LONDON.

:0:

General Description.

膠

ONDON, the capital of England and the metropolis of the
British Empire, the seat of its Government, and the centre

of its Commerce, is a city and seaport on the river Thames, about sixty miles westward of the sea. The cities of London and Westminster, the boroughs of Finsbury, Marylebone, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Chelsea, Southwark, and Lambeth, and the other adjoining suburban towns, villages, and hamlets, are all here united in one great metropolis, containing some three millions and a quarter of inhabitants, and constituting by far the most extensive, concentrated, and important centre of population, wealth, and commerce in the world. Southwark, Lambeth, and some of the minor metropolitan districts are situated on the southern bank of the Thames, in the county of Surrey; but the great mass of the metropolis stands on the northern bank, in the county of Middlesex.

The government of the City of London is vested in the Corporation, consisting of a Lord Mayor; twenty-six Aldermen (the Lord Mayor being one); two Sheriffs, for London and Middlesex conjointly; the Common Councilmen of the several wards, 206 in number; and a Livery, assisted by a Recorder, Chamberlain, and a number of other officers. In addition to the City itself, Westminster-once an indedependent city-the borough of Southwark, and a number of parishes, townships, &c., are governed by the Corporation.

The other sections of the metropolis are denominated Boroughs or Parishes, and are governed by Vestrymen. They are Marylebone, Finsbury, Tower Hamlets, Chelsea, Hackney, Lambeth, Greenwich, and Southwark, and they each return two Members to Parliament.

LONDON.

The houses in London are commonly four stories in height; rarely less than three. They are not by any means elegant in their appearance, having for the most part a dingy aspect; and it is only in the western part that they assume anything like a superb outline. The chief business part of the town is the City, with the East End, or port; while the finest streets and houses are at the West End. Brick buildings largely predominate, owing to the great scarcity of stone here; but the Continental marbles, &c., are used largely in all the public edifices. The great beauty of London is its many squares, large open spaces being left free for passengers, the inner part being enclosed with iron railings, laid out with walks, and planted with shrubs, in the very midst of populous districts. The squares are exceeded only by the parks, Regent's Park alone, with its terraces and buildings, being of the utmost extent and magnificence. The outskirts of the town, on all sides, comprise long rows or groups of detached villas, with ornamental gardens; and houses of this attractive kind proceed in some directions so far out of the town that there seems no gtting beyond them into the country. From the Surrey division, which is chiefly occupied by manufacturing establishments and private dwellings, there extend, Southwards and Westwards, a great number of these streets of neat private houses-as, for instance, towards Walworth, Kennington, Clapham, Brixton, &c.; and in these directions lie some of the most pleasant spots in the environs of the Metropolis.

Of the Churches of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey are the most conspicuous and most splendid; St. Dunstan-inthe-East; St. Michael, Cornhill; St. Stephen, Walbrook; St. Mary Aldermary, Bow Lane; St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside; St. Bride, Fleet Street; St. Martins'-in-the-Fields; and St. George's, Hanover Square; are some of the other churches most distinguished for fine architecture. There are likewise a great number of chapels for the Established Church, foreign Protestant churches, Roman Catholic chapels, meeting-houses for Dissenters of all persuasions, and several large Jewish synagogues. The palace of St. James's, on the North side of St. James's Park, is a very ancient building, but the exterior is mean-looking; and its spacious State apartments, best calculated for regal display of any in the kingdom, are only called into requisition when a Levée or Drawingroom is held by the Queen. The Royal residence, however, is Buckingham Palace, on the West side of St. James's Park, where Buckingham House originally stood. Among the public buildings which deserve notice here, are Westminster Hall, containing the Supreme Courts of Justice, and adjoining to which are the new and splendid Houses of

་

LONDON.

Parliament; the Guildhall of the City; the Sessions House; the Tower (an ancient fortress), in which are some public offices, a magazine and arsenal, the regalia of the United Kingdom, &c.; the Trinity House and the Mint on Tower Hill; the Horse Guards, Admiralty, and the Treasury at Whitehall; Somerset House, in the Strand; the British Museum; the Royal Exchange; the General Post Office; the Bank of England; the Custom House; the Excise Office; the East India House; the South Sea House; the Mansion House (the official residence of the Lord Mayor); the Monument, erected in commemoration of the great fire of London in 1666; and the many beautiful and costly bridges spanning the Thames. Also the numerous Inns of Court for the study of the law; King's College and the London University; the noble scholastic foundations of Westminster, Christ's Hospital, the Charterhouse, Merchant Taylors', St. Paul's, &c.; besides the various extensive hospitals, scientific and charitable institutions, learned societies, the halls of the different trading companies, the splendid club houses and hotels, the theatres and other places of public amusement; with fine squares and streets too numerous to mention. The West End of London is beautified and rendered healthy by four extensive parks, all affording ample scope for amusement and exercise to those resident in their vicinity: viz., Hyde Park, lying West of the roads leading from Piccadilly and Oxford Street, adjoining Kensington Gardens at its western boundary; St. James's Park, stretching from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace, with the Green Park attached on the South side of Piccadilly; and the Regent's Park (before mentioned), situated to the north of Portland Place, with its vast area including the Gardens of the Zoological and Botanical Societies.

The most noted thoroughfares are Pall Mall, in which is located Marlborough House (the residence of the Prince of Wales), St. James's Palace, York House and Carlton House (in the North Western vicinity of St. James's Park), the Army and Navy, United Service, Athenæum, Travellers', Reform, Carlton, Junior Carlton, Guards', and the Oxford and Cambridge University Clubs, besides many other public buildings of note. Near its Eastern extremity is Waterloo Place, a short broad thoroughfare lined with noble mansions and leading southwards to St. James's Park. Here stand the elegant column dedicated to the late Duke of York and the Guards' Memorial. Regent Street runs Northwards about a mile. In the whole of this vicinity,-namely, "the West End," as it is called, the buildings assume an exceedingly imposing aspect; Regent Street forming the handsomest street in the Metropolis. At a point a short way Northwards, it crosses the Eastern end of Picca