Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-10-10
EUROPEAN LETTER

/ -
EUROPEAN LETTER
From our own Correspondent
LONDON.
The ride from Edinburg to London
alistance of four hundred miles is
usually made in ten hours by the fast
est trains, and for the most part
through a country which would de-
light our best farmers The careful
cultivation and abundant crops
remind us of the land near our cities
and are indicative of a country long
under subsection TO man. Oats and
wheat, with an occasional field of bar
ley are the usual grains Root crops
are largely in excess of what we raise
in America, and sheep seem to us I'M
usually fine. As we near London the
country becomes an almost continuous
village filled with. manufactures, and
from ten to thirty tall chimneys can
| generally be seen at once. AT the
time of my former visit five years ago
| these were in full operation, but at
present at least half of them are not
running, for hard times are felt in
England as wei as in America.
Through these villages and the thick
ly settled country we glide almost inn
perceptibly into the city itself, and
end our journey at the Midland Dept.
the largest and most expensive rail-
road depot in the world, which, with
the hotel built as part of it cost $l0,-
100000.
London is world in herself. A city
OF four million inhabitants, situated in
broad plain, upon both sides of a
noble river, she has natural advantage
es which few places possess. SO vast
is she that one might walk her streets
constantly for month without re-
tracing his steps. Everything made
anywhere in the world can be found
in London, while people from all
countries and nations are living with,
in her Limits, and there is nothing
which art or science can produce
which is not represented here. The
very greatness of the city and the
multitude of things of interest to be
seen, fairly bewilder the traveller, so
that at best it can be but choice of
few places to be visited and linoer-
ing regret that so much must be left
unseen. iae
After a ride through some of the
more celebrated streets to gain gen.
eral idea of the city, we commence
our examination of things of particu-
lar interest with large dingy looking
stone building, blackened with CEN
turtles of London smoke which stands
IN one OF the most busy parts of the
city, itself filling an entire square. As
we approach St. Paul's Cathedral and
enter it, we are impressed particular.
~ with Its size and massiveness, and,
indeed, il is the largest Protestant
cathedral in the world. The interior
IS very plain, strikingly so compared
with Catholic cathedrals, its decora.
lions consisting almost entirely of
monuments and memorial tablets, Of
these we may mention those of How.
ard, the philanthropist, Turner, the
painter, Sir John Moore, Sir Christie
pher Wren, Benjamin West and Sir
Joshua Reynolds. In the crypt are
the remains of the duke of Wellington
and the paraphranalia of his funeral.
including the funeral car made of cap
tured cannon and weighing many
tons. Near by is the monument of
Lord Nelson, under which his body
lies. People who are enthusiastic
and foolish enough next climb more
than six hundred steps to the ball
where they are generally rewarded
with a magnificent view of London
smoke and fog extending as much as
five hundred feet in every dl.
rectlon, but although they can see
nothing they have the consolation of
knowing that they are nearly three
hundred and fifty feet above the pave
ment. We recall with pleasure a
Sabbath service in the Cathedral con-
Quoted by that prince of pulpit ora
tors, Canon Lyddon. The thorough
fare around the Cathedral is known
as st. Panls Churchyard, the longer
side, carriage way, called the Bow,
the shorter, foot passage, called the
String. Between the Churchyard and
Newgate Street is Paternoster Row.
the great center of the book trade.
Here are the offices OF Thomas Mel
son 81 Son'and Blackwood's Maya
zine, and in this vicinity most of
Shakspeare's plays were originally
published. Just off from this is the
quiet little hook called Amen Corner.
Very near st. Panl's are the old
Baily and Newgate, imnortalized bv
the genius of Dickens. Going up
Cheapside, one of the chief retail
streets Of London, we pass the build.
ing known as the General Post Office
while a little farther up is King St,
which brings US to Guild hall where
are the ancient colossal wooden fig.
ures; Cog and Magog. Continuing
up Cheapside we soon come to the
open space in front of the Royal Ex-
change, which is emphatically the
business center of London as ChariBg
Cross is the center of its fashion. (
doubt II there is a spot in the world
where there is more travel by foot
and Omnibus than this, as eight main
thoroughfares pour into it their cease.
less traffic. It's we'll worth halt an