From the archive, 12 April 1848: The Chartist meeting in London

Kennington Common was the appointed place of meeting and was the great centre of attraction to all who felt an interest in the proceedings. At an early hour on Monday morning, a few straggling groups had assembled there; but, until ten o'clock, the numbers present did not amount to more than a few hundreds. The arrivals during the hour or two that followed were far more numerous, and before the approach of the delegates, the crowd consisted of several thousands. They all belonged, almost without exception, to the poorer classes, although few of them wore the distinctive dresses of labourers or mechanics. There were not among them 100 women. At half past eleven, the great procession, which included the delegates to the national convention, came in sight, and a general rush to meet it took place. This was the great spectacle of the day. First came the Chartists of Whitechapel, headed by a small banner. Then came those of the Brick Lane district; and then those of Finsbury. One of the most numerous was the "Emmet brigade," which consisted of members of the Irish confederation. They were headed by a green banner with orange edges, the Irish harp being in the centre.

The procession was wound up by two large ornamental vans, each drawn by four horses. In the first of these vans were seated Mr F O'Connor, Mr McGrath, and other members of the national convention. The appearance of these gentlemen was hailed with loud and continued cheers. The second van contained the national petition, to which the writing on a piece of parchment indicated that 5,106,847 signatures had been affixed. Above those figures were placed the words "The people's will." In this van was a large coloured banner, having inscribed on it each of the six points of the charter, as well as six smaller ones.

The police force was stationed as follows:- An advanced post of 500 men was placed at Ball's Livery Stables, Kennington, concealed from view, but ready to act at a moment's notice, if required. The main strength of the force was concentrated at the bridges. The number of police of all ranks in position was 3,970.

To support the police, the Chelsea Pensioners, the military and artillery forces, and the special constabulary were arranged:- There were 400 of the pensioners at Battersea Bridge, 500 at Vauxhall, 200 or 300 at the Pantechnicon, and a detachment at Blackfriars.

All the public buildings were barricaded and occupied by soldiery, and the officials and clerks were armed, not only with staves, as special constables, but with fire-arms.

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