The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-29
LoND0N's SIGHTS.
The Kotzschmar Party Touring in
the Metropolis.

the Metropolis.
At the Zoo-Something About LONDON
Fogs-"Ye Old Cheshire Cheese Chop
House'-Under the Red Robe at Hay
market Theatre.
Especial Correspondence of the Press.)
St. AIMS TERRACE,
London, Eng, May ., 1897.
Who is going to the ZooP was the ques-
ton asked at the breakfast table Monday
morning. Seven hands were Instantly
raised and preparations were soon made.
"You can easily walk; it is only STEP"
smilingly spoke our landlady. Little did
we realize the length of an English step.
Like benny penny, "we gaed and we
gaed'' till we met a fox in the guise Of
a policeman. "How much farther to the
Zoo" we asked, ready to drop with IA
tigue. "Only STEP" was the reply
But we were wise now, and with know
ing look we hailed bus, seated our
selves with long drawn sigh of satisfac-
UlOAy WLCtg AOi WO WOIO 6U U1C AOO.
Down we clambered, feeling foolish, and
with a sense of kinship went first to look
at the geese. We found the kangaroos
particularly interesting; one immense
fellow, whose keeper had brought him
up on the bottle, could not be restrained
from showing his affection; whenever
the man came near him, he would leap
upon him like dog, tapping his face and
giving every evidence of fondness. The
baby kangaroos kept playing hide and
seek, darting in and out of the pouch like
beds, where the mother carries her young;
their bright beady eyes and sharp pointed
noses gave them the appearance of young
foxes, as they poked their heads out of
the pouch. But the gambols of the kan
garoos, the antics of the monkeys, were
not to be compared to the destinations of
the giraffe. We stumbled upon his abode
by accident, and at first thought it ten
antless, but soon perceived "his high
ness' peering at us from the sky light.
Complacently he gazed down at us, one
by one, as If to measure our height. But
when Dots turn came there was
marked change; he deliberately turned
his profile and winked his left eye, as if
to say, you'll do" In vain we each
smiled our most engaging smile, the long
neck kept turning, in order to follow the
small persons every movement; the at
traction was mutual, and it was reluct-
antly that we moved on, and broke up
one of the most interesting f1irtations we
ever witnessed. 'This way to the in
sect's house, and we looked upon the
living moths of every species fitting
about in may whirl, whose like we
have heretofore been accustomed to see
only when fastened securely with pins
under glass. Not the least of the attrac-
tions of the Zoo are the flower beds gor-
geous with spring blossoms, the green
grass, the beautiful shrubs and trees that
are everywhere present in England. We
can hardly accustom ourselves to this
universal verdure; every tiny house has a
bit of green growing about it somewhere,
if it is only a small window garden. But
why shouldn't England be vast garden?
The sky is an immense watering pot
you never stir without umbrella and
gums" You splace not the least de-
pendence upon smiling sun, for you
know that somewhere behind him turks
big cloud, that only waits for you to
don best bib and tucker in order to try to
give you drenching. Certainly London
means to give us specimen of all sorts
Of weather, for we have seen a real No
vember fog, so our bus driver informed
street. We shall surely recognize it the
next time, without an Introduction; it
wrapped us round in it's yellowish, smoky
atmosphere; it shut everything from our
sight but the bus next in front of US; we
knew there were hundreds to right of
us, hundreds to left of u.s. but not one
could we see. We might easily have i'm
agined ourselves Gin some vast wilder
ness, but that suddenly high through the
mist and fog, high above our heads, on a
swinging board, we read the famil-
lar legend "Pears' Soap and felt
then that we stillhad grip
on things terrestrial AS our
bus moved carefully along, lights began
to CLEAN from shop windows, although it
was only $50 in the morning. Soon the
streets were illuminated brilliantly, but
by two o'clock the sun was shining as
brightly as if there never was, never could
be, such thing as fog. We are told eve
ry cause produces an effect; we positively
know the effect of a London fog on
clothes; said fog is most remarkable
mud producer, and such mud, such ex-
tremely muddy mud, we never came in
contact with; it is active and impartial
beyond expression, and spread itself even
ly and thoroughly over both boots and
skirts; what small remnant the streets
left uncovered the bus drive home fully
finished.
What reader of johnson, Goldsmith or
Dickens but has resolved on the first visit
to England to see London chop house?