MELBOURNE EXHIBITION. ADDITIONAL DETAILS OF THE OPENING. A SPLENDID PAGEANT.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 290, 15 August 1888, Page 4

MELBOURNE EXHIBITION. ADDITIONAL DETAILS OF THE OPENING. A SPLENDID PAGEANT.

Mei,bourxk, August 2. The ceremonies attendant upon the opening of the Centennial Exhibition yesterday were of a brilliant character. In the pro* cession, the friendly societies mustered up over 2,000 strong, the firemen at least 500, and the Trades Hall societies some 6,000. All three organisations had bands as numerous, as diversified in merit, and as omainental as the tunes they played. The iiremen, in addition, had numerous appliances for fire extinction which made a brave show, with burnished brass and mountings polished until they sh^ne like looking-glass. After the muster the lire brigades and the friendly and trade societies maiched to Collins-street, which they lined on each side from Spencer-street to Spying street leaving a clear space in the ccntie. Fioin this, the beginning of the day-b proceed ings, it will be seen that what has been hitherto called a procession might be more properly described as several processions welded into one. Thus, the Guard of Honom, which was composed of the naval and military forces of the colony, augmented by a strong detachment fiom the crews of H.M. ships in Hob^on'p Bay, urns-teredaboutSpencer-street, and then marched up Collins-street and through Spring and Victoria streets to near the Exhibition. In Kathdown -street this procession was leceived with immense popular favour, especially the Imperial ioiccs, which foimccl a part of it. These, the seamen and mariners under their different officers, maiched at the head of the line, and w ere follow ed by the Permanent Victorian Naval Forces, the Mounted Rifles, the Naval Brigade, three batteries of field aitillery, and four battalions of the Victoria Militia. So soon as they reached the Exhibition Building, two guards of honour, na\al and military respectively, weie posted opposite the northern entrance, while the ioad\\ay leatlfrotn Eathdown-stieet to the entrance was lined with troops. The third procession i\as officially the most impoitant one of the day, being composed uf the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Loch, who performed the ceremony of opening the Exhibition, and of the Governors of the other Australian colonies, headed by fifty of the Mounted Rifles and a detachment of cavalry. This procession started from the Government House a little after 11 a.m., and proceeded at as brisk a pace as circumstances ■« ould pei mil. It as composed of carriages containing the Australian Governors, which were picceded by the forces just mentioned, and were followed by a mounted detachment of Isoidenfeldt battery and by 50 Mounted Rifles. As had been said, the sight in the stieets, as the possession passed along, waa wondei - fully fine. Viewed from a Aantage point at either the old Treasury, so as to look dow n Collins-street : or at the Parliament buildings, so as to look down Bourke-stieet. there was the same sea of human beings sharply divided on the ground by the roadways, but thronging windows and all available places for Fight-seeing ; and then from everywheite theie wei-e hung out decorations of bunting and material of all sorts, so as Lo make a many-coloured appearance. So far, the outside portions of the ceremonies of the opening day were as satisfactory a* could be desired. Since the Duke of Edinburgh landed for the first time in Melbourne her streets have never been «o thronged ; but with the arrival oi the Governor and other notabilities at the northern entrance of the Exhibition, the outside show terminated.

CEREMONY WITHIN THE BUILDING. That within then began. Sir James Macßain, President;, and his fellcm-com-missioner, received the Governor. The President having presented Sir Henry Loch with a gold key, his Excellency went through the formal ceremony of opening the door, and he and the other Governors, the members of the Victorian Ministry, and the Commissioners made an inside procession down what is callad the Avenue of Nations, because, peihnp-?, it is not an avenue, and, except tome suspended banners, there were no signs of nations in it. The Exhibition was now a really 1 emai kable sight, not because it was an exhibition of the arts and industries of the woi Id, for that it certainly was not, but because, where arts and industries were not, there were on the floors of the naves and tian^epti and galleries ouilt abo\e the galleries proper people in bright dresses and in numbers such as are not often seen in a. lifetime. The somewhat hideous colours in which the vault of the great dome and the roofs of the transept and naves \\ ere painted dimmed themselves in the distance, and the repulsiveness of reds and blues, such as are only seen on painted toys of childien. was lessened. The orchestra and the choru«, in colours to distinguish the different voices, were grouped in front of the great organ. The Governors reached the dai=>, andseated themselves; behind them, tier upon tier rose, on which were the official guests The President presented an address to the Victorian Governor, and al&o copies oi the official programme of the opening cantata, and of the song of thanksgiving. The Governor replied, and then the organ notes rolled down the aisles, and the voices of the chorus blended with the music of the choir.

COLONIAL REPRESENTATIVES. The following representatives of the Ministries of tho different colonies were among those present at the opening ceremonial: — Ta&mania: Messrs B. S. Bird, A. J. Clark, P. 0. Fysh. South Australia : Messrs J. Coles, J. G. Ramsay, C. C. Kingston, and T. Playford. Queensland : Messrs M. H. Black, 11. M. Nelson, A. J. Thynne, andSirThos. Mcllwraith. New South Wales: Messrs J. Inglis, C. J. Koberts, W. Clarke, J. F. Burns, and G. B. Simpson. Victoria : Messrs D. M. Davis, J. Bell, F. T. Derham, W. F. Walker, J. Nimmo, J. L. Dow, C. fl. Pearson, F. Cuthbert, H, J. Wrixon, D. Gillies, and Sir James Lorimer. The Chief Justices of Ta&mania, South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria were also present, as were in addition Judges Deffell, Innes, and Windeyer, of New South Wales.

THE CANTATA A FAILURE. Mr Cowen's song o£ thanksgiving was deserving of all piaise. There was a splendid volume of voices, so well balanced that the different parts an&wered each other in perfect harmony and accord. The gem of the work, however, was the unaccompanied chorus No. 2, where the piano parts were exquisite, giving evidence of admirable direction, and of being held well under control; but the cantata was a failure. None of it rose above mediocrity, and there was a great deal too much of it; as, indeed, there was also of the address read by the Governor of Victoria in reply to that from the Commissioners. The National Anthem was simply magnificently rendered. The soprano parts were beautifully clear in tfco first vwse. The altos sang the second 1

verse equally well, and then both together took the third splendidly.

[ A DISGRACEFUL SCENE. After tho (Jovernor and procession bad left the main building bo vis>it bho various courts, a disgraceful sccno of Melbourne lnrrikinism took place. A crowd of lire brigade men and others made a. rush ab the doorway from which those in the main building were emerging into the Avenue of Nations, and, despite the ciies of women and children, who were crushed and almost trampled, persisted in attempting to force an entrance into the building in the face of the human stream pouring from it. While the matter made everyone anxious, it was amusing to sco Judges, Cabinet Ministers, and othots take to their heels, at) the po&sibility of their sacred persons being molested seemed immediate. A number of police, assisted by several gentlemen, stood their ground, and forced back the ruilians who were acting badly, yet could not pre\ent many of them violently pushing their way thiough a crowd of ladies. Howcvei, at last the doons were shut, and the main body kept outside.

f THE GOVERNOR'S DINNER. A Oo\ eminent House on A'cdnesday iii<;lib, I Lit? Excellency t.lic Governor entertained about 160 representative gentlemen, and the ladies of Government Hou&o party, at dinner In honour of the opening of the exhibition. The only toast A\as that of " The Queen," pioposed by Hib ENcellcnc-y the Gen ernoi.

NUMBER OF VISITORS. The E \hibition authoiities lnue stated that about 35,000 per&on-. \ ibi ted the Exhibition on Wednesday, but the calculation lia& only been made up fiom tough, returns. The number oi pas'scng'ors carried to and fiom the ]\[elbourne lailway {stations on Wednesday m.is 135,415. This heavy tiaiHc vas conducted tluoughoui the day without mishap.

TTIE FIRST CONCERT. A concert was given to-night in that pait of the building which has been set apart for nm^ic. The part ha'- always had a bad n.uno ior its aeoiibtic qualities. Uju)u the concert -100 m being put to the te~>t, it was noticed that the old delect, the noise of the tramping crowd, was btill mo.>t obieetioiiiiblc. The conceit hall will accommodate 3.000 people, but- it was not neaih idled. The Covernor and Lady Loch* and the (Jovernors, of the neigh bom in<_ p rolonics, with many of their italic and a numerous following, sveic amongst the audience. Theie was a magnificent; attendance ot singcis. The National Anthem wa& performed in line style, and there •ua^, other mutic w Inch .showed the woik of the choius in a very good light. The pai t they took in the gieat choius " The heaven& aie telling a\ as \ cry line indeed, and they de^ei ved special honour foi the unaccompanied per formance of se\eial pait tiongs. Their work throughout \\as. good, and called forth maikedand ficquent oxpie^sion of appio\al. The orchc^tia also came in for a thaie oi lecognition, and proved itself, under the masteih baton of .Mi Cow en, the hne&t thib pait ot the woild hat c\ci &ecn.

MR CO .YEN, MUSICAL DIRECTOR OF THE EXHIBITION. Mr Frederick Hymen Ccnvcn, musical dhector of the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, uasbom on January '29, 155"2, ! at Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, and was only foui ycai -' old when he was taken to England, and enteiertasa pupil of Sh j J. Benedict and Sir J. Go-s under whom he studied until 1565. The s>uc( reding thi cc ycai- were ]>rolitably s-penb at the eon-t-er\atoiie-> of Leip/ic and Beilin. On his letiun to England he commenced his career as a composer, the tii^t fi nits of hi* genius being an operetta entitled "Garibaldi," a, fantasie sonata, two quartettes, apianotoite concerto, and a sjmphonyin C minoi. A cantata, " The Iloec Maiden," wa-> produced in 1870, and the next year Mr Cowen composed the incidental music to Schiller's " Maid of Oilcan?." A festnal o\ertme forXoiwich followed in 1872, and to the Biuningham Festi\al of 1876 he contributed u cantata called "The Cor.-air,"' besides a symphony in F major. On IS T o\ ember 22 of the ?ame \ear he scored a notable triumph in the successful pioduction of his opera of "Pauline,'' by the Carl TJomi Company. His Scandinavian symphony \vo-!> peifouned in 18S0 at St. JamesV Hall, under his peisonal diiection, and the next year hit, sacred cantata, " Sfc Ursula," was one of the principal features of the Norwich Festival. His recent -\\oiks compute the O'atorio of "Ruth,"' his mo 4 ambitions and populai efibit, on a\ ltich hi-; lepufcation laigely lest-s ; a cantata, entitled "The Sleeping Beauty, ' and the Wel-b and liflh .symphonies \Vith lespect to Mi Cowen'b minor efloit 1 -, his | industry is sufhciently indicated by the fact that moic than 200 published tongs and duet-5 bear his name a- composer.

THE AVENUE OF NATIONS. Tlie main entiancc to the Exhibition gioui.ds i^> in Xicholnon &ticet. The a i&itoi ha-. ing leached the centre of the great hall iiaturally turn 6*6 * off into the Avenue ot Nations, which leads in a noi therly direction. To the light of him is the New South Wales Court, and on the opposite side the Biitish Comb. The iirst thing one is impressed with it, the magnitude of the tiop'iie-: which maik the western boundan of the New South Wales Com I. Almost everyone pauses to cvuminc a wonderful column of silver rising to a height 01 about 40fb. If there is a design | or device in the whole of the international collections entitled to take premier position the column of silver is ceitainly that design. With the exception of the base, which i«- about 3fb. in height, the whole of the surface of the design has been pioduced in silvering, applied in such a way that the conception of an architect has been revealed in a monument which looks like a colossal piece of silvei smith's work. The object of this &li iking design is to mark the wealth j of the JBioken Hill Siher-mine. The upper portion of the trophy represents in measurement the produce of the mine since May, 1886, which amounts to 5,508,5360z., or 1(59 tons of lino silver. The column is flanked by copper and silver ti opines, built up of ingots and ot ore. Next comes the entrance to the second bay of the court, which is marked by a porch of Italian style of aichitecture. Further north there is a huge pyramid formed of copper ignots and ore from the Burraga mine, which during the past seven years has yielded upwards of £300,000 worth of copper. Beyond this trophy is a pretty canopy of maroon and blue, marking the main avenue leading to the .Now South Wales fruit and wine trophies. The entrance to the next bay is formed by the Carrington Pavilion, a most artistically designed and elegantly furnished structuie. The entrance to the next bay has a richlydesigned canopy, which leads direct to a •splendid kiosk constructed to show the various products of the Colonial .Sugar Company. The next bay is reached through an ornamental porch similar to the one already described, and leading to the New South Wales art gallery. Journalism in its various phases and developments is also shown

along the front of the court. The wholo of the iront of the court, facing tlio Avenue of Nations is artistically draped, t/ho entrances to the court being painted in tinto of a pleating subdued nature, bo as not to detract fiom the attractiveness of the exhibits.

THE WOOL TROPHY. Wool is one of tho chief natural products of all tho colonies, and it was only lilting thai sonic special central trophy bhould be erected to mark the vastness of this industry. Tho trophy, which takes tho foi m of a hugo arch, ib most admirably placed in one of tho ccnlial avonues of tho Now South Wales Court, a short distance from the coal trophy. A visitor on entering the court sees before him a huge arch of coal, and behind and through it a correspondingly impressive arch of wool, two important indu&tiies being thus conjointly typified. The arch or trophy nicaburos bomo 35 feet in height, and 50 in breadth, and besides the wide central arch theio is a smaller arch on either .side. The space between and abo\ c tho arches is compactly rilled with neatly-pressed wcot bales, whilst specimens of wool and fleeces fill up interstices between the balce. The nlain Mirface of the wool bale&, which ■would otherwise present a dull monotonous appearance, ib relieved by a ta&teful arrange ment of flags, whilst the eO'ect if further heightened and vaiiod by a number of b tutted lams and sheep, which aic placed at intervals above and mound the trophy. A busb of ,)ohn i\lc Arthur, originator of the sheep indusliy in Australia, occupies a prominent place in the ccntic tiophy. The poi lions of the tiophy belonging to each colony arc marked oil by indicating districts fiom which the wool comet.. Thus New South Wales sends* wool from IMudgcc, Ri\orina, Cobar, tho Upper Lachlnn, Dai ling, and Western diotricts. Yictoiia cvhibits her quota ot tiophy with wool from the Western, Lodclon, AVimmera, and Uppci Muruvy di^liict.s. South Australia, Queensland, and "Western Australia also wool fiom their \avioua distiielstothetiophy, hic-h is thu^ buillup into a tiuly hnpicssne r-i/,c, iittingly indicative of our gi eat pasloial industiy. New Zealand, which is alto a great wool -pi oducing colon\, is, strangely enough, utucpresciitcd in this combined trophy. Another e simple of what Dion Boucicault pointed out t's Hio weak point ot JS^e^\^ Zealand — the inability of its public men to " nm " the colony in accordance with the tenets of the " show business."'

NEW ZEALAND .MINIM J EXHIBITS. Exhibits iittcd to rli. splay the huge and varied mineial icsouices ut New Zealand aio not pietcnt in such numbcisa- ihey ought to bo. The New Zoal.md Court, as a whole, i;. %eiy cfiecthcly ai tanked, and the arrangement being neai or completion than i& the ca&o w ith mo>t other com ts, it is^ei}* attiacth c ; bub it is distinctly disappointing to anyone who knows ot what the colony is capable, and who can lealise what could ha\o been s.ho'u n had theic been any •woithy cfloit made by the (Government 01 private indi\iduaK To pro\e the eoriectuess ot this 1 gi\e the full list of exhibits from New Zealand under the heading ot "Mining Ttidustiios, .Machine! y and PioducU." It is as follows : — Athcroft, <! , Xcl&on. — Qiuulv. ciushing, puheti.-ing, and amalgamating machine. Bay ot Islands Coal Co., Ltd., Kawakawa. — Two blocks ot coal. Edwaulb, E. R., Thames. — Mining appliances. (.Jalbraith I). 11. IS., llcmueia. — Working model (Simoon) orc-ioasting luinace, pneumatic ore stampei. Johnston, W. (!., llokitika. — Model of a new gold - sa\ing machine named the " Hydiaulic Siphon Amalgamator." MdArbliiu, I>. W., Hokitika. --Model ol retrograde tail-iace foi sa\ing line gold. Brunnci Coal Co., Cucymouth. — Section of bituminous coal seam ; coke made fiom the coal ; lnc-cla\ good&, uas ictoit. Bay ot ihlancK Coal Co. , Ltd., Auckland. —Exhibit. Coal Cieck (Joal Co., Cobden, Cucymouth. — Specimen of coal. Collingwood Coal Co., Nelson. —Coal from the Collingwood mine. Colonial Liboiatoi\, Wellington; Skey, analyst. — Samples of coals, oie-, and minerals, -\\ ith analy.ses. Dankb, J. ix. T., Clnibtchuich. — Caso ol bnis.s-foundiy woik. l']dwaids, l<2. 11., Thames — Cues fiom the Hauiaki mine-. [ Ecological Sunc} Department. — Collections of iock& and lo^d.s, lllustiating geological stiata. Hokitika Local Committee, Ifokitika. — Quait/ and ofchet oies. Kilgour, J. Tyneside Collieiy, Binnnerton. — Coal and coke. Kaitangata liailway and Coal Co., Ltd., Dunedin.— Coal from Kaitangata mine. Lammerlaw Antimony Mining Co., Lawrence.- Antimony oic fiom the Lammcilaw Ranges. Mines Dcpai tment, Wellington. — Specimens of ores and miiicial^. Mokihinui Coal Co., Ltd., Mokihinui. — Specimen of co-il. M.ou-in and Co., T. and S., Ltd., Auckland. — Coal, iion oie, limestone, lue-biicks, fire-clay. New Zealand Antimony Co. Ltd., Wellington.—Cakes ot btar antimony, doubles, and raw ote. New Zealand Commissioners. Wellington. — Trophy of New Zealand mineials : trophy lepi eventing the total pioduce ol bullion. New Zealand Midland Railway Co., Ltd., Chrifjtchuich. — Coal and minerals. Queen&town, Borough ol. — Specimens of minerals, and quart/. ; Reefton Committee, Recfton.-— Mincial specimen*. South Pacific Petroleum Company, (!isborne. — Crude petroleum and samples of dye products, arid photogiaphb ot woiks. Waikato Coal and Shipjung Company, Ltd., Auckland. — Specimen of coal. Washbourn and Sons, Para Pa 1 , a, Ncl&on.— lron oxide paints pie pa red from Para Para ironstone. A\ r e.sfcport Coal Company, Ltd., Dunedin. — Coal, coke, and fire-clay from CoalbrookdaloGranity, Wallsond, and Coal Pit Heath Mines.

WORKS OF ART FROM NEW I ZEALAND. Tho Art Clallciies are practically the only portions of the Exhibition that were in proper condition for inspection on the opening day. They present a very fine appearance indeed, and it is indicative of tho large amount of attention paid to the fine arts in New Zealand that its exhibits in this department are more numeious than those of any other country, with tho exception of (Germany and Victoria. The art collection of New Zealand is, indeed, a highly interesting feature of the court. The pictures have been hung in a .succession of small octagonal saloons leading from one to the other through a passage that forms one of the most pleasing perspectives in the whole Exhibition. A Maori store quaiutly carved and decorated, a few native curios, and models in plaster of the ruined terraces, as well as of the three islands of the colony, attract the attention of the visitor and hold back the crowd in its eager .search for novelty longer than it has cared to stay with the more prosaic exhibits in most of the other courts.