MELBOURNE EXHIBITION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1916, 10 August 1888, Page 21

MELBOURNE EXHIBITION.

(Per Pbess Association.) Blelbouhnb, August 2. The attendance at the opening ceremony is estimated at 36,000. During the firing of the royal salute a charge exploded and shattered Bombardier Mackenzie's arm so badly that it had to be amputated. The choir, under the guidance of Mr Cowen, numbered 600 voices. The soloists were Miss Amy Sherwin, Madame Christian, Mr Armes Beaumont, and Mr Otto Fischer. I Sir Henry Parkes was unable to be present, \ owing to the pressure of work in Sydney. Lady Loch was presented with an exhibition pass set iv diamonds. Bomß magnificent bouquets of orchids, sent from Sydney, were presented to the wife of each Governor. . , Mr Cowen's "Song of Thanksgiving" was splendidly rendered, and was pronounced to be a scholarly work. The first and last parts of the cantata were decidedly the best in conception and treatment, the other portions being regarded as weak. Germany makes a splendid display of art exhibits, which occupy a position corresponding to the British art collection. Tho art collection in the New Zealand court forms at present one of the most pleasing and interesting features of the exhibition. The Maori curios and models of the lost ter» races attract much attention. Sir H Loch in the evening entertained 800 gupsta at dinner, including the Governors and Ministers from the neighbouring colonies. A cable meßsage was received freni the Queen wishing success to the exhibition. Tfaii waß not in reply to the telegram gent to her, but was a spontaneous expression on the part of bti Majesty. .• ,\ y-. The lighting of the exhibition building if superb. Looking down the Grand Avenue of Nations, it is a magnificent spectacle of striking brilliancy. - The German, Austrian, aad Hungarian courts have a rich decorative effect The

Broken Hill silver trophy is the most striking trophy ii) (he exhibition. Canada makes a very poor leprc-entatiou, anrt France has only a moderate display. Many of the courts are behindhand in their arrangements. August 3. The exhibition building is once more a gigantic workshop, and the work of unp&cLing proceeds briskly. Tho picture galleries, which are the only portions ready, are engaging considerable attention. A grand concert was held in the building last night, at which all the Governors veie present. The cablegram sent by Governor Loch to the Queen announcing the opening of the exhibition contained 111 wordp, and the actual time occupied in the transmission of the message from the time it left Melbourne to its delivery in England was 36 minntes. The attendance ,"at the exhibition yesterday and to-day was small. Over the Victorian com t. are erected huge archts composed of bales of wool grown in the colony. Tbo trophies composed of coal, oranges, and wines in the Nuw South Wales sourt are greatly admired. August 4. The exhibition was visited by ail the Governors yesterday. The attendance of the public during the day was 0000. The second official banquet took place at tht Government House in tho evening. August 6. The Prince of Wales sent a telegram upon the opening of the Exhibition. Members of Parliament entertained distinguished visitors at a banquet on Saturday night. Five hundred guests were present. Admiral Fairfax, in the course of his speech on colonial defences, said that the final arrangement is that the Imperial Government should provide fast cruisers and torpedo vessels at a cost of £800,000, the colonies paying the maximum sum of £92,000 yearly for maintenance and percentage on the capital sum expended. The attendance at the Exhibition on Saturday was 13,000. Sir Wm. Jervois visited the New Zealand court at the Exhibition this afternoon, and was conducted round the court by Sir James Hector, the New Zealand, commissioner. Sir James Hector ■Rill entertain his Excellency at a farewell luncheon on board the Mararoa on Wednesday. * London, August 2. The opening ceremony of the Melbourne Exhibition is warmly eulogised by the press. NOTES ON THE EXHIBITION. (Fbom Oira Special Cobbesfondent.) Melbourne, July 31. There has during the last fortnight or three weeks been an abnormal increase in the populafc'on of Melbourne. It is estimated that fully 150,000 more people sleep iv Melbourne and its aavirons to-day than was the case two months a;o. From England, America, France, Germany, New Zealand, Tasmania, Sydney, and Adelaide the influx here is something unprecedented. From Sydney and Adelaide, more particularly, the inflow is something remarkable, in consequence of which Melbourne at the present time is in tbe zenith of prosperity. Money is cheap and labour is dear — ridiculously dear. Some tradesmen, more particularly oarpenters and painters, are not to be had for lore or money; and as for general servants, they are non est. Never before in Australian history his such a wave of prosperity passed over Victorian shores. It is not money that people want ; it is safe investment. That this prosperity is more apparent than real there can be no doubt, and old Melbournites say that the depression afterwards will be something terrible to contemplate. Personally I endorse these sentiments. It is not real money that is accountable for this apparent prosperity, but the signatures ot influential men. Tomorrow will be a day of unprecedented gaiety Aud commotion iv Melbourne — the day in - which the centenary of Australian settlement will be commemorated, a day which, perhaps, will mark the most eventful epoch in Australian hi3tory for centuries to come. Nearly every nation in Europe is represented, and perhaps the British court is the most elaborate and the most costly of any. While Victorian manufactures are a credit to the colony, yet they caunot be compared with the manufactures of England, neither in point of appearance or of excellence. The British court stands facile princeps. Xo the visitor, the unpreparedness of the exhibition is more apparent to-day, perhaps, than it was a week ago. Everybody is making superhuman efforts to be ready to-morrow, and the result is to the spectator a wilderness of packing cases and the hurly burly of tradesmen.

THE BRITUSH EXHIBITORS.

The British Conimiesion, who were in receipt of 20 pabses to be distributed amongst about 800 exhibitors, have thought fit to decline the magnanimous offer, aud have returned to the secretary their 20 passes. Mr Bradbury, a leading exhibitor, remarked that it was a poor return for the treatment the colonial visitors to the late exhiSltion in London had mot with at the hands of the English people, who gave them the hand of brotherhood and received them as kinsmen. Five special trains were run all over the huge railway system of England to show CDlonial visitors the shipping at Portsmouth, the manufactures at Manchester, the pommerce at Liverpool, and Windsor Castle itself was thrown open to them. Now } when British merchants and manufacturers Had responded to the invitation of this colony in the same spirit of fraternity, they were presented with 20 tickets to be scrambled for among the representatives of over 1000 exhibitors. The British people had come forward on this occasion and contributed the largest, most valuable, and most important court in the whole exhibition. Their machinery section was the finest collection ever seen in any part of the world, and their manufactures formed the best display they had ever made outside Great Britain. If any body in the world should be received with friendship and liberality it was the British exhibitors, but instead of this they had 20 tickets sent them to serve for the whole of the court. . As yet there are not very many distingue vis' tors from New Zealand in Melbourne. Mr Pe.iwick, the managing director of the Ofcago Daily Times, arrived last week, as did also Mx John Matson, the great auctioneer from Christchirch. I anticipate, however, seeing a good m mj New Zealand faces this week when the excursion boat arrives. There are, however, a goid many distinguished visitors from other parts of the world pouring in daily. Mr Frank MCoppin,the chief commissioner for the United Stiten court, arrived in Melbourne on Saturday. Mv M'Coppin has held many important positi ms in California, amongst them that of Mayor oi San Francisco.

NEW ZEALAND.

The indomitable pluck and energy of Sir James Hector (and Mr Callis, of course) has brought about a wonderful change in the New Zealand court. Whenever I meet Sir James

he is always up to his neck in dust and packing cases, and although his counters rice usually betokens anxiety and worry, yefc meet him when you may and ' under whatever circumstances, he is never tired of giving you every information. The fact that there are so few representatives of New Zealand exhibitors present causes a good deal of work to fall to the lot of Mr Callis and Sir James, and it is with a somewhat sarcastic glance across the way that the latter remarks of the German court (usually very prim and neat) : " Ay, those fellows have nothing to do but just turn their pianos [of which the German exhibits for the most part consist] out of the cases and wheel them to their respective places." And such is the case ; whereas the New Zealand commission have had to saw and cut into shape the different timbers, mend and patch up broken and damaged exhibits, and build and construct their exhibits and trophies and the like- singlehanded. On Sun-iay last I had occasion to go through the building, and was somewhat surprised to find Sir James, with bab thrown back and per^ spiring forehead, hard at it in the middle of a hugo conglomeration of packing cases and dehrii. A good many New Zealanders are making inquiries as to whether Messrs Speight and Co. will veil any of their sparkling ales over the couuSer, as they aver that they have not tasted a drop of really good ale since they left Dunedin. By the way, talking of New Zealand immigrants, a good many of them have not been so fortunate in procuring employment as they had anticipated they would be, and in consequence a good many clerks and so forth are both down in the month and at the heel. It is not an uncommon thing to be asked by these individuals five rainutes after meeting them if you could lend them a " bob," with a religious promise that it shall bo repaid in a week. Of course one can't refuse, and the result is that all one's loose shillings find their way one by one into these unfortunate individuals' pockets.