The Express.
London, England, 1864-04-12 00:00:00

EXPRESS, TUESDAY BANG,

Early as it was, the pavements were lined with
crowds of people. triages arrived in rapid succes-
sion, and large bodkin' of police well using liereelean
efforts to direct them in thetight line of route.
To add to the ordinary didinult,y ei moving in •
crowd, the usual road to the Nines nes statism was
blocked up by the works in progress for the great
metropolitan sewer, consequently carriages had to
be turned down a circuitous route by way of South
Lambeth, and much confusion on the part of the
drivers and gesticulation on that of the police
, was the result. Everything, however, was
tiooe with perfect good humour, the people
' were out for a holiday, and were deter-
' untied that nothing should disturb their en-,
joyment. Most of the stands erected in the
vicinity of the station were
.filled to suffocation
hours before the time fixed for the arrival of the
special train conveying Garibaldi and his suite from
Southampton. By-and-by came the trade societies
which had formed in procession iu various quarters
of London, and now marched up the Wandsworth-
rued with their bands playing and their banners
displayed in great numbers. But there were no
irritating party mottoes, no political symbols among
them. rho appeal made by the authorities
to the simple good sense of the people
had been quite sufficient, and upon the banners
specially made for this purpose simple expreesious
of cordial welcome to Garibaldi were all that were
to be seen. There were many hundreds of splendid
colours displayed by various trade societies,
gorgeous in appearance and gigantic in size, but not
one contained au emblem to which the least objec-
tion could be taken by even the woet sensitive.
The Italian colours—red, white, and green—as
might be expected, preponderated, and they were
of all shapes and sizes. First on the ground was
the Society of Old Friends, with some thirty magni-
ficent double-staff banners, and they were quickly
followed by the Foresters, the Odd Fellows, and a
long array of trade societies, each with baud and
banners displayed, defiling past the gates of the
station in dense columns, extending as far as the
eye could reach, and at length massing themselves
in the centre of the road until the time had arrived
for them to march past the General.
Meanwhile, within the station all was perfect
order. By wonderful exertions on the part of the
company the large space of • ground usually filled
with a multitude of carriages, waggons, and all the
machinery connected with a large goods and carriage
depot, lad been cleared, and as the carriages which
were to take part in the procession arrived, they
were ranged in • line on one side of the now open
space. Two or three policemen at the great gates
and one or two of the committee to examine the
tickets were found quite sufficient to maintain
order ; and as the rare but admirable precaution
had been adopted of not issuing more tickets than
the building in which the addresses were made
would hold, once inside, there was not the least
crowding. The gates were thrown open at half-
past twelve o'clock, and from that tune till two the
ticket holders dropped comfortably in by twos and
threes, until at length the shed was completely
filled.

Inside the gates of the yard bands were playing,
policemen marshalling, carriages taking up their
places, and a select few of the Garibaldian Legion,
some 40 in number, who fought under him in
Italy, stood ready to greet their General once more
with a rapturous and triumphant cheer. These
fine fellows, who all appeared young and active,
formed a very marked feature in the station-yard,
and from their intimacy with the General they
became, until the arrival of their chief absorbed
all regard, the admired of all admirers.
An excellent arrangement had been made to run
a temporary platform right out from the large
goods shed in which the reception took place on to
the siding itself, so that the General and his suite
had only to step at once from the carriage to this
platform and enter the building. The shed
was very elegantly decorated, and the whole of this
part of the arrangements reflects greet credit
upon Mr. George Potter, one of the secretaries of
the Working Men's Committee, in whom the con-
trol of the arrangements inside the station was
vested. Platforms were erected on each side
of the shed, to which holders of green
and white tickets respectively were admit-
ted; while the people who occupied the
area between the two platforms were admitted
by a red or blue ticket. Thus all confusion was
avoided, and here, as at the entrauce of the yard,
some two or three of the committee were sufficient
to direct the proceedings with perfect order. Here
again pendeot Rags and banners of all forms and
sizes, plentifuly interspersed with the Italian co-
lours, fell from the roof and galleries, and the
ordinary rough roof of a shed was concealed by
tasteful festoons and evergreens. When filled with
a moving and excited crowd of well-dressed people,
the interior of the building presented a very beau-
tiful and animated appearance.
On the north aide of the shed a platform was
erected which communicated with the siding, and
on this were the places for the members of the
joint committees and the principal visitors. These
committees arrived about one o'clock, and very soon
after wards the platform began to fill rapidly. In the
centre of this platform a space was reserved, or was
intended to be reserved, for Garibaldi and his suite,
but so many persons obtained access to the platform,
and so great a rush was made on it from the special
train, that the addresses were delivered in tbemidst
of a perfect crowd, which hardly gave the princi-
pal personage of the day room in which
to stand. Among those who were early
at the station were Mr. Gore Langton, M.P.,
Colonel Sykes, M.P., Mr. Goschen, M.P., Mr.
Locke, M.P., Mr. Ayrton, P., Mr. M. Chambers,
M.P. There were also present on the platform
several members of the Common Council of Loudon,
among whom were Alderman Abbiss, Alderman
Meal, the Chamberlain (Mr. Scott), Messrs. A.
Gilbert, G. Walter, J. Stewart, F. Dadswell, R.
Stapleton, J. Bennett, J. H. Heeps, S. Cuthbert,
J. Hind, W. Payne, S. Straker, and J.
Thomas. Among the most busy and ac-
tive men on the platform were Mr.
Richardson and Mr. Taylor, secretaries of the
City Reception Committee, and the secretaries of
the Working Men's Committee, Mr. Hartwell and
Mr. Potter. Most of the visitors had Garibaldi
rosettes on their breasts, attached to which was a
portrait of the General, many of them also had the
Italian colours either in simple streamers or inter-
woven in the form of a cross. During the two
hours or so that the people in the shed were pa-
tiently waitingl the Italian Union Band played
a variety of marches and other martial music. As
the hour of Garibaldi's approach arrived, the fever
of expectation waxed higher and higher, and the ex-
citement becam e more and more intensified. At length,
I precisely at 20 minutes past 2 o'clock, the rumble of
an approaching train was heard, and a faint cheer
from the railway officials in the distance reached
the shed, by which we knew the special train con-
-1 veying Garibaldi and his suite had arrived. A few
i minutes more spent in the midst of the most
feverish excitement, and the General enters, leaning
on the arm of Mr. Seely, M.P., and closely fol-
lowed by his two sons, Menotti and Ricciotti ; the
members of the reception committee rush to-
wards him, and grasp his extended hand, and all,
English and Italians, crowd round him in the
most indescribable emotion. Then rings out a
shout loud and clear, which carried out into
the station yard is caught up again and again,
till it reaches the great surging multitude outside,
and swelled by ten thousand voices it rolls
on and on like some mighty billow spreading far
and wide the welcome news that the great Italian
liberator had set his foot in our metropolis. The
attitude of Garibaldi as he walked down the platform
was majestic. Calm and composed, where all around
him were wild with excitement, he advanced to the
centre of the platform, acknowledging the repeated
cheers that totally silenced the band which ever
since his arrival had been playing with might and
main the Garibaldian Hymn, with a. slight
deprecatory motion of his hand and a gracious
inclination of the head. He oast an eagle glance
around ;him, and his fine grey eyes flashed with
mingled pride and pleasure. " God bless you,
Garibaldi"—" Welcome, welcome Garibaldi to the
land of liberty"—" Welcome Italian hero"—" Wel-
come pure-hearted patriot," were ejaculations which
began to make themselves heard, and especially
from the mouths of many ladies, who thronged about

APRIL 12,

fiord throb platform and whose enthusiasmissaised to know nu bounds: Theo awl* ybere woe a
salvo of cheer* and hats and haifilregabieforere
waving madly W every direction.
But now tie cheering subsides and the sem-
mitkes pram forward with the addresses.
The first is by the London Reception Committee.

Mr. Richardson comes forward, and having
shaken hands warmly with Garibaldi, promo& to
road the following address which is received
throughout with cheering :