AVOltKING CLASSES.

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classes who might ho expected to visit the Exhibition, was calculated to mislead the mostcautious inquirer, and on tho other hand, no data wore attainable of the visits of Eorcignorsin former years, nor of tho number who wore resident in Loudon. With such imperfectknowledge, therefore, no estimate could bo fonnod which should not be liable to exaggerationor miscalculation.

Tho only source whence any information can bo obtained, is tho Offico of tho Secretary ofState for the Home Department, and having had access, with tho permission of Sir UeorgoGroy, to tho Lists of Aliens kept there, 1 have been enabled, with every probability of accuracy,to prepare a statement of arrivals duriug tho last three years. Those lists are prepared undertho provisions of tho Alien Act , which require tho Commander of every ship having Foreignerson board, to deliver, under a penalty of '■ 201 ., to tho Oflieor of Customs on tho arrival of thevessel at an English Fort, a list of all such Foreigners ; and lists are regularly transmitted totho (Mice of the Homo Secretary, by the Customs’ Officers of all tho principal Forts, exceptLiverpool, at which place the only important arrivals are from tho United States ; but asAmerican citizens are not subjected to any restrictions on leaving their own, and are not requiredto produce a passport in this country, and are moreover little marked in their diil'eronoo fromEnglish, tho Alien Act is enforced with loss facility against them, than against others. ’Thenumber of Americans who have arrived in this country, however, has been supplied by thoSecretary to tho American Legation, and thus a very satisfactory statement can bo preparedof tho number of Forcign visitors, inasmuch as tho returns quoted are official documentscollected under ordinary regulations, and bearing the impress of exactitude.

Tho grounds upon which I am induced to behove the Homo Office Lists of Aliens to besubstantially correct, are, that such lists are forwarded with great punctuality from tho Custom1 louse in London, amlfrom tho officer of Customs at Dover, Folkestone , Southampton, Brighton,and Hull, those being tho only Forts whence Fackots regularly ply for tho Continent , and thata Foreigner is so habituated in his own, and other countries, to submit to the strict regulationswhich prevail on tho Continent, that, unless he is a frequent visitor to this country, he answersmechanically to tho simple inquiries put to him, when the Lists of Aliens are prepared by tho(Ifficer of tho l’acket. It must, however, be remarked, that during the past season, the regulationsof .Foreign States have boon construed with great liberality, and it follows, that in tho monthsof July, August, and September, there was less punctuality in observing tho requirements ofthe English Alien Act , but tho omissions cannot be of groat amount, for I am assured, onenquiry, that tho accuracy of tho lists is generally to be depended upon.

From these lists it appears that tho number of Foreigners who landed in this country, in-cluding tho Americans , according to tho returns from the American Legation, were—

In 1848, 19,340 ; 1849, 21,588 ; 1850, 23,801.

In tho six months, from tho 1st of April to tho 30tli of September of tho last year, thoarrivals were 15,514 ; in the corresponding period of tho present year they were 58,427, or anexcess over last year of 42,913. This is much below the expectation, but tho expense of ajourney from any part of tho Continent, except tho out-ports of Franco, Holland, and Belgium ,were not lessoned duriug tho soason, no great schemes of oxoursion trips wore organized, asthat by which a body of tlio Farisian National Guard visited London in 1849, and exaggeratedstatements were prevalent of tho increased expense of tho season.

Tho number of Foreign visitors during the six months ended 30th of September last, ascompared with the corresponding period of 1850, shows an increase of 27(i per cent., and thisrate of incroaso would hardly be all'ected, even if tho lists are imperfect, and the actual num-ber of arrivals could bo ascertained, as the comparison would bo made in each caso upon databearing tho same relative proportion tho ono to tho other.

So much misapprehension has existed on this subject, that it scorns desirable to trace any'circumstances which may appear to govern tho arrival of Foreigners in this country, andwhethor on consideration any cause can be assigned why those numbers should not bo so largoas they uro popularly supposed to be.

Many French, Belgians, and Dutch , arc in tho habit of visiting this country ; tlioir regulationsin regard to passports are loss strict than those of other Continental States; the journey isono of a few hours, and of a moderato expense ; but in all other States of the Continent, theordinary inducements of travel are satisfied with infinite less difficulty, Bocial and political,than by a journey to England. Another reason for tho apparently low numbers, is that thoproportion of tho middle class of Foreigners, who are in tho habit of making holiday trips, issmall when compared with tho number of tlio samo class of English, who visit tho Continent ,whilo the provorbial oxponso of a London season must, in many instances, be a serious im-pediment against frequent visits.

Tho caso of an English subject is in every respect the very reverse of that of tho Foreigner,and it would be interesting to compare accurate statistics of English , with Foreign travelling.1 lore, however, only an approximate estimate can bo formed, for it is impossible to obtain thonumber who visit America, or tho Colonies , and tho only data are of those who visit tho Con-tinent. From authentic returns which have boon obtained, it would appear that 37,142British subjects are known to have left this country for tho Continent, between the 1st ofApril and the 30th of September, 1851. There are many, however, who travel without pass-ports, or obtain them only when obliged, so that no record can be obtained of them in thiscountry ; but ovon making allowance for these, and bearing in mind the obstacles which impede