The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-06-06
London


Ia a great city. 1t is as large as New York,
Philadelphia, Boston and Washington joined
in one It is colossal; 1t is vast bee hlve
of commercial activities. 1t has multltudes OF
upright citizens, but it is also the abode OF
legions of criminals. Royal magnifcence and
the most abiect poverty meet and jostle each
other at every turn. Most of the streets are
narrow and fearfully and wonderfully irregu-
lar: they are bewildering maze, perfect
labyrinth of crooked. bending, twisting thor
oughfares
A new conner is stunned by the tremendous
rush of humanity that tides back and forth along
the Strand, and sweeps around the Bank and
the Exchange. The busiest hours on Broadway
in New York cannot compare with 1t. AS we
look upon the scene we can think OF nothing
anywhere equal to these torrents of human
life it is mighty, roaring, sweeping, spring
freshet of humanity. Great omnbuses drawn
by three horses abreast, thunder along the
street, and four-wheel cabs. looking as if just
recuscitated from the last stages of dissolution
rattle along here and there. Hanson cabs,
those most convenient of all carriages, dash
in and out hither and thither, among the
great crowd of vehicles; and great brewery
draws, with horses like elephants plod along
with their heavy loads The sidewalk swarms
with moving mass of men, and many are
the strange sights that meet our curious eyes.
Here are to be seen the stiff square costume
of the English merchant, little boys of ten
with beaver hats like men dudes, ticket por
tiers with brass labels around their necks, fun
ny looking policemen, jaunty soldiers in red
uniforms besides all kinds of costermongers
with everything conceivable and lnconcelva-
BILE to sell along the streets
The omnibus is used instead of street cars,
and all kinds of two-wheeled vehicles seem to
be popular. They are convenient for dodg-
ing in and out, back and FORTH through this
vast notwithstanding up and down these
crowded thoroughfares. ''Are the streets as
dirty as our Philadelphia streets?" No,
indeed, they are smooth and very clean. ="
How they can be kept up in such excellent
repair, and SO scrupulously exempt from filth,
is really wonderful.
Our first day in London is spent In going
to our banker for money and letters from
home, and in looking for more comfortable
quarters than we now have at the Golden
Cross hotel The financial house at which we
expect to find some welcome communications
from our friends in America, is located far
down the Strand, beyond the Bank of Eng
land, in Leadenhall street. In order to reach
it we take our stand before the hotel and
wait for bus" Here comes one of those
great vehicles it is ponderous machine
The driver is a man of dignity, dressed in
neat top-coat, a beaver hat, and driving
gloves, The uniformed conductor stands on
a platform in the rear of the 'bus," where he
solicits passengers, collects the fare, and reg
ulates the business of the whole establish
ment He is bright, active, polite man.
His eyes are continually watching the multi
tude He sees a passenger in the crowd in
visible to all but himself, and he increasingly
crys out the destination of his vehicle; but
L a. vii ;pta fo
but native Londoner For instance this
fellow whom we now stop is continually
shouting, ''Abink Wychiple, Abink Wy
chiple, Abink Wychiple" He sees us. In
a twinkling he is at our side. Blink Wy
chiple?" (Bank-White Chapel
We wish to go to the Bank"
''An right, ere you are"
We quickly take seat aloft and away we
go down the Strand with fine view of the
life in this historic street. This is a broad,
smooth thoroughfare, and is lined with many
handsome shops, and is the great artery OF
traffic between the city and West End. 1t is
one of the busiest and most important streets
in this great English metropolis.
1t was unpaved down to 1882, at which Pc
Rod many of the palaces of the nobility bor-
dered on the Strand. Some of these houses
still recall those days of departed magnifi-
cence, but the palaces themselves have long
since disappeared or are now devoted to more
plebeian uses. For instance, we pass house
in which Henry VIII once lived transformed
in these later days to a barber shop.
Here on the south side Of the Strand rises
the stately facade of the Somerset house,
which is one hundred and fifty feet in length,
and was erected by Sir William Chambers in
1885, on the site of palace which the
Protector Somerset began to build in 1549
The protector, however, had the misfortune
to lose his head before he had finished his
house, which then fell to the crown. 1t af-
forwards became the residence of Anne of
Denmark, consort of James |, of Henrietta
Maria, the queen of Charles |, and of Cathe-
rine of Braganza, the neglected wife OF the
Second Charles lingo Jones died here in
1862. The old building was taken down in
1866 and the present ediice, now occupied
by various public offices, was erected in its
stead Just beyond the Somerset house we
pass the old church of ST. Clements Danes,
in the centre of the Strand, built in 1883. DIR.
Johnson used to attend this church. 1t is
said to bear its name from being the burial
place of Harold barefoot and other Danes.