WORKING CLASSES.

Ill

APPENDIX No. XXIV.

IliorouT of Mu. Alexander Redgrave on tiie visits of the Working ("lasses.

TO HIS KOVAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT ,

PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION FOR PROMOTING T1IH GREAT EXHIBITION OF 1851.Sir, 41, York Terrace, Jiei/eut’a Park, 9th December 1851.

Having been appointed on tho Gth of July 1850, “to co-operate with Sir William Reid,“ in obtaining tho information and in making the necessary arrangements for enabling tho“ Working Classes to visit tho Exhibition of 1851, and in communicating on this subject with“ the proper authorities in Loudon, with the Railway Companies, and with tho Local Com-“ mittees,” my immediate attention was directed by tho nature of theso duties to tho numberof persons likely to arrive in London , to the extent of suitable accommodation, to other con-siderations immediately connected with tho subject, and, generally, to the state of theMetropolis. On tho close of tho Exhibition , it appeared to bo desirable that some trustworthystatements should bo obtained of the number of visitors, of tho employment of their timewhile in town, with any other collateral facts which might bo traced as some of tho results oftho Great Exhibition upon the social condition of the Metropolis.

Tho experience of a few weeks after the Exhibition had been opened, dissipated tho appre-hensions, which, in tho absence of all precedent, prevailed at tho commencement of tho year ;tho most remarkable quietude and good order prevailed, tho social condition of the Metropolisremained unaltered, and tho conduct of the visitors, foreign and provincial, was entitled to thehighest commendation. These aro acknowledged truths, they hardly require proof, so abun-dant has been tho evidence, so general tho estimation of them. Tho investigation ol some ofthe facts, and of tho circumstances which attended them, will, however, exhibit most gratifyingcharacteristics which it appears to bo important to record ; and with tho object of bringingtogether under one view, the more prominent facts which present themselves, l have, by thodesire and with tho sanction of your Royal Highness, and of tho Commissioners, obtained alltho official documents and authentic returns within my roach, which would aid mo in pre-paring a plain and truthful statement.

In considering tho nature of tho information, and of tho details to bo obtained, it appearedmost desirable, in order not only to give greater value to the returns themselves, but to keeptho inquiry within certain well-deiined limits, that application should bo made eithor to'Public Departments or to Public Institutions, and that such authentic and trustworthy infor-mation only should bo used, as could bo procured from such sources ; tho object being to collectin one report those facts which aro found to exist by reference to public documents, ratherthan to seek for and exhibit tlioso only which may be tho most striking.

The returns ill general refer to a period between tho 1st of April and tho 30tli of Septemberof each year, being six months, and a convenient term for comparison; and although the Exhi-bition was not open during tho whole of that period, it was tho great object of attraction forweeks anterior to tho 1st of May.

i

NUMBER OF VISITORS.

Tho first point to bo ascertained is tho number of visitors whoso journey to London must beattributed to tho Exhibition. Tho returns published by tho Executive Committee show thonumber of porsons who entered tho building to have amounted on the 11 th of October to6,()63,!KS6, but of this number it was impossible for their officers to ascertain what proportionwere resident in London and what proportion wero non-residents or foreigners ; theso pointsaro fairly brought out by the aid of the returns of traffic which have been furnished by thoprincipal Railway and Steam Packet Companies.

The general facilities for travelling, and tho cheapness of some routes to and from thoContinent which had existed for a considerable time, rendered less prossing tho organizationof arrangements specially for tho Exhibition ; but one remarkable enterprizo must not beoverlooked. On tho 1st of May, tho South Eastern Railway Company with tho co-operationof tho Northern Railway Company of Franco, started one tidal sorvico per day, each way,between this country and France, bringing Paris within an eleven hours’ continuous journey ofLoudon, and on the 1st of August this service was doubled. This is tho most importantcombination that has been effectively carried out during tho present year, and was doubtlesstho oilspring of suggestions, to which the Exhibition gavo rise in tlio promotion of inter-national communication ; the successful co-operation of tho Northern Railway Company ofFranco and tho evident soundness of tho scheme have since that poriod gained tho adhesion ofother linos of Railway in Franco to tho principle ; by which tho communication botwoen thiscountry and tho Mediterranean has been reduced to a journey of two days; a traveller fromMarseilles being able to roach Loudon in 46 hours at an expense, for a first-class ticket, ofonly 116.

Tho Railway Companies, from which Returns of Traffic have been obtained, are :—

The Great Western.North Western.Great Northern.Eastern Counties.

Tho South Eastern.Brighton.

South Wosteru.