principal story is a large room in front, and one or two others, with the stair-case, behind; the attics are commonly divided into smaller rooms for servants. Below the kitchens are the drains; and in front is an open area, secured by an iron railing, and communicating with the coal vaults: these are dug under the streets, and have a circular aperture, communicating with the pavement, through which the coals are let down, and which, at other times, is covered with an iron plate. Every house of modern erection is separated from the contiguous ones by a party wall, the better to prevent the spreading of fires."

The situation of London is so favourable, that springs, which might yield large quantities of water, are found on digging almost every where, yet the main sources of that plentiful supply which the inhabitants receive, are the Thames and the New River;

In the principal Streets and great Squares, Houses let in proportion to their size, &c. at from 200 to 5001. per annum. The next class let at from 100 to 2001. and, in the third and fourth rate streets, the annual rent varies from 40 to 1001. When a Lease is granted, which is seldom for a longer term than twenty-one years, and more frequently for seven or four. teen, the rental is lower than when let for a single year; but in these cases a premium is commonly given for the Lease. In the principal trading Streets, the rents vary from 100 to 400 l. per annum; and in the second and third rate trading Streets, they average at from 40 to 601. and upwards to 1001. per annum.

“The waters of these springs contain a small portion of sea salt, and a larger quantity of mugnesia vitriolata, so as to be sensible to the taste, and so as, in some places, to act as a purgative. They also contain gas, sometimes in quantity sufficient to give them briskness, and render them agreeable to the taste. The Thames water is very pure some miles above the town; near the town it is mixed with sand, and contains a sufficient quantity of mucilaginous matter to putrify. When preserved in casks, it purifies itself, by putrefaction, and remains afterwards more pure, but it never purifies sensibly in the river, nor in the cisterns in which it is sometimes kept a few days for use. At the lower part of the town it contains a little sea salt when the tide is at its height. Its specific gravity is nearly the same with that of distilled water; and the New River water is of similar quality. This is likewise pure, unless after heavy rains; and is bright and clear, and does not putrify on keeping." Fordyce.

ver; this arises from the comparative cheapness with which those waters are conveyed into the very houses themselves, and which is effected by means of iron or wooden pipes, laid beneath all the streets, from one to three feet below the surface, and having small bores connected with leaden pipes, that lead to the kitchens and cisterns. In these pipes also, at convenient distances in the streets, plugs are fixed, to be opened in case of fires; and occasionally, to give issue to the water in times of frost, when the smaller pipes become frozen. In various parts of the town, also, over the ancient wells that have been preserved, pumps are fixed, having iron ladles attached, for the convenience of the populace.*

"London," says Dr. Colquhoun, in his valuable Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis, "is not only the first commercial city that is known at present to exist, but is also one of the greatest and most extensive manufacturing towns, perhaps, in the universe; combining, in one spot, every attribute that can occasion an assemblage of moving property, unparalleled in point of extent, magnitude, and value, in the whole world." In another

place,

The following extract from Stow's Survey of London, p. 10. Edit. 1598, gives a curious picture of ancient London, in regard to its supply of water. "Aunciently, untill the Conqueror's time, and 200 years after, the Citie of London was watered, besides the famous River of Thames on the south part, with the River of the Wels, (or Fleet) as it was then cailed, on the west, with a water called Walbrooke, running through the middest of the Citie into the River of Thames, serving the hart thereof, and with a fourth water, or boorne, which ran within the Citie, through Langbourne Warde, watering that parte in the cast. In the west suburbes was also an other greate water, called Oldborne, which had his fall into the River of Wels: then was there three principall Fountaines, or Wels, in the other suburbes, to wit, Holly Well, Clement's Well, and Clarkes Well. Neare unto this last named fountaine, were divers other Wels, to wit, Skinner's Well, Fag's Well, Tode Well, Leder's Well, and Rad-Well. In West Smithfield there was a Poole, in Recordes called Horse poole; and one other Poole near unto the Parish Church of S. Giles, without Criplegate. Besides all which, they had in every streete and lane of the Citie divers fayre wels and fresh springes: and after this manner was this Citie then scrved with sweete and fresh waters."

place, this gentleman estimates, that the transit of property by Jand-carriage, to and from London, amounts in value to the vast sum of fifty millions annually; and the number of carts, waggons, coaches, &c. employed in the conveyance of this immense aggregate has been computed at forty thousand. The Metropolis, indeed, being the grand mart for every possible variety of goods, both of elegance and use,' and the very centre of commerce, as well as the seat of a population amounting to upwards of nine hundred thousand persons, it may readily be conceived that these computations do not exceed the truth. The Manufactures, as has been stated in a general way in the preceding volume, include almost every kind of article, either of utility or consump tion, or of ingenuity, taste, science, or convenience. Those of silk, watches, cut-glass, fine jewellery, gentlemens' carriages, and their trappings, organs, piano-fortes, cabinet-work, fancy furniture, mathematical and optical instruments, fire-engines, &c. are almost peculiar to the Capital; at least, in all their higher branches. Sugar, soap, &c. are also manufactured here to an unparalleled extent; and the distillers and brewers furnish sources of employment for an aggregate capital of many millions.† Cutlery and fire-arms, of the most superior kinds, and even cannon, form

part

* The total of the summary of the population of London, as ascertained from the returns made to the House of Commons, in 1801, will be found in the preceding Volume, p. 54; yet, as that number, viz. 865,623, does not include the soldiers generally stationed in the Metropolis, and whose numbers are upwards of 12,000, nor yet the seamen belonging to the navy, nor the foreigners who frequent the Port, nor yet the dealers and visitors from the country, who are constantly going to and fro, besides some other classes of persons, which might be easily enumerated; the gross amount of human beings at all times resident in the Capital and its immediate environs cannot be less than the number stated above. There can be little doubt that a line, extending from St. Paul's Cathedral, as a centre, and continued round a circumference of seven miles, would include more than a million of souls!

+ Further particulars of the Brewing and Distilling business, as well as of various Manufactures, will be inserted in the subsequent parts of this Volume.

part of the manufactures of London; and, among other branches of steel and iron work, that of polished register, and other stoves, should not be omitted; nor yet the more minute, but ingenious, art of needle-making. The casting of printers' types, stereotype, and metal ornaments for printing, may likewise be enumerated with those almost peculiar to London or its neighbourhood, as well as numerous branches of art and science, carried on under exclusive patents, and otherwise.

The vast variety of objects which thus concentrate in the trade of the Metropolis, open an immense field for retail business, and very many are the streets where the ground floors of the houses are wholly occupied as retail shops. These, in a general point of view, are the same as the two principal lines of thoroughfares already described; and various others run in a parallel direction, or else branch out in different angles from the intermediate and adjacent avenues. Many of the shops are fitted up with much taste, and those appropriated to the more costly branches of trade have an unrivalled aspect of wealth and splendour. In this respect, the silversmiths and jewellers take the lead; and the dealers in watches, in ironmongery, cutlery, and other steel-work, in Manchester goods, mercery, linen drapery, hosiery, &c. form part of the aggregate. The china and cut-glass warehouses exhibit also a most brilliant variety of elegant and valuable goods; and the upholsterers, the opticians, the book and print sellers, and the repositories of fancy-wares, of carriages, and of furniture, all furnish au interesting display of choice, ingenious, and expensive articles. On winter evenings, till eight or nine o'clock, all the

principal

Among British housewives, Whitechapel Needles have long been famous. To include the Pastry-cooks in this enumeration might appear ludicrous, yet when it is known that one of that trade, a London Citizen, was, from his success, enabled to bequeath more than 100,000l. to his heirs, the seeming pettiness of the business swells into importance. The exhibition of plum cakes, &c. in the pastry-cooks' windows, on Twelfth Nights, has long been famous; and, within the last three or four years, several of their principal shops have been fancifully fitted up with painted paper, and otherwise, as the interiors of grottoes on the sea shore.

principal retail streets appear as if partially illuminated; such is the brilliancy that arises from the numerous lamps, &c. with which the shops are lighted up.

The accommodations for travellers and occasional residents in London have the same comparative excellence as those enjoyed by the inhabitants themselves. The hotels, inns, taverns, coffeehouses, and lodging-houses, possess both convenience and cleanliness, and, in all the principal ones, an inmate may either reside in privacy, or mingle with company, as inclination dictates. Commodious private lodgings may be found in many eligible situations throughout the whole Metropolis; and in many of the first situations at the west end of the town, are hotels, where the most elevated in rank and distinction meet with adequate and comfortable residencies and entertainment. The accommodations of the principal taverns and coffee-houses in all the other quarters of London, and more particularly in the City, are equally respectable, though, with a few exceptions, not so splendid.†

The vast intercourse maintained by the inhabitants of London with each other, and with the surrounding towns and villages, for the purposes either of business, health, or pleasure, furnishes employment to many thousand vehicles of different descriptions, as gentlemens' carriages, stage coaches, post and single-horse chaises, glass coaches, gigs, hackney coaches, sedan chairs, waggons, carts, &c. The hackney coaches amount to eleven hundred, and are licensed by the authority of Commissioners acting under different acts of Parliament: the gentlemens' carriages are yet more numerous, and the stage and glass coaches abound to a degree no where else to be paralleled. The sedan chairs, which are principally

The charge for Ready-furnished Lodgings in private houses varies, according to the quality, situation, and extent of the apartments. Upon the first floor, rooms may be had from one guinea, to two, three, four, five, and upwards, per week; on the second floors, in similar situations, apartments may be hired at about two thirds, or somewhat less, of those sums.

+ The London, and City of London Taverns, in Bishopsgate Street, and the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand, are more especially celebrated for public dinners.