upon any part of the Lord's day, called Sunday, and to which persons may be admitted by the payment of money, or by tickets sold for money, shall be deemed a disorderly house or place, and the keeper thereof shall forfeit the sum of 2007. for every such day he shall so keep open."

THE REMOVAL OF THE EXHIBITION BUILDING FROM HYDE PARK.

For some weeks previous to the close of the Great Exhibition, the question of the propriety of removing the building from Hyde Park, in conformity with the terms of the deed of the Commissioners, was very generally discussed. Many of those who had been loudest in their complaints against granting the use of the site for the purposes of the Exhibition, became strenuous advocates for retaining the edifice in permanence. Every person who had walked through the long aisles of that unique and beautiful structure, and noticed its thousands of light and towering columns, its interminable network of girders, its miles of sash bars, and acres of glass, who had admired the unequalled aërial perspective of its lengthened nave, the noble proportions of its vaulted crystal transept, and the wonderful combination of lightness of appearance with strength and stability, could not but feel regret that a building so capable of being applied to other useful purposes, should be ruthlessly and almost sacrilegiously destroyed. "Shall we keep the Crystal Palace, and have riding and walking in all weathers among flowers, fountains, and sculpture ?" was a question ably discussed in a small pamphlet, written under the name of "Denarius." "A medical man" put in his plea for keeping up the building, on the ground that we lived in a city peculiarly unhealthy, and he declared that if the Crystal Palace and the surplus funds were placed at his disposal, he would have, in addition to shrubs, and fountains, and statues, recommended by "Denarius," springs of living water for personal use, he would sink wells in the building and establish a system of baths, which should combine all that was desirable in the Spas of Germany, with all that was decent in the Roman therma; he would furnish the building with libraries and reading-rooms, retiring and reclining rooms; couches for repose were to be disposed about the building, hand carriages and Bath chairs of every description should roll luxuriously along on noiseless wheels, and a scale of refreshment so liberal and complete should be provided, as to furnish those who might spend the whole day in the place, with the most ample and convenient means of doing so. A third person proposed to convert the building into a permanent picture gallery; a fourth suggested a winter garden, and a residence for invalids; a fifth thought that an occasional exhibition of manufactures might be held within its crystal walls; a sixth considered that the huge edifice would make a good public reading-room;

a seventh proposed a library for all nations; an eight, an enthusiastic florist, thought that the whole site might be laid out in small and variegated parterres; a ninth said that nothing would do but to make it a receptacle for a national collection of fine arts; a tenth believed that the nation ought to hold a supplemental exhibition of the works of art of all nations. Many other proposals of a similar character might be mentioned, many of which were of the wildest and most impracticable nature. It was contended by those who advocated the retention of the building, that the deed of covenant between the Royal Commissioners and the Treasury was entered into before the edifice itself was erected or its plans known, and at a time when it was considered that the maintenance of a brick building in Hyde Park was inconsistent with the public interests, but that having had experience of the existing building, the singularly unanimous approval it had met with, the obvious adaptation of the structure to other public wants when the Exhibition should have closed, its positive adornment to Hyde Park, its suggestiveness of new and improved modes of construction, had so greatly altered the circumstances, as to render it expedient that the doom passed upon an unpopular brick building, should not be carried into effect upon a popular glass palace. An extensive organization was set on foot throughout the country to avert the impending blow, and to give expression to the opinion of the public on the subject; committees were formed, public meetings were held, deputations waited upon the members of the Government, and the question was brought before the notice of the House of Commons. Happily, however, for the interest of all parties, the Government were inflexible, and the then "Shylock" of the Woods and Forests, Lord John Manners, demanded strict compliance with his bond." A considerable majority of the House of Commons supported his views, on the ground of keeping good faith with the public, and the building was ordered to be removed according to the terms of the covenant. By this decision the friends and promoters of the Exhibition, who had witnessed with satisfaction the successful termination of the great enterprise, were spared the pain and disappointment of seeing the site converted into a mere lounging place, a sanatorium for imbecile dowagers and hypochondriacal patients; or, under colour of advancing, by Government assistance, the interests of art and science, being made the centre for that extended system of jobbery and baneful patronage, which appears ever inseparable from undertakings fostered by the Government of this country.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE IS RESCUED FROM DESTRUCTION.

It was immediately after the decision of the House of Commons requiring the removal of the building, that Mr. Francis Fuller, now the managing director of the Crystal Palace, and who had formerly

been one of the earliest and most energetic promoters of the Great Exhibition, actuated by a noble spirit of enterprise, and an earnest desire to perpetuate and extend the benefits which had been found to result from industrial exhibitions, came forward and offered the sum of 75,000l. for the materials of the building. The offer was accepted, and a contract entered into by Messrs. Fox and Henderson, to take down and remove the structure, and re-erect it at Sydenham for a sum of 120,000. Mr. Fuller and the gentlemen with whom he acted, upon finding themselves in possession of the building of the Crystal Palace, felt somewhat in the same position as a person who had received from an absent relative in India, a proof of his continued affection in the shape of a live elephant. What was to be done with the elephant when he was permitted no longer to "graze" in Hyde Park, naturally became a question of great moment. It was at this moment that Mr. Schuster, the owner of Penge Park, Sydenham, came forward and offered to give up his beautiful estate, in order that the "crystal elephant," as it was called, should have suitable pasturage, and the requisite supply of food. Although," said Mr. Schuster, "I had made up my mind to spend the remainder of my days on the estate, I would rather give it up than should be without a suitable site, and you shall have the park." All honour to this public spirited gentleman; may his noble self-denial be rewarded by witnessing the complete success of the People's Palace, and by receiving the grateful thanks of the people of England, for having afforded them the means of healthful recreation and intellectual advancement.

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A company was soon formed, a body of able and practical gentlemen appointed as directors, and the services of men eminent in their respective professions were engaged to superintend the various departments of the works: a complete list of which is given elsewhere. The Company obtained a royal charter of incorporation, and proceeded to complete the purchase of the necessary fand upon which to erect the new Crystal Palace; the principal portion being Mr. Schuster's park, consisting of 171 acres, the owner agreeing to sell it to the Company at its then existing price, as determined by valuation. Mr. Daniel Smith and Mr. Norton, eminent surveyors, with Alderman Sir John Musgrove as umpire, were appointed as valuers, and the price which they set upon the land was 86,6617. Other purchases were made of land adjoining Penge Park, comprising 178 acres, at a total cost of 81,0007.; the whole quantity of land in possession of the Company being then 349 acres, the cost of which was 167,6617. The policy of securing a sufficient quantity of land before its value had been enhanced by the construction of the palace soon became apparent, as a portion of the surplus on the outside of the park was soon disposed of at a large profit. An offer made by Mr. Wythes, a large contractor and builder of Reigate, of the sum of 100,000l. for 149 acres of the land was accepted, which, with some other small portions sold, realized to the Company, in a few months, a profit of 51,000.

The Company retained, after the disposal of the surplus, 200 acres of land, all included within a ring fence and of the most valuable character. The necessary space having been secured, the determination of the position which the palace should occupy, became a matter of anxious consideration, and the summit of the hill above Sydenham was the spot selected. The spot selected is probably one of the most commanding to be found in the country; most extensive views may be obtained from it of the vast city of London, the rich valley of the Thames, the windings of the noble river, of Kent, the garden of England, and several other adjacent counties, and for miles round, the "People's Palace," from its elevated position, forms a prominent and attractive feature. In the endeavours to carry out their original plan of creating a palace and a park which should constitute a monument worthy of the nation, the Directors wisely decided that the question of increased expense involved in the construction of the palace on the summit of the hill should not be allowed to interfere with them in their conduct of the enterprise. The public at large owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Directors for the manner in which, at every step taken by them towards realizing the original conception, they were influenced by the desire to make the undertaking worthy of that people of England, for whose recreation and instruction it was designed. The result of their labours is now to be seen in a building far surpassing in magnitude and architectural beauty the original structure in Hyde Park, filled with unrivalled collections of art and of beauty, placed on a commanding site, in the midst of a spacious park, in which the charm of natural scenery is combined with ornamental gardens, terraces, and fountains, on a scale of magnificence rivalling that of the palace itself, and within easy access, not only of the millions of the metropolis, but of the country at large.

THE PEOPLE'S PALACE IS ABOUT TO BE REBUILT AT

SYDENHAM.

The first column of the building was raised on the 5th August, 1852, before an assemblage of many thousands of persons. A procession, headed by a body of workmen, bearing an immense white banner, upon which was inscribed in blue letters, "Success to the Palace of the People," proceeded from the temporary buildings of the contractors to the spot upon which the column was to be raised. Then followed the Directors of the Company, the contractors, Sir Charles Fox, Messrs. Henderson and Cochrane, Mr. Owen Jones and Mr. Digby Wyatt, the superintendents of the decorations, a host of noble visitors, celebrated for their sympathies with the working classes, and for their desire to promote their best interests, and a host of scientific men eminent in their respective professions. Among them were Lord Stratford de Redcliffe

(the English Ambassador at Turkey), Lord Bruce, Mr. Monckton Milnes, Mr. Apsley Pellatt, Mr. Cornewall Lewis, Mr. Bernal Osborne, Professors Owen, Ryan, Ansted, Royle, Lindley, Wheatstone, Faraday, Playfair, Dr. Latham, Sir Charles Lyell, Sir Charles Barry, Mr. Dyce, Mr. Stanfield, Mr. Creswick, Mr. Scott Russel, Mr. Fairbairn, and numerous others. The column to be raised was hauled up by a band of workmen above the base-plate and socket, upon which it was finally to rest, when Mr. Laing stepped forward, and deposited in the lower part of the column a glass bottle, containing the coins of the realm, and a paper bearing the following inscription:

This Column,

The first support of the Crystal Palace,

A building of purely English architecture, destined for the
Recreation and instruction of the million,

Was erected on the 5th day of August, 1852,
In the 16th year of the reign of her Majesty Queen Victoria,
By Samuel Laing, Esq., M.P.

Chairman of the Crystal Palace Company.

The original structure of which this column formed a part
Was built after the design of Sir Joseph Paxton,
By Messrs. Fox, Henderson, and Co., and stood
In Hyde Park, where it received the
Contributions of the Works of Industry of All Nations,
At the World's Exhibition,

In the year of our Lord 1851.

Mr. Laing, Sir C. Fox, Mr. Henderson, and Mr. Cochrane, next stepped forward, and each taking a winch from a silver salver, screwed the column to the "base-piece," by means of screws and nuts. A royal salute was then fired, the band of the Coldstream Guards struck up the National Anthem, and from old and young, workmen and master, rich and poor, arose one tremendous cheer, which rent the air, for "The Queen and the Palace of the People.' When the cheering had ceased, Mr. Laing addressed the assembled thousands in the following words, remarkable alike for their eloquence and the sound and good opinions which they embodied :

"The duty has devolved upon me of fixing the first column of the new structure, which is intended to embody the glorious recollections of the Great Exhibition of 1851, as a fixed and abiding reality for purposes of national instruction and improvement. The importance of such an object might well have demanded the presence on this occasion of some one who occupies a far more conspicuous position in the public eye than the humble individual