30 MARCH 1951, Page 16

"Zbe Opectator," liflarcb 29t1). 1851

Mucti anxiety has been caused to the friends of the Great Exposition by the effect of the recent wet weather ; and its enemies, including the vast army of croakers, have begun to be "in hopes." The amount of wet that has fallen from the roof is considerable ; and doubts at once arose as to the sufficiency of the design to secure a proper drainage of the roof, or the execution by the contractors. The mode of failure has not been clearly or minutely explained. It is partly ascribed to broken panes of glass; but also to some other cause—the indifferent tenacity of the putty round the panes, or the defective working of the Paxton gutters from not having been painted soon enough. . . .