The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-04 00:00:00

BEAUFORT GROUNDS.

These grounds form a long and rather narrow
strip of meadow land in Old Brompton, now used
as a shooting ground by the 2d or South Middlesex
Rifle Volunteers, a range of butts with a steep
bank immediately behind it, surmounted by a high
brick wall, forming its furthermost boundary. On
one side it is adjoined by large nursery grounds, and
on the other by private gardens, from which it is
separated by a low and irregular fence. The main
entrance to the ground is situated in the North-end '
road, Fulham, not far from St. John's Church.
Here, through a single gateway only about 13 feet
wide, leading into a passage of the same width and
some 60 yards in length, access had to be obtained
to the grounds by the procession and the great ma-
jority of the spectators ; and a glance at this ex-
tremely narrowpassage made everybody wonder how
the vast numbers expected could ever find ingress
before nightfall. The committee and other privi-
leged visitors were admitted by the private entrance
to Beaufort-house, a few dozen yards further on.
The meadow is about 9 acres in extent, or some 400
yards long by 110 yards wide, and it was calculated
that in order to make it contain anything like
200,000 persons, it would be necessary to pack four
men in every square yard—an amount of com-
pression, it need hardly be said, which flesh and
blood could not endure. Seven small wooden
platforms were erected at different points upon the
ground, the principal, or platform No. 1, being im-
mediately in front of the row of butts ; and here it
was intended that seven separate sets of speakers
should simultaneously address as many groups of
listeners. Refreshment stands were also scattered '
about the field here and there, the large mess-room
of the South Middlesex Rifle Volunteers being also
appropriated in a similar manner by the committee
and their friends. From an early hour the multi-
tude began to congregate near the place of meeting,
and by 11 o'clock a considerable number of persons
had entered the ground. Everybody who had secured
a ticket, the price of which was 2d., could claim ad-
mittance, and most of those who came displayed
their tickets in their hats, or wore some badge
denoting their adhesion to the cause of Reform. It
was long, however, before the concourse was large
enough to do more than sparsely dot the ground ;
and for several hours the assemblage formed, as it
were, but a narrow fringe round the refreshment
stands. The four mounted marshals of the grounds,
with stars on their breasts and purple and orange
sashes, were seen galloping up and down at inter-
vals throughout the morning, making their final
arrangements ; but little else occurred to interest
the early comers. At length, about 2 o'clock, the
sound of music was heard in the distance, indicating
the approach of the procession, and a general hum
of expectation arose from the assemblage within the
grounds, now consisting of, perhaps, 10,000 men,
mostly of the working classes. The sky for an hour
or two previous had been dull and leaden, and a
mizzling rain now set in. In some ten minutes
more the van of the procession seemed to have
reached the narrow gateway, and loud shouts were
Iraised to welcome it. A small detachment of the
Farriers, preceded by three outriders, in bright blue
luniforms relieved with yellow stripes, and accom-
panied by one large and two or three of their smaller
banners
array to make its
vanced towards appearance
, was the first portion of the great
Platform
No.
o . , i
.•
, and
t the furthersloly end
of the ground, where •
it took up its position. Some
considerable time elapsed before it was succeeded
by any other contingent ,except the deputation
from the Reform Leaguec
(the chairman), Colonel Dick
Rogers, and Mr. Howell (secretary).
, emposed of Mr. Beales
son, Mr. Drei.:ser
These gentle-
men were greeted with loud cheers as they
ascended
Platform No. 1, round which the multitude
gra-
dually clustered thickest. It was now 20 minutes
i past two, and a further instalment of the
procession
was eagerly looked for ; but there were few signs
of its coming, and it was plain that the fragment
first on the ground had been widely separated from
the main body, which it could only be conjectured
was encountering serious impediments to its pro-
rrowness of the end of its
gress by the defile-like nit
route. At length the 1
Vest London Horse-shoe
brethren, with rather
Society came to reinforce their . .
exhibiting a similar de-
newer and gayer banners,
by the London
vice ; and they were soon followed
bright yellow
Working Men's Association, whose
flag proclaimed their object to be " to procure the
political enfranchisement and promote the social and
general interests of the industrial classes." Their
band accompanied them, and played a lively air as
they took ground to the right of No. 1 Platform.
Next came the bearers of a white banner on which
was inscribed " Residential Manhood Suffrage and
the Ballot," the arrival of which drew forth from
the chairman of the League the exclamation, " That
is the banner ; there is no humbug about it," a
sentiment which elicited vehement cheers. Mean-
while the rain had very considerably increased, very
few were provided with umbrellas, and the crowd
began to manifest slight symptoms of impatience.
Mr. George Potter, who was announced to take the
chair at the principal platform, had not yet arrived,
and the proceedings were, consequently, at a stand-
still. The tedium of waiting was, however, partially
relieved by a parley between the gentlemen on the
platform and certain members of the crowd. A
" Voice" called out, " The Times said
the procession
never would get here at all, Colonel." To this
Colonel Dickson r I
rep le( , "I said myself it never
would." Thereupon Mr. Beales observed, " Hyde
Park is the right
place, and what we have seen
to-day shows that." Loud and general cheering
greeted this remark. Next Came a white
banner bearing the motto “Excelsior," fol-