The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-10-25

writings of johnson. Goldsmith. Fielding
smollet. and sterne Nor is It the small class
ofthe rich. nor the larger class Of the well-to-
do. which alone have prolted BY the amazing
metamorphoses unfolded In the book before
us 1t is the specific feature. and. SO to speak.
glory OF the present age that the toiling mil
lions are now able to command conveniences
and comforts which century ago were either
confined to palaces or did not exist at ALL
| ..
The first OF these two volumes. and part OF
the second. are allotted to portrayal OF eigh-
| teenth century London. But some chapters
| are assigned to description Of contemporary
provincial life. We shall endeavor by some
extracts to indicate the amount Of light thrown
| by the author on each branch OF his theme. We
| begin with his account Of the physical condi-
| ton and Typographical aspect Of the British
metropolis about the time OF the accession OF
George Ill. There is probably no other city In
Europe. and certainly mono In tho United
Kingdom. which since that epoch has
undergone more extraordinary transforma-
| tions and improvements than has Lon
don. At the date mentioned. and for many
year afterward. It was marred BY
numerous dsngurements which II had inher-
tied from tho preceding era BY far the greater
part Of Its streets and courts had from the out
set been built In very irregular fashion:
many ancient gabled houses which by some
accident Of their position had escaped the
great conflacratlon Of 1855 were still standing.
and tradespeople still encroached 10 Q most
unwarrantable extent upon the footway with
their bulkheads. their bow windows. end their
huge glass doors Most Of the principal thor
oughfares still remained unpaved In any con-
secutive aud systematic way. and conse-
n ohov, h,,, aholL
paved the space in front Of his own door In &C.
cordance with his peculiar ideas. Such pave
mcnts as were in existence consisted OF
round stones thrown down at random
just as they were taken from the quarry.
30 that 1t was next to impossible for wayfarers
to find repose for tho soles OF their feet. A few
OF the streets OF the capital we're. It is true.
paved with freestone. but to have done 80 on
an extended scale would have entailed con-
siderable expense. as the stone had to be
brought from very great distance. and the
idea. therefore. was dismissed as unworthy Of
consideration. The middle Of the thorough
faro was either full Of deep cavities which lar-
bored water and nlth-removed only ut tho con-
venience OF the scavengers-or else was occu-
pied by succession OF shallow puddles which.
when stirred UP by great wheels and horses
hoofs. smothered the pedestrians from head to
foot, drenched the passing coaches unless their
windows happened to be closed. and daubed
all the lower parts Of house and shop fronts.
On either side Of every thoroughfare
run a miry ditch. appropriately called the
kennel. which. during storms or showers.
WAS often swollen to overlooking. and in hot
weather was pestilential owing to the fumes
emitted by the heaps Of garbage and rubbish
OF which 1t was the receptacle. Throughout
these vertable morasses. when they had at
tanned full tide. it afforded infinite gratinca-
ton to conchmen and carriers to urge their
horses and to splash designedly every de-
Gently dressed person they met on the way.
1t must be remembered that curbstones were
AS yet unthought Of. and rows Of posts formed
the only limos of dcmarcation between the car
riageways and footways. Well might tho poet
Gay counsel the London pedestrian ever to be
watcEfu to maintain the wall. by which was
meant that he should keep as closely as possi-
BILE to the shop and house fronts This
was one OF the golden rules Of the art
Of walking the streets which no person outside
of Bedam would have dreamed OF despising.
DR.. johnson relates that when his mother
lived in London there were two sets OF people, |
those who gave the wall and those who took il, |
or. In other words. the peaceable and the |
Qunrrclsome: and that when he returned to
Lich1eld In 1877. after sojourning in London.
she asked him whether he was one OF those |
who gave the wall or one OF those who took II.
He goes on to say that Now it Is fixed that |
every man keeps to the right, or II one is TAX
ing the wall another yield it, and it Is never a
dispute" This rule must have been difficult |
to follow. for the footways rarely afforded |
space for more than one person to pass at a |
time. and SO the passenger continually ran |
the riss OF being sent aoundering head first |
into the kennel or showed heavily against the |
wall BY some rufflanly wayfarer.
The deliberately carved and glded sign
boards loaded with lead and iron. which cut |
such grotesQue figures in the paintings OF
Hogarth. projected conspicuously In the alb
Rcnce OF numbers the system OF enumeration
was not enforced until the succeeding CEN
tury) at unequal distances across tho street
from the door Intel or window Of every shop
and on both sides Of the way from White
chapel to the Haymarket and from the Bor-
ough to Clerkenwell They intended to betoken
the name and profession OF the owner. but
they obstructed the view and prevented a free
circulation OF tho air. When the wind blew
the luckless pedestrian. as he threaded
tho crowded streets and alleys OF
the city. heard with dismav the omin.
GUS creaking OF these siGnbonrds as
they swung to and fro on their rusty hinges
above his head. and. II he were proficient in
weather lore. regarded the noise as q certain
Vi u buOWeT. NO bOOUeT wills tne SKY |
to DO overcast than everybody
prepared for the impending storm: and
us. until quite the latter end Of the
eighteenth century. 1t was considered
q sign OF great cfreminacy TO be seen
carrying an umbrella. the men got into
coaches and chairs. or sought the shelter OF
coffee houses and taverns: the ladies. under
the pretence OF buying or cheapeninG goods
crowded the shops OF linen Diapers: tho book
sellers. with foresight. fastened to remove the
volumes exposed outside their shops; the ho-
,iers took down their poles hung with stock
ngs. and the Thames Waterman decked their
ilt-boats in blue in the hope Of tempting a
are. When the clouds began to let fall their
contents In earnest, the tiles would rattle under
he smoky showers. the ends of dragon mouth
yaterspouts would hurl down dirty cataracts
which. added to tho kennels Fastening to dis
Jorge their trophies. the bursting Of water
pipes and the unsavory streams emptied by
1