I- O N D O N. 



eflay, and to furnifh the reader, who may require more cir- 

 ciimftantial information, with a guide to facilitate his re- 

 fearches. The following article will comprehend a general 

 view of the hiftory and local cliara£terilHcs of this metro- 

 polis, with fome particular defcriplions ; but for detailed 

 account? of many buildinj;s, places, and objects, the reader 

 is rcferfd lo tlic following heads, in different parls of tiiis 

 work: Bavk of England, BniDKViaL, Bruigks, Com- 

 rANY, lill of 91 in London, and accounts of the principal ; 

 College of Ci-vtlians. or D'/Snrs-Comnicns, Coi.l.DC.F. 0/ 

 JlerrUs, Qohi.voY, of Pf'ficinitr, Collix.k, Sion, Collkgk 

 of Surgeons, CoLLKGi:, Veterinary, RoYAI, KxciJAXGE, 

 Custom of Lonelvn, Docks of London, Excisr, Im.fkt- 

 Prifon, Grcfiam Collkge, Gi'ii.diiall, Hospitals of 

 Bethlehem, Bridetvell, Chr'ifl, and Foundling, Inxs of Court, 

 Insuhance Companies, Islington, Lambeth, Hackney, 



MaUV-LE-BoNE, PADDINfnON, MIDDLESEX, SlRRV, 



Newisgton - Butts, Thames, Police, Pahliament, 

 Mew-River, Limeiiou.se, Stratfoud-le-Bow, Soutii- 



>VARK, VVeSTMINSTEK. 



The centre of London, or St. Paul's church, is afcer- 

 tained to be in latitude ji" ^1' N., and in longitude 5' 37 ' 

 W. of Greenwich, where the royal national cbfervatory is 

 eftabhfhed. The dilfance of London from the principal 

 cities of Europe is as follows : from Edinburgh 39J 

 miles S. ; from Dublin 33S S.E. ; from Amfterdam 190 

 miles W. ; from Paris 225 miles N.N.W. ; from Copen- 

 hagen 610 miles S.W. ; from Vienna 820 miles N.W. ; 

 from Madrid 860 miles N.E. by E. ; from Rome 950 

 miles N.N.W. ; from Conftantinople 1660 miles; from 

 Mofcow 1660 miles E.S.E ; from Stockholm 750 miles ; 

 from Peterfbnrgh 1140 miles; from Berlm 540 miles; and 

 from Lifbon 850 miles. 



London, as confidered in the aggregate, comprifes the 

 city and its liberties, with the city and liberties of Weft- 

 Hiinftcr, the borough of Southwark, and nearly thirty of 

 the contiguous villages of Middlefex and Surry. The 

 greateft portion is built on the northern bank of tlie Thames, 

 or in Middlefex ; whilll Southwark, with Lambeth, and 

 feveral connefting villages, extend along the fouthern fhore 

 of the fame river, in the county of Surry. The extent of 

 London, from well to eaft, or from Knightfbridge to 

 Poplar, is full feven miles and a half; whilft its breadth, 

 from north to fouth, or from Newington Butts to Iflington, 

 is nearly five miles. The circumference of the whole, al- 

 lowing for various inequalities in the extenfion of ftreets, &c. 

 at the extremities, cannot be lefs than thirty miles Hence 

 it may be fairly ellimated, that the buildings of this metro- 

 polis cover at lead eighteen fquare miles, or i Ijjao fquare 

 acres. Out of this mutt be dcdufled the fpace occupied by 

 the river Thames, which extends about feven miles, or 

 12,320 yards in length, bv one quarter of a mile, or 400 

 yards in width ; making i i 20 fquare acres. 



Independently of various local and civil divifions, London 

 may be faid to conlift of five diftinguithing parts, or popular 

 portions ; •vi%. the weft end of the town, the city, the eaft 

 end of the town, Weftmnifter, and the Borough. The 

 " weft end of the town," extending from Charing-Crofs to 

 Hyde-park, and from St. James's park to Paddington, is 

 confidered the bell and moll fafhionable part of the town, 

 and is laid out in the two great thoroughfares, called Oxford 

 road and Piccadilly, with various handfome fquares and 

 ftreets, which are chiefly occupied by the townhoufes of 

 the nobility and gentry, and the mod fafnionable fliops. 

 The "city" includes the central part, and mott ancient di- 

 Tifion of the metropolis. This is the emporium of com- 



merce, trade, and bufinefs ; and is occupied by fliops, ware- 

 houfes, public offices, and houfes of tradefmen and others 

 connertcd with bufinefs. The " eaft end of the town," and 

 its mhabitants, are devoted to commerce, to {hip-hnil(^inff, 

 and to every collateral branch connefted with merchandize. 

 This divifion of London has affumed a novel chara£ler fines 

 the commencement of the prelcnt ceiitiiry, by the vaft com- 

 mercial docks and warehoufes that have been formed and 

 conllrucfled here. The fouthern bank of the Thames, from 

 Deptford to Lambeth, bears fome rcfemblance to the eaft 

 end of the town ; being occupied by perfons engaged in 

 commercial and maritime concerns ; docks, wharfs, and 

 warehoufes bring abundant. But this part of London has 

 one didinguifhing feature from any other, as it abounds with 

 numerous and various manufactories ; iron-founderies, glafs- 

 houfes, foap-boilers, dye-houfes, boat-builders, fnot and 

 hat manufaftories, &c. and many other fimilar ellablifh- 

 ments. From the great number of fires employed in theie 

 houfes, and offenfivc effluvia arifing from fome of the work.'', 

 this dillrift is rendered extremely unpleafant, if not un- 

 healthful, for human refidence. ■ It is therefore moftly in- 

 habited by workmen, labourers, and tlie lower clafTes of 

 focicty. Many improvements have lately been made, and 

 feveral refpefkable houfes erected on St. George's fields. 

 In Wettminller arc the houfes of lords and commons, the 

 courts of jullice, and many offices belonging to government. 

 Another part of the metropolis, not hitherto noticed, but 

 which may be confidered as the laft enlargement, and the 

 moft regftlar and iyftematic in its arrangement of fquares, 

 ftreets, &e. is the northern fide of the town ; compre- 

 hending a large mafs of new buildings between Holborn and 

 Somers-town, and in the parifhes of Mary-le-bone and 

 Paddington. Nothing fliews the i^jcrcafed and increafing 

 growth of the Englifh metropolis more decifivcly than the 

 vaft number of new fquares, ftreets, rows, and places, that 

 have been recently ere6led, and are now in the progrefs of 

 building, all round the metropolis. London is computed 

 to contain nearly 70 fquares, and 8000 ftreets, lanes, rows, 

 courts, &c. According to a cenfus obtained in the year 

 181 1, the population of London, Weftminfter, and their 

 fuburbs, was 1,099,104 perfons; being an increafe of 

 133,139 within the courfe of ten years. Well might 

 Cowper exclaim, 



" Opulent, enlarged, and ftill increafing London." 



It would be both amufing and interefiing to trace the 

 progreflive growth or expanfion of London ; to defcribe it 

 ardifferent and remote periods; and delineate, with a care- 

 ful and accurate pencil, the natural and artificial, the po- 

 litical and civil, the moral and commercial charafteriftics of 

 the Britifh metropolis, at different epochs. Some of tliefe 

 features will be notiofd in the progrefs of our furvey ; but 

 m.any muft neceffarily be omitted, from the peculiar nature 

 of the prcfent publication. 



ylncient Hiflory and /int'tqu'tt'us of London. — It is generally 

 admitted by topographers, that the prefent fcite of London 

 was occupied as a Britifti town before the arrival of the 

 Romans. Of this, however, there is no evidence : for 

 Geoffrey of Monmouth is not to be trufted, nor is his after- 

 tion entitled to refpeft. We are informed by Tacitus, that 

 about the year 61, Londinium, or ColoniaAuguila, " was 

 the chief refidence of merchants, and the great mart of trade 

 and commerce, though not dignified with the name of a 

 colony." (Ann. lib. xiv. c. 33 ) Boadicea, the ainazonian 

 queen of the Britons, headed a large body of natives, and, 

 after conquering Camalodunum and Verulam, took poffef- 

 8 £os 



