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APPENDIX No. XXIV.
PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS.
Although the Great Exhibition was the chief attraction in London during tho pant summerit was not the solo object that absorbed tho public attention ; tho various National Monumentsof art and of historical interest, the Galleries of paintings, of sculpture, of scientific and popu-lar collections, wore visited with extraordinary eagerness and with untiring energy. Fortu-natoly this popular feeling was in some measuro anticipated, and tho means of gratifying itwere increased by facilitating admission to most of tho national and public buildings.
With regard to Foreigners, arrangements wore made by which tho Ministers ofForeign Courts resident in London , were authorized to issue cards, admitting thobearers to inspect tho following establishments without requiring them to producetho ticket of admission, which is required in somo cases specially for Foreigners, andin others for Visitors in general: viz.:—
Windsor Castle.
Woolwich Arsenal.
Woolwich Dockyard.
Tho other Dockyards.
Dulwich Gallery.
United Service Museum.
And tho regulations of admission to the undermentioned establishments, to whichtho number of Visitors must of necessity bo limited, were so far relaxed, that theForeign Ministers were enabled to procure admission with facility for Foreignerswhom they recommended, viz.:—
Tho Royal Mint.
Tho Model Prison, Pentonvillo.
M illbank Penitentiary.
Bcthlem Hospital.
Tho British Museum was open to tho public fivo days in tho week instead of thousual limit of throe days, and tho usual vacation -was postponed until tho close of theExhibition.
Tho usual vacation at tho National Gallery was also postponed.
Tho pleasure-grounds at Kow wore opened every day instead of two days in thoweek.
Tho admission foe to tho floor of St. Paul’s was abolished, and tho regulations atWestminster Abbey wore adapted to tho requirements of the season.
Tho museum bequeathed by Sir John Soane was free four days in tho weok, insteadof the average of two days.
St. Stoplien’s, Walbrook, a well-known example of the talent and taste of SirChristopher Wren , was for the first time opened gratuitously two days in tho week.
The Societies of tho Temple withdraw the restriction of admission by ticket to theirChurch, and to Middle Temple Hall.
Those and $omo other concessions wore made by tho Government, by public officers or bypublic Institutions, and tho gradual tendenoy of the age to encourage healthy and intellectualenjoyments would havo led to tho expectation from those bodies of tho abolition during thopast summer of somo of tho usual restrictions. Simultaneously with the announcement ofthese arrangements, tho Duke of Northumberland, tho Earl of Ellesmere, and the Lord Warddetermined to risk tho experiment of admitting to their mansions and galleries all willing toseek the opportunity. The success of tlieso concessions must bo sought in tho proper demea-nour of the visitors, and the amount of gratification which has been diffused: tho effect, it isto bo hoped, will bo traced in tho gradual development of a taste for amusements which tendto interest the mind, rather than merely to allay excitement.
The aimoxod tabular statement shows the number of visitors to every gallery and publicbuilding of which it has been possible to obtain roturns, and great as tho number of visitslvoro to tho Exhibition, it must be borne in mind that tho visits enumerated in this Tableare, with few exceptions probably, composed of but a single visit by each person, and not ofaccumulated visits which constitute tho return of porsons visiting the Exhibition.