i8oo. during a Tour through England. 249 



upon the pavement follow each othtr like foldlers upon a 

 march, while thofe going in a contrary direftion, by follow- 

 ing the fame rule, pafs on without the fmalleft interruption. 

 In the driving of carriages, the fame plan is ftridlly adhered 

 to, it being no uncommon matter to fee the Strand filled 

 with two lines of machines from the one end to the other. 



Here it may not be improper to fay a few words concern- 

 ing the admirable police maintained in London, which is in- 

 finitely fuperior to that of any other city in the kingdom. 

 I had recently perufed Colquhoun's treatife on that fubjecl, 

 and certainly had formed very different ideas from thofe af- 

 terwards realized by obfervation and experience. During the 

 time of my refidence, I did not difcern the lead inclination 

 to rioting or breaking the peace ; and the ftreets, at night, 

 were as quiet and un liflurbed as thofe of our northern me- 

 tropolis. In this refpeft, ss well as in many others, London 

 holds out a pattern to other great towns, where, though the 

 population is infinitely lefs, their police is much more de- 

 fective. 



After fauntering through the ftreets at the weft end of the 

 town, examining Weftminfter- Abbey and other public build- 

 ings, we arrived at St James's palace, juft in time to fee tne 

 King ftep out of his carriage at the gate. His Majcfty is a 

 ftout healthy man, of a florid countenance, rather corpulent; 

 but as he takes a great deal of exercife, we have every rea- 

 fon to hope that he will long be preferred in this world, as a 

 Ik (ft rig to his fubjecl Sy and a fafeguard to the ivelfare and happi" 

 nejs of Europe. 



Faffing by the public office in Bow-Street^ we ftepped In, 

 and had an ppportunlty of vvltneffing the celebrated Mrs Jane 

 .Gibbs lodge her accufation againft a decent-looking man at 

 the bar, for robbing her in Kenfington-gardens. She ap- 

 peared unconne6led in her depofition ; and, notwithftanding 

 every exertion of the magiftrates, could not be kept to the 

 point during the examination. Charitable people attributed 

 the eccentricity of her behaviour to the agitation of mind oc- 

 cafioned by iuch a public appearance-, and the magiftrates, 

 after making every attempt to afcertain the truth, were un- 

 der the neceffity (the accufer's chara£ier being then un- 

 known) of committing a man for trial, who was m reality 

 innocent. 



As all the world flocked at that time to fee Sheridan'' s. 

 Piznrro at Drury-Lane, we of courfe followed the multi- 

 tude, and, with difficulty, procured accefs. Barr\more, who 



filled 



