The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-05-30 00:00:00

71IE GENERAL HOLIDAY

PEACE REJOICINGS

IN LIVERPOOL

The fortunate circumstance of a fine warm May day
rendered the holiday rejoicings in Liverpool singularly
Wessful. None of the days of public demonstration
11. ch we recollect in this town, since the opening of the
Nvar, aPPear if •
s, one may judge by outward evidences,. to
e dlffused more general gratification. The principal
/fieil!ainiscences we have of former efforts iu the same
10:etinn are of a dull heavy day passed in vacuous
through streets not very tastefully adorned
nags, and of a dismal night's plashing through
Oarla and e,„ee
--e.ey streets to stare at the grim gas fittings
illuminations extinguished by wet and wind. The
'flareicess (it' yesterday, as distinguizhed from former and
ee costly and elaborate efforts, was, as we have said,
'relYu-wing to the favourable character of the weather.
eisza Iv °llil be idle to deny that the ettempt made at
in' ,-11;sitig some means of public amusement was utterly
a' equate. Indeed it would have been far better to
PeOple to amuse themselves, since there really was
at,
f4Plig Provided worth wasting half an hour upon, so
as the town itself was concerned. Had our population
en
left to their own resources, they would have
1;11rallY dispersed themselves on the river, on the
?res of the Cheshire side and throughout the suburbs,
i:JYing the natural advantages which few large towns
e-t°ts,s,"'s 80 near at hand. As it was, the only result
reel and
was to keep people half the day lounging about
reet3' , and heated streets, until they discovered that so
of their time was' wasted in seeing and doing
thr Lag. The elaborate programmeof thepublic buildings
St °G" "Pen to all the curious, in a town where—except
all eurgeshall—there is really no public building at
Ita Likely to offer much attraction to holiday sight-seers,
pos selreely calculated to repay an hour lost to a
elilat;•on pent up in walls six days of the week. The
la tter of the general amusements furnished, and how
theY were qualified to afford much enjoyment to a
,heat Mass of people, can be judged from the outline of
say's Proceedings we append. So far as official
arrangementsl: were concerned, they who enjoyed the
.had not very much reason for enthusiastic
of e anon. Nevertheless, the day Ras one
444 Undoubted enjoyment to the great majority,
R.etia for the sufficient reason, that it was a
l
tee' sunny holiday to a vast number of
are and women, whose days of recreation
far too rare to allow them much critical fastidiousness
•thire amusement of any harmless kind is placed within
'tee reach, To the great majority, the sense of a day's
j• ;:nciPation from work, and the enjoyment of the sun-
aPPeared sufficient causes for rejoicing. We have
gonArt seen the streets more pleasantly thronged with
p 4 humoured and merry crowds than yesterday. In
3(ng along through the groups, one quite forgot the
poch°lll,graells character of a day set apart especially for
-"e rejoicing, and having nothing provided to stimu-
ta•te such an emotion —a day divested, by long delibera-
till" and much prelimenary discussion, of anything like
~at BPontaneous and irrepressible feeling which mainly
r7eit life to a public demonstration, and having, at the
e time, few or none of the artificial means provided
14,1
h might re-animate popular interest. As an unhappy
",innetion of unfavourable circumstances utterly
Rrred the effect of a previous demonstration, got up
ll
the most lavish and costly effects, so the one foitu-
oaitt h e
event of a cheerful summer day, supplied all the
eialdefieiencies of yesterday, and rendered what seemed
destined to be a complete failure, a very striking -and
al)py Success.
~,iest Although an official notification had been directed
ea
r the use of fire-arms, yet no small proportion of
11-4 a Inhabitants of Liverpool were roused at inconceivable
„4"1.1, Yesterday morning, by vollies from guns, pistols,
-1:41 More juvenile detonating engines. The streets
aine v.ry coon thronged. In almoet every instance,
fue recommendation of the Mayor and the Council was
ulhivred, as regards the closing of the shops. Along
h -e
Principal lines of streets through all parts of the
e -wn, every door was closed, with the exception of an
e•
stonal chemist's shop, a public-house, or some of
l'ail"se small establishments in more retired streets, which
I.lwaYB offer to the public, cigars, and London wised--
Nes, rich with thrilling popular tales. The display of
'Ws was at least as prodigal as on any former occasion.
e d 0 not mean to distinguish any by especial allusion,
Wihhere so many deserve equal notice, but it may be said,
atin very many instances, the most picturesque and
l'orraeeful effects were produced by an artistic grouping
0 national banners, and wreaths of evergreens.
R„ in every instance, however, were the
" intentions of our townspeople, directed by so
dr Pictorial judgment. It may \be hinted, that a cord
of7rl tightly across a narrow street, and having a row
helsconsolate looking drapeaux hanging from it, after
tfashion of clothes set to dry on a line, is not a very
tha,ntifYing adornment. One cannot help thinking, too,
.4 a slight attention to the appropriateness of the
1 4i9'io displayed would be well bestowed on future
13ee,ams,i°118. A. flag is usually a picturesque object, but it
tinde,,"ln so intrinsically beautiful, that it must always,
eeer whatever circumstances, be an adornment which
in '.lits the eye, like a rare jewel or a rich painting. For
11:!nce—a large red flag, in one of our leading streets,
Lag inscribed on it, in enormous letters " Glenda-
-11A" (being originally the name of an Irish lake, and
ii:Thably add
pted as the designation of a ship,) can
thrdly be
said to have any peculiar reference to the
lioaracter of yesterday's rejoicing. Again, the inserip-
h
eb `` welcome, royal lady," although honourable to.
fe ernwner of the banner, as an indication of his loyal
tbetings, seemed rather wanting in definite object, seeing
era,4° royal lady was within some hundred miles
tra"Li preferred welcome. In a third instance a vast
Of t:arericY, purporting to illustrate Cranmer's withdrawal
veesn'ation, although suggestive of interesting
Zilstitorical remsiniscences, does not seem to an ordinary mind
lenartalY associated with the cessation of war with
Ia• This latter work of art, however, has the claim of
4,3 acquaintance upon us, for we can call to mind no public
ollaanatration in Liver 001, whether in the reception of a
; 3'4 visitor ths triu p
mph of a victory, or the gladness of
his °e' ,
e'
which has not been celebrated and improved by the
nrical reference thus offered to the public.
Net
eye
-
den n the most ill-humoured critic, however, could
to' that the general effect, which the principal street of the
eeretPreduced brilliant with flags, and rich with evergreen
arida‘l_lB, animated by a thronging and cheerful population,
ves),Bh". tie upon all the forenoon by a genial sun, was in a
ezh.i 101 degree picturesque, and to a still higher degree
Ivllis:rnig. The crowd were always moving, and no
fe:: 'ease or impassible, and so far as one might judge by
1,,,5-t"'' the universal disposition seemed to be to make the
()f
everything, and render the day truly one of

rejoicing'
ah"l3We :Must add that, so far as we could perceive, the
as inevitable
of those who predict excess and riotousness
welnevitable accompaniments of any popular relaxation,
d rent.n°t in the least degree realized. There was no
str;ll—enness or excess of any kind sufficient to attract
vhention.
Surprise must rather have been felt by those
r: observed the crowded streets, that a population to
hp "1 a holiday is of such rare occurrence should have
-t'tl so little carried away by the sense of freedom from
could A freedom less abused than that of yesterda7
14e1ntelsily have been observed on such an occasion in a
town.

I.°Btraint

e must give a special line or two to the omnibuses and
t,•41,!' The most profuse ornamentation of flags, evergreens,
Ce'')llB, and flowers, was displayed among these vehicles.
lreo a conveyance of any description, on wheels, which
Tinot made gay and bright by some such decoration.
he Passengers, who were crowded together on the roofs of
h° omnibuses, positively sat amidst groves of green boughs,
and enjoyed a position which seemed extremely enviable to
t.,, dusty
who had to make their way through the crowded and
"31 streets.

MILITARY DISPLAY.
It being announced by public advertisement, which