The Washington critic., 1888-01-07

wiz 10 flAAihhiAA'h NANA' w. w. i'fN
and districts. It's statistics are upon
such an enormous scale that we are
astounded when told of them. 1t is
only by comparison that we can com
prehend London facts. The census
of 1881 showed a population of 3,SOl,-
571 within the metropolitan area, and
within the fifteen-mile radius 4,500,-
600, large proportion of the 25,96S,-
2S6 returned for all England and
Wales.
EVERY SIXTH MAN
in this realm is n Londoner. The
population of other large cities shows
us that the greatest of them contains
about half the above number. In the
same year the population of Paris was
2,269, ,023, New York and Brooklyn
1855, l49.
There are more Roman Catholics in
London than in Rome, more Jews
than in all Palestine more Scotchmen
than i'm Aberdeen, more Welshmen
than in Cardiff, more Irishmen than
in Belfast. Eight hundred thousand
persons enter and leave the city daily.
London contains over 700, 900 houses,
and its streets, placed end to end,
would extend nearly 5000 miles. Its
] 800 churches and chapels would not
hold tenth of the inhabitants who
occupy the aforementioned houses.
They consume annually 800, 900 oxen,
four million of sheep, calves and pigs,
million head of poultry and game
and over 1870, 900 tons of fish. They
drink 1870, 200, 900 quarts of malt liquor,
81 100000 quarts of wine, $4,000, 900
quarts of spirits. Reckoning double
lines, there are ut least 100 miles of
railway in the metropolis. lnnumer-
able gas-lamps cost the city nearly
$4,000, 600 annually and II 900, 900 tons
of coal are used yearly. The daily
water supply is l50,00O,O00 Of gallons,
derived from the Thames, New River
and the Lee.
TIE oNINIBUsEs AND CABS
do an enormous business, and it is
with pride the driver and conductor
answer the questions put to them by
the American traveller. They were
first used in London in 1929, and the
traffic has gone on increasing year by
year with the increase of the city.
The London General Omnibus Com
pany run daily 6G0 buses. This COM
pany owns the greatest number, but
not all the omnibuses used in this vast
city.
The company's horses number over
1000, and the animals all have
>1hree months vacation in the year,
which may account for their fine ap-
pearance. The drivers work fifteen
hours day, and travel over dis
tance covering eighty miles in that
time. They are hearty-looking set
of men, for, like the horses, they are
well fed, and keep their positions for
years. Owing to the damp climate
and their cramped position, however,
they suffer much from rheumatism.
A conductor told me he had travelled
on one bus twelve years, and received
dollar Ler day. When informed
that he could earn much more in
America, he answered: "But you pay
more for rents and clothing, so l am
as well off here" The omnibuses
hold twelve inside and fourteen out
side, and each person pays from two
to twelve cents, according to distance,
which seems just way of regulating
fares.
ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON
an old woman in poke bonnet and
long veil spends considerable time in
distributing illustrated religious pa
pers to these men. She l. with
age, and rather than have her walk
from bus to bus the conductors
gather around her and receive two
papers, one of which they hand tothe
driver.
There are only about 600 tramways
or horse-cars in London, but the
number of cabmen exceeds thirteen
thousand, and among them are ex'
nj. P.'s, baronets, doctors, green
Sgrocers and all kinds of shop-keepers
mechanics and clerks; indeed men in
all stations of life. Sixty years age
cabriolets, soon shortened into cabs
were started in London. Great inter
est was taken in the cabmen by the
late Earl of Shaftesbury, who started
an association for their benefit and
improvement, now aided by the wives
of members of Parliament. Any one
who uses cabs largely will admit thai
CABMEN, AS A RULE,
are civil enough, if they are civilly
treated, and not screwed down t
their legal fare. They pay about five
dollars day for their cabs, if no
fortunate enough to own them, and one
cannot wonder that it would be i'm
possible for them to live, if they go
only what the law allows, which ii
twenty-five cents for two-mile ride
The railway stations being considered
private property, the cabmen have t
pay a penny before entering them
and these they call free stations
Should cabman wish TO remain of
duty on Sunday he is obliged to pay
seventy-fve cents TO the owner of til,
cab. They are also liable to heav,
fines for small offenses. To show tn,
honesty of cabmen, 10000 article
were given up which had been left n
cabs during one year.
SHELTERS FOR CABMEN.
There are many cosy household
shelters from wintry rain and scorch
ing summer heat in various parts o
the metropolis. These little woodeI
buildings are provided by benevolen
ladies Of London for the use of cal
men at their meals, and in bal
weather they stand in the street nea
the curb, and consist of two smal
rooms, one with stove for cookin
and heating purposes, and the othe
used as an eating and reading room
supplied with books, papers flowers
etc. The proprietors of the Graphi,
Fun, Judy, and AHfmat World hav
put the shehers on their free list
The men are allowed to enter will
out charge. Tea, coffee, bread an
butter are the refreshments supplied