The Express.
London, England, 1865-07-29 00:00:00

BRITANNIA.

EVIOII7IO, THIRD CIAS.4.ATh FIRST CLASS, Messrs.
Cranford, Drantmol,d, It*wood, and Parry: Meadantes Yarn*ld,
Morton, and Scott,—Tan VOLD THERA—And TOR DEBARK'
DIAMOND; OR, TDB IYIC OF LIGHT! Mins Bt. Came.

HIGH WATCH AT LDNDON-1111DQT..

Tbaionow lionthm 6b. filho.....Albebbob. 6b. us.
AKIO LAi blarsimb, I. sis.....Atiaboogi. GM bfiRII.

LONDON. SATURDAY. JULY 29.

Ms.. HEATH did well on Thursday in bringing to
the notice of the Court of Common Council the
overcrowded state of the streets in the immediate
vicinity of the Mansion house ; but might he not
have extended his observations to a score of other
equally dangerous localities east of Temple-bar I
Another member of the Common Council, in
seconding the resolution, remarked that he had
been recently knocked down in crossing the Poultry,
and seriously hurt ; stating, very truly, that
during the busiest parts of the day it is
now next to impossible to cross Chapala'
in safety ; whilst Mr. Alderman SALOMONS, who
also related his experiences in the dangers of City
walking, seemed to think that the remedy for
the evil lay in providing more stands at which
such cabs as have set down their fares may take
up a position until they are again wanted. In
short, although there was considerable discussion
respecting this daily-increasing evil, no practical
remedy was suggested for what every day threatens
the lives of some thousands of her MAJtorrint sub-
jects, or for the dangers to life and limb which
have to be encountered by every one who has to
cross any of the great thoroughfares in the City of
London.

Coming from the west, the perils of the streets
are first felt the moment the foot passenger passes
through Temple-bar. Soldiers who have faced
without fear Russian guns at Sebastopol and
mutinous Sepoys in India, hesitate ere they
attempt to cross over Fleet-street opposite Chan-
cery-lane. In theory the feat may be easy enough,
but let no one attempt it unless accustomed to the
work. For even a very active man, • member of
the Alpine Club, or one who has been accustomed
to dodge savage cattle or wild animals, it is per-
haps not much more dangerous than • journey on
some of our railway lines. By seizing exactly
the proper moment, getting close behind • four-
wheeler, and following that vehicle until an open-
ing is visible in the other line of carriages, it is not
improbable that a foot passenger may get same
the street with no greater injury than a pulse
beating double time after the danger he has gone
through. But, on the other hand, he may not be
so fortunate. If his foot slips, if a railway
van is coming up or going down the street, or it
the vehicle behind the protecting four-wheeler is
an omnibus, tho driver of which playfully tries to
pole the cab which covers the pedestrian's ad-
vance, then his chance of landing in safety is
small indeed, and if a wiso man he will prefer any
loss of time by going through the most roundabout
bye lanes to the chance of losing his life in crossing
over Fleet otreet.

Bat, after all said and done, what is the west-
end of Fleet-street to that corner where it meets
the three great thoroughfares of Ludgate-hill,
Farringdon-street, and Blackfriars ? There, in-
deed, has even he who knows London best to
pause ere he trusts himself in this Redan of danger.
Nor do those on foot fare the worst at this spot.
Happy is the man who being bound for the rail-
way station can afford, if he is in a cab, to lose
five or ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. If
he cannot do so, he is pretty safe to be late for his
train. Or let him get safely past this diffi-
culty, how long will it take him to get to the
top of Ludgate-hill t For several hours
of the day a couple of steps backward have to be
taken for one forward, all the way from the corner
of Blackfriars to St. Paul's. To get round that
building is easy enough, but the pedestrian or
carriage driver finds his troubles increased tenfold
so soon as he gots into Cbeapside. Wondering
whether he has seen the worst of the City traffic,
or whether any unknown dangers lie beyond the
region he bas already traversed, he comes to the
King's-street crossing, and acknowledges that the
worst confusion in Fleet-street is as a quiet church
when compared with what he now beholds. To get in
at the west end of Cheapside is one thing, he finds,
but to get out at the Poultry end quite another ;
nor does he find matters mended as he draws
towards the Mansion-house, where, from 10 a. x. to
6 P. m. daily, save Sundays, there is a perpetual war
going on between the drivers of hansoms, four-
wheelers, omnibuses, carts, vans, drags, carriages,
gigs, and all kinds of vehicles, on the one side,
and every pedestrian on the other. But opposite
the Mansion-house is not so dangerous as the
corner of Cornhill and Gracechurch-street ; nor is
the latter nearly •so bad as opposite the statue
in King William-street. In short, the man who has
to traverse the City on foot runs considerable risk
of losing his life twenty times a day, while he who
does so in oab or carriage cannot reckon upon
the time at which he will reach his destination within
at least half an hour. There is little doubt but
that the members of the wealthiest community
in the whole world are put to more inconvenience
on account of the enormous traffic) in their streets
than would be borne by aby otter maple ; and
day by day the evil gets greater, instead of dimi-
nishing.

Whet remedy is there for this annoyance ?
Several members of the Common Coaacil appear

to think that if cabs were not

the streets the danger of
would be greatly lessened. A

But the -natin;ll enemies

loite!

City are the van drivers, the men conducting
carts with two, three, or more homes, and the
fast-driving gentlemen who travel in their own
traps for wholesale houses. Poor cabby is a well-
abused man, and has many sins of his own to
answer for, but fierce driving in a crowded street
is not one of these. The worst offenders are the
drivers of the big vans, who often seem
as if they would really rather prefer run-
ning over a man or two than otherwise. In fact,
owing to the very slight control they have over
their horses, it is • matter of thankfulness that
they kill or injure so few people in the course of
the year. The punishments inflicted upon these
men for careless driving should be much more
severe than at present, and the City police should
be much more strict than they are in taking notice
of any injury done by cart, van, or omnibus to any
other vehicle. If, as Mr. M.G mann suggested at
the Court of Common Council, the police regula-
tions respecting the traffic on London-bridge were
extended to Cheapside, the inconvenience of the
City in this respect would be very much less-
ened. But why not enforce these rules in every
street where wheeled vehicles abound 4 It is won-
derful what a little order and regularity will do
in small as well as great matters. A couple of
score of policemen would be sufficient to enforce order
amongst all the carriages, and carts, and cab. from
Temple-bar to Whitechapel ; and if Cannonstreet
were made more use of, the task would be all the
easier. At present, whilst Cheapside is so
crowded that carriages have to move from ono end
to the other at • snail's pace, Cannon-street is
as deserted as the Grande Rue of a fifth-
rate provincial French town. To remedy
this no omnibus, cart, van, cab, or car-
riage ought to be allowed to pass from
the Mansion-house down King William-street, save
those that had come down Comb& This would
very soon cause the stream of traffic that flows east-
ward to divide at St. Paul's, and a large portion of
the river would betake itself to the new bed of
Cannon-street. The London-bridge regulation
should also extend to Fleet-street, although not so
much required as in Cheapside. For the dangers
of that fearful middle passage, at the corner of
Cornhill, Leadenhall-street, Bishopsgate, and
Gracechurch-street, the only remedy is a still
stronger body of police than is at present stationed
there, and no carte or vans being allowed to pass
the spot except before or after tho busiest hours
of the day. At the Court of Common Council on
Thursday, Mr. HEATH'S motion, we are told by
the report, was agreed to ; but as that motion
merely called attention to the necessity of pro-
v'cling a greater number of cab-stands, it is more
than questionable whether any practical good will
be effected thereby. It may increase the number
of fines which cabmen have to pay, but it will
not greatly lessen the dangers of the City streets,
nor the number of accidents in the course of the
year.