The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-24 00:00:00

OUR WEEKLY GOSSIP.

(From the .11herset.ne.)
At the eleventh hour, and on a very small settle,
the police authorities have undertaken to do something to-
wank simplifying the v.ist labyrinth of London streets, on
behalf or the many provincials and strangers who may he
within our gates during the prey T. At a few of
the points where limiting mails ssimmeuee or intersect each
tither, the terminating point of each line of mute has
been painted at the corner beneath the particular name of
the tliiiroughfuri•. For example. at the old bend of Iligh•
!street, Bloomsbury, where it communie3tes with St.
Hiles s, we reud- Baud-start, lending to ('haring-cross,•'
on the left.lisiiiil Broad-street, leading to Picea-
, dilly," on the right. Si' fur hack as it lows, this is a real
improvement,-:rod one that has been Icing required. If
• similar notifications were extended to the whole
metropolis, it would be of ust, not only to the foreigner
who visits us for a week, the provincial n lon spends with us
a month every year; and the recent islitler in the rent city,
but even to tome who are "to the manner turn.' No man
does, or ran, know London in all its di tails. What does
; the resident at the West End know Or the crowded streets,
courts, lanes, and alleys east of the East India House?
llow many dwellers in St. John's-wood email Mid their
why unaided about rniondsey and Lck's-fields ? Is
Is there a elan ill Lmd,m Willi haling ventunvt In•%intil his
usual beat, has Ind 6111110 hunt if tdw in his rtsloning
, What memory cm In• found (goal to the remembrance of
311 the oasis,. Almon.. I...irings, und geographical
of twenty thousand streets? The clues, the turns,
and windings of lun.don might make the study
of a life-time. Each year that passes, adding its
60,000 souls to the population and 15,000 to
the number of houses, uwkes the evil greater. If
the statesmen of Elizabeth found I,olllllel too large
to feel and govern in their slay, whit would they
think of the London of MB ? Sooner or later, a change of
nomenclature, an improvement of system, must take place
in regard to the registry of streets; and it might be effected
I now that attention is forcibly directed to the sun jest as well
as hereafter. A great simplification might be obtained
quickly, quietly, aml at a slight eXle'leir. with little altera-
tion of the present plan. merely by adopting a more minute
notation. For in.tanee, we would suggest that instead of
a single name tieing painted up at the roil of each street, MS
at (assent, the entire topography of the street should be
indieatisl, with the streets whiela empty into it on either
sole, those which cross it, and that in woich it terminates.
All this could be easily und briefly expressed. Take Bond-
stret :--At the OGI•ril-stri et end .0* this thoroughfare we
would have some such inscription as the following
NEW lit/NO ailtelil'.-111.11 nom) sittlita.
Sawa rum?
(110,-"Nttil
(*OS. it
.1.1.1,1W-‘ll 1(1

hasermianst j
Re 1.1.1,11019,. GAIWIRIS
NOCAULLY.
At the Piccadilly cud of the street, the inscription
would appear ill the reverse order. The advaiitages of such
a system to all persons, native or stranger, in finding their
way about the streets of lanntm are too obvious to need
pointing out. To assist the- rattle abject at night, we
would suggest—enlarging on a hint formerly thrown
out--that on the lamps which stand at the corners
of thoroughfares there might be paint•-d the number of
the house opposite to which it ht4llll,i, and the name of the
street opening into it ut that point. with the addition of
that of the thoroughfare to which it lead, thus—"
street (000) --Boned-street - How 11114C11 of the
time of the dwellers in tides would lie saved by the perfection
of such arrangernenbi am these. This week, the Police OM.
miss' -rs have published a list of cab-fares -very Marro-
rate, by the way—from the Exhibition Palace to the clubs,
theatres, and other plat,s oif resort in the metropolis; and
have issued • stringent ply-lawn with a view to cheek the
tendency to abuse and extortion which peculiarly character-
ises the London cabman. In a few days the list Will be cm-
, reeted of its errors, and then it will doubtless be .1
cuusi-
derable protection to the public. But the fares are
all calculated from one eentre,—and that only a temporary
centre. The rah-system needs an entire n-torm ; and we
think it would not he impassible to devise some Mean,
fur checking the abuses of which so many complaints are
made. These things are numaged timeh bitter in Paris and
in Berlin. In the main streets, if nowhere else, the mileage
might be marked. 'the difficulty is to hod a proper centre:
--the bunk, the post-office, or Charing-cruss i But why not
have several centres ? Charing-crose fur the west—the post-
office for the east—the obi lick for the south. From these
points the mileage might be marked on the lamp-11°,45, or
at every street-corner. We throw out these biota for the
consideration of those whom tiny may concern.