NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THREE events were celebrated on. Thursday,—the Peace con- cluded at Paris the Birthday of Queen Victoria, and the blessed Restoration of King Charles the Second of happy memory. But the people, we conceive, thought only of one of the three events— the peace ; and of that they were rather reminded by exceptional illuminations, than positively thinking for themselves. What they did think of was the holiday which was very generally granted, and the display of light and fireworks by night. After the English fashion, they set themselves to the occupation of the day and the night in a thoroughly businesslike manner. The working classes flocked out of their recesses into the most obvious thoroughfares, and the Parks were studded with groups even in the morning. The Queen's drawingroom furnished a spectacle unwonted to the multitudes that thronged the thoroughfares, and had a most unwonted multitude to view it. The inspection of troops in St. James's Park was another attrac- tion thrown in for the gratification of the concourse as well as of the Court. And the Prince of Prussia, whom report has named as the destined husband of the Princess Royal, was enabled to inspect a very large muster of the English people as well as her Majesty's Household troops. It was as if there had been a birth- day on Whit-Monday, or ten Whit-Mondays in one ; and -upon the whole it would seem from the universal countenance that the Court and the multitude were equally pleased with each other.
The events of the night justified those who took the most hopeful view, and disappointed, every apprehension. The number drawn forth has been calculated at a million; but in fact it defied calculation, and from what we have observed in rather an extended range, we might be inclined to surmise that not more than one-fifth of the population actually consigned itself to the duty of keeping house that night, or was imprisoned by the in- firmities of human. nature. For even of those whose dwellings were immediately around the scenes of the greatest displays, and who therefore did not need to leave their homes, the en- tire household stood forth at the windows or on the roofs, and formed a part of London visible.
Instead of being any longer in the keeping of the constituted authorities therefore, the peace of the Metropolis was intrusted to the population at large ; and it could not, under the circum- stances, have been in better keeping. The arrangements were very simple. The illuminations of course were left to the people themselves, and they were distributed with some degree of equality along the more conspicuous lines. From the num- bers which were incessantly flowing and reflowing along those great thoroughfares, it would have been quite impossible to pre- serve the peace by means of police. Peace could only have been restored, if it been broken, by large masses of military. There was not a soldier to be seen, except those who administered the fireworks, and the red-coated stragglers in the crowd. The po- lice were stationed simply to direct the stream, where that office was needed. Excellent arrangements were made for avoiding any of those larger disasters or embarrassments which might cause distraction or difficulty to moving crowds. The Parks were thrown open as they are during the day, and they
were in fact under the light of an intermittent daylight. In places where there was any insecurity of building or fencing, the enclosures were strengthened. The attraction of [LATEST EDITION.] the public fireworks was so distributed as to draw the multitudes to different parts of the Metropolis from the first hour. Hyde Park, from its vast space, attracted an immense host ; which it could safely contain. Very simple announcements of the Police made these arrangements well known to the entire town ; and it was the free-will of the people which distributed them in different directions, and thus kept the sources of the streams that were continually flowing and reflowing pretty equable. The gayety of the attraction, the constant employ- ment for the eyes, and the vastness of the multitude itself, which a disturber could not influence' were sufficient not only to preserve the peace against danger, but to prevent even the appearance of insecurity ; and from the moment when the Queen gave the signal for the fireworks to begin, until the last straggler of the millions had dragged his weary limbs home, long after broad daylight had possessed the sky, the town was as tranquil as ever it has been in the midst of the coldest winter night, though not so silent. To perfect the arrangements, the sky lent its aid ; it was without moisture, and dark.
