Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

CHAPTER XLIX.

London; The Temple; Temple Bar; Lincoln's Inn Field; Its Park; Gardens; Newgate Prison; Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and Haymarket Theatres; Gin Palaces, a London Nuisance; Margate, its Attractions; Ramsgate; Advice to the Tourist, etc.

THE Temple is an immense range of buildings stretching from Fleet Street to the Thames. It takes its name from its being founded by the Knights Templars, in England, in the eleventh century. It is said the Templars in Fleet Street, in the thirteenth century, entertained the king and his nobles attached to the court, and also foreign ambassadors. All their kitchens and diningrooms, &c., may be seen by the tourist on applying to the porter, free of charge. Its garden is of great extent, and neatly laid out along the river. The Temple is a gloomy pile to go through, and dismal to behold, but curiosity impelled me onward to examine its gloomy halls, where once the Knights held their midnight revels, and I feel I was well repaid for the trouble.

Temple Bar divides the Strand from Fleet Street; its ponderous gates are never closed, and is one of the greatest thoroughfares in London. Its architecture is worthy of a passing notice to the stranger, and its gates should be examined.

Near Temple Bar is Chancery Lane, running from Fleet Street to High Holborn, which will take the tourist to Lincoln's Inn Field; its beautiful park and garden occupy a very extensive piece of ground and beautifully laid out for the lawyers and students to lounge about at their leisure moments. The buildings are of brick, old, and very irregular in their form. As the courts were in session, I had a fine opportunity to see the judges and counsellors in their gowns and wigs, and also to hear some fine oratory. Altogether it was very imposing. I passed an hour in rambling amid the deep umbrage of the gardens, which is, in my opinion, one of the finest promenades within the metropolis.

Newgate Prison is in Newgate Street, and can be visited for a trifle to the turnkey, as well as all the other prisons in London.

The solitary cells and dungeons are in the northeast corner, next Newgate Street, and gloomy enough in all conscience. All under sentence of death are here laid, in chains, upon straw, till taken to execution.

The King's Bench Prison is in Blackman Street; its situation healthy and very extensive. The number of rooms are about two hundred and fifty, and the walls around very high; the prison limits are about three miles.

Fleet Prison is near Fleet Market, and generally has from two to three hundred prisoners. The building is extensive, and kept in a healthy condition. The prisoners confined here have no prison allowance, and depend on charity for bread.

Drury Lane Theatre is both externally substantial, and internally superb, and will hold about 3,000 persons. Its grand entrance is from Brydges Street, through a spacious hall leading to the boxes and pit. Its saloon is near one hundred feet in length. This theatre has three tiers of boxes, and the building may in truth be called an ornament to the metropolis.

'Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, is in a confined situation, surrounded with narrow streets and crowded houses, which spoils its grandeur intended by the architect, and can never be seen to advantage. No obstruction impedes the direct view of the stage, and the whole theatre is illuminated by a soft radiant light, which, without dazzling the eye, enables the spectator to see every countenance in the house. The Haymarket Theatre is opposite the Opera House; is only opened during the summer months, and is fitted up in a very neat and tasteful style, has three tiers of boxes and two galleries. The doors always open at 6 o'clock; admittance five shillings; curtain rises precisely at 7 o'clock, and is invariably patronised by a respectable audience, and may be termed a favourite theatre. There are also many minor theatres in London, in different sections of the city, all having their patrons, and appeared doing a safe business,

The Gin Palaces in London continue; notwithstanding the numerous temperance societies in and around the metropolis, they still hold undiminished sway, brilliantly illuminated at night with attractive costly gas-burners, are easily distinguished at a great distance, for the unwary street-walker to wend his way to these worse than h-s in London. Almost every square has its Gin Palace for the accommodation of gin-drinkers, a majority of whom are females of all ages, who resort to them, giving their last farthing for stuff manufactured at home, in the very house in which it is sold, and the most diabolical poison that can possibly be imagined. I have ofttimes while passing these places at night, had the curiosity to step in, to witness Life in London, to see the miserable women and children, single and married, of all ages,

surrounding the beautiful marble counter, with each a small pitcher or bottle in one hand, waiting their turn, the other holding out a few pence, with looks of greedy anxiety to be served, which the hostess, with a fiendish smile, was sure to grasp before delivering the nauseous poison. Gin was their bread, meat, their all; without this stimulus, existence seemed insupportable, and suicide the sure consequence; have it they must and would at any sacrifice; and the Falls of Niagara might as well be attempted to make it change its course upward, as to endeavour to change the minds of these nightly gin topers from their downward, headlong, inevitable destruction. Yet these "Palaces" are countenanced and protected by the authorities of London, because the corporation receive a small income for licenses, at the expense of burying hundreds of these abandoned people, who either die from intemperance in the streets, or commit suicide on account of these very "Gin Palaces." This is indeed economy, and Life in London, which calls loudly for the influence of Father Mathew, to endeavour to close the doors of these tempting h-s in London.

Should the tourist have a desire to see the noble Thames at its mouth, passing Blackwall, Greenwich, Woolwich, Gravesend, Tilbury Fort, &c., let him take a morning steamer at London Bridge, and go down to Margate, Kent County, a seventy miles' sail for three shillings, and if in summer, enjoy a week's bathing in that delightful watering-place, where he will meet the fashionable world from London and its vicinity. Margate has some fine buildings, among them, especially, Trinity Church, built in the Gothic order, and will contain upwards of two thousand persons seated; it is of Bath stone. The window of stained glass in the east end, is thirty feet high, and must be seen to be admired. The Parish Church is of flint stone, built in the tenth century, has a very ancient costly organ, the main pipes of which being of wood, causes it to have a very mellow sweet tone. Margate is noted on account of George I. having debarked from there. William III., landing; also George II., and Queen Caroline, and Duke of Marlborough, and in 1797, Admiral Duncan, after a great victory over a French fleet. All the wounded after the battle of Waterloo, were also landed at Margate.

Ramsgate is four miles from Margate, which is also a fine bathing-place of great resort. The splendid church of St. George, from which a model was taken to build_Trinity Church, lately finished on Broadway, New York, is in Ramsgate. To see the Pier is worth the ride from Margate; it is truly a magnificent work of 2,000 feet in length, running 800 feet into the sea; is built of Portland stone, and cost over £500,000 sterling.

Should the tourist intend visiting Paris, he could take Margate in his way, for it is only a pleasant ride of fifteen miles from Mar

gate to Canterbury, and fourteen from there to Dover, to cross the channel, and the expense no more than if proceeding direct from London to Dover. Or, should the tourist wish to visit Belgium, or Holland, he could, instead of taking a steamer at London for Ostend, Antwerp, or Rotterdam, proceed by the way of Margate, and after a few days' sojourn there in bathing, &c., step on board a steamer for any of the above-named places, at a less price than direct from London. To breathe the bracing, salubrious, marine breezes at Margate, to partake of its restorative waters, to admire its bland and delightful scenery of its neighbourhood, and mix in its endless amusements, is certainly worth a few shillings, more or less, while on a tour of pleasure or business. Last not least, the hospitality and urbanity of its inhabitants, the politeness and attention of its trades-people, and the civility of its humble classes, all tend to make Margate stand pre-eminent among the summer retreats, to which the nobility, gentry, and citizens of London, love annually to retire from the noise, heat, and bustle of that overgrown metropolis.

In sailing down the Thames, passing London in all its magnificence and greatness, one cannot but see that its very existence depends on its navigation, inasmuch, that if this river were rendered unnavigable. London would soon become a heap of ruins like old Nineveh and Babylon. The mercantile importance of this noble stream is certainly greater than that of any other river in the world. The banks of the Thames on the south side, contiguous to the bridges for some considerable extent, are lined with manufactories and warehouses; such as iron founders, dyers, soap and oil makers, glass makers, shot makers, boat builders, &c., &c. To explore these on a leisure day, will amply repay the tourist for the trouble of walking over to the Surrey side on a pleasant morning.

21

CHAPTER L.

LIFE IN LONDON;

OR

THE HUNCHBACK OF CHARING CROSS.

While perambulating the thronged and busy streets of London, the pedestrian at all the main crossings will be sure to find a ready hand held out by the watchful and busy sweep for a penny as a fee for walking dry shod over their well-swept crossings.

While wending and elbowing my way through the dense masses of human beings that at all times, day and night, crowd the streets of London, I often met at the crossings of Oxford and Regent and Bond and Oxford streets, but more frequently at Charing Cross, a diminutive hunchback, apparently in the prime of life, whose uncouth appearance, yet singular, independent bearing, always attracted my attention. He appeared as a king in his own walk; lived by taxes, but they were voluntary. This person was it seems, the head of the sweeps from Oxford Street to Temple Bar, but his own favourite crossing was at Charing Cross, from the Opera House at the bottom of the Haymarket to the commencement of Charing Cross. His hair was almost gray and thin, flashing gray eyes, shaggy brows, a winning, knowing smile, a whining voice, and very acute; with a head too old for his spare shoulders. Born and.educated most probably in the noted haunts of St. Giles, where he who would see Life in London," may discover the boy who has held his horse in the morning for a penny, dancing the Polka merrily with a buxom damsel at night. He was greedy after the pence, but very kind-hearted, with a mild temper and honest almost to a fault, might be safely trusted with untold treasure, and could sing a good merry song in his own peculiar style at the sweeps' monthly

66

« AnteriorContinuar »