AT THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6313, 10 August 1888, Page 4

AT THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION.

THE BUSTLE OF PREPARATION. THE NEW ZEALAND COURT. THE GREAT PROCESSION. THE OPENING CEREMONIAL. [feom oub special correspondent.] MELBOURNE, July 3L I have just returned from the Exhibition Buildings, the time being 10 p.m.; and the Bcene I have left will remain impressed on my memory as long E3 I live. Brilliantly illuminated by the electric light, and numerous gas jets, which had a reddish plfire in contrast with the steely blue of the «ire, the building was one enormous ■workshop, in which on all sides the sonnda of preparation were to ba heard. The enormous size oE the building can he estimated, from the face that it covers thirty-three acres of lane?. All this space is occupied by the finest productions which the industry, ingenuity, and cultivated taßte of mankind can bring together. The nations of the eaith are vying with. one another in tiie efforts to secure a foremost position in what is the World's Fair of 1838. As was to be expected, Victoria has the lion's share or the space, and right worthily does she occupy it j but New South Wales runs her close, and the other Australian Colonies make a very fair show. Germany and France, how ever, have done wonders, while the Mother Country is fairly represented. Compared with, the vast epace occupied by other countries, THE SEW ZEALAND COURT is very dwarfish ; but Sir James Hector, Mr Calli3 and their asaistant-3 Lave striven hard, and by no means imsuccassfuily, to present a creditable appearance. The process of clearing up was in full swing, and Sir Jame3 congratulated himself to me on having just got lid of his last empty case. The number of packages ha had to deal with was close upon fifteen hundred, from which fact some deduction can ba diawn as to the total number of packages whir:h must have been unpacked throughout the : Exhibition. A brief mention of the mosfc ! prominent exhibits in the New Zealand Court will not be out of place, now that j most of them are in position, and more or less open for inspection. A large gilded obelisk, resting on a granite coloured ; pedestal, and representing the quantity of gold that has been won from the New Zeai land goldfields, is a capital beacon to direct the visitor in 'search of our Court. Splendid specimens of magnificent forest trees and tree ferns, with toi-toi grass, &c, give character to the Court's frontage. Conspicuous among the trophies is the grand display of Moegiel cloths and woollen manufactures. Another striking collection ia that of the Gear Meat Preserving Company. Tho Maori House, surrounded with a pretty fernery, must; attract notice. • Then, thero is a splendid trophy of cereals, and another of wool. A good collection! or biscuits is shown by a Dunedin firm, and another firm from the ' | same city shows a tasteful trophy of soap j and candlea. The Midland Railway Company utilises a very prominent position for the display of West Coast timber, coal, coke, &o. Hard by, the Springfield Pottery Company shows an excellent collection of its products. Reefton and Brunnerton send colossal pieces of coal and coke. Hematite is shown by Nelson, aud antimony, nicely displayed, by Ofcago. The New Zealand Government have sent relief and other maps of the Colony, which aro marvels ot' detail. Manning and Co. and Vincent and Co. worthily represent the brewing industry of Christchurch. Mr Thompson, of Milner and Thompson, has his patent tuning system on view. Auckland shows kauri gum in a raw and in a manufactured state. The several harbours of the Colony are elaborately reproduced in nicely moulded charts. Auckland sends some exquisite inlaid cabinet work, and the some city sends a handsome collection of building timbers. Other noteworthy collections are churns and beehives. A Dunedin dressmaker has a lovely specimen of her handiwork, drapect npon a remarkably elegant wax figure. Mr J. T. Matson has a very fine collection of ostrich feathers, some dressed and some in their native state. A couple of carriages from Auckland and Nelson represent a very important industry. Mr Luke Adams, o2 Sydenham, sends a capital collection of pottery, and Mr Henry Homer, of Dunedin, does the same. Cooking ranges are sent by Messrs Watters and Atkinson, of Christchurch. Kirkpatrick, of Nelson, his a tempting display of jams, &c. The NewZealand Government send models of some of our finest bridges, and a good geological collection. Mr Ashcroffc, of Dunedin, exhibits a working model of hi 3 hydraulic i lift for railway trains. [ THE FINE ABTS ! are represented by photographs and paintings, among the artists being Messrs Beetham, Brookes, Elliott, Fodor, Gear, J. Gibb, W. Gibb, Gould, Sniyfch, Walsh, M'Cardell, and Lambert, and Misses Rosa Sadden, Nora Gardner, Beatrice Partridge, Flora Partridge, and others or Chmtchurch. It i 3 much to be regretted that , Canterbury ha 3 not shown as much interest in other departments as in art.

A PEW FIGURES as to the cost already incurred on account of the Exhibition, not counting the expenses of individual exhibitors, will be c? interest. I think the total disbursements are said to amount to Of this, temporary annexes account for £85,346, and the electric light for £24,000; the expenses! in London have scaled up to over £51 ,000, and the bill for decorations comes to almost as much. Office expenses are £5000, and general wages £4500. Tho refreshment room 3 have cost £2500. Tho receipts of the Exhibition of eight years ago amounted to more than £55,000, and for materials used in construction of temporary buildings £27,000 was allowed. The present Exhibition ia to be open at night, and this, together with the facts that the population of the Colony has greatly increased, and the railway lines have been considerably extended, while the community appears to be revelling in unprecedented wealth, renders it extremely probablo that the receipts from

all sources will be considerably in excess of those enumerated above. THE CEREMONIAL to be observed to-day— for it is now past midnight— will be of a fittingly splendid and imposing character. The day is to be observed as a public holiday, and nothing is needed but fine weather, of which there appears to be every probability to ensure the complete success of tho opening proceedings. August 2. The postponement for twenty- four hours o£ _ the departure of the Mariposa from j Sydney, enables me to chronicle at ouca | MY OWN IMPRESSIONS ■ of the proceedings at the greatest festival in which it has ever been my good fortune ito bo present. For the opening of the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, as I have already intimated, the tuorning was bright find sunshiny, and though heavy showers i'ell iv the atternoon and steady rain in the ; evening, these were ko timed by the clerk of tho weather as not to interfere in any serious degree with the general festivities. The gathering o£ representative bodies • who were to take part in the procession began at an early hour, and though I was too anxious to secure my place within tho , building to allow mjsclf more than a j glace at j THE rP.OCESSION, i I saw enough to enable mo to confirm the accounts given, ia the newspapers. The magnificent numerical strength of the : labour representatives particularly struck j mo ; and as I watched banner after banner, • each borne on a trolly drawn by splendid j teams of horses, I could not but con- ! gratulate this Colony on the success ;of its Protective policy, which had j brought about so grand a development of native industries. But, imposing as was the array of banners and companies of i artisans marching behind, it became insig- j nificant in comparison with the vast ! throng of well-dressed and weli-behnved people who were looking on at the pageant. Throughout the route to be followed by tho procession, every spot from which a J glimp-c could be obtained was fully occujriod, and it made me dizzy to ccc women, scum of them with children in their arms, j leaning out of windows, and even standing i on iinprotected pnrapets, ot a height of ; from fifty to ninety feet from the ground, j The utmost order and good temper charac- j frerised the enormous crowds, and the ; police arrangements were perfect. Occa- | eionally loud cheers greeted the Volunteers ] or some specially popular personage, but I there was no excitement or horse-play. Having satisfied myself wifch this peep at the procession, I hastened to THE EXHIBITION BDILDINGS, where a vast crowd of ticket- holders besieged the entrance gates. Thanks to the admirable forethought o£ tho authorities no difficulty or confusion was experienced, and for more than an hour the. steady influx of visitors was never once interrupted, but each one entering was shown his appointed seat. My chair was on the iloor,' where I could see and hear everything that < ould be seen and heard. The long interval that lapsed between my | taking possession of my chair and the arj rival of His Excellency Governor Loch, i was filled up by my taking stock of tho ! crowd of other visitors, among whom I i recognised soino old acquaintances, who kindly welcomed inc. Evening drees had at one time been, stipulated, for the enirdc cards contained a request that it should be worn, but a protest against this had been vigorously made in the public press and clsewhei-e, with the result that very few ! appeared in a "claw hammer." Court i uniforms, however, were abundant, and I amoDg those resplendent in gold lace I recognised Sir Archibald Michael, at one time a prominent politician in Victoria, I but now apparently consigned to the ! "cool shades of respectability." The j Mayors of Colonial municipalities were i arrayed in tlieir fulhsfa robes, and their cocked hata, and I looked about j anxiously for Mr Lonisson, in hopes that I | should discover him in official costume. I could not ccc him, .but in the afternoon came across him, and found, to my great disappointment, that his only distinctive ornament was the gold chain of his office, w)iich, hnndsome as it is, looks very trfling compared to the heavy loads of bullion with which the Eight Worshipful of Melbourne waa encumbered. Pretty punctually THE VICE-REGAL PARTY arrived, but as they had to come in procession through the Avenue Gf Nations, and had to listen to the several national anthems as they passed the various Courts, the dais was nob readied till half-past twelve. There the Governors of all the Australian Colonies took up their positions, our own Excellency, Sir Win. Jervois, looking every inch a soldier, standing on the leffc of Sir Henry Loch. And now had arrived

THE SUPREME MOMENT and, a3 a writer in the Argus says, "Mr Cowen lif is his baton, organ and orchestra peal forth, the choir join in a full chord, and the musio of the everlasting- anthem of Old England rolls away over tho heada of all the people, and fills the dome and roof and transept and nave with loyal and devotional sound." The same writer continues: — "The colour of the scene took every eye : the abundance of scarleb and gold, the frequent blue, the blaze of unfamiliar glory which proceeded from many persons, the rich lustre cf the feminine attire, and over all the colossal figure of victory. Extending either sido of tb.9 vice-regal chair, the Queen's colours, supported by two pairs of blue jackets, with straw hats pushed back, exposing their tanned faces and keen eyes ; bared blades held right, and a look about them that would give a timid person courage, though all the enemies of the Empire were leagued for her destruction.-" But !» OTHER PICTTTHES. claim attention. There is the choir and orchestra, almost a thousand strong-, two ranks of female forms with sashes oi: blue and cardinal on dresses of universal white, backed by the useful sables of the men, with the gilded-organ pipes filling in tho '. background. It is a oliarmtng picture, bub | ifc lacks the strength and significance I presented by tho dais. Bisjht opposite i 3 the crowded gallery, with Germany's magnificent tribute. Australia, too, in j drapery as bold in form, and only lacking ' perhaps in the classic grace which should characterise emblematical outlines. All the floor, all the galleries ere filled. There \ must be thirty thousand people assembled though there is very little uoise or stir j amongst them ; for all are impressed with j the dignity and grandeur of the occasion, i and desire to be in it and of ifc, with a i Eeemly and proper decorum. Sit James i M'Bain having read a specially written ' prayer, the OLD HUNDREDTH was suug with marvellous effect from its majestic simplicity, to which grandeur was imparted by the greatness of the choir. Mr Cowen's SONS OF " THANKSGIVING " followed. The words of this, chosen from I the Holy Scriptures, are appropriate to ! the "occasion, and tho music setting has been done by a master. Conducted ao it y?as by the composer, ample justice -w&a given to its rendering. Ifc consists of three choruaea, ope of which ia unaccompanied, and occupies about twenty minutas. j THE CENTENNIAL CANTATA, the words of which were written by a I \ Congregational minister, and the music j I composed by a native musician, followed. : The solos in this were entrusted to four artists, three of whom are favourites in Christchurch — Misa Amy Sherwin, Miss Christian, and Messrs Armes Beaumont • and Otto Fischer. They acquitted them- 1 selves well, and tho composer, who, of course, conducted this portion of tho programme, must be congratulated on the i i interpretation given to his work by ■ I soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Previous ■to the cantata, however, Sir James i M'Bain read an address to Sir Henry ; Loch, who suitably replied. Just at this j moment a brilliant sunshine flooded the ! • building. A gold key, wa3 presented to His Excellency, who then declared the i Exhibition open, and handed to the Superintendent of Telegraphs a cablegram for despatch to the Queen, which was sent i off by an operator who had his apparatus i on the dais. To-day the Argus states that the message reached Her Majesty in j thirty-sis minutes, and her reply was I

received by His Excellency at sis minutes past nine o'clock the same evening. After the cantata had been sung 1 , Messrs Cowen, Alien, and King wero presented to the Governor, and received hia congratulations. This caused AN UNFORTUNATE HITCH in the proceedings, and was perhaps the only mistake made in the arrangements. ; The large audience became impatient, and began to leave their Beat 3, and for some time a general break-up seemed eminent. ! However, the Hallelujah Chorus and the I National Anthem, given with clockwork [ precision, and with a complete appreciation !of the niceties of expression, restored j order, and the great majority remained to : join in the hearty cheering for the Queen and the Governor with which the proceedings closed. I subt-equently took I A EAPIB RUN THROUGH THE BUILDING, and wa3 astonished to notice how much had been done, especially in the New Zealand Court, towards completing arrangements and clearing away ddbris eince the previous evening. The immense size o£ the building is only beginning to dawn upon me, and every visit shows more and more how little of ife I have seen. Now that the workmen are finished there will be a better chance of becoming acquainted with tho treasures of all binds which have been g&theved together, under a roof covering a larger area (we were yesterday assured by the Governor) on one floor than any previous Exhibition in the world. Official records give the attendance yesterday at 3G,395. The railway returns show that up to four o'clock yesterday afternoon GO.OOO persons, exclusive o£ season tieketliolders, went through to Melbourne. The tramcars also must have brought thousands in from the suburbs.