Three Years in Europe: Places I Have Seen and People I Have MetBrown, William Wells
History
Three Years in Europe: Places I Have Seen and People I Have Met
Brown, William Wells
Great Britain -- Description and travel
Presuming that you will expect from me some account of the great World's
Fair, I take my pen to give you my own impressions, although I am afraid
that anything which I may say about this "Lion of the day," will fall
far short of a description. On Monday last, I quitted my lodgings at an
early hour, and started for the Crystal Palace. This day was fine, such
as we seldom experience in London, with a clear sky, and invigorating
air, whose vitality was as rousing to the spirits as a blast from the
"horn of Astolpho." Although it was not yet 10 o'clock when I entered
Piccadilly, every omnibus was full, inside and out, and the street was
lined with one living stream, as far as the eye could reach, all wending
their way to the "Glass-House." No metropolis in the world presents such
facilities as London for the reception of the Great Exhibition, now
collected within its walls. Throughout its myriads of veins, the stream
of industry and toil pulses with sleepless energy. Every one seems to
feel that this great Capital of the world, is the fittest place wherein
they might offer homage to the dignity of toil. I had already begun to
feel fatigued by my pedestrian excursion as I passed "Apsley House," the
residence of the Duke of Wellington, and emerged into Hyde Park.
I had hoped that on getting into the Park, I would be out of the crowd
that seemed to press so heavily in the street. But in this I was
mistaken. I here found myself surrounded by and moving with an
overwhelming mass, such as I had never before witnessed. And, away in
the distance, I beheld a dense crowd, and above every other object, was
seen the lofty summit of the Crystal Palace. The drive in the Park was
lined with princely-looking vehicles of every description. The drivers
in their bright red and gold uniforms, the pages and footmen in their
blue trousers and white silk stockings, and the horses dressed up in
their neat, silver-mounted harness, made the scene altogether one of
great splendour. I was soon at the door, paid my shilling, and entered
the building at the south end of the Transept. For the first ten or
twenty minutes I was so lost in astonishment, and absorbed in pleasing
wonder, that I could do nothing but gaze up and down the vista of the
noble building. The Crystal Palace resembles in some respects, the
interior of the cathedrals of this country. One long avenue from east to
west is intersected by a Transept, which divides the building into two
nearly equal parts. This is the greatest building the world ever saw,
before which the Pyramids of Egypt, and the Colossus of Rhodes must
hide their diminished heads. The palace was not full at any time during
the day, there being only 64,000 persons present. Those who love to
study the human countenance in all its infinite varieties, can find
ample scope for the indulgence of their taste, by a visit to the World's
Fair. All countries are there represented--Europeans, Asiatics,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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