Year: 1866

ly very difficult to convey any notion OF IL
to another, but very difficult to get one
yourself, even after visiting it. The reason
of this you will see very readily, when you
remember that it has population of nearly
10000 souls, and extends over an area
from ten to twelve miles in length, by from
eight to ten in breadth, on each side of the
Thames, and has been built, not by any
uIan, but extended from the little nucleus of
the original city, until it has annexed to its
vast extent dozen or two villages that
were, not many years ago, in the country,
and is still expanding at rate which you
may estimate when tell you that in one
(year 1863 5000 new houses were added
to it, which, as they average about eight
dwellers to house, makes an addition to it
in one year of what would almost make a
city like Richmond, taking the corporate
limits alone as our standard. When to this
We add its enormous wealth, its commerce
and manufactures, its history and political
Importance as the capital of the British
Empire, we see at a glance that it must be
exceedingly difficult to have any adequate
conception of so vast an aggregate as this
modern Babylon I do not expect to do
more than give you some of my own i'm.
pressions and leave you then by process of
mental algreba, 10 raise these to the rlth
power, and thus try to imagine what Lon.
don really is. One gets notion of it as
they enter it by rail, from the fact that you
either run over the tops of the houses or
underneath them No railroad in London,
or, indeed, for the matter of that, in Eng.
land, ever runs on the same level with a
carriage road or street. 1t either passes
under it by a tunnel, or over it BY a viaduct,
80 that the collisions that sometimes occur
with us between trains and vehicles drawn
by horses, are impossible. This is absolute
ly necessary in London, where trains are
running every two or three minutes, and
often at very high speed On reaching
the terminus you are struck by the vastness
and solidity of the depot, and the order that
pervades it. Officials belonging to the
railroad or city police are all around to see
that no offence is committed, and are very
ob!iging in giving information to a stranger.
Indeed, the most obliging Englishmen l
saw were the policemen and other officials,
contrary to the facts often in other countries.
Cabs, &c, are standing in long line, with
the name and number of each upon it, and
the rates on printed card fastened to the
coach. AS you emerge from the gate of
the depot, the porter takes down the mum.
Der and destination of the cab in his book,
so that it may be traced if necessary after.
wards. You then enter the noisy, rushing
stream of London life. We drove to Cha
ring Cross Hotel, an immense affair, where
one loses himself in going from the cham


Der in the upper regions to some Of the
many public rooms below, and where you
can ascend to your lofty lodgings on nice
dumb waiter, or elevator, if you choose,
and after you have made the ascent by the
stairs you will probably choose livery gladly.
Charing Cross may be considered about as
much centre in London as any where else,
since most of the great omnibus routes radi,
ate from thence, and it is near the Houses
of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St.
James Palace, &C., &c. We soon transfer,
red ourselves to lodgings, which is the ia
vorite mode of living in London for those
who spend more than few days. To give
you some notion of what that means, 1 will
describe our q1arters. Three of US had
lodgings in little street, (Ryder) near
St. James Palace, and hence very convent
ent to many points of interest, so that nearly
every house in the street rented apartments.
We had common parlor and bedroom
piece, for which we paid about dollar a
day in gold, and our breakfast every morn
ing, which was about half dollar, and had
everything as nice and comfortable as any
private house, our landlady being model
of neatness and attention. I say landlady,
for, although she had husband, she did
all the business, as was tie case in most OF
the hotels l saw in England, where the
clerks, as we call them, are always ladies.
Breakfast was the only meal We took in our
lodgiDgs-the others were taken just when
and where we found most agreeable, at
some of the innumcrable restaurants OF
cafes that are found everywhere in London.
The expense of this mode of living is less
than hotel living, unless one INDUCES in
costly dishes or drinks, and it is much more
convenient for those who, in sight seeing,
business: &C., are very rarely two successive
days near the same place at the same hour,
and you can consult your own taste in every
respect, and have more quiet than is posi-,
BILE at hotel.


The first thing almost that strikes one ir
London is its noise. 1t is like the roar oi
great cataract, more than any thing else.
and from about nine o'clock in the morning
to some hour in the night, later than | wa'
ever awake, it keeps up its unceasing dir
and rattle. One feels less wonder at the
noise of the wheels when he looks at the
numbers on the cabs, and sees some of then
high up towards $4,000, and how many
there are over that number you cannot tell
Add to these the private carriages, wagons
carts, drays, omnibuses and vehicles O
other kinds, and imagine the noise that al
these wheels must make rattling over tht
stony streets of this eighty square miles o