THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF 1862.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1610, 20 August 1861, Page 4

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF 1862.

At length the designs for the Great Exhibition building in 1862 are completed aud drawn. The building for the display r of 1862 differs in many essential particulars from its predecessor. It will be much larger, more commodious, much more imposiug in its exterior, while from without its aspect will be of almost impressive magnitude and grandeur. Glass and. iron are. uo longer to be the chief features inthe design. Externally they appear only to be used where lightness with ornamental effect is needed; and, therefore,, when they are introduced with these ends in view they are managed with a good taste and architectural effect whioh viewing the design as a whole, makes it one of the most beauiiful ofthe kiud that has probably ever been reared. This remark as to the comparatively limited use of iron and glass of course applies only to the exterior. The inside, as heretofore, will be entirely fitted with irou columns and girders, but arranged in more Gothio form and style, and with a keener view to picturesque -effect, than in 1851 The Exhibiiiou Building of 1851, occupied in all nearly 23 acres, that about to be erected will cover a little over 26, The flooring space fn 1851 was just short of a million feet. In the proposed building there will be 1,140,000, but, as it is intended to exhibit machinery and agricultural implements in a wing especialy built for the purpose, the space occupied in 1851 by theseclasses will be at the disposal of the Commissioners for other works, so that practioally tkere willbe some 500,000 feet of flooring more in 1862 than, in 1»51. The greatest height in 1851 was 160 feet, and the main nave ruuning frOra eiid to. end was 60 feet high by 72 wide. The greatest height of the proposed building will be 260 feet, and the knave will be 1200 feet long, by 85 vyide, and 100 foet high. The total length of, the first Exhibition building was. 1800 feet by 400 high. The dimen-' sions of the present are to be 1200 long by 700 broad, .exclusive of the space set aside, for.tho display of agricultural implements, whjch> is in ! round numbers 1000 feet long by 220 bro.ad. The'contractors' price in 1851 was, £80,000,

The buildings will be erected at Kensington, in front of the new grounds of the Horticultural Society, which they will enclose. One side of the edifice abuts upon the Cromwell Road, the mnin entrance on the Exhibition Road, and the third side on Prince Albert Road; the fourth or rear side facesimtnediately upon the grounds or the Horticultural Society, Externally the building will be, as we have said, 1200 feet by 700. though the I ground plan shows that in some parls the width is diminished to 500 feet. The average height will be 100 feet, I nearly 60 of which will be solid brick- ' work. Taking one of the main sides oft the building on the Exhibition Road as ' an example, it will present a lofty recess facade, from the centre of which will rise a superb dome of glass and iron to the immence height of 250 feet, with the base of the dome of no less than 160 feet diameter. These, for there are to be two, one at each end of the building, will be the largest domes ever built. That of St. Paul's is only 108 feet in diameter at, the base, and even St. Peter's is only 139. These domes are to be reared over the intersection of the knave and transepts at right angles, and as the floors beneath both will be elevated above the level of the floors of the rest of the building, an unequalled view will be got from here through almost evory part of the vast interior. One magnificent nave will be continued . from this entrance in the Exhibition, Road to the extreme end of the building in the grounds of the Horticultural Society, and at tho termination of this the second dome will rise. The nave is, therefore, to be 1200 feet long by 85 wide and 100 high. AU the roofs will bo of wood, coated with felt, and meeting in the oentre at an angle, like the roof of Westminster Hall and most of our old cathedrals. The effect, however, from the interior will not be that of an angular roof, as the girders will be arched and coloured, and on these the eye will naturally rest. The method of lighting tbe interior is one of the best that could be devised. In the building of 1851, all the screens that could be made were insufficient to keep dowu the glare of the sun, while ou wet days all the care of the plumbers could not prevent the raiu from dripping in. The wooden painted roof does away at once with the chances of rain in the proposed edifice, aud the uew method of lighting will have equal advantages. On the side walls, beneath the roof of all the naves and transepts, will be a cleiestory, 25 feet high, ot glass and iron, which, with the light from the domes, the glass and iron entrance, aud the windows in the walls, will moke the light as equal as it was throughout the building in 1851; while, from the fact of this one beiug erected duo east and west, tho glare of the sun is obviated. The galleries and interior columns of the structure are exceedingly beauiiful in design, aud so also is the design for the ironwork clerestory. The columns to carry the galleries are double; 22 feet apart and 22 feet high. To these will be fastened the broad galleries which run all round the building, though the columns themselves will be oontinued up. to the clerestory to where the springing of the roof commences. Each of the main entrances beneath the dome will be 60 feet bigh by 50 wide, with two smaller porches at either, 40 feet by 15 feet. In addition to these their wifl be three entrances on each side of the building, facing the Cromwell and Prince Albert roads, each of which will be 56 feet high by 22 feet wide. The pioture gallery will run the whole length of the structure, and will be situated on the Cromwell Road side. This will be built of brick, with a wall thickness of about two feet. The picture will not be hung higher thau 2£ feet from the floor; therefore, only the upper portion of this immense wing, if it may be so termed, will be used as ihe gallery for modern art. The basement story will be set apart for the exhibition of carriages and road vehicles of all kinds. The picture gallery will be lighted by a clerestory as the other parts of the building; By dividing the space allotted to the paintings by a brick wall down the middle longtitudinatly, two galleries made, running parallel with each other, and each 65 feet wide by 35 feet high. Thus, altogether, the Commissioners have .a length of wall space of 4600 feet at their disposal, oi a little more than double the wall space of the Manchester Exhibition. The spaoe set apart for machinery and agricultural implements will be in a kind of speoial wing erected fqt the purpose on the opposite side of the building to that on which the picture gallery will be situated.. On the inner side of this department, and between implements and the horticultural gardens, the kitchens will be built for the various refreshment departments. The whole design and all the plain conneoted with the building are; the work' of Captain Fowke, R.E. and.we think the publio will pronounce that, for the purpose for which it is intended, no more beautiful structure has ever been planned, and certainly none could be better adapted for fulfilling all its various uses. The time fixed for the Exhibition isthe.saraeas that in 1851, viz., from the first of May to the 15th of Ootober. We believe her Majesty will close it in: person. The guarantoe fund: now amounts to nearly £300,00Q,aud it is anticipated that it will extend to a much . larger sum , iii the course of a week or two. — Times. ■•.-••.■•'-•

Iv our recent notice : of this proposed display (says the' Times) we stated that, like its predecessor, it would be closed on the 15th, of October, and most probably by her Majesty in person. This has

given rise in some quarters to an erroneous impression that her Majesty would not inaugurate the opening of the building next year. The faot is that the date of the opening has been fixed positively for the lst of May next year, 'and the inauguration will be marked by all those circumstances of royal state and ceremony which gave suoh eclat to that of 1851. The date for the closing has not i yet beeu finally determined, though, for ! tho closing has not yet been finally de- | termiued, though, for the reasons we stated as to fogs and damp weather injuring the pictures, not the slightest doubt exists that the building will be closed by the 15th October. We.believe it has beeu decided that the paintings wiil be hung on the wall up to a height of 25 feet from the floor, and not nearer to the' floor than 2 feet 6 inches. In the Manchester Exhibition 960 feet length of wall was set apart for modern oil paintings, and 700 feet for water colours. The proposed display will be entirely works of modern artists, thought it has not yet been decided what distinct period this indefinite term is intended to embrace. 2300 feet length of wall will be set apart for tbe works of modern English artists, and 2300 feet for the paintings expected from all parts of the continent. The terms for the payment to Messrs. Kelk and Lucas of the extra £ 100,000 which ihe buildings will cost over the £200,000 contracted for are conditional on tbe receipts being over £400,000. Thus, all the receipts between £400,000 and £500,000 will be paid to tbe contractors. But, if the receipts should turn to be £600,000 or £700,000, of course the. contractors receive no more than the £ 100,000 due to th9m. At the conclusion of our last notice we stated that in 1851 the railways could only bring and take away daily from the metropolis 42,000 visitors, whereas, now they can . convey to and from London 140,000. This was an error on the wrong side, as the present system of railways can now actually bring and convey "away daily from. London no less than 240,000 visitors, or seven times tho number they were able to transport in 1851. Tho Observer says: — " Despatches were forwarded last week from the Foreign Office^to our representatives abroad, announcing to foreign countries that the exhibition will be held in 1862, and re questing them to nominate as speedily as possible, commissioners to represent different countries. Circulars announcing the determination to hold the exhibition have also been forwarded from the Council of India and from the Colonial Offioe to the governors of our colonies, inviting the co-operation of the producers and manufacturers. The signing of the guarantee deed goes on rapidly. The amount of £250,000 having been signed, the Bank of England has opened a credit with the commissioners to the extent of £200,000. A larger sum than ihis, however, will be required before the work is completed. The Bauk of England has in tho most liberal manner agreed to make the necessary advances at 4 per cent., a rate which; considering the present high prioe of money, will make the governors and company of the Bank of England among the most liberal aud munificent subscribers to the International Exhibition of 1862."

The Committee of Advice requested by the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1862, to assist the Commissioners with their counsel as to the Fine Arts department of the Exhibition, held their adjourned meeting at the Society of Arts on the 20tb. Lord Stanhope was called to the chair. After considerable discussion, in which Mr. Hurlstone, Sir Charles Eastiake, Mr. Redgrave, Lord Elcho, Dr. Colleridge, Lord Oversto.ne, Mr. Tom Taylor, Mr. Frederick Taylor, and Lord Taunton took part, the committee came to tbe following conclusions :— With regard to the foreigu schools to be repre. sented in the Exhibition, thai it should be left to each country to fix the limitations under which its selections should be made, each being iuformed of the space allotted to it, and of the understanding that the selection is to be made with a view to exhibit the present condition of the sobool. With regard to the English school, the committee came to the decision that the collection should include the works of masters who have lived since 1 702, so as to take the Hogarth, Hudson, Reynolds, Gainsborough, aud Wilson. These conclusions seem to oommend themselves to common sense more than any involving the selection of chronological limitations to be binding on all sohools alike, without any reference to the circumstance of particular schools or the judgment of those who wili have to*make the seleotion of pictures.