The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-13 00:00:00

GREENWICH FAIR.

Greenwich as usual was the principal resort of yester-
day's pleasure-seekers. Thousands of too-sanguine in-
dividuals, trusting in the fair promises held out by the
weather during the earlier part of the morning, thronged
to the steam-boat piers and the railway station, to effect
ts speedy a transit as possible to the great centre of at-
traction. From the various piers on th river steam-boat
after steam-boat started in almost uninterrupted succes-
sion, each laden to the water's edge with their living
freight, and yet after each departure the numbers left be-
hind for the next seemed to have increased rather than
diminished. The London-bridge Terminus presented a
similar scene, only greatly exaggerated ; while the Kent-
road and the other avenues leading from the southern
distries to Loudon were continually traversed through-
out the day by the noisy and not too respectable multi-
tudes who usually perform the journey to the fair on
foot. The visitors to the fair were, at least, twice as
numerous yesterday as on Easter Monday. This is
probably, accounted for by the fact that the pre-
sent holiday taking places, few weeks later in the spring,
the chances of unfavourab!e weather are proportionably
diminished, and, consequently, the major portion of those
who can only obtain a holiday for one occasion prefer
deferring it to the latest period. Truly unfortunate were
those who had thus fixed upon yesterday for their visit
to Greenwich-park. They did so, probably, indulging in
dreams of azure skies and smooth grassy slopes covered
by happy multitudes indulging in those games and sports
which upon fine fair-days render this scene so truly ani-
mated. The discrepancy between the real and the ideal
must indeed in this case have been truly disappointing.
As the day advanced, those whom the dull and threaten•
ing aspect of the clouds had deterred from v enturing
forth earlier, upon finding that it did not rain, most erro-
neously supposed that it did not intend to do so at all,
and consequently mingled themselves with one of the
busy tides of pleasure-seekers, setting from so many
points towards the fairi About 4 o'clock in the after-
noon Greenwich was in all its glory—crowds of people
in holiday attire filled the streets. The booths and stalls
lining the road were in greater numbers than heretofore,
and everything seemed to argue well in favour of a suc-
cessful day. The park was crowded by many thou-
sands of people engaged in the time-honoured pastimes
of " kiss in the ring," and running down the Obser-
vatory-bill, while an almost equal number were exer-
cising their equestrian accomplishments on the backs
of jaded donkeys at Blackheath. The weather, which
like a sulky child, had been in a very doubtful kind of
temper all the day, now, to the infinite chagrin and dis-
gust of everybody, appeared to have decided upon what
course to take.

The rain commenced at first with a few spots now and
then, not by any means sufficient to terminate or even
to diminish the ardent pursuit of enjoyment in which
every one was engaged. At length it began coming
down pretty smartly, and many anxious glances were
directed towards the clouds, followed by the observation
that " It would be nothing after all," and that "It was
only a shower," uttered in a tone of voice and with a
dismal expression of countenacce anything but confirma-
tory, if not absolutely at variance with the comforting
assurances. There could be no doubt that it had regu-
larly set in for a wet night. There could be no getting
out of the fact, however disagreeable it was to acknow-
ledge it. The temporary shelter afforded by pocket-
handkerchiefs tied over bonnets could not prolong the
sports beyond a few minutes. The ground was already
too muddy to run upon, therefore there was no further
inducement to remain in the park, and a general move
in the direction of the fair was the result. However,
before one tithe of the visitors had left the park gates,
the rain descended in such torrents that it became
evident to all that even the fair, under the circum-
stances, would no longer be serviceable as a refugiunt
peccatoruni, and a general rush to the railway
station was the result. Here a scene presented itself
which can only he imagined by those who witnessed it.
The many thousands of men, women, and children,
forming a dense mass of people, which filled up the road
in front of the station for several hundred yards, all
pushing and driving for the one narrow entrance as if
their lives depended on it ; and fortunate indeed were
those who passed through that doorway with no further
injury than the loss probably of a bonnet or a hat, or
perhaps a skirt. Those who flattered themselves that
they were past the worst of it when they were in the sta-
tion, soon found themselves much mistaken. A similar
crush attended the obtaining a ticket. A second brought
you to the waiting-room, where you remained boxed up
in a second " black hole of Calcutta," almost without
light and entirely destitute of fresh 'air, until the batch
of passengers who preceded you were safely started on
their journey. The doors in front were again thrown
open and then follows the third and last rush, in which
if you happen to be in front you stand a considerable
chance of gettiugyour ribs broken against the gradually
narrowing barriers which lead to the platform. Though
the crush and fighting to get to town were so great, it
ruu=t not be imagined that everybody left the fair then.
Some people, whom nothing will daunt in the pursuit of
ple isure, and certainly their powers of endurance must
have been great indeed, still continued wending about
the booths, dripping wet and up to the knees in soft
mud. But many there were who did remain. All we
can say is, we hope they passed a pleasant evening.

BANDS IN TUB PARKS ON SUNDAYS.

(PROM A CORRESPONDENT.)

The rumour of yesterday has been too soon eonfirmed.
The Prime Minister has succumbed to the threats of a
religious clique, of which four persons are the leaders.
The individuals are well known. The Earl of Shaftes-
bury his proclaimed himself. The Marquis of Bland-
ford, Mr. Arthur Kinnaird, and Lord Robert
Grosvenor are the three other principal supporters of
this most baneful movement, the evils of which we can at
present only faintly define. Here are two hundred and
fifty-eight thousand five hundred and thirteen persons who
have, for two hours on Sunday, solaced themselves in
walking on the green sward, and listening to music.
These persons, who have thus been innocently recreated
after the toils of the week, consist of numbers who have
been to church once, and who would not go again, but
would employ the remaining hours of the day in mere
sensual gratifications invariably connected with drinking,
and in many cases with intoxication. Another por-
tion of the persons thus innocently gratified, after at-
tending Divine service, first, in the morning, ar
second, in the afternoon, repair to the neighbourhood
of the band for the purpose of harmless relaxation,
where, safe from even the temptation, or the power, to
partake of intoxicating liquors, they enjoy with their
friends and families their evening meal of un-
adulterated tea and wholesome bread and butter,-
without fear of contamination from the ribaldry
and excesses of those around them. A third portion of
this mighty assemblage consists of persons of high rank,
or of those in the possession of riches, who exhibited (for
this country) the unusual and extraordinary spectacle
of real associationship with all the other classes, where
all enjoyed the same pleasure, without the slightest
sacrifice on either side, for the simple reason that
' the pleasure was confined to the enjoyment
of the beauties of nature and of music—the
simplest, purest, and most elevating of all the pleasures
which human creatures can enjoy on earth. The fourth
portion of the multitude were composed of those who
never enter any place of worship, who never have before
known what innocent recreation meant, but who haveuovr
begun to taste and to appreciate the happiness resulting
from the abstinencefrorn sin, and to understand that th ere
is enjoyment independent of drinking ! And all this is
now to be forcibly put down by a Bull from Lambeth
Palace. Well may the tens of thousands lift np their
voices and weep. Well may the self-righteous Phari-
sees tremble ; but, although the Premier has, as he
thinks, most unnecessarily bowed to priestcraft, he makes a
manly declaration that he is of the same opinion as to the
benefit of the bands on Sunday, but that as long as those
who agree with him do not express their opinion, he can
only grant the prayers of that clique, who it appears
makes a cat's paw of a poor, weak Archbishop, and are
to govern this metropolis, and have absolutely now
set themselves over their Sovereign, and are de-
priving the million of the erjoyment thus provided
for them ! Will the people of London stand
this ? As well might the Park•goers and Band-
listeners desire the chapels of every denomination to be
shut which is not of their own persuasion, Of ;nurse,
cabs, steamers, &c., will now be next swept away by the
same hands, because those who use them do not send aii
many yards of paper into the House of Commons as
those filled up by babies, lunatics, and publicans, to say'
that be cause they do not like a Band on Sunday, no one
else shall have one ! Let the people be peaceable, but
firm at id determined, for the days of Religious Persecu
tion. we at hand.

WOOLWICH ARSENAL.—Notices were
beanaffix at the
R ayat Arsenal yesterday, to the effect that order
fr ern the War•offie visitors will be admitted only on
!uesdays and Fridays. Tickets far admission on these
lays can be obtained only from the War-office or from
the heads of departments at the arsenal. The practice
of issuing admission tickets from the police station at
tie main entrance is strictly prohibited. Notwith•
standing these limitations more than 800 persons were
N:yeeterday (Whit-Monday) admitted by ticket.