if the whole Exhibition was the Work ot other hands, and they were only present to add eclat to the grand finale. Mr. Fairbairu, Sir (Jhnrles Dilke, the Duke of Buckingham, and Mr. Sandford were each in their places long before the appointed time, sliouin" no traces of having been up the night before— of having, in fact, only left the building aa tho public were admitted, to don their uniforms. Though last, not least, among the hardest of hard workers, were Mr. Kelk and Messrs. Charles and Thomas Lucas, probably the only three men in the kingdom who could have executed the huge work with which they were intrusted within the allotted time. Wilh the completion of this Exhibition building, it may be mentioned by the way, Mr. Kelk terminates his usclul labours as a contractor. The Poet Laureate figured in the programme, but not in the procession. Lord Granville had been one of tho first among the distinguished personages to enter tho procession com I, when, as a matter of course, lie was most warm I v welcomed, and congratulated upon the success so far of the great undertaking, to tho completeness of which he has contributed so largely by his own untiring personal influence and exertions. Before his lordship left his house in Bruton-htreet, he received a telegram from the Crown Princess of Prussia, highly characteristic of the interest which she still takes in all relating to this country. It was as follows :—: — Berlin Palace, Ma/ 1, 9 a.m. FROM VICTORIA, CROWJI TO THE EAUL ORANVILLE. PRINCESS OF I'KOSSIA. My best wishes for the success of to-day's ceremony, and of the whole v idertaking. Princess Royal. Jnst before 1 o'clock the Duchess of Cumin id^o and the Princess Mary arrival at the Cromwell-road eatrance, and were received with nil the tributes due to royalty by the guard of honor of the household troops outside the building, and the almost equally fine body of men furnished by the Hon. Aiu'lleiy Company, who were stationed within the great porch. This arrival caused a momentary excitement, a? vivid [ ns it was short lived, for the excessive cheers i\ otn [ the crowd outside proclaimed the arrival of the Duke of Cambridge and Lord Palmerston with the oJier Special Commissioners, and almost as theyenteied the building the word was given for tho procession to fall in. At a quarter past 1 exactly, a shu'l blast from the trumpeters oi the Life liunvds, which paalfid th ou.di the whole building, announced tint the procession lvi begun to move. On each side of the nave, north and south, a wide space had been railed off, which fcerved as a path through tlie dense crowd, and, turning to, the left; the- pageant moved in, the orddr which JiaJ ; been pre-arranged along this guarded way towards

11. - western dome, where the opening part of the ce""jionial was to take place. 'i'l'-- Duke of Cambridge, as lie pushed along, was loudly cheered, and the qjreal political leaden, Lord Pa. iii-i'Ston and Lord Derby, who, on this occasion, appeared in clo;,e conjunction, were also w.i.mly received. Lord Palmeiston looked well and as vigorous as ever, but it had evidently cost Lord i)crby a great effort to be pr-'&ent. He was still suli'eriDg f I'vcrcly Irom the effects of a lvcent illness, and wiiikwl lame with the assistance of a stick. The Lo, d Chancellor and the Speaker were attended by thcii ■jergcanls-nt-nnns, carrying their maces. THE CEREMONIAL. On i raised dais, under the western dome, had beP'i erected a magnificent canopy, draped with Utrecht velvet, and underneath wore ranged chairs of ml*!}m I *!} tor the Queen's comuiis-ionem— tiiu Duke of Cambridge taking the centre, wirh the Prince of P Jb'ia on his right and Prince O«car of Sweden on hi-tlcf. The .l^quent changes which had brer, made in the nirangements for the opening ceremonial mu'.ht, perhaps, nave betokeued some irresolution in the minds of tho executive, and did, no doubt, cause not a li.Co inconvenience to some of the exhibitors, but the v. :--ii')in of the decision which made the spacious area, u-ider the dome the scene of this portion of the caromonv, instead of the centre of the building, us was 0 v i nully intended, was fully justified by the magia; ,euut scene which was presented >vhen the procesfc )u had grouped round tlie laised dais on which the (.[••'Jen's commissioners were placed. As a spectacle ■ its was the most impressive point in the day's cererr juia 1 . In the glittering crowd beneath were grouped 'tocher in a glowing mass every vaiiely of uniform, oni (he modest blu;; and gold of the Windsor to tlie dv. '\\g splendour of the Greek commissioner. St ( oiling away behind the rich perspective of \ho luve, with the vast expanse of the densciy-packed oiciic-stra as a background — hidden at points by Ihe obstructive trophies, but still visible and effective as ii :: and whole. But the brilliancy of the scene was 1"I its c'lief interest. In that" throng w e gathered t >4e ocr some ot the greatest names 'a the arts, fct (.nces, and manufactures of the Cj^itry. Tiie vnlous eo'onies and dependencies which carry England's empire as a girdle round ihe eartli were represei A ; and there, too, were the delegates of all the gre nat : ons of the eartli. In the persons of the commissioners of 1851 the great exemplar of these p.--iceful contests was commemorated, and additional \, eight and solemnity were added to tlie ocea-ionby ibe presence of the chief leaders of the Stale. Whon his royal highness and the other commissioners had taken their seats, Earl Granville, who, and his colleagues, were grouped immediately in front of the dais, advanced forward and said :—: — '■ May it please your royal highness and my lords j fornmiboioners,— ln the name of her Majesty's commissioners who have charge of t»'e International Exhibition of 1862, I have the honor of presenting your royal highness and the other commissioners for opening the Exhibition a most humble address. We •ecially offer to your Majesty our condolence for o' loss irreparable which her Majesty and the i. .rton have sustained, and we thank her Majesty for a'lowing herself to be represented by your royal highijots and the other commissioners on this occasion ; iud we beg to express our great gratitude to his -loyal Highness the Crown Prince of Prussia aud hu Royal Highness Prince Oscar of Sweden, for having honoured tlie Exhibition with tlieir presence '■hU day. We also oiler our thanks to the cominisioners, British ami foreign, who have assisted us in V- work; and we venture to express our conlideuce iiuL this work will be thought worthy of ranking amongst the international exhibitions which in the future may periodically occur." His lordship then hauded to his royal highness o lengthy address, which began by an allusion ts the h-u\ bereavement which had deprived fie inaugural errenao.iy of her Majesty's presence ; and, at'toi tuanking the Crown Prince of Prussia, Prince Oscar h Sweden, aud the other foreign visitor, for the honour they had done tlie Exhibition by theii mining to England for the purple of attending that •remony, proceeded to detail the circumstances it'ider which the scheme of a second Internationa! ; 'Ahibition had been originated and carried out, and concluded by a sketch of the arrangement and design I> . the building, and the general feature of the Exhibition. Tlie address, however, wps not read. ft was at this poiut that the only contretemps— ' . . it was but a slight one —occurred. Possibly theu .:i^i<th.ive been n difficulty in tele^aphinq to M. ■Jv..i what was going on so far away iVom him ; but ; whuLever was the cause, just as Loid Grauville comn-" 1 s'J his shoit speech, the orchestra at tlie other i 'Mi began to sin£ "God Save the Queen," ami hit 'jvi! !iip finished his a r ldie>s to the commissioner; • \J<\ th it accompaniment in the distance. The Duke oi Cambiidge, however, waited patiently until the la.i ''<: had ceased, and wheu the last notes diol aivaj ' u,u die following reply in a loud and clear voice, ■'. liioli was distinctly audible at a considerable d'stt ice '.— " We cannot perform the duty which the Queen has doi'.t 1 us the honor to commit to us as her Majesty's e;>:e euUtivcs on this occasion, without expressitu our iiearifclt regret that this inaugural ceremony i; depi iiml of her Majesty's presence by the s-s Ibe rc:n 2>nent which has ovei whelmed the nation witl: un> i cr, il sorrow. We share mo&fc sincerely your feel in > of deep sympathy with her Maje-ty in the »■ w vous affliction with waich the Alm'ghty has seer tif to \lsit lier Majesty and the whole people of this >\-i'>n. It is impossible to contemplate the spectacle Is (1 vj presented to our view without being pain •il!.' iCiniudcd how great a loss we have all sustained j.i the dustiious Piince, with who-o ilame the first U '.i J iternaiional Exhibition was so intimately con ■noced, aud whose enlarged views aud enlightened judgment were conspicuous in his appreciation of the Ik netits which such undertakings are calculated tc '••jiiier upon the country. We are coininandc Iby the Queen to assure you of the warm interest which hei Majesty cannot fail to take in this Exhibition, and oi iwi Majesty's earnest wishes that its success ma\ vuply fulfil the intentions and expectations witli \/ iieh it was projected, and may richly reward the n :il and energy, aided by the cordial co-operation oi ■ languished men of various countries, by which ii uu been carried into execution. We heaitily join ir tlie grayer that the International Exhibition of 1862, buyond largely conducing to present enjoyment aud instruction, will be liereal'tcr recorded as an important link iv the chain of International Exhibitions, bj wh'-,h the nations of the world may be drawn togethei in the noblest rivahy, and from which they may muiuaHy derive the greatest advantages." This concluded the portion of tne ceremony whicl was appointed to take place under tho we item dome, and the procession slowly unwound it^lf, and pro c ceiled iv the same order xi before down the nave, f'.io brilliant column, as it moved alon-; with the sun light upon it, but its gaudy lines toned down and relieved by the cooler tints of the dresses of the l;"'"^ who lined the pasrj.cjc on each side, was i hip iiificent sight, from the gallarics, but the vista ; looiving westward, down the nave froii the platform, and terminating in the gailyj decked parterre of the orchestra, was still finer. As the pro(•3?sion 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 ear-shot, the pipers of the Fusilier Guards, who closed the rear, struck up a pibroch, whicli mig.ht have been very appropriate, but scarcely seemed to be appreciated by those near enough to suiFer all is shrillness. Under the eastern dome, win re the vast concourse of distinguished visitors, not officially engaged in the ceremony, had long been congregated, adaia had i-en erected clcee by the Majolica fountain, where he Queen's commissioners took their seats on the < jairs ofstate provided for them. The ceremoninl musi3 was a triumphant success. Tiie enormous crowd of people exercised n salutary inlluence in checking and concentrating the body oi sound, In the verses of the National Anthem, which preceded the address delivered by Lord Granville ::nd the procession up the Have tothe eastern dome, 'Jie women's voices came upon the env with a clear jnd silvery tone that was eminently musical and deli 'lU'ul. In the response with full chorus and orcl.esira, it is true the reverberation might bo dcsCiibed a3 excessive, if nlaced in comparison with what il would bo iv an omiuary concert-hall, on however la.yea scale ; but this drawback, which all musicians knew lo be inevitable, was condoned in a gieat measure by a peculiar mellowness, softening the asperity of the louder instruments, and by a certain indefinable yandeur to which it were vain to aeok a parallel, ex^pt at the Hnndel Festival in tlio Ciystal Palace. 1> l tho National Anthem lo English cara sountls er..iLeiullyand well uuder nny conditions, always ex- ■ ihinq those to which it is occasionally mibinitted at oi c iw^lian Ojjera-houses. T ie " special musical performnnces" commenced >m. i Uie m;igJ»incont piece wliich, under the name of •Ouverlui-o eu .forme de Marche," the most cele ')ra". \[ composer now living and still incessantly and Ij.t ,i,y engaged in the pursuit of fame, has contributed 0 our gi oat industrial festival. Thou»h peihaps, on 'he whole not more carefully executed, or with more »- eisloii, than at the rehearsal on April 30, the effect 01 t!io overture was, for obvious reasons, at least * '»r as gieat ' aut^ t! " s must uave been aainitted by M . Meyerbeer himself, not the least rom uluble perm»W among the brilliant assemblage near tho •' "n dome. The "Triumphal M.-ueli," with w.ucu it opens, played as il was by the giant orchestra pep eked musicians, and lust-class amateurs, would ■r ' roused the ardor of ever so phlegmatic and un-wii--n«jahore. Mr. Coata now yielded the "baton" to iv. bainton, but remained in the orcliestia near the eo'u.ictor 8 place, while that gentleman directed the pe-io.mance of the Ouo whicli our I'oet Laureate and our Cunbi.rige Profeasor of Music conjointly fuinis io.i ior thia memorable occasion. The execution oi .-c work was, happily, all that could have bceu wished. The opening cerate— '' yp : ift a thousand voices full and sweet ;• in this wide hull with earth'a invention stored Aud praise the invisible, universal Lord " ' -ile appropriate thank-offering at this important ics, val, was sung with remarkable decision 'and a justness of intonation that never seemed to waver LUe effect of the trumpets, giving out the melody of t&a en-alt ia unisoc wtU' tlio upper voices, , ivas ex*

trcmely solemn aud impressive. The next movement iii the minor key — " 0 nilent father of ouv Kin^s to be, " Mourned in this golden hour ot jubilee, " For fiii.s, for all, we wuep our thauks to thee !" — must have ma<le its way to the hearts of all the vast assembly. The choral recitative a la Mendelssohn, " And is the goal no iar away !" ; the reference to the opening coralc— " Oh ye, the wtee who think, the wise who reign," and the whole of the final chorus— in 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— oil'ered no point for criticism, a marked impression being created by the passage in unison to the words : — " Breaking their mailed fleets and avmed 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 tliegrner.il execution of Professor Bennett's unaffectedly beautiful work was creditable to all concei ncil — in an equal decree to singers, players, and conductors. The overture of M. Auber wound up ! the '■. special music" with extraordinary spirit. Mr. Uosta (who after the Ode resumed his position at the head of the orchestra) directed the performance with hi-s 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" and "Amen" from the ''Messiah" — which, coming directly aicer the prayer of the Bishop of London, formed a portion ot the religious ceremony, toweied above all in sublimity, it ia almost superfluous to relate. After the "Amen" the National Anthem was again sung, and with thu the music to the religious part of the ceremony came to a conclusion. The Duke of O.unbiidgc then rose, aud in a loud voice said, "By command of the Queen, I now declare the Exhibition open." The trumpets of the Life Guards saluted the announcement with a prolonged fanfare, and the crowd echoed it b.uk with a cheer, which was taken np and spread from one end of the building to the other. Thus ended the official ceremonial." Part of the procession made its way to the picture galleries, and, the barriers haviug been removed which confined them to their appropriate quarters, the visitors rapidly dispersed all over the building. There must have beeu at this time about 37,000 people in the Exhibition ; but, except ,in the passage north and south of the nave, there was little Uifiiculty in raov'ng about.