Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1875-03-04
TRIP To EUROPE.
Lon don.
By JOHN S. BENDER, Esq.

may have something of the same sensa-
ton that Rip NanWinkle had on his re-
turn from the Catskill mountains, after
his twenty years nap. lie will look
around, sOmew hat amazed, and have bat
little to say. Such was our experience
on Sunday morning of the 29th of No
vember, 4. ID. 1874, as we took sh0rl
walk in the Great City.
Having taken few shifts of the foggy
atmosphere, we returned to our room, at
Nelson's to spend the Cay in reading,
writing, &c. Monday morning. the 30ih
of November, \. ID. 1874, that being the
last day of the month, we again arose to
find OurSelf in similar situation, only
that the monotony was broken by a dis
NAL rain, which continued the greater
portion of the time during our stay.
1t is PERHAPS expected that most per
sons, at least, who visit England tor
pleasure. or otherwise, will have some
thing to say OF its capital, or be placed
among the unobserving. TO escape the
frowns of community made indignant
by continued silence, we too, like some
others, who have for the first time visit
ed strange city, have AZ itching desire
to open the vials of our mind and pour
London is the largest and most densey
populated city, as well as The political,
moral, physical, literary, commercial, aud
social center of the world" 1t Las been
said with some degree of truth that, in
these days, a visit TO London is almost a
necessity-we thought so, or we would
not have gone. IT was necessary that
the hrst cable dispatch should reach Ply
mouth, and that, To this end, it was ne
cessity that some enc should cross the
Atlantic to- send it. The site upon which
London stands is veIy level, and covers
one hundred and twentytw square miles,
and is cut in two unequal halves by tue
Thames River The population. AT the
present time. which we ascer,ained from
R9utleges Guide Book is sour millions-a
very considerable increase over that OF
JS6l-when it numbered less than three
millions. In 1901 the CITY numbered less
than one million, and in 1901 at The ac-
cession of James the 1st, the City con
tained one hundred and fifty thousand, or
enough to make respectable country
town. This shows the rapid growth oi
this historical city For nearly 2.C00
years LondOn was less than an average
town. Ii has grown in the last eco years
to its present population We happened
to be there IN IA logsy time, and can speak
from experience. that the damp atmoS-
pleTe has not the i'll effect on The health
lssat many who have not visited the city
imagine. Statistics show that 1900 are
born every week in the CITY. and 1000
die in the same ieneth of time. The av-
erage mortality Is one in iitty annually.
The average OF human life being 80 years.
places London oyer one half per cent.
above the average.
We observed many the citizens with
flterers over their mouths and noses
how much protection this was we cannot
say-we kept our facial oritices unband-
aged, and had the satisfaction of leaving
the City With as sound lungs and as good
health as we had when We hrst put foot
within the ancient thruughfare.
The dense smoke produced by so ma
ny fires. mixed with cinders. emarating
from the numberless manufactures and
coal fires, added to the dampness and fog,
is what contributes 10 annoy the soiourn
ers. Yet Notwithstanding all this, the
climate is quite salubrious and temperate ;
mercury ut no time falling to zero, or ris-
ing to so deg. above Fahrenheit Hav-
ing secured a map to guide us, we found
that the city was very irregulariy laid out,
without regard TO the poiats OF the com
pass. Hence 10 a stranger il would ap.
pear impossible to travel any distance
through the meandering lanes, avenues,
rows and streets, without getting lost.
The traveller in London, he he citizen or
stranger, soon finds that there are several
streets, which form grand trunks. Oxford
street with its extensions, forms the prin
cipal road through the city, from east to
west. Having learned this tact, without
further guide, we took walk through IL
few of the principal streets, and some OF
the by ways OF the city. Most OF the
streets and lanes are in the shape of a
serpent's trail. None of tn IN except Reg
cnt street, are over 90 feet wide, and ma
nv OF them not exceeding II feet wide
There is one feature about the streets
| worthy OF note; however narrow and
| crooked, they are paved in the most ele
| giant manner, with a stone that would
seerl To endure for ten generations Or
more without repair. Oxford street as it
winds its way through the mass OF build
| ipgs, over 20 miles, reminds one of
common wagon road, winding through
a western forest. Indeed as we passed
down old orury Lane into Oxford street,
it required but little effort To carry the
Imagination back 1900 years, when old
! Oxford street was common wagon road,
and Drury Lane private way To farm
house. A map of London has something
the appearance of a clay hill, after a hea-
Wy rain The gullys formed by the wash
ing of waters represents the streets, alleys
and lanes, and the space between repre-
senting the buildings, blocks. The build
ings are densely packed, and though built
OF brick and stone, and durable, il we ex
cept the Cathedral Churches and public
buildings, are inferior to our more mod
ern buildings, in some of our American
cities, as to proportion and finish. AT
least l saw no private building that
would equal in magnitude and beauty
the New Telegraph office, in New York,
or the Palmer House, in Chicago; and
among the stores, l confess that | saw
none that would excel the House of A
Il. Stewart. Oh \. Y, nor that of Field,
Letter 81 Co., of Chicago.
Their. is one thing remarkable in al
the shops and stores, on the principal
throughfare OF London, for order, neat
ness and show OF the choicest goods ano
wares, to the best advantage are unri
"A. L. rfk ~