154 THE FLORIST. 



of the Exhibition of 1851 as to arrange three tariffs of admittance — the 

 first four days of the week the admission fee being fixed at one shilHng ; 

 on Friday, at half-a-cro\\Ti ; and Saturday, the fashionable day, at five 

 shillings. The directors also propose to issue season tickets — those for 

 the first season extending from the day of opening to the 30th April, 

 1855, a period of about 11 months; these tickets are to be charged 

 21. 2s. each, with large reductions on family tickets. The ceremony of 

 opening is expected to be very magnificent, graced, as there is no doubt 

 it will be, by the presence of Her Majesty and His Royal Highness 

 Prince Albert, to whose enlightened taste in promoting the Exhibition 

 of 1851 the present building, devoted to the development of the resources 

 of commerce and the fine arts, may justly be said to owe its being. 

 Passengers by railway will be conveyed from London Bridge on the 

 shilling days to and from the Palace, and furnished with a ticket of 

 admission thereto, by first class carriage, for 2s. 6d. ; second class, 2s. ; 

 and third class, Is. 6d.,- — being, in fact, only 6d. for a journey of some- 

 thing like 14 miles ; whilst children under 12 years of age will be 

 charged only half the above amounts. 



Such of our readers who have not had an opportunity of witness- 

 ing the progress of the Palace and gardens will doubtless wish to be 

 informed of the present position of the w^orks, and what is likely to be 

 presented to them on the day of opening : for, of course, no person 

 expects that the Exhibition or Park can be complete in all their 

 details until some time after that important event has taken place. 



Descending, then, towards the gardens (for it is to these we mean to 

 confine our remarks for the present), we come to the basement storey, 

 or what has been styled Sir Joseph Paxton's tunnel, which is formed 

 through the Norwood front of the building standing on so much higher 

 gi'ound than the garden front. This storey, which is an important 

 addition to the exhibition, and one altogether absent from that in Hyde 

 Park, is 1608 feet long, extending the whole length of the building, 

 and nearly 30 feet wide. It is rapidly approaching to completion ; 

 and in this portion of the building, in addition to the apparatus and 

 pipes for warming the building and supplying the basins of the foun- 

 tains mth water (there being upwards of 50 miles of piping laid dowTi 

 for these purposes), arrangements will be made for the exhibition of 

 machinery, agricultural implements, heavy specimens of minerals, &c. 

 The projecting wings of the palace, enclosing the ends of the terrace 

 garden, are progressing rapidly. A great portion of the turf on the 

 terrace garden has been laid down, and, notwithstanding the very dry 

 weather for such work, the planting of the beds is now being actively 

 proceeded with. Those at present finished have been filled chiefly -with 

 crimson and other Rhododendrons. Some of the beds are edged with 

 Erica carnea. Many young specimen Deodars, varying fi'om 8 to 12 

 feet in height, have been recently planted, both on the terrace and in 

 the park. The walks in the terrace garden are nearly all rough 

 gravelled, and the different basins for the fountains have been formed, 

 and only wait for the latter to render this garden in a very advanced state. 



The main central walk has been formed as far as the first great 

 fountain in the park ; and the channels for the waterfalls and cascades 



