Hyde Park.

E. of the metropolis, forming a design somewhat in the shape of an hour-glass.

To the N. of these lines sweep the New and City-roads, which run like a boulevard almost completely round the N. and E. of the metropolis. On the S. side of the river, Stamford-street and the York-road follow for a mile the curve of the river, and, together with the New Cut and its continuations, intersect the different roads leading from the bridges. The visitor will remember that Temple Bar is the social centre of Modern London.

§ 8. In the West End, the main thoroughfares running N. and S., are the Edgeware-road, leading from the W. end of Oxford-street to St. John's-wood; Portland-place and Regentstreet, running from Regent's Park to Charing-cross; Hampstead and Tottenham-court-roads, connecting Hampstead with Holborn. The City is brought into connection with its northern suburbs by Gray's Inn-lane, which runs from Holborn-hill to the New-road; by Aldersgate-street and Goswell-street, which lead in a direct line from the Post Office, to the Angel at Islington; and by Gracechurchstreet, Bishopsgate-street, Norton-folgate, and Shoreditch, connecting Kingsland and Hoxton with London Bridge and Southwark.

On the Southwark and Lambeth, or Surrey side of the Thames and the Metropolis, the roads converge from the six bridges to the well-known tavern, the Elephant and Castle, which is about equidistant from all of them (excepting Vauxhall Bridge); from the tavern they again diverge, the Kent-road leading to Greenwich, and the Kennington and Newington-roads leading to Brixton and Tulse Hill, outskirts of London, studded with the villas and cottages of men upon 'Change."

The streets of the Metropolis, about 2800 in number, would, if put together, extend 3000 miles in length. The main thoroughfares are traversed by 1200 omnibuses, and 3500 cabs (besides private carriages and carts), employing 40,000 horses.

In addition to these noisy and thronged thoroughfares, we have what has been called "the silent highway" of the Thames, running through the heart of the Metropolis, and traversed continually by steamboats and barges. The steamboats take up and set down passengers at the different landing-places between Chelsea and Blackwall, Greenwich and Gravesend, and, when the tide serves, run as high as Hampton Court, calling at all the intermediate landing-places on the banks.

§ 9. The connection of London with the provinces is kept up by the railways which diverge from it in seven directions:-the Great Western Railway from its station at Paddington; the North-Western from Euston-square, by the New Road; the Great Northern from King's-cross; the Eastern Counties from Shoreditch; the Blackwall from Marklane; the South-Western from Waterloo Bridge; whilst the London Bridge station has five separate lines supplying with railway communication the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. By means of these different lines, along which the telegraph is laid down, the Metropolis is put in instant connection with upwards of a hundred of the chief cities and towns of the United Kingdom; the wires converging from the different stations to the Central Telegraph Offices at Lothbury (East), and Charing-cross (West), where messages are received and transmitted night and day. From London Bridge and St. Catherine wharf and from Tower-stairs, the various Continental steam-boats start. From the former especially, the Margate and Ramsgate boats start, making, in the season, excursions on the Sunday to those places and back the same day.

§ 10. Having put the stranger in possession of the "bearings" of the different streets, it will be as well to show him how he can comprehend in the quickest way the most remarkable features of the Metropolis. He can do this in no better and more economical manner than by taking the box-seat of

b

an omnibus, and making friends with the driver. Let him take for instance a Kensington omnibus, and go as far eastward as the Bank. In this manner he will make himself acquainted, by the driver's help, with the characteristic features of Piccadilly with its noble mansions, and of the great thoroughfares of the Strand, Fleet-street, and Cheapside. If he has a wish to penetrate the far east, he can do so by taking a Blackwall omnibus, but the journey would hardly repay him for his time and trouble, unless he desire to see the Docks. The return drive might be made by a Paddington omnibus, which will take him through Holborn, New Oxford- and Oxfordstreets, as far as the Marble Arch at Cumberland Gate. A direct N. and S. section of the Metropolis might be viewed by taking a "Waterloo" omnibus, which starts from the York and Albany Tavern, Regent's Park, and pursues the line down Regent-street, past Charing-cross, and so along the Strand over Waterloo Bridge; also by an "Atlas" omnibus, which traverses the same line as far as Charing-cross, and then turns down Whitehall, and goes along Parliament-street across Westminster Bridge to the Elephant and Castle. These three routes, if followed up by an excursion on the Thames from Chelsea to Greenwich, would show at a rapid glance most of the architectural features of the Metropolis.

§ 11. For those who have ample time to examine the public buildings, we would recommend a walk from London Bridge W. to Trafalgar-square; then an examination of Whitehall, Pall-mall, and Regent-street, forming the irregular cross which springs from Trafalgar-square. By this means the visitor will pass the six great centres of life and architecture which distinguish the Metropolis.

Another walk-by which many interesting aspects and prospects of London may be obtained-is to "thread the Bridges;" commencing with that of Westminster, from which the Parliament Houses are well seen, then crossing Hungerford and recrossing by Waterloo, Stamford Street leads thence to Blackfriars, whence you have the best view of St. Paul's, and after traversing Southwark Bridge, you find your way along the Surrey bank of the Thames to London Bridge.

§ 12. The first of these great centres-London Bridge-is

the one a Foreigner naturally sees first, and it is the spot above all others calculated to impress him most with the importance and ceaseless activity of London. The bridge itself, crowded with an ever-moving stream of people and vehicles, and lined at the same time with the heads of curious spectators, wedged as thickly as pins in a paper, gazing upon the busy waters below, is a curious picture of the manner in which the two currents of business men and sight-seers are continually shouldering each other. On the other hand, the scene below is equally instinct with life. Above bridge we see the stairs of the penny steam-boats, landing and taking in West End or Greenwich passengers, amid a perfect din of bell-ringing and cloud of steam-blowing. Below bridge we see the "Pool," looking, with its fleets of colliers moored in the stream, like the avenues of a forest in the leafless winter. The Custom-house, with its long columniated façade, and the Italian-looking fish-market at Billingsgate, also strike the eye. The foot of the bridge, on either hand, is flanked with great buildings the Fishmongers' Hall, belonging to one of the richest of the City companies; and with scarcely less striking structures converted into hotels. Passing up Fishstreet-hill is seen, from base to summit, the Monument, erected to commemorate the Great Fire-still the most beautiful and picturesque of all the metropolitan columns. A little farther on, William IV.'s statue, worked in granite, stands guard at the entrance of King-William-street and Cannon-street, leading thoroughfares opened since 1834. At the end of this we approach our second architectural centre-the Bank of England, a low, richly-adorned building-admirably adapted to the purposes of its foundation. The open space at this point is surrounded by several striking architectural elevations. The Royal Exchange, the Sun Fire-office, the Mansionhouse, and the towers of the church of St. Mary Woolnoth, mark the sky line in a most picturesque manner; nor can the equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, in front of the Exchange, fail to attract attention. The narrow passage of the Poultry, by which Cheapside is reached, has no feature of interest. Passing King-street, however, the pseudoGothic front of Guildhall, standing full in the light at the end of a gloomy narrow street, strikes one as picturesque and perhaps noble, notwithstanding the viciousness of its

style; while in Cheapside the stately steeple of Bow Church (Wren's finest steeple) never fails to arrest the attention of the stranger. The comparative narrowness of Cheapside, and the turn which it takes into St. Paul's-churchyard, brings the visitor upon the Cathedral and Post Office, our third great centre of life and architecture. The Cathedral is Wren's great masterpiece; the Post Office was built by Sir R. Smirke.

From St. Paul's along Fleet-street and the Strand, we gradually see how the characteristic features of one city mingle with those of the other. In our way here we pass under Temple Bar, and leave Somerset House (one of the head quarters of the Civil Service) on our left. The countinghouses of the "City" (it is easy to observe) have slowly disappeared, and the shops have a gayer and more miscellaneous aspect. At last Charing-cross is reached, and we recognise at once our fourth architectural feature, the great West End architectural centre, from which improvement has shot out on every side. Standing on the raised platform beneath the portico of the National Gallery, we see before us the rising towers of the Houses of Parliament, and the perspective of the leading Government offices forming a line of street by themselves; on the left hand is the beautiful church of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, and on the right the vista of Pall-mall, with its splendid Club-houses. Well might the late Sir R. Peel designate Charing-cross as "the finest site in Europe." The square itself, with its ugly fountains and its ill-proportioned column, will require entirely remodelling before it can be worthy of its position, and we have purposely turned our visitor's back to the National Gallery that he may not be offended with its meanness. Charing-cross may claim to be called the centre of the arts, as the Bank is the centre of commerce.

Turning directly down Whitehall, we approach that portion of Westminster devoted to the principal Government offices and the Legislature; on the right hand is the Admiralty (distinguished by its screen and portico) from which the fleets of England are governed; close beside is the Horse Guards, the head-quarters of the commander-inchief. The long range of buildings still further on the right (refronted by Sir Charles Barry) consists of the Home