Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-11-29
NOTES FROM ABROAD.
LOndOn----Its Size and Population
Rapid Growth and Magnificent Scale
OF it's improvements.


Rapid Growth and MagniGeeni Scale
of it's improvements.
From the Detroit Advertiser and Tribune.
LONDON, Sept. %, 1854.
We're seven objects to be selected as es-
peciallY the wonder of the Nineteenth cen
tury, L am sure London would be placed
among them for immenslty. Fancy four
such cities ss New York, 81 such as Chics-
20 or St. Louis, or 80 such as Detroit placed
side by side, and you have population
equal to that of the metropolis of England.
It would nearly equal also, the entire pop
ulation of Michigan taken four times over.
But after all, when we reckon by millions,
the mind can have very little conception
of numbers. Perhaps can convey bet
ter idea by attempting to describe the
ground it covers. have before me map
extending over four miles in every direc-
ton from Charing Cross-an area of forty
square miles, and yet this embraces only
the densely populated portion and does
not include suburban districts, which are
as much part of London as Charlestown
or Cambridge are parts of Boston, and
which certainly extend over radius Of at
least ten miles. But even the space COW
cred by any map embraces not fewer than
seventeen thousand streets.
The difficulty in finding names for them
all is evidenced in there being no less than
8 Albest streets, u Charles streets, II
Church streets, IA Duke streets, l9 George
streets, 10 High streets, l9 james streets,
26 John streets, "a King streets, IA North
streets, 16 Prince streets, q Queen streets,
II William streets, I6 York streets, etc,
saying nothing of the Albert Places, Al
bert Roads, Albert Terraces, Albert
Squares, and like changes on each OF the
other names of the list. So perplexing
had London become to the Postottice de-
psrtment in the delivery of letters, that 1t
has lately been divided into ten districts,
each q city of near 100000 inhabitants,
and severally designated as London Z. Q,
East Centrsl), London W. O., West
Central), London W. London n. W.
London N, and 80 on.
THE CITY PROPER.
oThe CITY," as it is called in London,
comprises only that portion included with
in the ancient walls, or but very small
fraction of the London of the present day
This portion alone is under the jurisdic-
ton of the Lord Mayor, the remainder
being governed as to the streets, provision
for poor, lighting, local taxes, etc, by the
boards Of vestrymen of the several par
ishes. Police matters are regulated by the
Board of Commissioners appointed by the
Government, and protection against hre Is
left mainly to the volunteer direction OF
the several insurance companies. Rather
q divided and precsrious state of govern
ment for so large place, is it not? Yet
somehow everything seems to work
smoothly. But I was going TO speak Of
fthe city;n and here let me caution your
readers if they should ever visit London
not to speak of London ss a whole as
city. II is not city at all, and they will
only find themselves misunderstood If they
so designate it.
The city, as said before is but small
affair, I am told, not numbering 5000 or
10000 resident inhabitants. In Short 1t
is nothing more than huge market place,
or exchange, teeming with life and busi-
ness during business hours, but almost
entirely deserted during the remainder OF
the twenty-four. Its numerous parish
churches would accommodate its poPuls-
ton many times over, and nave become
mere neglected halls where once week
prosy parsen goes through the form OF
reading q sleepy sermon to few dozen
sleepy pew occupants. One entire parish,
which in old times was presumed to fur
nish a population sufficient to fill and sup
port church, is now exclusively occupied
by the extensive buildings of the Bank of
England I do not know whether the
bank goes through the formality Of annu
ally electing q board of vestrvmen and
otherwise administering the affairs of It's
parish, but presume it does.
THE STREETS OF LONDON.
Perhaps no better idea of the immense
popUlace and traffic of London can be
gained than that we gather in q ride out
side an omnibus, say from London bridge
to Charing Cross through Fleet street and
the Strand, or to the West End by way of
Cheapside, Newgste street and HolbOrn.
These are the two leading thorOughfares
running through London from East to
West. The omnibuses carry from 26 to
40 passengers, the majority of them riding
on top, which is fitted up with q seat run
ming down the middle, on which the passen-
gers sit back to back. You need never
wait more than 8 minute or two for an
omnibus to pass, and generally there are
two or three all going the same direction,
one Immediately after the other. To odrive
an omnibus or any vehicle through the
crowded streets requires no little skill, to
say nothing of an open eye. The side
wslks are perfectly black with living
struggling mass. A vehicle stops and IL
stantly there is a jam. You look back
and before the cause has existed ior three
seconds all is at stsnd-still as far as the
crooked streets will permit the view. At
many points handful of policemen Is
kept on duty the whole time, and no light
task do they have either, merely Togula-
ting the traffic of the thOroughfare. Gross
ing street even is a matter of extreme
difficulty, insomuch that scheme is on
foot for bridging the principal streets at
frequent intervals, for the sole convenience
of pedestrians.
IMPROVEMENTS AND CHANGES.
We suppose out West that only Chicago
and few other western cities, are doing
anything extensive in the growing way,
but we must come TO London TO see rapid
and growing improvement. The city
(proper and imprOper) Isl just now undegO-
ing an entire build. Acres of old struc-
lures, includingsome of such magnifcence
as the old East India House, on Leaden-
hall street, are being demolished in every
quarter to make way for new thorough
fares, new railway stations, gigantic hotels
and vast blocks of stores and offices, all on
the very grandest scale The old buildings.
we are told, will not let, so down they
come, and up rsies a galstial stone edifico,
as the saying is, "with sll the modern i'm
pro7ements."
THE LONDON SEWERAGE.
Most of our readers have heard for
years past of the terribly polluted condition
of the Thames, growing out of the drain
age of all the filth of the city into it. So
alarming did the evil become at last, that