Chapter VI: Part 6

Windsor.—Passing over the country between Hampton and Windsor, which does not comprise many spots interesting to strangers, we come to the famous royal domain. _Windsor_ is situated in the county of Berks, at the distance of 22 miles west from London by the road through Brentford; but it may now be reached in an hour or less by the Great Western Railway from Paddington, or the South-Western from Waterloo Bridge. Windsor occupies a rising-ground on the south bank of the Thames, and is interesting for its ancient and extensive castle, the grandest royal residence in this country. The gates of the castle are close upon the main street of the town, and lead to enclosures containing a number of quadrangles, towers, gates, mansions, barracks, and other structures. [Picture: Round Tower, Windsor] The principal portion of the castle occupies two courts, an upper and lower, of spacious dimensions, and having between them a large round tower or keep, in which the governor resides. The top of this keep is 220 feet above the Thames, and twelve counties can be seen from it in fine weather. In the lower court is St. George’s Chapel, an elegant Gothic edifice, in which service is performed on Sundays, occasionally in presence of the royal residents. Besides the chapel and keep, the chief parts of the castle attractive to strangers are the state apartments in the upper or northern court; these are exhibited _free_ to visitors on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Tickets can be obtained of Messrs. Colnaghi, 13 and 14 Pall Mall East. The days, hours, and conditions of visiting are notified on the tickets. The apartments here meant are the _old_ state rooms, not those actually occupied by the Queen, her family, and retinue.

[Picture: Windsor Castle]

Outside the castle, facing the north, is the famed _terrace_, from which a view is obtained over a most beautiful expanse of country. On another side are the new royal stables, the finest in England, having, with the Riding House, cost £70,000. In the gardens immediately adjoining the Queen’s apartments, the royal family, before the death of the Prince Consort, were wont occasionally to promenade, at an hour when the public might see them. The _Home Park_, bounding the palace on two sides, is not open to the public; but the _Great Park_ is freely open, to persons on foot, on horseback, or in vehicles. The _Long Walk_ through this park, extending 3 miles, is one of the finest things of the kind in England.

[Picture: Eton College]

_Eton College_, with its school-rooms for 900 boys, chapel, quadrangles, and playing-fields, lies beautifully situated opposite Windsor Castle.

A ramble from the Slough Station, near Eton, would take a visitor to the scenes rendered memorable by Gray’s _Elegy_.

DOWN THE RIVER.

Deptford.—This was once of some importance as a shipbuilding place, a dockyard having been established here ever since the time of Henry VIII.; but the government establishments have recently been given up to the victualling and store departments. Deptford may now be considered part of the metropolis—and a very dirty part it is, containing few objects that would interest a stranger. Peter the Great of Russia studied as a shipwright at Deptford dockyard in 1698, to fit himself for creating a Russian navy.

[Picture: Greenwich]

Greenwich.—This favourite place lies on the south bank of the Thames, a little below Deptford, about six miles below London Bridge, following the windings of the river, but only about four miles by railway, from the London Bridge Station. It is noted for the _Trafalgar_, _Ship_, _Crown and Sceptre_, and other taverns, where _whitebait dinners_ have become celebrated. Diners at these places, however, will require long purses. Greenwich is chiefly interesting, however, for its national establishments. Towards its eastern extremity stands the _Hospital_, which faces the Thames, and has a command of all that passes on the river. This superb hospital consists of four edifices, unconnected with each other, but apparently forming an entire structure, lining three sides of an open square, the fourth side being next the water. It is mostly built of stone, in majestic style; and along nearly the greater part are lofty colonnades, with handsome pillars, and covered overhead, to protect those underneath from the weather. The square interval in the centre, which is 273 feet wide, has in the middle a statue of George II., by Rysbrach. A portion of these beautiful buildings was originally planned by Inigo Jones, another portion by Sir C. Wren, and the rest by later architects. It was William and Mary who, in the year 1694, here established an hospital for superannuated and disabled seamen, to which purpose the buildings were till lately devoted. The institution is supported by the interest on £2,800,000, funded property, the rental of estates in the north of England, and a national grant. In 1865 it accommodated about 1300 pensioners, 150 nurses, and a variety of officers for the government of the place. The inmates were old sailors, with countenances well browned by tropical suns, or bleached by the tempests of the ocean; here one hobbling on a wooden leg, there one with an empty sleeve, and occasionally one with only one eye. Their clothes were of a dark-blue colour, of an antiquated fashion. Their old cocked-hats had been superseded by hats of more modern shape; the boatswains, or other warrant-officers, being allowed a yellow trimming or lace to their garments. An abundance of food was allowed, the clothing warm and comfortable, the accommodations in the rooms good; and each man, according to his rank, had from three to five shillings a-week, as an allowance for pocket-money. The outer gateway, and the interior parts of this establishment, were under the care of the pensioners themselves, who shewed the utmost attention to strangers, manifesting a frankness and good-nature characteristic of the profession of the sailor. Small sums were taken for exhibiting some of the buildings, but the money went to the general fund, or for the board and education of the children of seamen. The visitor did not fail to glance into the _refectory_ and _kitchen_, which were freely open, and see the old men at their meals.

It may seem singular thus to speak of this famous establishment in the _past_ tense; but in truth the purpose of Greenwich Hospital is changed. By an arrangement made in 1865, nearly all the pensioners (except sick and decrepit) have left the building, with a greatly increased money-allowance; most of them now living with their relations or friends.

[Picture: Painted Hall, Greenwich Hospital]

One attractive part of the establishment is the _Painted Hall_, in the west wing. It consists of a great room and one smaller, a vestibule, and a flight of steps. The appearance of the whole interior, on entering, is very imposing, the ceiling and one end being covered with paintings; and although these paintings, exhibiting a mixture of fantastic heathen gods and goddesses with royal and other portraits, are not in judicious taste, they serve to give a good general effect to the noble apartment. Along the walls are hung a collection of pictures, partly portraits of celebrated navigators and admirals, and partly depicting distinguished naval victories: each being a present to the institution by some benefactor. A good portrait of Captain Cook, by Dance, presented by Sir Joseph Banks, adorns the vestibule. A number of portraits, by Sir Peter Lely, Dahl, Sir Godfrey Kneller, and others, were presented by George IV. There are also several by Sir Joshua Reynolds. The painted ceiling of the great room was executed by Sir James Thornhill in 1703 and subsequent years. It is related that, in consequence of the length of time he had to lie on his back painting the ceiling, the artist could never afterwards sit upright. In the smaller apartment are shewn several models of ships of war, admirably executed; the coat worn by Nelson at the battle of the Nile; the astrolabe of Sir Francis Drake, a curious brass instrument of antique fashion, used for nautical observation; and some interesting relics of the ill-fated voyage of Sir John Franklin. The Hall is open free to the public on Monday and Friday; on other days the charge is 4d. On Sunday it may be seen after morning-service. The _Chapel_ is also worth a visit; it contains a fine picture by Benjamin West, the ‘Shipwreck of St. Paul;’ and monuments to two admirals, by Chantrey and Behnes. A monument or obelisk to the memory of Lieutenant Bellot, who perished in one of the Arctic Expeditions, has been placed on the noble Hospital-terrace, fronting the river.

The _Park_, extending behind the hospital—open free to the public until dusk—comprehends a considerable space of ground, nearly 200 acres, of great natural and artificial beauty. A pathway amidst lines of tall trees leads to a piece of rising-ground or mount, which, on holidays, generally exhibits a mirthful scene, in which ‘running down Greenwich hill’ plays a great part. On the summit is the _Royal Observatory_, founded by George III. for the promotion of astronomical science, and the scene of the labours of some men of distinguished ability. An astronomer-royal, supported by a parliamentary grant, constantly resides and pursues investigations in the Observatory. From this spot British geographers measure the longitude. The collection of instruments kept and used in this building is superb and costly; but the public are not admitted to see them. An electric _time-ball_ falls every day at one o’clock precisely; and an _electric clock_, a _standard barometer_, and _standard measures of length_, (of rigorous accuracy,) are placed for public use by the side of the entrance-gates.

Limehouse to North Woolwich.—If a stranger be willing to lay aside the ideas of mere _pleasure_ spots, he will find much to look at and think about in the stretch of river margin here denoted. First comes the _Isle of Dogs_, joining Limehouse on the east. This strange horseshoe-shaped piece of ground is almost wholly below the level of the river, the inroads of which are only prevented by embankments. The northern neck of the peninsula (for it is not strictly an island) is occupied by the West India Docks; the middle portion is not much appropriated to any useful purpose, on account of the lowness of the site; the river edge is fringed with shipbuilding and factory establishments. The _Great Eastern_ was here built at Messrs. Scott Russell’s works. A new church has been built at _Cubitt Town_, the name now given to the eastern part of the Isle. Next below the Isle of Dogs are _Poplar_ and _Blackwall_, now forming one town—observable for the shipyard of Messrs. Green, the terminus of the Blackwall Railway, the East India Docks, and two or three river-side taverns where _whitebait dinners_ are much in fashion during the season. Then comes the spot, Bow Creek, at which the River Lea enters the Thames, so closely hemmed in by shipyards and engine-factories, that the Lea itself can barely be seen. The great shipyard of the Thames Company, late Messrs. Mare’s, is situated here. Next we come to the extensive and convenient _Victoria Docks_, occupying ground which was previously mere waste. Beyond the Docks are new centres of population gradually springing up, called _Silvertown_ and _North Woolwich_, with large factories and a railway station. Still farther east, near _Barking Creek_, there may be seen the vast outfall of the great system of drainage for the northern half of the metropolis.

Woolwich.—Taking the south side of the river instead of the north, and availing himself of steamers or of trains, (from Charing Cross, Fenchurch Street, or Shoreditch,) the stranger finds the next place of importance below Greenwich to be _Woolwich_. This is a busy town in Kent, eight miles from London by land, and ten following the course of the river. Here, in the reign of Henry VIII., a dockyard for the construction of vessels of the royal navy was established; and ever since that time the place has been distinguished as an arsenal for naval and military stores. The dockyard was closed 1st October, 1869. From the river, a view is obtained of the arsenal, now greatly improved. The ground of the arsenal, for nearly a mile in length, is bounded on the river side by a stone quay, and is occupied in part by prodigious ranges of storehouses and workshops. Among these is included a laboratory for the preparation of cartridges, bombs, grenades, and shot; a splendid manufactory for shells and guns; a gun-carriage factory of vast extent; and a store of warlike material that never fails to fill a stranger with amazement. Adjoining are barracks for artillery and marines, military hospitals, &c. On the upper part of Woolwich Common is situated a royal military academy for the education of young gentlemen designed for the army. Strangers (if not foreigners) are admitted to the arsenal only by a written order from the War Office. The number of government establishments in and near Woolwich is very large; and there is generally something or other going on which a stranger would be interested in seeing.

[Picture: Woolwich]

Below Woolwich.—Numerous steamers during the day, trains on the Tilbury Railway, and others on the North Kent Railway, give easy access to a number of pleasant places lower down the river than Woolwich. On the Essex side are _Rainham_, near which onion gardens are kept up; _Purfleet_, where vast stores of government gunpowder are kept; _Grays_, where immense quantities of chalk are dug, and where copious springs of very pure water are found in the chalk beds; and _Tilbury_, where there is a regular fortification for the defence of the river, and a steam-ferry over to Gravesend. [Picture: Tilbury Fort] On the Kent side are _Plumstead Marshes_, where artillery practice by Woolwich officers is carried on; _Crossness Point_, where the fine buildings connected with the Southern Outfall Sewer are situated, (and near which were the great Powder Magazines that blew up in October, 1864;) _Erith_, with its pretty wooded heights; _Greenhithe_, where the late General Havelock passed some of his early years, and where Alderman Harmer built a mansion with the stones of old London Bridge; and _Northfleet_, where much shipbuilding is carried on. Beyond Northfleet is _Gravesend_, a famous place for Cockney picnics, but fast losing its rural character. Commercially, Gravesend is important as being the place where the customs’ authorities recognise the port of London to begin; all ships, incoming and outgoing, are visited by the officers here, pilots embark and disembark, and much trade accrues to the town in consequence.

[Picture: Gravesend Reach]

CRYSTAL PALACE, &c.

There are many pretty spots in different directions in the vicinity of London, away from the river, worthy of a visit. On the north-west are _Hampstead_, with its noble Heath and its charming variety of landscape scenery; and _Harrow_, with its famous old school, associated with the memory of Byron, Peel, and many other eminent men. To its churchyard Byron was a frequent visitor: “There is,” he wrote to a friend in after years, “a spot in the churchyard, near the footpath on the brow of the hill looking towards Windsor, and a tomb (bearing the name of Peachey) under a large tree, where I used to sit for hours and hours when a boy.” Nearly northward are _Highgate_, with its fringe of woods, and its remarkable series of ponds; _Finchley_, once celebrated for its highwaymen, but now for its cemeteries; _Hornsey_, with its ivy-clad church, and its pretty winding New River; and _Barnet_, with its great annual fair. On the north-east are _Edmonton_, which the readers of ‘_John Gilpin_’ will of course never forget; _Enfield_, where the government manufacture rifles on a vast scale; _Waltham_, notable for its abbey and its gunpowder mills; and _Epping Forest_—a boon to picnic parties from the eastern half of London. ‘Fairlop Oak’ (Hainault Forest) has disappeared.

South of the Thames, likewise, there are many pretty spots, quite distinct from those on the river’s bank. _Wimbledon_, where volunteers assemble; _Mitcham_, near which are some interesting herb-gardens; _Norwood_, a pleasant spot, from which London can be well seen; _Lewisham_ and _Bromley_, surrounded by many pretty bits of scenery; _Blackheath_, a famous place for golf and other outdoor games; _Eltham_, where a bit of King John’s palace is still to be seen; the _Crays_, a string of picturesque villages on the banks of the river Cray; &c. _Dulwich_ is a village about 5 miles south of London Bridge. Here Edward Alleyn, or Allen, a distinguished actor in the reign of James I., founded and endowed an hospital or college, called _Dulwich College_, for the residence and support of poor persons, under certain limitations. On 21st June, 1870, a new college, a modern development and extension of the old charity, was formally opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales. The new buildings are entirely devoted to educational purposes, and they have accommodation for 600 or 700 boys. The founder bequeathed some pictures to the institution, and the collection was vastly increased by the addition of a large number, chiefly of the Dutch and Flemish schools, bequeathed in 1810 by Sir Francis Bourgeois. A gallery, designed by Sir John Soane, was opened in 1817; and this now forms a most attractive sight to all who delight in the fine arts. The gallery is open free every week-day from 10 to 5 in summer, and from 10 to 4 in winter.

Crystal Palace.—One especial object of interest in the southern vicinity of London is the far-famed _Crystal Palace_. This structure, in many respects one of the most remarkable in the world, owed its existence to the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park. The materials of that building being sold to a new company towards the close of that year, were transferred to an elevated spot near Sydenham, about 7 miles from London. The intention was to found a palace and park for the exhibition of objects in art and science, and to make it self-paying. The original estimate was £500,000, but the expenditure reached nearly £1,500,000—too great to render a profitable return likely. The palace and grounds were opened in 1854; the water-towers and great fountains some time afterwards. The marvels of this unparalleled structure cannot be described within a limited space. [Picture: Crystal Palace] The building is about 1600 feet long, 380 wide, and, at the centre transept, nearly 200 high. It consists of a nave and three transepts, all with arched roofs, and all made chiefly of iron and glass. Within, the building consists of a central nave, having marble fountains near the two ends, and lined with statues and plants throughout its whole length. On each side of the nave are compartments to illustrate the sculpture and architecture of different ages and countries; such as Greek, Roman, Assyrian, Pompeian, Egyptian, Alhambraic or Saracenic, Romanesque, Byzantine, Mediæval, in its English, French, and German varieties, Renaissance, Palladian, and Elizabethan. Other compartments illustrate certain industrial groups, such as cutlery, porcelain, paper, encaustic tiles, &c. On the first gallery are large collections of pictures, photographs, and casts from medallions and small works of art. Near the centre transept are all the necessary arrangements for two concert-rooms—one on a stupendous scale, in which 5000 singers and instrumentalists can sometimes be heard at once. [Picture: Interior, Crystal Palace] An orchestra of unparalleled dimensions is constructed here for great festival commemorations, and similar musical meetings. The botanical collection within the building is very fine; and to preserve the exotic plants, one end of the building is maintained at a high temperature all the year round. Some portions of the galleries are let out as stalls or bazaars to shopkeepers; and very extensive arrangements are made for supplying refreshments. In an upper gallery is a museum of raw produce. In long galleries in the basement are exhibited agricultural implements, and cotton and other machinery in motion.

[Picture: Crystal Palace Fountains]

The park and gardens are extensive, occupying nearly 200 acres; they are beautifully arranged, and contain an extremely fine collection of flowers and other plants, occupying parterres separated by broad gravel-walks. The terraces, stone balustrades, wide steps, and sculptures, are all on a very grand scale. The fountains are perhaps the finest in the world, some of them sending up magnificent streams of water to a great height, and some displaying thousands of minute glittering jets interlacing in the most graceful manner. A portion of the water is made to imitate cascades and waterfalls. The jet from the central basin rises to 150 feet; and those from the two great basins to 250 feet. There are two cascades, each 450 feet long, 100 wide, and having a tall of 12 feet. When the whole of the waterworks are playing, there are 12,000 jets in all; and when this continues for the length of time customary on some of the ‘grand days,’ the water consumed is said to amount to 6,000,000 gallons. Two water-towers of enormous height, (nearly 300 feet from the foundations,) to which water is pumped up by steam-engines, supply the water-pressure by which the fountains are fed. The illustrations of extinct animals and of geology, in the lower part of the grounds, are curious and instructive.

Railway trains, running frequently during the day, give access to the Crystal Palace, from the Pimlico and London Bridge stations of the Brighton Company, from the Kensington and Chelsea stations of the West London Railway, from the Waterloo station of the South-Western _viâ_ Wimbledon, and from the Ludgate Hill and other stations of the Chatham and Dover. The last-named company have built an elegant and convenient ‘high-level’ station, in front of the main centre transept. The Crystal Palace is a shilling exhibition; but the greater number of visitors only pay 1s. 6d. each for a ticket (third class) which insures admission to the palace and grounds, and the railway journey there and back; first and second class tickets are higher; and there are days on which admission to the palace is also higher. A whole week might be spent in examining the various treasures; for the Crystal Palace and grounds are interesting in each of the following features:—Sculpture; Illustrations of Architecture; Pictures and Photographs; Illustrations of Mechanics and Manufactures; Botany; Ethnology, or Illustrations of National Characteristics; Palæontology, or Extinct Animals; Geology; Hydraulic skill in the Fountains; and Musical facilities of an unprecedented kind. There are also facilities in the grounds for Cricket, Archery, Boating, Athletic Exercises, and Sports of other kinds, either regularly or occasionally. The directors must be credited with the undoubted excellence of their Choral Festivals and Orchestral Concerts. For great holiday demonstrations, too, there is nothing else at all equal to the Crystal Palace in the kingdom; and railways give access to it from almost every part of the metropolis.

Alexandra Park and Palace.—This is situated on the north side of London, near Hornsey, and is reached by means of the Great Northern Railway. It has long remained closed for want of funds, but is expected to be opened in June. Its objects, &c., are similar to those of the Crystal Palace. The building was erected from the remains of the Exhibition of 1862.

[Picture: Albert Memorial]

[Picture: London Stone. Supposed to be an ancient Roman terminal stone,
whence, as from a centre, the miles were reckoned throughout Britain.]

APPENDIX. TABLES, LISTS, AND USEFUL HINTS.

Suburban Towns and Villages within Twelve Miles’ Railway-distance.

THE distances are measured from the terminal stations of the great Companies’ lines. The names of these stations are abbreviated thus:

_Padd._—Paddington; Great Western.

_Eust._—Euston Square; London and North Western.

_K. C._—King’s Cross; Great Northern.

_Shore._—Shoreditch; Great Eastern.

_Fen._—Fenchurch Street; London and Blackwall.

_L. B._—London Bridge; South-Eastern, and London and Brighton.

_Wat._—Waterloo; London and South-Western.

_Vic._—Victoria or Pimlico; Crystal Palace and other railways.

_N. L._—North London.

_Lud._—Ludgate Hill; London, Chatham, and Dover.

_St. Panc._—St. Pancras; Midland.

The places accommodated by the North London Railway have no mileage distances named; for all the stations on that line are equally within the metropolitan limits. The Metropolitan Railway is not here mentioned at all, for a similar reason. For all stations on the South-Eastern, the distance from Charing Cross is about 1¾ miles farther than from London Bridge. On the Chatham and Dover, most of the stations are about equidistant from the Ludgate and Victoria termini. The places reached by steamers are marked _St._; while _Om._ signifies Omnibus, in cases where there is no very available railway route. When a town is some little distance from the nearest station, two mileages are named: thus, ‘Beddington, 10½ Croydon + 2½,’ implies that after a railway journey of 10½ miles to Croydon, there are 2½ miles of road.

Abbey Wood, Kent L. B. 12 Acton, Midd. from all N. L. Stations. Anerley, Surrey L. B. 7½ Balham, Surrey Vic. 5 — L. B. 11 Barking, Essex Shore. & Fen. 7 Barking Road, Essex Shore. & Fen. 5 Barnes, Surrey Wat. 7 —, from all N. L Stations. Barnet, Herts. K. C. 10½ Battersea, Surrey St. & Om. Battersea Park Vic. 1 Beckenham, Kent L. B. 9 — Lud. & Vic. 10 Beddington, Surr. L. B. 10½ Croydon +2½ Bickley, Kent Lud. & Vic. 13 — L. B. 12 Blackheath, Kent L. B. 6 Blackwall, Middlesex Fen. 4½ — St. & Om. Bow, Middlesex Fen. & Shore 4 Brentford, Middlesex Wat. 10 — Padd. 13 Brixton, Surrey Vic. 3 — Lud. 4 Bromley, Kent L. B. 10 — Lud. & Vic. 11 —, Middlesex Fen. 4 Buckhurst Hill, Essex Fen. & Shore. 10 Bushey Park, Midd. Wat. 13 Camberwell, Surrey Lud. & Vic. 4 Carshalton, Surrey L. B. 12 Catford Bridge, Kent L. B. 6 Charlton, Kent L. B. 7 — St. Chelsea, Middlesex St. & Om. Chigwell, Essex Fen. & Shore, to Ilford or Woodford. Chiswick, Middlesex Wat. 8 Clapham, Surrey Wat. 4 — Vic. 2½ Clapton, Midd., from all N. L. Stations to Hackney. Colney Hatch, Midd. K. C. 6 Crouch End, Midd. K. C. 4 Hornsey + 1½ Croydon, Surrey L. B. 10½ — Vic. 12 Crystal Palace, L. B. 7 Surrey — Vic. 9 — Lud. 9 Dalston, Middlesex, all N. L. Stations. Deptford, Kent L. B. 3½ Ditton, Surrey Wat. 12 Kingston + 2 Dulwich, Surrey Lud. & Vic. 5 Ealing, Middlesex Padd. 6 East Ham, Essex Fen. 6 Edgeware, Middlesex K. C. & Om. 8½ Edmonton, Middlesex Shore. 9½ Elstree, Herts St. Panc. & Om. 11 Eltham, Kent L. B. 6 Blackheath + 2 Enfield, Middlesex Shore. 12 Finchley, Middlesex, from all N. L. Stations to Finchley Road. — K. C. 7¼ Forest Gate, Essex Shore. 5 Forest Hill, Surrey Vic. 11 — L. B. 5 Fulham, Middlesex Wat. 6 Putney + ½ — St. & Om. Gipsy Hill, Surrey L. B. 8 — Vic. 8 Greenwich, Kent L. B. 4½ — St. & Om. Hackney, Midd., from all N. L. Stations. Hadley, Midd. K. C. 10 Barnet + 1 Ham, Surrey, Wat. 12 Kingston + 2 Hammersmith, Midd., from all N. L. and Metropolitan Stations. — St. & Om. Hampstead, Midd., from all N. L. Stations. Hanwell, Middlesex Padd. 7½ Harlington, Midd. Padd. 9 Southall + 3½ Harrow, Middlesex Eust. 12 Hatcham, Kent L. B. 4 Hayes, Kent L. B. 10 Bromley + 2 —, Midd. Padd. 7 Hanwell + 3 Hendon, Midd. St. Panc. & Om 7 Herne Hill, Surrey Lud. & Vic. 6 Highgate, Middlesex K. C. 4¾ — Om. Holloway, Middlesex K. C. 2 Homerton, Midd., from all N. L. Stations to Hackney. Hornsey, Middlesex K. C. 4 Hounslow, Middlesex Wat. 12 Ilford, Essex Shore. 7 Isleworth, Middlesex Wat. 12 Kensal Green, Midd., from N. L. Stations. Kensington, Midd., from Metrop Stats. Kentish Town, Middlesex from all N. L. Stations. Keston, Kent L. B. 10 Bromley + 4 Kew, Surrey Wat. 9 —, from all N. L. Stations. — St. & Om. Kilburn, Middlesex Eust. 3 Kingsland, Midd., from all N. L. Stations. Kingston, Surrey Wat. 12 Lady Well, Kent L. B. 5 Lea Bridge, Essex Shore. 5½ Lee, Kent L. B. 6 Blackheath + 1 Lewisham, Kent L B. 5 Leytonstone, Essex Shore. & Fen. 6 Loughton, Essex Shore. & Fen. 12 Low Leyton, Essex Shore. & Fen. 5 Maldon, Surrey Wat. 10 Merton, Surrey Wat. 9 Mill Hill, Middlesex K. C. 8¼; Om. 7 Mims, Midd. K. C. 12 Potter’s Bar + 2 Mitcham, Surrey Wat. 10 — L. B. 10½ Croydon + 4 Morden, Surrey Wat. 8 Wimbledon + 2 Mortlake, Surrey Wat. 8 Muswell Hill, Midd. K. C. 4 Hornsey + 1½ New Cross, Kent L. B. 3 North Woolwich, Ess. Shore. & Fen. 7 — St. Norwood, Surrey L. B. 8½ — Vic. 8 Parson’s Green, Om. 4 Middlesex Peckham, Surrey Lud. 5 Penge, Surrey L. B. 7 — Lud. & Vic. 9 Plaistow, Essex. Fen. 5 Plumstead, Kent L. B. 10 Ponders’s End, Midd. Shore. 12 Poplar, Middlesex Fen. 4 Potters’s Bar, Midd. K. C. 12 Putney, Surrey Wat. 6 — St. & Om. Richmond, Surrey Wat. 10 — from all N. L. Stations. — St. & Om. Roehampton, Surr. Wat. 6 Putney + 1½ Romford, Essex Shore. 12 Shacklewell, Midd. Om. 3 Shepherd’s Bush, Metrop. Stats. Midd. Shooter’s Hill, Kent L. B. 9 Woolwich + 2 Shortlands, Kent L. B. 10 — Lud. & Vic. 10 Snaresbrook, Essex Fen. & Shore. 7 Southall, Middlesex Padd. 9 Southgate, Middlesex K. C. 7 Stamford Hill, Midd. Om. 4 Stanmore, Middlesex Om. 10 Stepney, Midd. from all N. L. Stations. Stockwell, Surrey Om. 4 Stoke Newington, Midd. from all N. L. Stations. Stratford, Essex Shore. & Fen. 4 Streatham, Surrey L. B. 10 — Vic. 6 Teddington, and Wat. 13 Bushey Park Thornton Heath, Surr. Vic. 9 Tooting, Surrey L. B., Vic. & Lud. 8 Tottenham, Middlesex Shore. 8 Totteridge, Herts. K. C. 10½ Barnet + 2 Turnham Green, Midd. Om. 5 — from all N. L. Stations, Wat. and Lud. Twickenham, Midd. Wat. 11¼ — from all N. L. Stations. Vauxhall, Surrey Wat. 1½ — St. Walham Green, Midd. Om. 3 Walthamstow, Essex Shore., Station at 5¾, and Om. Lea Bridge Wandsworth, Surrey Wat. 5 — Vic. 2 Wanstead, Essex Shore. & Fen, Snaresbrook Station. Welling, Kent L. B. 9 Woolwich + 2½ West Ham, Essex Fen. 4 West Wickham, Surr. L. B. 10½ Croydon + 4 Whetstone, Midd. K. C. 6 Colney Hatch + 2 Willesden, Middlesex Eust. 6½ Wimbledon, Surrey, Wat. 7 Woodford, Essex Shore. & Fen. 9 Wood Green, Midd. K. C. 5 Woolwich Dockyard, L. B. 8 Kent — Arsenal L. B. 9 ——Dockyard and St. Arsenal

CHIEF OMNIBUS ROUTES.

There are few better ways for a man to see London, on a fine day, than by riding through it on an omnibus. These vehicles mostly begin to run about 8.30–9 a.m., and cease about 12 p.m. To give more than a mere general notion as regards a few of the chief omnibus routes, is impossible in our limited space here. The fares range, for the most part, from a minimum of 2d. to a maximum of 6d. They are painted inside the omnibus: the main localities passed on the way, outside. The groups of these conveyances known by distinctive _names_, (all the omnibuses of each group having one common name,) are chiefly the following:—

_Atlas_—colour, green—running between St. John’s Wood and Camberwell Gate, and _vice versa_, _via_ Oxford Street, and over Westminster Bridge—every 5 minutes.

_City Atlas_—green—between Swiss Cottage, St. John’s Wood, and London Bridge Station, and _vice versa_, _via_ Oxford St., Holborn, Bank—every 7 minutes.

_Bayswater_—light green—from Notting Hill and Bayswater to Mile-End Gate, _via_ Oxford Street, Holborn, Cornhill, Whitechapel—every 6 minutes.

_Bayswater_ to _London Bridge Station_, _via_ Oxford Street, Holborn, Cheapside—every few minutes.

_Bayswater_ to _Shoreditch Station_—Oxford Street, Holborn, Cheapside, Threadneedle Street, Bishopsgate Street—every hour.

_Citizen_—_Paddington_ to _London Bridge Station_—Edgeware Road, (only,) Oxford Street, Holborn, Bank—every 8 minutes.

Other omnibuses also run to and from Paddington, as follows:—

_Paddington_ to _London Bridge Station_—green—Royal Oak, Edgeware Road, New Road, City Road, Bank—every 10 minutes.

_Paddington_ to _Fenchurch Station_—Some of the above go to Fenchurch instead of London Bridge Station.

_Paddington_ to _Whitechapel_—green—as above to Bank, then Cornhill and Aldgate—frequent.

_Paddington_ to _Charing Cross_—red—Edgeware Road, Oxford and Regent Streets, Charing Cross—every 8 minutes.

* * * * *

_Favorite_—green—Holloway to London Bridge, _via_ Highbury, Islington, City Road, Bank, King William Street—about every 8 minutes.

_Favorite_—green—Holloway to Westminster, Islington, Exmouth Street, Chancery Lane, Westminster Abbey, Victoria Street.

_Favorite_—blue—Holloway Road, Caledonian Road, King’s Cross, Euston Road, Portland Road, Regent Street, Piccadilly, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Museum, “Queen’s Elm”—every 9 minutes.

_Havelock_—Kingsland Gate to “Elephant and Castle,” _via_ Shoreditch, Bishopsgate Street, London Bridge, Borough—at frequent intervals.

_Paragon_—green—Brixton to Gracechurch Street, Kensington, “Elephant and Castle,” London Bridge—every 10 minutes.

_Buxton_ to _Oxford Street_—Kensington, Westminster Bridge, Charing Cross, Regent Street—every half hour.

_Royal Blue_—blue—Pimlico, Piccadilly, Strand, Cheapside, Fenchurch Street Station—every 8 or 10 minutes.

_Waterloo_—blue—from “York and Albany,” Regent’s Park, by Albany Street, Regent Street, Westminster Bridge, “Elephant and Castle” to Camberwell Gate—every 6 minutes.

_Westminster_—brown—Pimlico to Bank, _via_ Lupus Street, Vauxhall Bridge Road, Westminster, Strand, &c.—every 6 minutes.

* * * * *

Such are a few of the numerous omnibus routes of London. From such places as Charing Cross and the London Bridge Stations, you can get an omnibus for almost any part of London, up till nearly midnight; while, by the aid of a map, no matter in what quarter you may be, you will speedily find out how best to consult your particular tastes in the way of locomotion and sight-seeing. In the case of gross incivility or overcharge, you have a simple remedy by taking the conductor’s number and applying for a summons at the nearest police office. If you are curious in the matter of social contrasts, say, you might do worse than by getting up outside a _Stratford and Bow_ (green) omnibus, at the Oxford Street Circus, and riding—for sixpence all the way—_via_ Regent Street, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square, Strand, Fleet Street, St. Paul’s, past the Mansion House and the Bank, Royal Exchange, Cornhill, Leadenhall Street, Aldgate, Whitechapel Road, Mile End, to Stratford. If your tastes should lead you westward, an enjoyable shilling’s worth may be obtained by riding on the _Richmond_ (white) omnibus, from St. Paul’s Churchyard to that prettily situated little town.

LONDON TRAMWAYS.

There are now _three_ Tramway Companies in London:—1. _The Metropolitan Street Tramways Company_, (_Limited_.) They run regularly from Westminster Bridge to Clapham and Brixton, at about every 5 minutes from each terminus, Fare 3d. 2. _North Metropolitan Tramways Company_: (1) From Aldgate, along Whitechapel and Mile End Road (through Bow) to Stratford Church; (2) From Moorgate Street to the Angel, Islington, thence to Kingsland, Stoke Newington, &c. Both running every 5 minutes, Fares 2d.; (3) another route is by Old Street to Stoke Newington and Clapton. 3. _Southall_, _Ealing_, _and Shepherd’s Bush Tram Railway Company_, (_Limited_.) This company is constructing lines in the western suburbs of London. There are tramways in the north-west of town.

CLUBS AND CLUB HOUSES.

There are, in all, in London, about ninety. The following is a list of the principal club-houses:—

Alpine 8 St. Martin’s Place, Trafalgar Square. Army and Navy 36 to 39 Pall Mall, S. W. Arthur’s 69 and 70 St. James’s Street. Arundel 12 Salisbury Street, Strand. Athenæum 107 Pall Mall. Brooks’s 59 St. James’s Street. Carlton 94 Pall Mall. City Carlton 83 King William Street, E.C. Cavendish 307 Regent Street. City of London 19 Old Broad Street, City. Conservative 74 St. James’s Street. East India United Service 14 St. James’s Square. Garrick 13–15 Garrick Street, Covent Garden. Gresham 1 Gresham Place, City. Guards’ 70 Pall Mall. Junior Athenæum 29 King Street, St. James’s. Junior Carlton 30 to 35 Pall Mall. Junior United Service 11 and 12 Charles Street, St. James’s. Junior Army and Navy 13 Grafton Street, Bond Street. Naval and Military 94 Piccadilly. New University 57 St. James’s Street. Oriental 18 Hanover Square. Oxford and Cambridge 71 to 76 Pall Mall. University Portland 1 Stratford Place, Oxford Street. Pratt’s 14 Park Place, St. James’s. Reform 104 Pall Mall. Smithfield 47 Halfmoon Street, Piccadilly. St. James’s 106 Piccadilly. Travellers’ 106 Pall Mall. Union Trafalgar Square, (S.W. Corner.) United Service 116 and 117 Pall Mall. United University 5 Pall Mall, East. Westminster 23 Albemarle Street. Whitehall Parliament Street. White’s 37 and 38 St. James’s Street. Windham 11 St. James’s Square.

THE LONDON PARCELS DELIVERY COMPANY.

This Company—whose chief office is in Roll’s Buildings, Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, and whose minor receiving houses, at shops, &c., are very numerous—delivers parcels at a tariff of 4d. if under 4 lbs. weight, and within three miles distance; under 14 lbs. within a like range, 6d.; and so on up to a cwt., which will be delivered for 1s. 2d., subject to the aforesaid condition. Over three miles distance, the charge for delivering a parcel under 1 lb. to any part of London and its environs will be 4d., under 7 lbs., 6d., and so forth. For a parcel under 112 lbs., if carried beyond three miles, sender will be charged 1s. 6d. To more distant places, minimum charge is 6d. Light but bulky packages charged for by measurement. The Company does not undertake to _collect_ parcels from the houses of the senders.

MONEY-ORDER OFFICES, AND POST-OFFICE SAVINGS-BANKS.

The _London Postal District_, to which special rules relate, includes every town and village within twelve miles of the General Post-office. Reference has already been made to the number of post-offices, receiving-houses, and pillar-boxes, in this area. There are 500 _Money-order Offices_, the whole of which (with a very few exceptions) have within a recent period been made _Post-office Savings-banks_ also. The facilities thus afforded to strangers visiting London for a few days, for receiving or transmitting money, are very great. A Post-office Money-order will convey sums of a few pounds without risk of loss, at a cost of a few pence, either from the visitor to his country friends, or from them to him. The Post-office Savings-banks are even still more convenient; for a person residing in the country, and having money in the savings-banks, _can draw it out in London_ during his visit, or any part of it, with a delay of a day or two, free of expense. In whatever part of London a visitor may be, he is within five or ten minutes’ walk of a Money-order Office; and at any such office he can, for six hours a day, (10 till 4,) obtain the requisite information concerning both of these kinds of economical monetary facilities.

LONDON LETTERS, POSTAL AND TELEGRAPH SYSTEM.

As just stated, the _London District Post_ operates within twelve miles of the General Post-office: that is, within a circle of twenty-four miles in diameter. There are a few outlying patches beyond this circle, but they need not here be taken into account. This large area is now divided into eight _Postal Districts_, each of which has a name, an initial abbreviation, and a chief office. They are as follows:—

E. C. _Eastern Central_ St. Martin’s-le-Grand, (head office.) W. C. _Western Central_ 126 High Holborn. N. _Northern_ Packington Street, Islington. E. _Eastern_ Nassau Place, Commercial Road, East. S. E. _South-Eastern_ 9 Blackman Street, Borough. S. W. _South-Western_ 8 Buckingham Gate. W. _Western_ 3 Vere Street, Oxford Street. N. W. _North-Western_ 28 Eversholt Street, Oakley Square.

The use of the district system is, that if a letter, arriving from the country, has on the outside the _district initials_ as well as the address, it has a fair chance of _earlier delivery_; and if sent from one part of London to another, such chance is the greater. The reason for this is, that much of the sorting is effected at the eight chief district offices, if the initials are given, to the great saving of time. An official list of a vast number of streets, &c., with their district initials, within the London District Post, is published at 1d., and is obtainable at most of the principal receiving-houses.

The portion of each district within about three miles of the General Post-office is called the Town Delivery, and the remainder the Suburban Delivery. Within the town limits there are twelve deliveries daily: the first, or General Post, commencing about 7.30, and mostly over in London about 9; the second commencing about 8.15, and the third at 10.30. The next nine are made hourly. The last delivery begins about 7.45. There are seven despatches daily to the suburban districts. The first, at 6.30 a.m., to all places within the London District limits. A second, at 9.30, to suburbs within about four miles of the General Post-office. The third, at 11.30, takes in almost all the London district. The fourth despatch, at 2.30 p.m., goes to spots within about six miles of the General Post-office. The fifth, at 4.30, comprises the whole of the suburban districts, and, except in the more outlying country spots, letters are delivered same evening. The sixth, at 6 p.m., goes to places under four miles from the General Post-office. The last despatch is at 7 p.m. Letters to go by it should be posted at the town post-offices or pillar-boxes by 6 p.m., or at the _chief_ office of the district to which they are addressed. They will thus probably be delivered the same night, within about six miles of the General Office. The suburban deliveries begin one to two hours after despatch, according to distance.

It is always well to remember, that for any given delivery, a letter may be posted rather later at the chief office than at any of the minor offices of each district; that _letters_ only, not newspapers, book-parcels, manuscripts, &c., may be put in pillar-boxes; and that letters posted during the night, (from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.,) have a chance of earlier delivery than otherwise, seeing that the pillar-boxes are cleared at 5 in the morning, and, as a rule, we believe, earlier than the receiving-houses. Outgoing letters for the evening mails are received at most offices till 5.30, and at the chief office of each district till 6. By affixing an extra penny stamp, the letter is receivable till 6 at the minor, and till 7 at the chief offices.

Telegraph Offices.—Telegrams may be sent from all Postal Offices within the London district. The charge for 20 words, not including address, is 1s.

READING AND NEWS-ROOMS.

Jerusalem Coffee-house, Cowper’s Court, Cornhill, (Indian, China, and Australian newspapers.)

3 Wallbrook.

154 Leadenhall Street, (Deacon’s.)

13 Philpot Lane.

Royal Exchange, Lloyds’, (Subscribers only.)

King’s Head, Fenchurch Street.

26 Fore Street, Cripplegate.

88 Park Street, Camden Town.

83 Lower Thames Street.

177, 178 Fleet Street, (Peele’s—files of the _Times_ for many years.)

24 King William Street, (Wild’s.)

34 Mount Street, Grosvenor Square, (St. George’s.)

22 Paddington Green, (Working Men’s.)

Patent Museum Library, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, (free.)

British Museum Library, (apply for ticket; enclosing letter of introduction from respectable householder.)

* * * * *

There are Reading and News Rooms belonging to a large number of learned societies and public institutions; but these are for the most part accessible only to members.

CHESS ROOMS.

A chess player may meet with competitors at any one of the several chess rooms. The best are Simpson’s, (Limited Co.,) late Ries’s, _Divan_, opposite Exeter Hall, Strand; Kilpack’s, Covent Garden, (also an American Bowling Saloon;) and Pursell’s, Cornhill. Many Coffee-shops are provided with chess-boards and men, and many dining and chop houses have chess-rooms up-stairs.

THEATRES.

There are at present about thirty-seven London Theatres, but those named below are all that need here be considered.

Adelphi Strand. Alhambra Leicester Square. Astley’s Amphitheatre 6½ Bridge Road, Lambeth. Royal Amphitheatre Holborn. Britannia Theatre Hoxton Old Town. Charing Cross King William Street, Strand. City of London 36 Norton Folgate. Covent Garden, (Opera House) Bow Street. Court Theatre Sloane Square. Drury Lane Brydges Street. Gaiety Strand. Garrick Leman Street, Goodman’s Fields. Globe Strand. Grecian City Road. Great Eastern Whitechapel Road. Haymarket East side of Haymarket. Holborn Holborn. King’s Cross Liverpool Street, King’s Cross. Her Majesty’s, (Opera House) West side of Haymarket. Lyceum Wellington Street, Strand. Marylebone New Church Street, Lisson Grove. Olympic Wych Street, Drury Lane. Opera Comique Strand. Pavilion 85 Whitechapel Road. Philharmonic Islington. Princess’s 73 Oxford Street. Prince of Wales’s 4 and 5 Tottenham Street. Queen’s, (late St. Martin’s Hall) Longacre. Royalty, or Soho 73 Dean Street, Soho. Sadler’s Wells St. John’s Street Road. St. James’s 23 King Street, St. James’s. Standard 204 Shoreditch, High Street. Strand Between 168 and 169 Strand. Surrey 124 Blackfriars Road. Vaudeville Strand. Victoria 135 Waterloo Road.

CONCERT ROOMS.

Willis’s Rooms, King Street, St. James’s.

Hanover Square Rooms.

Exeter Hall, 372 Strand, Choral Societies, Sacred Harmonic, &c.

St. James’s Hall, Quadrant and Piccadilly,—Concerts occasionally.

16 Store Street, Bedford Square, „ „

St. George’s Hall, Langham Place.

Princess’s Concert Room, Princess’s Theatre,—Concerts occasionally.

Queen’s Concert Room, (attached to Her Majesty’s Theatre,)—Concerts occasionally.

Myddleton Hall, Upper Street, Islington.

Agricultural Hall, Islington,—Concerts occasionally.

MUSIC HALLS.

Alhambra {178} Leicester Square, (east side.) Alhambra (Temperance) Music Hall Shoreditch. Borough Music Hall 170 Union Street. Cambridge Music Hall Commercial Street. Canterbury Hall Lambeth Upper Marsh. Deacon’s Sadler’s Wells. Evans’ Covent Garden. Islington Philharmonic Hall {179} High Street, Islington. Marylebone High Street Metropolitan Music Hall 125 Edgeware Road. Middlesex Drury Lane. The Oxford 6 Oxford Street, (east end.) Pavilion Music Hall Tichborne Street, Haymarket. Raglan Music Hall 26 Theobald’s Road. Regent Vincent Square, Westminster. South London Music Hall 92 London Rd., St. George’s Fields. Royal (late Weston’s) Music Hall 242 High Holborn. Wilton’s Music Hall Wellclose Square. Winchester Hall Southwark Bridge Road.

MODES OF ADMISSION TO VARIOUS INTERESTING PLACES.

Free.

_British Museum_.—_Chelsea Hospital_.—_Courts of Law and Justice_ (at the Criminal Court and the Police Courts a fee is often needed.)—_Docks_, (but not the vaults and warehouses without an introduction.)—_Dulwich Gallery_.—_East India Museum_, Fife House, Whitehall.—_Greenwich Hospital_, (a small fee for some parts.)—_Hampton Court Palace_, (Sundays as well as week-days).—_Houses of Parliament_, (some portions every day; more on Saturdays.)—_Kew Botanic Garden and Pleasure Grounds_, (Sundays as well as week-days.)—_Museum of Economic Geology_, Jermyn Street.—_National Gallery_.—_National Portrait Gallery_.—_Patent Museum_, (adjoining the South Kensington Museum.)—_Soane’s Museum_, Lincoln’s Inn Fields.—_Society of Arts_ Exhibition of Inventions, (in the spring of each year.)—_St. Paul’s Cathedral_, (fees for Crypt and all above stairs.)—_Westminster Abbey_, (a fee for some of the Chapels.)—_Westminster Hall_.—_Windsor Castle_, (at periods notified from time to time.)—_Woolwich Repository_, (the Dockyard was closed in October, 1869, and a letter of introduction is needed for the Arsenal.) Private Picture Galleries are sometimes opened free; of which notice is given in the newspapers.

Shilling Admissions.

The number of Shilling Exhibitions open in London is at all times very large, but more especially in the summer months. The first page of the _Times_ contains advertisements relating to the whole of them; while the penny papers contain a considerable number. As the list varies from time to time, we cannot print it here; but the following are the chief places where the exhibitions or entertainments are held. (Theatres and Music Halls are not included; because the terms of admission vary to different parts of those buildings. We may here add that _Burford’s_ and the _Colosseum_ have long been closed.)—_Cremorne Gardens_, Chelsea.—_Crystal Palace_, Sydenham, (2s. 6d. on Saturday, 1s. on other days.)—_Egyptian Hall_, Piccadilly, (sometimes two or three exhibitions at once, in different parts of the building.)—_Gallery of Illustration_, Regent Street.—Various temporary exhibitions in large rooms situated in the Haymarket, Pall Mall, Regent Street, Piccadilly, and Bond Street.—_Picture Exhibitions_, (such as the _Royal Academy_, the _British Institution_, the _Society of British Artists_, two _Water Colour Societies_, &c.)—_Polytechnic Institution_, Regent Street.—_Polygraphic Hall_, Strand.—_Tussaud’s Waxwork_, Baker Street Bazaar.—_Zoological Gardens_, (sixpence on Mondays.)

Admit by Introduction.

Among the places to which admission may be obtained by personal introduction, or by letter, the following may be named:—_Antiquarian Society’s Museum_, Somerset House.—_Armourer’s Museum_, (ancient armour,) 81 Coleman Street.—_Asiatic Society’s Museum_, 5 New Burlington Street.—_Bank of England Museum_, (collection of coins.)—_Botanical Society’s Gardens and Museum_, Regent’s Park.—_College of Surgeons’ Museum_, Lincoln’s Inn Fields.—_Guildhall Museum_, (old London antiquities.)—_Linnæan Society’s Museum_, Burlington House.—_Mint_, (process of coining,) Tower Hill.—_Missionary Museum_, (idols, rude implements, &c.,) Bloomfield Street, Finsbury.—_Naval Museum_, (formerly, now at South Kensington.)—_Private Picture Galleries_, (several.)—_Royal Institution Museum_, Albemarle Street.—_Trinity House Museum_, (models of lighthouses, &c.,) Tower Hill.—_United Service Museum_, Scotland Yard.—_Woolwich Arsenal_.

_N.B._—These lists are subject to constant change.

PRINCIPAL PUBLIC AND TURKISH BATHS.

(Those printed in _italics_ are public baths, established rather for the benefit of the working and middle classes, than for the sake of profit. At most of them a third-class cold bath can be obtained for 1d.; from which minimum the prices rise to about 6d. or 8d. Many of the so-called _Turkish_ baths are ordinary baths in which the arrangements for the Turkish or Oriental system have recently been introduced. There are also a few _Medicated Baths_, kept by medical practitioners for the use of invalids.)

_Bermondsey Baths_ 39 _Spa Road_, _Bermondsey_. _Bloomsbury_ _Endell Street_, _St. Giles’s_. Cadogan 155 Sloane Street, Chelsea. Coldbath 25 Coldbath Square, Clerkenwell. Culverwell’s 10 Argyll Place and 5 New Broad Street. Islington Cross Street. Lambeth 8 Mount Street, Lambeth. Mahomed’s 42 Somerset Street, Portman Square. Metropolitan 23 Ashley Crescent, City Road. Old Roman 5 Strand Lane. Old Royal 10½ and 11 Bath Street, Newgate Street. Pentonville Pentonville Road, (south side.) _Poplar_ _East India Road_. Portland Great Portland Street, (east side.) Royal York 54 York Terrace, Regent’s Park. Russell 56 Great Coram Street, Russell Square. Russian 16a Old Cavendish Street. _St. George’s_ 8 _Davis Street_, _Berkeley Square_, _and_ 88 _Buckingham Palace Road_. — 22 _Lower Belgrave Place_. _St. James’s_ 16 _Marshall Street_, _Golden Square_. _St. Martin’s_ _Orange Street_, _Leicester Square_. _St. Marylebone_ 181 _Marylebone Road_. Wenlock Wenlock Road, City Road. _Westminster_ 21 _Great Smith Street_, _Westminster_. _Whitechapel_ _Goulston Square_, _Whitechapel_.

Turkish.

191 Blackfriars Road, S.E.
184 Euston Road, N.W.
155 Sloane Street, S.W.
282 Goswell Road, E.C.
7 Kennington Park Road, S.E.
1 Upper John Street, Golden Square, W.
55 Marylebone Road, N.W.
42 Somerset Street, Portman Square, N.W.

Medicated Baths.

Ballard’s Chapel Place, Cavendish Square. Campion’s 155 Sloane Street, Chelsea. Mahomed’s 42 Somerset Street, Portman Square.

CABS.

Practically speaking, the new law ordering cabmen to display a flag, on which is painted their tariff per mile and per hour, is a dead letter. Few or none shew flags, and many have none to shew. Cab proprietors can now charge what they please, provided they take out a license from the Commissioners of Metropolitan Police, on which is endorsed the rate by distance or by time intended to be charged, and the number of persons to be carried. No fare less than one shilling is to be offered. The driver is to give passenger a card which specifies the licensed price per hour or per mile. As regards luggage, for each package carried outside 2d. extra is charged. For each person _above two_ 6d. extra on the entire journey. If such extra person be a child under 10 years of age, 3d. Two children of such age to be reckoned as one person. If cab be discharged more than four miles from Charing Cross by radius, an extra charge will be made for such excess of distance, as per sum stated on cabman’s card. Every full mile of such excess will be charged for at per tariff per mile stated on such card. Driver is not compelled to drive more than 6 miles. For every quarter of an hour he is kept waiting, if the cab be hired by time, one-fourth of his tariff per hour. If hired by distance, for every quarter of an hour of waiting, the rate charged per mile. By time, for any period under one hour, the sum stated on driver’s card as charged per hour. As a general rule, cabmen charge 2s. per hour for four-wheeled cabs, and 2s. 6d. for “Hansom;” and by distance, 1s. for the first mile, and 6d. for the second, and so on. Property left in hackney carriages should be asked for at the office for property left in such carriages, at the office of the Commissioners of Police, Great Scotland Yard, Charing Cross. Cabmen are bound, under a penalty, to take such lost property to the nearest police station within 24 hours. In case of disagreement between a cabman and his passenger, the latter can compel the cabman to drive to the nearest police office; and if a Magistrate be then sitting, he will at once settle the dispute. If such office is closed, the cabman may be required to drive to the nearest police station, where the complaint will be entered, and adjudicated at the magistrate’s next sitting. Our readers cannot do better than purchase (price 1s.) a little book on the subject of Cab Fares and Regulations, published under the auspices of the Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police. It can be ordered through any bookseller, or may be purchased direct, at the office for its sale, a few doors north of the entrance to Great Scotland Yard. In it will be found a list of fares, and the distances in yards, from many parts in London to others. Its usefulness will amply repay our readers for their small outlay in its purchase.

HINTS TO STRANGERS.

Whether you know the proper cab-fare or not, always make a bargain with the cabman when hiring his vehicle; and take a note of his number.

Keep the right hand side of the pavement when walking.

If out with other country friends, keep well together.

Observe caution while crossing crowded thoroughfares.

In asking for information, apply to shopkeepers, or to policemen, rather than to passers-by.

The London police are, for the most part, reliable men; and strangers in any doubt or difficulty can generally obtain useful aid from them.

Be on your guard against pickpockets in crowds, street exhibitions, and omnibuses.