The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-17
SOCIAL STRATA Of LONDON,

tage in the course of a walk from, saw. Far
rlngdon street to Hyde Park Corner. In the
course of this walk you meet with thirty or
iorty distinct types of men, who may be
broadly taken as belonging to the same social
class, but who possess, nevertheless indi-
vidualities which skilled observer will have
very little difficulty in detecting.
OLD BAILEY WITNESSES.
If we start westward from st. Paul's Church
yard, the,frst important type that we meet
with is The Old Bailey witness. And it is
curious to observe how wonderfully alike these
Old Bailey witnesses are considering that
they are not brought together by any process
of selection. They are merely "fortuitous
COncourse of atoms" " brought into contact by
totally distinct chains of circumstance. They
have, probably, no concern in common, save
the desire to procure the conviction or ac-
quittal Of the prisoners in whom they are
respectively interested; but they seem to be
drawn from precisely the same class of society,
and to be, moreover, on intimate terms with
each other. They all look as if they had been
waiting about the corner of Ludgate Hill and
the Old Bailey for months lpast, and had had
no opportunity of attending to their toilets
during the time. They all look mildewy
and unwholesome; and they wear, for the
most part, the same look of painful preoc-
cupatiOn.
"BETTNG MEN"
Who are these seedy, gin-favored red
nosed, knowing-looling fellows, who hang
about the corner common to Bridge street
and Fleet street They occupy the whole
breadth of the footway, and so drive respect
able passers-by into the muddy roadway.
They are betting-men and they are busy with
their books on the principal forthcoming
''events." A curious feature of these gentry
is, that their toilet is spruce, and, to a certain
extent, neat though decidedly fashy, as re-
CARDS the upper part of their persons but the
lower you go down, the seedler they get
Their hats are old, but they are glossy, not
withstanding-glossy with the gloss they
derive from the application of wet sponges;
their collars are often clean, and their neck
scarfs are arranged with an elaborate preci-
sion which you would look forin vain among
members OF recognized professions; you will
find them secured with a thick gold pin, and
this thick gold pin will be stuck with mathe-
matical precision, right into their exact cen
tres. But after this comes a falling Off The
coat, which once was blue or green, is a
rusty brown, except in those parts which are
partially protected from atmospheric and other
influences blythe collar, pocket-iaps, and arms,
and from which you may obtain clue that
will guide you to the garments original color.
But bad as are their coats, they are quite
respectable when the trousers are taken into
consideration; and the trousers are evidently
ashamed (and with reason) of their associa-
tion with the boots. l suppose that this
anomalous state of things is to be accounted
for by the fact that these gentlemen transact
their business in great crowds, and the lower
part of their persons being consequently
concealed from view, they do not see the
necessity of spending much money upon its
adornment.
''GBNTLEMEN OF THE PRESS"
Between this and Chancery Lane, the pre-
dominant feature in the crowd will be q num-
Der Of seedy, rather dirty, but more or less
intellectual-looking men, with long hair, un-
kempt leards, and no gloves. These are pro-
badly journalists. They all know each other
and they are all very socially disposed. So
much so, indeed, that they find it a work of
time to get from one end of Fleet street to the
other.
PRINTERS AND DEVILS.
ether features of this eastward half of Fleet
street, are pale-faced men, with shock heads,
and weak eyes, who go about in shirt-sleeves
and slippers and small boys with smudgy
faces, big dirty calico aprons, and arms barred
to the elbow. These are printers and devils"
They are to be found in great numbers about
the turnings north of Fleet street, especially
Wine Office Court, between one and two
O'Clock in the afternoon. They will turn up
again when we have passed the Church of st.
Mary in the Strand.
BARRIsTERs AND BAR-sTUDENTs.
Now we come under Temple influences. The
mouths and firm upper lips, who are dressed
carelessly enough, but who look like gentle
men notwithstanding, are barristers, eminent
at Westminster and Guildhall. 1t may be
taken as a toerably safe rule that, the shah
bier the barrister, the more he has to do.
There are certainly such things as dandy
Queens Counsel, and needy men in their first
year to be found; but these may be taken as
the exceptions which are said to prove every
rule. The string of gentlemanly, well dressed
young fellows who are turning into Inner
Temple Lane, as we pass, are bar-students,
who are bound for the Common Law lecture,
in Inner Temple Hall. They are smart enough
now; but, ten years hence, If they attain any
thing like success in the profession they have
chosen, they will be as careless as to their
personal appearance as they are now par
ticular. The snutIy, dried-up old gentleman,
who is crossing the road towards Chancery
Lane and who would look like an under
takers mute, if we judged him by his clothes
alone, is an eminent cOmmon-laW judge, on his
way to Judges Chambers in SeaTjeants' Inn.
49, 81 INVENTORS AND GOVERNMENT CLERKS.
Temple influences extend to Essex street
and from Essex street to Somerset sHous'
there is little to remark in the passers-by, eX
cept that there is certain rustic look aoou
many of them, combined with an expression
of thoughtful anxiety on their faces, whiol
suggests that they are inventors, and would
be patentees, who are occupying temPorar.
LODGINGS in Norfolk and Arundel streets
Passing group Of raw youths, who are King
College students, we find ourselves in tn
midst of crowd OF passengers, most OF WHOM
are Government clerks. These are gentlemanly
I,p opAg gyyIl