The Arizona sentinel., 1886-01-23
LONDON STREET LIFE.
Some Aspects and Features Peculiar
 the English Metropolis.

Some Aspects and Features Peculiar to the English Metropolis.
 London has, in addition to its police and fire brigade, third force of officials controlled by the city. This is the
 'shoeblack brigade" It is set of boys almost grown to manhood, who are regularly licensed by the city to black boots on the public streets, and I believe they have monopoly of this business. They are all uniformed in bright scarlet jackets, and are a very respectable brigade. It is a pity this English feature was not sent across to America years ago in place of the Eng fish sparrow brigade, which has be- come such pest all over the north of the United States. Strange as it seems to an American, the pestiferous English sparrow is still beloved in his na- tive home, and right in the heart of London are thousands of the little birds. Common pigeons abound in London also. There is res idence in Ely Place, half a mile from St. Paul's Cathedral, where the pigeons flock daily for food, which is given them by bird-loving lady. The pigeons are public property, but they know their friend, and it is interesting to watch them while feeding from her hands. It seems as though there must be ''mil- lions'' of them (according to Colonel Sellers), and they fly around the lady, upon her shoulders and head, until they o1r ho- ic possible for her to keep them out of the sack containg the grain. which she feeds them; and often she has to lift them out by the armload. The feeding of the pigeons at Ely Place has become so we'll known to Londoners that scores and sometimes hundreds of people assemble to witness it.
 The streets of London (except in the suburbs) are not cut up with car tracks, but in place of street cars they have kind of two-storY omnibus-larger than the American omnibus, and not quite so wide as a street car. It will hold at least twenty inside. At the rear a winding stairway leads up to the roof, where there are seats to accommodate about fifteen or sixteen people. These are oc- cupied by ladies as well as gentlemen. Two strong horses have no difficulty in pulling this great load over the smoothly cemented thoroughfares. I find the same thing in Paris also, but here it is even larger than in London. The Ameri- can rule of the highway: keep to the right" is sometimes reversed, and in England the song is then: "Ever to the left, boys; ever to the left"
 Hacks waiting for customers do not stand by the curb, but are drawn up in line in the middle of the widest streets, such as Holborn or High Holborn streets (pronounced "O'b'n" and ''lob'n'' by the Londoner), the Strand or Regent Street. In the center of the carriageway also are large ornamental gas-posts, protected from vehicles by posts set in at a radius of about four feet. These form a sort of oasis in the midst of the street, and make con- venient retreats for persons hemmed in by vehicles while attempting to cross the streets. In each of these midway oases is a policeman, whose duty it is to see that all vehicles going south keep on one side and all going north on the other side of this dividing line.-Lon- don Cor Charleston NeSDS