The Express.
London, England, 1865-04-18 00:00:00

4,

THE VOLUN'TERH =maw AT BRIGHTON.
(niox oas snow. cazinrosprn.)

BRIGHTON, MONDAY.
The aspiration of the thousands who thronged
the esplanade all through yesterday, and up to a
Jute hour last night, was, " Oh, if we should only
have such • day as this to-morrow !" and the re-
sponse of the weather gods has been to give them
absolutely • better one. A hotter day than vestals
day has seldom been seen in the month of April,
at least in any place within the United Kingdom.
The sun shone pitilessly all day down on the white
shingle, and still whiter houses, and at
night the flags threw up that hot stuffy, sul-
phonons smell, which one always recog-
nises in the streets after a hot day, and before
a thunderstorm. People of a desponding turn
absolutely began to predict the latter, but the fly-
drivers, a highly intelligent and perfectly disin-
terested body of witnesses, assured them that from
certain signs which they were good enough to point
out in the sky, but which I for one must confer I
could not see, the weather would be beautiful
to-day. "There might be • shower or so, but only
sufficient to lay the dust." The visitors went to
bed amid a pleasing alternation of hopes and fears,
and during the night a good deal of rain fell, but
only sufficient to carry out the fipmen's idea, by
Lying the dust to perfection. At very
.early morn-
ing all Brighton was astir. Artillery lum-
bered through the streets ; cavaliers careered
madly along on high-mettled chargers, volun-
teers on foot in two and threes, and armed to the
teeth, emerged from every domicile and marched at
the double down to the "Level," there to fa in
the ranks of their several corps. A cry Ain
fr
was raised that the bakers had been all sold up
before 7 o'clock ; and that, notwithstanding that
chemical science had been exhausted in increasing
the quantity of milk, there was drought in all the
dairies. It is said that the volunteer review makes
a difference of 40,0001. to the trade of Brighton,
and if this be true, I feel confident that at least
29,000/. goes to the milkmen, so wonderful is their
energy and enterprise in producing the abnormal
quantity of milk required during the review
invasion, without adding • single "r,y
mother" to their ordinary herds. Howeve we
all got breakfast somehow, and at an early
hour were hurrying towards the level, and verify-
ing by actual observation the meteorological predic-
tion of the Fitzroys of the cab rank. There was
no sun, a little wind, and • delightfully moderate
temperature. The fly-men were at every corner,
offering to take passengers to the racecourse, a die-
titian of two miles, at the moderate rate of twelve
shillings a head, and warning the obdurate that if
they hesitated over so reasonable an offer the
would be • " suvvrin" in another half-hour. chls
somewhat surprised that the municipality, who
had, according to their own statements, devoted the
whole previous week to devising comforts for their
visitors, had not thought of a few omnibuses to
help strangers up to their Alpine racecourse. In
many cases I am rejoiced to be able to add that the
avaricious fly-men were hoist by their own petards,
for people preferred perspiring, from • sense of
public duty, to complying with their extortionate
demands.
The first great rendezvous both for troops and
spectators was the "Level," an open piece of ground
well known to the London fashionable world when
the Pavilion was in its glory, and " Plancus was
consul." Ever and anon a shrill whistle was beard
as the unerring train shot a fresh five hundred
volunteers or so on the railway platform. Then the
strains of military music burst upon us, swelling
louder and nearer every moment, and finally a mag-
nificent body of infantry would turn into the level,
and deploying into line would wait the inspection
of the stall officer. The crowd was here exceed-
ingly numerous and highly complimentary : some
corps were praised for their bands, others for
their numbers, and one got a distinct round of
cheering for the evident care it had taken of its
commissariat A 'gigantic sergeant had evidently
been detached for fatigue duty, and he toiled
manfully along under an accumulation of haver-
sacks, from some of which symptoms of " victual"
rather ceitestationly protruded. One of our most
distinguished Loudon battalions was pronounced to
be " very clean;" a compliment which, I trust, will
be properly appreciated by the gentlemen to whom
it was addressed. The scene here was at once very
gay and very warlike, the band of each corps play-
ing both at entrance and exit ; but I could not
help thinking that for troops which bad so much
work before them on the Downs there
was a little too much preliminary marching
and fuss in the programme. They first Lad to march
to their respective railway stations in London,
next from the Brighton platform to the "Level,"
and finally, by • circuitous route, including some of
the most public streets and marine parades in
Brighton, and up • hill very steep and two miles
long, to the Downs. It should be remembered
that the volunteers, although all brave and zealous,
are not also all young and active. They have not
ploughed fors twelvemonth through the sands of
the " long valley," nor been accustomed, like the
British soldier of the line, to live on a shilling a day,
minus the stoppages. They are citizen soldiers,
and, as a general rule, citizens well to do ; and it
would only be giving them a fair chance of acquit-
ting themselves with credit in the march past and
the sham fight to pitch a camp for them on the
Downs, and allow them to rest there the night
before the battle.
After the "Level " the next and greatest point of
interest was "the Downs," to which all hurried as
soon as they had satisfied themselves with staring
at the piled arms and resting groups of soldiers, which
were scattered everywhere about the Steyne enclo-
sure. The number of carriages that toiled up Elm
Grove-bill was immense, and the pace was as lei-
surely as at an Italian "Corso." More than one
person remarked, " Going up this hill at the double
will be rather hard on the voluuteers to begin the
day with." They bad, however, begun to do it
already as the strains of military music that floated
up the bill from every aide showed that the troops
were gradually emerging to the parade
ground. The arrangements this year had
all been made with the view of enabling the public
to see everything without at the same time being
obliged to crowd in upon the volunteers, or impede
the evolutions. The melancholy accident at Guild-
ford last year had inspired the Brighton authorities
with caution, and being aided by the willing co-
operation of General Walpole they were enabled to
draw up an admirable programme. Looking forth
from the Grand Stand the troops as they arrived
were seen massing on its northern side, the artil-
lery being assembled a little behind ; and here also
the columns were formed for the march past.
Having performed this, for the public the most
attractive portion of the day's proceedings, they
were to divide into two bodies on the south aide of
the Stand, one for attack and the other for defence;
and here, full iu view of the crowd, the evolutionsof a
sham fight were to be performed. The county manta-
bulary, under Superintendents Ellis and Jennings,
were on the ground, and with great temper and
firmness caused all the previously published regu-
lations to be strictly observed. The race-course
was kept clear, but all along the rails were ranged
vehicles of every description, filled with fair and
gay company, and surmounted in the majority of
instances by that suggestive hamper without which
any British festive gathering would be incomplete.
The pedestrian crowd came up with the infantry,
but long before their arrival the course wee much
more crowded than on the most brilliant race-
day. The first troops to arrive were the Hon.
Artillery Company, under the command of Captain
Jay, consisting of 66 men and the same number of
horses, a very martial looking battery. Tall
stalwart men, handsome uniforms, and good horse.,
this volunteer corps could, without hesitation, take
its place beside the maguificent carbineers of the
line,
.who, shortly after 11 o'clock, marched over
from Brighton barracks. These two bodies, the
volunteer horse artillery and the regiment of
earibinears, picturesquely grouped on the north
side of the stand, afforded ample enjoyment to the
spectator, pending the arrival of the main Volun-
teer army. I could not help wondering that the
volunteerashould not call in the aid of theyeoroani7
cavalry for their great field days, so as to have a