New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-11

Society. which he has converted into a powerful
league for UNFOLDING the dignity and rights of
men of letters. The third is London, its past
and present. which he knows perhaps more init
mately than any other Englishman. lie has
not abandoned nove-writng altogether. al
though he has now no important work in hand
and only two three short stories for future de-
livery, and he is always ready to fight the battle
of the unknown or the inexperienced author.
and to defend his best ally. the literary agent
But ne has been chiefly occupied for a year in
what promises to be comprehensive encyclo-
pedia Of London. Perhaps one-fourth of his
work is done-certainly he does not expect to
finish it before the close OF 1898; but his whole
heart is in It. and like Jacobs service the years
will seem like days because he loves his present
occupation.
AN EARLY ACCOUNT.
In 1898 there was published a Survey Of Lon
don by painstaking investigator named Stow
who described the old town when it was hardly
larger than what is now technically known as
the City. In 1920 new edition Of this work
was prepared by Strvpe. who enlarged its scope
and revised the text to make 1t
curate exhibit OF London 1t was early in the
eighteenth century. Thirty years afterward
other edition published. with additions and
corrections which brought the work up 10 date.
From that time no attempt has been made to
carry the Survey of London. Meanwhile. it
has become the largest city of the world, with a
population of 100000 in what is known as Lon
don os the County Council and $500 00G In the
London Of the metropolitan police district What
Sir Walter Besant has undertaken to do is to
take up the survey where Stow and Strype left
II. and to complete it 20 the end of the century.
l; is work Of tremendous magnitude for Lon
don is a system Of worlds. crossing orbits
and revolving about one another. Only an in
defatigable worker. who loved the work for its
own sake would have attempted so vast and
complex an undertaking.
II is most interesting to hear Sir Walter Be
SAINT explain his methods of investigation and
plan of operations He begins by producing the
three Surveys which have been previously pub
lished and then illustrates by series Of large
MAPS the growth OF London since the days Of
Stow and Stripe. his predecessors Of the six
tenth and eighteenth centuries Fascinating
indeed is the study of these old pictorial charts
so one who knows anything Of London as 1t Is
'o-day so marvellous the changes which
have been wrought. London as 1t was In 1543
and 1900. with the single bridge leading to St
Saviour's and the hamlet across the Thames.
and with the old ST. Pauls Cathedral looming
up in the centre. and with open fields and empty
spaces leading to what was then the separate
city of Westminster was only an insignificant
fraction Of what Is imperial metropolis
Another map. made eight years before the great
fire. shows the progress Of a century and enables
one to determine the extent Of that terrible
catastrophe. Later charts present the London
of the second and third Surveys. and the in
Of trvp onto
Sir Walter Besant points significantly TO an
enormous map Of London it is administered
by the County Council. and smiles grimly he
contemplates the vast proportions Of the labor
which he has undertaken.
In addition to all the ancient and modern maps
of London, he has in his working rooms libra
~ OF 700 volumes. relating exclusively TO his
subject. These on shelves where he
readily consult them. and the completion Of
the Survey involves exhaustive comparison
OF authors OF various periods and comprehen-
sive study Of this tremendous mass Of literature.
During the last thirty years specialists have
been at work IL countless branches Of the sub
iect. and immense additions have been made
70 the stock Of knowledge Of this wonderful
town To illustrate this point, Sir Walter took
from the shelves at random several recent works
of great learning and research, one OF them Dr..
Sharpes Calendar" OF Wills Of Notable Citi-
zens of London from the earliest times. The
new Survey will embody the results OF thor
oughly dlgested study Of the literature of these
SPECIALISTS, who have been working in narrow
and restricted fields Of their own
NEW DISCOVERIES.
D.. Not only have books been written about Lon
don by the hundred during recent years, but
discoveries are constantly making. Only few
years ago the crypt OF the old White Friars
Church was identified near Fleet-st. When the
religious orders dissolved In 1910. the struct'
ure was pulled down and the site was built up
and apparently there was not a vestige OF the "a
nous house: but in an old cellar doorway
was accidentally discovered. and antiquarians
have found no difficulty In identifying the crypt
of the rnonastic church. Sir Walter told me an
other story which was even fresher and more
interesting He had accompanied Mr.. Lofte
the archaeologist, a few days before to the OH
cal residence Of the First Lord Of the Treasury
and had discovered the original walls Of Car
dinal Wolsey's treasury. York House. near
Westminster was enlarged by the Cardinal On
one side OF what Is now Whitehall was the IA
nous palace with the banquetng hall, and on
the other was the Tilt Yard, where the Horse
Guards and the Home Office now stand; and a
little to the South was the Cardinals treasury
Portions of the walls Of that treasury still form
the foundations OF Mr.. Balfour's official resi-
dence
The new Survey of London will open with ar
account Of the prehistoric city and its first In
habitants. Then will follow sections on Roman
Saxon and medieval London. The work has
been completed to this point by Sir Waiter Be
SAINT himself after years unremitting labor
The historical survey will proceed with Tudor
Stuart and eighteenth century London, and vii
be rounded out to the close Of the present cen
fury. All these parts will be written by him.