The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-09-13

sentence. AS we leave the Bridge, we pass
very soon by the white-marble palace of
Whitehall, from whose windows Charles
l. stepped upon the scafold-and our
cab soon rattles into Trafalgar Square
the centre and heart of London, with its
spacious fountains and its lofty column
to Lord Nelson-the National Gallery
on the North, and on the Southeast the
splendid Charing Gross Hotel, on the site
of what was (when I was here before)
Northumberland House.
1 mentioned the Thames Ena6ankment
i referred more specifically to that por-
ton of the Thames Embankment which
Is known as the Victoria E'nl6ankme7at,
which runs on the north side of the river
from Blackfriar's Bridge to Westminster
Bridge. Itconsists of a solid granite wall,
8 feet thick, 40 feet high, and mile and
one-third in length, which, combining the
river in narrower channel, has reclaimed
a strip of land formerly covered by the
tide twice a day, varying in breadth from
200 to $50 feet. On this embankment,
along the river, is splendid roadway
and foot-pavements 100 feet in width.
This work was finished in 1870, and cost
100000. There are two other en-
bankments, known, respectively, as the
Albert Embankment and the Chelsea
Embankment-both higher up the river.
One of the things that surprises me in
England is that the people do not know
how to speak the English language. 1t
is almost impossible to understand many
of them-they pronounce so indistinctly
l am amused at young men coming over
here from the continent to learn to speak
English really do not comprehend halt
that hear. Americans enunciate with
far more distinctness than the English
and it is little amusing to see some of
them who live over here trying to talk
like the English. The English have
many expressions very different from
ours, and they throw the accent in talk
ing on different part of the word and
of the sentence. They do not say-"A
house to let, but {" to be let" they do
not say {" a tea-plate, but a bread and
butter plate; not kitchen utensils"
but kitchen furniture" not "he is
sick" (Which conveys the idea of vomit-
ing,) but he is ill.," they would not say
family -four" but household -four" :;
not ticket-Ofice," but booking office, 4"
not -" baggage-car," but Luggage van" !;
not pitcher, but Jug, not mail your
letter" but "post your letter" not " rail
road, but " railway; not pantaloons, +"
but trOwsers''; not stayed away" but
stopped away"
1t is silly for an American to attempt
to pronounce like the English, or to weed
out his American words from his vocabu-
larry. We must have our own idioms, Just
as there are idioms peculiar to different
parts of England. The only rule in all this
matter is for every one, who has had the
opportunity to mingle with refined and
educated people, to pronounce and to
speak as his oo0,a people do; and, there
fore, it is duty for every Virginian to
say kyar and 8ty1 (not 8too).
The dressing here is simply abomina-
BILE. The ladies wear flaming red batiste,
and satteen with the figures of window
curtain, in the streets. The tailors cut
ones clothes in such remarkable man
ner that I went to one this morning, and
said-"I want an overcoat; L will get
you to make one on one condition-that
you will make it eractly after the pattern
of one 1 will send you-cut it out by
that. He agreed to do it. Doherty
made that, and one need not try on any
thing that he makes Though ill-shaped
as I amy; but here you are always ex-
pected to try things on-and when they
are completed, they are grotesque.
Of course 1 have been to the T6ayer
[ noticed there fact that struck me quite
forcibly. We fancy that the by-gone gen
erations knew nothing in the way of IN
yent'on8; but the first thing that caught
my eye as l entered the Tower was two
bid matchbox harquebusses of Horny
VIII q limo both braecb 1oodars orJ