The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-08-05
An Austin Merchants Impressions oil
the Great English Capital.
LoNDoN. ENGLAND July. 188l

LONDON, England. - ulE, lo0U.
The increase 0f London has been
so rapid for the last fifty years that
it has become a world in itself, and
months could be passed merely in a
casual view of its many places OF
historic, interest. There is a popu-
lation here of about four millions
and the city contains over thousand
churches, seven thousand public
houses and about six hundred ho-
tells. There are as many as one hun
dred different streets here called by
the same name. The visitor may as
cend to the top of st. Pauls Cathe-
dral and he cannot see to the utmost
limits of the city. L do not mean
the ancient city, and now the great
business center, for that maintains
entirely different corporate exist
ence. Within the bounds of the an
cient city the resident population is
comparatively small, in as much as
the ground is very costly and is
taken up mostly with business
houses. The extent Of the ancient
city is very limited compared with
the present extension of the metrop-
oils, but it contains st. Paul's Cathe-
dral, the Bank of England, the gen.
eral postoffice, the custom house
and the great commercial markets
of the world. 1t is said that half a
million of business men enter the
city in the morning and leave it il
the evening for their residences out
of town. On Sunday you may roam
through street after street and not
meet solitary human being, where
the day before there were visible in
creasing tides of busy, struggling
humanity. 1t is said that the bust
est place in the world is the open
space around the Bank of England
Over the London bridge one hun.
dred thousand pedestrians and TWEEN
ty thousand vehicles pass daily
The spires and domes of the church
es rebuilt after the fire of Septem.
Der, 1866, are painted black. Near
where the confiagration broke out 8
shaft two hundred feet high was
erected in commemoration of the
fire. The west end of London is the
fashionable quarter of the city, and
contains most of the palaces and re-
sorts for the nobility. With such q
large population, it is a wonder
how so many people are fed, but the
system here is SO good that the ia.
cilities for procuring supplies grow
better as the population increases
The inter-communication is sc
good that you can get to any por
ton of the city at cost of a few
pennies. Riding on the under
ground railway is by no means dis
agreeable. The prices range from
one to three pennies per mile, accord
ing to the class of compartment tht
passenger desires to enter. The sec
ond class is about as good as the
most of our Texas railroads. ThC
locomotives consume their OWL
smoke, and you are not annoyed Oh
Inconvenience while passing from
one station to another.
One of the great attractions il
the London Tower. but it would
be useless for me to try to give a de
scription of it or its contents. IL
OnC vi lllC IOOLuc dIC chOn II tLt
crown jewels, worth, it is said, ovel
$10,O00,0O0. The splendor of this
magnificent display of gems strike
the visitor with amaZement.
One of my most pleasant visits wal
to Mr.. Spurgeon's tabernacle. Mr.
Spurgeon has voice rich and pow.
erful, and never fails to hold the at
tention of his congregation.
l attended the Handel festival {
few days ago, at the Crystal Palace
l presume there is no other place il
the world were 1.-The Messiah i.
presented as il is here. The chorus
consisted of 1000 picked voices
Nearly every large town and well
nigh every cathedral city in Greai
Britain sent their best instructed
singers. Many of the principal anC
celebrated yocaIists of Europe tool
part. rlr.t
No one should depart from Lon
don without visiting the exhibition
Of the. celebrated Tussard wax fig
ures- In the British Museum yoI
see the books that were handled and
the manuscript letters that were
written by the kings and queens OF
centuries ago. In the Tussard gal
lery YOU see the faces and forms OF
those celebrities apparently instinct
with life. Here are seen Knox. Cal
vim. Luther and great men OF
an periods, including Grant, Lincoln
aud johnson. In the Golden cham
Der IS the bed on which Napoleon
brcathcd his last, and the carriage
in which he rode 70 the disasters o.
Russia and Waterloo
HYDE Park Is one Of the atfnac.
lions Of London 1t Is identified BY
a winding stream called the Serpen.
tine. Il Is one Of the fashionable
promenades for West End, and on
Sunday numerous open-air congre-
CATIONS assemble there for religious
services.
Although London excels in many
things, she could very easily learn Z