street-survey for that time, is to enjoy a 

 panoramic view of the inhabitants of the 

 earth. As the ocean receives into her 

 bosom the rivers of the universe, so the 

 metropolis of Britain may be said to be a 

 conflux of people from all quarters of the 

 globe. — And what a drama is acting before 

 you ! what a motley group of actors to the 

 life ! — Tragedy, melodrame, comedy, opera, 

 and farce— all are exhibiting, duly character- 

 ised, and personated according to the impul- 

 sive laws of nature. 



Compared with the walking population^ 

 minor cities, that of London appears distin - 

 guished by a certain determined manner — a 

 straightforward importance — a selfish, un- 

 sympathising, don't-care kind of mien, that 

 implies something in view. The majority of 

 passengers are a moving mass, all hastening 

 onward, wrapped up in their own affairs, and 

 apparently unconscious of the stun and 

 tumult around them. Every man looks as 

 if he were advancing to a goal, where he 

 must arrive at a fixed time. He has no idea 

 of loitering by the way : — business — money 

 — interest — Self is the mighty magnet. 



It is easy to discern a legitimate Londoner 

 from the new comer. The latter betrays a 

 wakeful interest to the world encompassing 

 him ; the shoeless beggar claims his pity or 

 his charity — the shops and various wall-at- 

 tractions frequently detain him — a concourse 

 of vehicles rouses him into a temporary 

 anxiety, and the crossings are a matter of 

 much doubt and despair. The former flut- 

 ters along as if he were alone — his world is 

 himself. 



I was disappointed with the London shops. 

 Imagination had induced me to frame very 

 high opinions of them. Ridiculous as it was, 

 I expected to find them adorned with an 

 almost Eastern magnificence ! — Instead of 

 this, the grandest are but moderately sumptu- 

 ous ; and the effect of these is sadly 

 deteriorated by their alliance with others of 

 a shabby aspect. Indeed, a disagreeable 

 contrast pervades everything in town. 

 Princely domes, surrounded by mean piles — 

 gentility and vulgarity — finery, with beggary 

 at its heels — are continually presented to 

 the view. All this is easily explained by the 

 immense size and population of London ; 

 still the stranger is not exactly prepared for 

 it, and the contrast is too obtrusive not to 

 lessen the grandeur of the picture around 

 him. 



With regard to the shopkeepers them- 

 selves, the stranger's pre-conceived opinions 

 of their importance will be fully authorised. 

 There is the same alert, sharp, business-like 

 turn of the eye — the same affectation of gen- 

 tility about them as in the general order of 

 tradesmen in other places ; but they add to 

 these appropriate characteristics an infinite 



deal more hauteur. By their manner, they 

 would hint a paradox — i. e. you have en- 

 tered their shop to buy, but they do not 

 exactly sell ; this is too vulgar ; it is mere 

 exchange for mutual accommodation, and 

 therefore the obligation is mutual. They 

 serve you with politeness, but you are sup- 

 posed to understand that their goods are on 

 an equal footing with your cash. In short, 

 you cannot leave the counter of any respec- 

 table trader without being informed, by a 

 deal of face -eloquence, that the very same 

 personage who attends to packages and 

 needles, has a country house, and 



"Keeps his groom, and blood, and Sabbath 

 chaise — 

 Olivia waltzes, andAmelia plays." 



What we have never seen, we are accus- 

 tomed to magnify ; this is the most natural 

 operation of the imaginative faculties. 



" 'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view ! " 



Having heard every one talk an immense 

 deal about the " Strand," I had it pictured 

 in my mind as a long ('tis quite long 

 enough !) wide, superb street, adorned with 

 costly shops, and, in every respect, a magni- 

 ficent thoroughfare ; I need scarcely say how 

 much I was disappointed. The newspaper 

 offices, too, — what muggy, miserable places ! 

 — I hardly believed my own eyes, when I 

 read the title of papers I had been accus- 

 tomed to regard with a sort of awe, stretched 

 on canvass, in a mendicant attitude, across 

 an unclean, cobwebbed window. It may 

 seem strange, but, from that moment, the 

 newspapers lost half their majesty in my 

 consideration. I could not restrain myself 

 from /connecting my ideas of the proprietors 

 with the meanness of their offices : — very 

 stupid, no doubt ; but who shall set laws to 

 the association of ideas ? 



But the greatest shock my lofty expec- 

 tations received, was in Paternoster Row. 

 The sound of " Paternoster Row" had lain 

 like a spell on my heart ever since a young 

 idea of authorship had entered in it. To 

 be an author, to be the actual writer of a 

 volume, bearing on its title-page the name 

 of one of the Jeviathans of the Row, was 

 the summit of my ambition. What was my 

 astonishment when, after threading a narrow 

 passage, I found myself in " Paternoster 

 Row!" Surely, this low, ungentlemanly, 

 graceless string of houses could not consti- 

 tute Paternoster Row, " solum natale" of the 

 principal works of the English press ! 



To my fancy, London is more imposing 

 amid the tranquillity of night, than in the 

 bustle and glare of day. The imagination 

 has room for play, and throws a delightful 

 solemnity over all around. What a change 

 a few hours have wrought ! Where are the 

 myriads who, a little time since, were tra- 



