cannot be too highly commended, and which should be inscribed in letters of gold over the building-it is, that "No WINES, SPIRITS, BEER, OR INTOXICATING DRINKS CAN BE SOLD OR ADMITTED." Such an example coming from such a quarter will yield its fruits. There are to be three areas fitted up for the sale and consumption of good light refreshments at moderate prices, but such sale is not to be permitted to interfere with the Exhibition in any way. The contractor is bound to supply at each, refreshment area fresh filtered water in glasses gratis to the visitors. There are to be no gratuities to waiters, and the list of prices, which must have been approved by the Executive Committee, is to be displayed in conspicuous situations. In the Central Area will be sold Ices, Pastry, Sandwiches, Patties, Fruits, Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, Cocoa, Lemonade, Seltzer and Soda Water.

In the Eastern and Western Areas will be sold Bread Butter and Cheese, Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, Cocoa, Ginger Beer, Spruce Beer, and similar drinks; together with the other articles in the Central Area.

No refreshments are to be taken out of the Areas.

The tender of Messrs. Schweppe and Co., the wellknown Soda Water Manufacturers, for all the three areas, has been accepted, and that firm pays the sum of £5,500 for the privilege. They are also to supply the refreshments to the numerous parties employed in connection with the Exhibition-expected to exceed 2,000 in number -whose dinners are, however, to be confined to cold meat and steamed potatoes, as there is a stringent clause in the contract prohibiting cooking of any kind in the Building.

The central refreshment court will be in the transept, the entrance to which will be through a space of 24 feet. Upon either side of the entrance, a low railing, extending 24 feet, placed at a distance of 48 feet from the intersection of the nave and transept, will separate the refreshment space from the other part of the building. The serving spaces and counters will be placed upon either side, having each a frontage of 96 feet. The

open space between the counters will be 96 feet in width, and 72 feet in depth, extending to within 48 feet of the extreme north side of the building, the intervening space being occupied by "lobbies," waiting-rooms, &c. A twenty-four feet square, at the extremity of the serving spaces, will be occupied by store-rooms. The space to be occupied by this court, including all the passages, &c., will be not less than 17,756 square feet.

The eastern refreshment court will be situated in the front of a space, gravelled and turfed, 120 feet in length by 48 feet in breadth, and which is now occupied by a number of small trees, and two spaces of 48 feet square. The total length of counters and "bars" in this court will be nearly 350 feet, the width of the counters being from four to six feet. 1052 square feet are set apart for "lobbies" and "waiting-rooms." The total area required for this court, including passages, &c., will be 19,008 square feet. The area devoted to the western refreshment court, including passages and space for "lobbies and waitingrooms," is 12,096 square feet, the length of "counter" and "bar" being 136 feet.

VISITS OF THE WORKING CLASSES TO THE

EXHIBITION.

This important subject has been the object of much deliberation on the part of the Royal Commissioners.They appointed Mr. Alexander Redgrave of the Home Office, to co-operate with Colonel Reid, the Chairman of the Executive Committee, in obtaining the information, and in making the necessary arrangements for enabling the working classes to visit the Exhibition and in communicating on this subject with the proper authorities in London, with the Railway Companies, and with the Local Committees. "Visiting clubs" have been for some time in course of formation throughout the country, the members of which have made periodical payments, varying in amounts calculated in the aggregate to defray the expenses of the journey, and of their

sojourn for a stated period in the Metropolis. A meeting of the representatives of the leading Railway Companies and the Executive Committee took place in September last, and the following recommendations were circulated among the various Railway Companies interested, by whom they were adopted :

"That in order to encourage the early formation of Subscription Clubs' in the country, to enable the labouring classes to travel to London and back during the Exhibition of 1851, the Railway Companies should now undertake to convey all persons so subscribing to local clubs at a single railway fare for both journeys, up and down, which shall in no case exceed the existing fare by Parliamentary Trains for the journey in one direction, with an abatement for distances, subject to the following conditions :-

"That in respect of journeys to London, the first 100 miles shall always be charged as 100 miles, and where the distance shall exceed 100 miles, an allowance in the fare be made on the following scale :

For the first excess 100 miles, 1-5th, or 20
per cent. be allowed.

For the second excess 100 miles, 3-10ths,
or 30 per cent. be allowed.

For the third excess 100 miles, 2-5ths, or
40 per cent. be allowed.

For the fourth excess 100 miles, or 50

per cent. be allowed.

"Thus for instance

A distance of 150 miles will be paid for as 140 miles.

At this meeting of the Representatives of the Railway Companies and the Executive Committee, certain recommendations were also assented to, that each Railway Company should afford every Railway facility for the conveyance and delivery of Articles intended for the Exhibition, allowing a deduction of one-half of the Railway charge on certain conditions, which need not be recapitulated here.

P

A distance of 400 miles will be paid for as 310 miles.

"That 250 passengers for the whole journey must be secured, in order to engage a special train, the hour of arrival in London being made as convenient as possible for the Excursionists, and the time of departure for the return journey being previously arranged according to circumstances, but in no case to exceed six days from that of arrival.

"That the Railway Companies shall not be required to bring up any Subscription Clubs before the 1st of July 1851, nor until the admittance to the Exhibition shall have been reduced to 1s., and then only at such times as may be specially fixed according to the general convenience of each Company."

Since it became known that the facilities proposed to be afforded for enabling the working classes to visit the Exhibition, would be exclusively confined to those associated in Clubs, the Local Committees have been engaged in still further promoting their formation.

The influx of visitors from all parts of the kingdom is expected to be enormous. It has been variously estimated at from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000, though in the absence of any positive data, all such calculations must of necessity be purely conjectural. Taking, however, the extreme number, and adding 1,000,000 of foreign visitors, supposing the Exhibition to be open for five months, and averaging the stay of each visitor in London at ten days, which will be considerably above the average-it follows that at no time will the population of London be temporarily increased by more than 420,000 inhabitants; so that where there are ordinarily five inhabitants, there will then be six. It must be manifest that to have undertaken to find lodgings for visitors to the Exhibition, would have been a task altogether beyond the power of the Royal Commissioners. They have therefore very

properly left this to private enterprise; affording, however, all the information in their power likely to be serviceable to the working classes, with a view to which a register has been opened at the offices of the Executive, in which the names and addresses of persons disposed to provide accommodation for artizans from the country, whilst visiting the Exhibition, are entered. One establishment has already been registered by Mr. Thomas Harrison, of Ranelagh-road, Pimlico, of which, as the example is likely to be extensively followed, a description may be interesting.

The building is well'situated in immediate proximity to Mr. Cubitt's Pimlico Pier, where steam-boats arrive from the City every ten minutes, and is about one mile from the Exhibition Building. It occupies a space of two acres, is surrounded by roads on three sides, is in a perfectly airy situation, and admirably ventilated. There are in it two sleeping-rooms, containing an area of 25,000 feet, and two other dormitories of half the size. These four

pur

rooms are calculated to provide accommodation for 1,000 persons per night. Every lodger will have his own bedroom, which will be separated from all the others by a partition seven feet high, thus assuring perfect privacy to the occupants. The dormitories are to be watched over by efficient warders, and to be well lit with gas at night. The upper part of the apartments will be open for the poses of ventilation. In each room will be a good bed, and every man will have the key of his own dormitory. Each room will be five feet wide and six feet and a half long, with a bedstead extending down one side of it, upon which will be a hair or wool mattress, with ample blankets, sheets, &c. The dining-room will have an area of 2,500 feet, and the reading and smoking-rooms will be of the same size. The news-room is to be plentifully supplied with newspapers, magazines, and all publications relating to the Exhibition and other sights of London, free of charge. In the smoking-room, which is detached from the main building, a band of music will play every evening, free of charge. On the top of the building is a lantern 1500