120 Edivard Livingston Youmans. 



Patent Safety Cab " is the most unhandsome thing I ever 

 looked upon. It is a top on two wheels, and, as it rains 

 nearly all the time, it has two doors in front, which lie down 

 like a pair of outside cellar doors, only a little steeper. A 

 seat for the driver is carried behind, supported by long iron 

 rods ; and when " cabby " gets mounted, with two or three 

 trunks on top before him, and his basket of oats swinging 

 under his seat, the whole thing is altogether the most out- 

 landish exhibition to be seen anywhere but in London. On 

 the whole they drive much faster than in New York, but 

 the loaded horses take much larger loads, go tandem, and 

 very slow. The place resembles a half dozen New Yorks, 

 with any number of Broadways, crooked and straight, 

 running in every direction. I am beginning to have a dim 

 idea of the place, but it will take a very long time to get a 

 clear one of it, unless one's entire time could be given to 

 its study. There is no use in my describing particulars ; 

 that is done elsewhere much better than I can do it. Eat- 

 ing is much like eating everywhere, but they never have 

 butter at dinner; their water is always brought in bottles, 

 and never iced. They have no pies — or, rather, they call 

 them tarts, and make them in small dishes like sauce dishes, 

 two inches deep, with no under crust, and an upper crust 

 of triple thickness, served with a spoon. But we live well 

 enough. . . . 



I yesterday got track of Silsbee, and went to his regis- 

 tered place. He was not there ; it was the family he was 

 with before and spoke of to us. The people were quite 

 interesting. An elderly lady sat in her large armchair, 

 highly dressed, with white kid gloves on, reading the 

 Prayer Book (it was Sunday afternoon). A youngish wom- 

 an (married) was with her, and at once opened conversa- 

 tion concerning Mr. Silsbee and Mr. Spencer, " her friends." 

 She had some personal acquaintance with Mr. Spencer, but 

 seemed to understand little of his works; and although 



