The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-03-22
CORRESPONDENCE.
Another Letter from John Il. PIIIIng.
From a private letter of Mr.. Pill
ling's we quote several items of inter
st.-ED.

lng's we quote several items of inter
est.-ED.
LANGHAM HOTEL,
PORTLAND PLACE LONDON, W.,
February 26, 1888. }
Just as | am about leaving England
for Paris, France, will jot down a lit
lie of my wanderings. Westminster
Abbey | have seen and have passed
among the tombs of kings, queens,
princes and other notabes who were
but are not Here the crumbling atoms
remind the Christian thinker that if
there is nothing beyond the tomb it
were not much to live for,
Shakspeares monument here brings
out many Of his words of which you are
so fond of quoting-this place one might
20 to day after day and then would not
see half the points of interest here re-
naming. The Tower of London is well
worth passage across the ocean to see.
The regalia of England is stored within
it, in double iron cage. The corona
tion crown of Queen Victoria is upper
most in the confine and is valued at
e5O0,0O0. Such display of diamonds,
saphires, rubies aud pearls have never
before been combined together, except
in the treasure house of monarchies, and
the sight is very tempting.
The whole regalia of England is val
ued at e35O, 900, aside from the crown.
These are guarded in the strongest way
imaginable The Tower has winding
stairs of stone where kings and queens
have trod never to come forth again
alive. Here we saw the block and axes
where heads have been served, leaving
he indentation in the block made by the
axe as the unfortunate's head dropped
into the basket. l stood on the spot
where Queen Anne and Lady Jane Gray
were behe AIDED. Here are dungeons
where years of loneliness have been
spent by innocent personages, cells
where once to enter meant never to
come forth except to be beheaded. Here
in the bloody Tower, which was entered
by way of the traitors gate, many, very
many have passed to death. The moat
the Tower is not filled with
water as in former days. We walked
over this and had view of the entrance
from the Thames. Here, in some parts
of the old Tower, are kept the ancient
implements of war, even from the ear
liest time, l saw the instruments of
torture of the old days-thumb screws,
the rack, fetters and mercy only knows
what
On these grounds are the barracks
and l saw the soldiers going through
their exercises. l went into one room
where were Al 900 stands of the Henry
breech loading rifles. To see the mount
ed calvary here, where at the entrance
a number of guards are in the saddle,
ready at all times to do duty, l must say
that England is well guarded so far as
London is concerned, and if you think
London is not quite place you have on
ly to come over and be convinced to the
contrary.
Not to speak of the many other places
of note | will pass to st. Pauls Cathe-
dral. This is place of interest to any
traveller who will stop to look at the vast
dome, the thousands of pictures from
the old masters, statuary which would
cause you to hold your breath as you
gazed in wonder and amazement! Here
an invitation is given to the person writ
ten to to come over and see for himself.
Madame Tussands is another place of
interest, being perhaps the largest col
lection of wax figures, paintings, statu-
ary and relics in the world. Here is
stored the carriage which Napoleon l.,
rode in at Waterloo. l had the pleasure
of entering this, the attendant showing
me the inside workings, As used door
opens under the drivers seat. which,
when opened, afforded sleeping or in
cumbent position. This was the way
the Great Napoleon slept. Drawers
opened; in these lie kept his writing ma
terials, razors, maps, and in fact cloth
ing and everything he might want. AT
his back was place where he could
bell his coffee and in truth it was quite
a little home for him and was much
more comfortable than | can describe.
There are many relics of Napoleon in
this instition;even the bedstead in which
he died, the cradle in which his son was
rocked-juGging from its richness must
have cost many hundreds of dollars.
Underneath this room is the "Cham.
Der of Horrors" where is the guilotine;
the gallows where some twenty men
were hanged at once, the builder of
this being the first one hanged for MUIR
der. Here we could spend days but the
shortness of our stay makes it necessary
to pass on.
Yesterday visited the Crystal Palace,
now located about seven and one-half
miles from London. The palace for
merly was erected at Hyde Park and
after the Worlds Exhibition was re.
moved to its present site. There is so
much of interest here that the huge
structure is self-sustaining, which is
proof of its magnifcence.
must close as tomorrow l leave for
Paris, and as l spedkFrench so tluently
I expect grand time. Shades OF Ma
poleon, how am to order my dinner?
JOHN r. PILLING,
The popular .od purifier, Hoods