The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-12-13
shall reign in another mighty london. Alas,

Several times during the night Ellen heard
Paulett mnrmur to himself words of lament
over the fallen city and when he slept his
rest was agitated, and his frame seemed tren-
bling under the emotions Of the day.
1t was resolved that Ellen should rest lit
tie while In their present hAbitation before
They intended to make for the coast, sure OF
a dry channel to the opposite shore, and no.
ping to reach some Of the great continental
towns before their store OF diamonds should
be utterly exhausted. In the meantime Pau
lett was bent upon taking his hoy through
the ruins of London and impressing upon him
the memory of the place and its great events
so. the next day, leaving Ellen and the little
Alice together. he and Charles began their
pilgrimage through the mighty ruins. The
event must have occurred very many months
ago, for the ruins We're perfectly cold and the
winds had toppled down the walls of all tho
more fragile buildings SO that the streets lay
in confusion over one another, and it was i'm
possible except by other marks, to recognize
the localities. Paulett and Charles clambered
over the fallen walls. and would have been be-
wildered among the heaps Of masonry and
houses shaken from their base and blackene.l by
fire, only that over the desolate prospect they
saw, and Paulett marked the bearings of St.
Panl's, the chief part Of whose dome rose
high in the air, though a huge rent let the
daylight through 1t, and threatened a speedy
fall. There was here and there a spire rising
perfect over the ruins there were remains OF
Whitehall, strong though blackened, seen over
long view OF prostrate streets ; and in the
ulStInCe OpyOnu, fragments OF westminster
Abbey showed themselves in the sunlight.
though defaced and crumbled as if the frame
had been too ancient to resist the fire. Guided
by these landmarks, Paulett traced out the
plan of the city, and by degrees recognized
where the great streets had run, where the pa
laces had stood, where the river had flowed
and all was silent, all an absolute stiffness,
where there had been, such ceaseless voices
and sounds of life The libraries were burned,
the statues calcined, the museums in ashes !;
the mind OF man. which triumphs over the
body. had here been subdued by matter, and
left no trace of itself.
"Oh, London, London So much talent, so
much glory and beauty; such mighty hearts,
such mighty works !; such ages of stOry,-all
, cried Paulett, striking his breast and stretch
ing forth his arms over the skeleton Of what
was once sovereign i'll the world.
He took his son by the hand and led him
over the confused Masses telling him as they
went along what were the ruins by which they
passed.
"This great heap of buildings which has fall
len into the square must be the palace of our
kings. 1t is that st. Jamess where they dwelt
till nobler buildings rose with the improving
times. See here, Charles, there is less ruin
and time has been that have heard the buzz
of men filling all this place when the sove-
| reigns came to hold their courts in that build
ing. think that this dreadful fire must have
| taken place before life was quite extinct for
see, there are heaps of bones here, as though
men had fled together to avoid it and it either
overlook them with long tongues of fire, such
as Il burning city would send forth, or smOth-
cred them, before they could escape, with it's
smoke. Ha! l see almost palace there's
wonder of modern art. 1t is the house once
saw, and only once, for it was built during the
| years of the great drought"
Who could build in those days, father p
said Charles. IL thought no one had any
heart for doing more than we do, and that is
but just keeping ourselves alive"
| MAY, it was very long before the persua-
sion came that those We're the last days. We
restore the earth to its old order and whoever
possessed the means, builded and projected
| still. You may this magnificent place suf-
fered violence before the fire, for its ornaments
are torn from the walls, and its statues mutt
lated by other means than the bare fall. 1t was
| the property of man called JephcOt who,
when the water began to fail, contrived means
! to bring it into London from great distances,
and thus to secure Il supply when the ordina-
ry means were useless. He kept his cOntri-
! vance secret and supplied the city when other
mems resources We're exhausted, and he grew
exceedingly rich by this exercise of his ingenu-
| ity, and built himself the palace which you
see there. But when the failure of water
amounted to absolute famine, the rich people
naturally were the last who wanted; they
gave his price, and he supplied them before he
would supply others who had no money to
bring. This was endured with murmurs
| which might have gone OIL Il little longer had
not JephcOt in the midst OF their distress, given
! a banquet to the great people of London.
1t was in the second year of the drought,
when, little thinking what the end was to be.
we all continued to live, rs far as possible, as
| we had done before. I was in London, where
! the Parliament was then sitting, and, among
. others, l was invited to this house. and still
remember the scene OF luxury and profusion
Of these bare rooms In the midst of the noise
I'Of crowded assembly, some of us heard
| sounds outside, which were such as you will
never hear even if YOU liVe-sOunds OF the feet
and voices of thousands of human beings.
| Among this tumult we began to distinguish in
ividual voices, chiefly those of women crying
| out IS Water" We paid little attention, and
those who did, said the police and soldiers We're
| called out and would prevent violence; but
before long it was whispered that these forces,
| pressed by extreme want and seeing their
were exciting violence. There fell silence
| over all the assembly; every one left the
tables and gathered together to hear and to
consult and while We did so, there came an as
Sault on the front Of the house, and the voices
OF the pOpulace all broke out at once into shout
ing. They were irresistible; they forced their
way in, and came pouring up the staircase; they
| uttered cries Of vengeance for imaginary
wrongs, saying that the water Of London had
been kept for the rich, and that there was an
abundance for both rich and poor. and threat
more eagerly than they demanded for water
He tried to address them, but they caught him
down from the head OF the staircase where he
stood and flung him at once over the marble
banisters. This was the signal for attack on
all sides. We rushed forward to rescue his
body and revenge him they to possess them
selves OF the treasure they so much coveted
OF course We're Overpowered, for we were
one to fifty !; and that night there fell a hun.
dred OF the mobiles of England. The women
were respected by the mob and except one
lady who was shot accidentally, and another
who saw her son fall, and stood over him till
he ceased to breathe, then fell wounded anC
dying herself, all escaped. Your mother was
not there. When our party was quite van
qnished, found myself In the midst of thu
mob, bleeding to death-as l thought bu1
they flung me on one side, and recovered
They pulled the house to the ground after
they had satiated themselves with drinking
And that was the first great calamity which
overthrow the government of the country
And how did that come about father :!
said Chayles, eagerly holding him by the hanC
and sharing his excitement.
Paulett led him on telling him, at one ruined
monument after another, what steps had beer
taken at each in the destruction OF the order
Of things. They came to the dry channel o.
the Thames, deep and wide trench, who's
bottom showed objects that had lain there
when the waters flowed above, and which
once would have been as precious as now they
dad I,rA