Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-09-20
LETTER FROM LONDON.


| minutes to IL o'clock list Saturday
night, riding over 200 miles in Que o
those abominable compartment cars OIL
the London and Northwestern Railway
IL was special run for the benefit O.
the Umbrta's passengers.
To my great disappointment, when
left the train and entered the hotel con
Quoted by the railroad company, found
1t was full and l had to seek other
quarters. 1 was taken about square
away to hostelry which had 6De ap
nearauce from without, but before left
which l did the following evening,
found th&s it was conducted in many
ways after the customs prevailing iu
the days of Oliver Cromwell. There
was no gas in the rooms, and was
sraciously allowed an inch and bali
Of candle. There are many things con.
corning this interesting place would
like to describe, but this would expand
this letter too much. I can only say ]
never found more stupid set engaged
in the hotel business. One man an at
tache of the hoteD in uniform told me
he never heard of Trafalgar Square or
Lord Nelson's monument when l in-
quired the distance to ChariDg Cross.
He didn't know which portion of The
avens the sun rose in, and excused
himself by saying people in cities paid
little attention 10 such things. When
changed the subject and asked whose
monument it was in front OF US, GER
taiply not more than half square
away, he surveyed it for few seconds
as though it bad never attracted his at
tention before, and finally replied tt a
ne did not know, but thought it Was
some general. I approached it later
and found it was to the memory OF Rot
ert Stephenson.
1t rained nearly all day Sunday, and
I vas compelled to remain where / was
uutil about 5 O'Clock, when, duriug a
lull, gathered up my trappings and left,
determined to fnd Trafalgar Square
myself. I boarded an omnibus some
squares away and finally landed there.
| secured excellent accommodations in
Morley's Hotel, on the corner of the
square and the Strand. This, think /,
IS the most central spot in London.
Charing Cross in in front of you, and
Pail Mill is in the same neighborhood.
Westminster Abbey aud the Paria-
ment Houses are WITHIN short walks,
and Buckingham Palace, the London
residence of the Queen, and Natl.
borough House, that of the Prince OF
Wales, are but short distances away.
AS may be supposed, I visited " est.
minister Abbey. was there at half
past nine o'clock when the doors we're
opened, and went Immediately to the
Poets Corner. There were not over
dozen people there at the time, and |
mused in that interesting spot as long
as I pleased. stood upon the slabs
marking the resting places of q num-
ber of illustrious dead, among them
those of Samuel Johnson and Charles
Dickens. The royal tombs were not to
be opened until an hour later. | did
not wait, but visited the abbey the
next afternoon and wound my
way with the other visitors around the
stacks of sarcophagi of kings, queens,
dukes, duchesses. archbishops aud 9TH
ers. The receptables bore recumbent
figures supposed to represent the de.
ceased. The inscriptions are nearly all
in Latin, aud, apart from proper names
and dates, could translate but little OF
hem. The first sarcopbagus noticed
was that of Segbert, who died in 6l6.
It. of course, bears the marks of time.
The tomb of Edward the First was
next pointed out to me. Westminster
Abbey is a place I had longed to see
for many years, and enjoyed nay Wis
its greatly.
The Tower of London was the next
nlaoe I invaded. l walked for nearly
four hours that day, starting at Char.
ing Cross, passing from one end of the
Strand to the other, into Fleet street,
mast St. Paul's Cathedral, the
RoysI Exchange aud Bank Of
England until 1 turned into street
called the Minories which led to the
Tower. have walked over the same
ground since, and each time have had
nv attention attracted by additional
objects of interest.
il was q gloomy day; sort OF fog
seemed to hang over everything.
passed into that portion of the structure
where the crown jewels and regalia are
kept and looked at the display. The
crowd was dense, and an attendant
eyery ten seconds would sound the ad
monition, "Look out for your pocket
books" l remained 10 the tower but a
short time, but during that period much
of the history connected with the place
passed through my MUD. l devoted
nearly all that remained Of the day in
riding through the most populous streets
of London perched on the top of an
omnibus and enjoying fragrant cigars
| which a thoughtful and much esteem
| ed friend in my fa. away home brought
| me before left.
In nv road lay the British Museum,
which / entered. This afforded great
feast Ststuary and fragments OF
ststuary are there which we're e1ecut-
ed before the dawn of the Christian era;
I looked upon what are no doubt good
ranraseptations of Julius Caesar, Brutus
and hosts of other noted characters IN
Roman history, as we'll as scores OF
equally noted. Greeks. Being some,
what of an antiquary in taste, l stooa
beside the busts of many OF whom n q