ROLLO IN LONDON, JACOB ABBOTT. BOSTON: BROWN, TAGGARD AND CHASE, SUCCESSORS TO WM. J. REYNOLDS & CO. 1859. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year ISA4, )>. ;/!<"> AHLUIV, In t)i Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Muuai'liim-ui r ic K k o t r r c n AT THE Stack Annex DA ORDER OF THE VOLUMES. T o HOLLO ON THE ATLANTIC. =^ HOLLO IN PARIS. HOLLO IN SWITZERLAND, HOLLO IX LONDON. HOLLO OX THE RHIXE. HOLLO IN SCOTLAND. PRINCIPAL PERSONS OF THE STORY. ROLLO ; twelve years of age. MR. and MRS. HOLIDAY ; Rollo's father and motber, travel- ling in Europe. THANNY ; Rollo's younger brother. JANE ; Hollo's cousin, adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Holiday. Mil. GEOIIOE ; a young gentleman, Rollo's uncle. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. CITT AND TOWN, . . . 13 II. LONDON BRIDGE, 20 III. THE EIVER, 45 IV. THE POLICEMAN, 55 V. LODGINGS, 66 VI. BREAKFAST, 74 VII. WESTMINSTER ABBEY, 80 VIII. CALCULATIONS, 98 IX. ST. PAUL'S, . . 107 X. THE DOME OF ST. PAUL'S, . . . .126 XI. THE ARISTOCRACY, 142 XII. A MISFORTUNE, 159 XIII. PHILOSOPHY, ... ... 164 XIV. THE DOCKS, 173 XV. THE EMIGRANTS, 191 XVI. I'HE TUNNEL AND THE TOWER, . . . 214 (9) - ENGRAVINGS. FRONTISPIECE. THE PARK 12 MAP OF LONDON, 16 THE FIRST RAGGED SCHOOL, 43 SHOOTING THE BRIDGE, 50 THE ARREST, 58 BREAKFAST, 78 GROUND PLAN OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY, ... 84 ST. PAUL'S 119 THE WHISPERING GALLERY, 128 THE Loss MADE GOOD, 171 SAVED, 176 PLEASANT WEATHEB, 196 THE STORM, 19S THE WRECK 201 SHOPPING T N THE TUNNEL, . .... 220 (10) ROLLO IN LONDON. CHAPTER I . CITY AND T OWN . London. Its two heads. 4 * "TTTHICH London shall we visit first? " T T said Mr. George to Rollo. "Why," rejoined Rollo, surprised, "are there two of them ? " " Yes," said Mr. George. " We may almost say there are two of them. Or, at any rate, there are two heads to the monster, though the immense mass forms but one body." While Mr. George was -saying these words Rollo had been standing on the step of the rail- way car and looking in at the window towards his uncle George, who was inside. Just at this time, however, the conversation was interrupted by the sound of the bell, denoting that the train was about to start. So Rollo jumped clown from the step and ran back to his own car, which was a second-class car, two behind the one (13) 14 ROLLO IN LONDON. The City. Tiie West End. where Mr. George was sitting. He had scarce- ly got to his seat before the whistle of the con- ductor sounded and the train began to move. As it trundled along out of the station, gradually increasing its speed as it advanced, Rollo sat wondering what his uncle meant by the double- headed character which he had assigned to the monstrous city that they were going to see. What is commonly called London does in fact consist, as Mr. George had said, of two great cities, entirely diverse from each other, and completely distinct each being, in its way, the richest, the grandest, and the most powerful capital in the world. One of these twin capitals is the metropolis of commerce ; the other is that of political and military power. The first is called the City. The second is called the West End. Both together with the immense region of densely-peopled streets and squares which con- nect and surround them constitute what is generally called London. The city was the original London. The West End was at first called Westminster. The rela- tive position of these two centres may be seen by the following map : CITY AND TOWN. 15 Map of London. Westminster. The city which was the original London is the most ancient. It was founded long before the days of the Romans ; so long, in fact, that its origin is wholly unknown. Nor is any thing known in respect to the derivation or meaning of the name. In regard to Westminster, the name is known to come from the word minster, which means cathedral a cathedral church having been built there at a very early period, and which, lying west of London as it did, was called the West Minster. This church passed through a great variety of mutations during the lapse of successive centuries, having grown old, 1 ft R o L L o IN LONDON. The Abbey. The Strand. and been rebuilt, and enlarged, and pulled down, and rebuilt again, and altered, times and ways ; without number. It is represented in the pres- ent age by the venerable monumental pile the burial-place of the ancient kings, and of the most distinguished nobles, generals, and states- men of the English monarchy known through all the world as "Westminster Abbey. After a time, when England became at length one kingdom, the king built his palace, and es- tablished his parliament, and opened his court in Westminster, not far from the abbey. The place, being about three miles from the city, was very convenient for this purpose. In process of time public edifices were erected, and noble- men's houses and new palaces for the king or for other members of the royal family were built, and shops were set up for the sale of such things as the people of the court might wish to buy, and streets and squares were laid out ; and, in fine, "Westminster became gradually quite an extended and famous town. It was still, how- ever, entirely distinct from London, being about three miles from it, farther up the river. The principal road from London to Westminster fol- lowed the margin of the water, and was called the Strand. Towards Westminster the road diverged from the river so as to leave a space between CITY AND TOWN. Palaces of the English nobility. Boat houses. wide enough for houses ; and along this space the great nobles from time to time built magnificent palaces around great square courts, where they could ride in under an archway. The fronts of these palaces were towards the road ; and there were gardens behind them, leading down to the water. At the foot of the garden there was usually a boat house and a landing, where the people who lived in the palace or their friends could embark on board boats for excursions on the Thames. In the mean time, while "Westminster was thus becoming a large and important town. Lon- don itself, three miles farther down the river, was also constantly growing too, in its own way, as a town of merchants and artisans. Other vil- lages, too, began to spring up in every direction around these great centres ; and London and Westminster, gradually spreading, finally met each other, and then, extending on each side, gradually swallowed up these villages, until now the whole region, for five or six miles in every direction from the original centres, forms one mighty mass of streets, squa-es, lanes, courts, terraces, all crowded with edifices and thronged with population. In this mass all vis- ible distinction between the several villages M hicli have been swallowed up is entirely lost, 18 ROLLO IN LONDON. The city and the West End. Their character. though the two original centres remain as wide- ly separated and as distinct as ever. The pri- meval London has, however, lost its exclusive right to its name, and is now simply called the city; and in the same manner Westminster is called the West End, and sometimes the town; while the name London is used to de- note the whole of the vast conglomeration which envelops and includes the two original capitals. The city and the West End, though thus swal- lowed, as it were, in the general metropolis, are still entirely distinct. They are in fact, in some respects, even more widely distinct from each other now than ever. Each is. in its own way, at the head of its class of cities. The city is the greatest and wealthiest mart of com- merce in the world : while the West End is the seat and centre of the proudest and most extended political and military power. In fact, the commercial organization which centres in the city, and the military one which has its head quarters around the throne at the West End, are probably the greatest and most powerful organizations / each of its kind, that the world has ever known. Mr. George explained all this to Rollo as they walked together away from the London CITY AND Towx. 19 Reaching London. Bridge station, where the train in which they came in from the south stopped when it reached London. But I will give a more detailed account of their conversation in the next chapter. .-5353 20 Tl O L I, IX L X D O X . How the passengers leavi- the i:;tr.> nn an Eiifi'lit-h railway. CHAPTER II. LONDON BRIDGE. WHEN the train stopped at what is called the London Bridge station, the passengers all stepped out of their respective cars upon the platform. In the English cars the doors are at the sides, and not, as in America, at the ends ; so that the passengers get out nearly all at once, and the platform becomes immediately crowded. Beyond the platform, on the other side, there is usually, when a train comes in, a long row of cabs and carriages drawn up, ready to take the passengers from the several cars ; so that the traveller has generally nothing to do but to step across the platform from the car that he came in to the cab that is waiting there to receive him. Nor is there, as is usual in America, any difficulty or delay in regard to the baggage ; for each man's trunks are placed on the car that he rides in, directly over his head ; so that, while he walks across the platform to the cab, the railway porter takes his trunk across and L ox i> ox !5 1; i !><; R . 'Jl The railway porters. Worth of t!;e English penny. places it in the top of the cab ; and thus he is off from the station in his cab within two mm utes sometimes after he arrived at it in the car. The railway porters, who attend to the busi- ness of transferring the passengers thus from the railway carriages to those of the street, are very numerous all along the platform ; and they are very civil and attentive to the passengers, especially to those who come in the first-class cars and more especially still, according to my observation and experience, if the traveller has an agreeable looking lady under his charge. The porters are dressed in a sort of uniform, by which they are readily distinguished from the crowd. They are strictly forbidden to receive any fee or gratuity from the passengers. This prohibition, however, does not prevent their taking very thankfully the shillings or six- pences * that are often offered them, particular- ly by Americans, who, being strangers in the country, and not understanding the customs very * Whenever shillings or sixpences are mentioned in this book, English coin is meant. As a general rule, each English denomi- nation is of double the value of the corresponding American one. Thus the English penny is a coin as large as a silver dollar, and it is worth two of the American pennies. The shilling is of the value of a quarter of a dollar ; and a sixpence is equal to a New York shill Jig. ROLLO ix LONDON. The porter and the policeman. An action [hat spoke louder than words. well, think that they require a little more atten- tioi than others, and so are willing to pay a little extra fee. It is, however, contrary, to the rules of the station for the porters to receive any thing ; and, if they take it at all, they try to do it as secretly as possible. I once knew a traveller who offered a porter a shilling openly on the platform ; but the porter, observing a policeman near, turned round with his side to the gentleman, and, holding his hand open be- hind him, with the back of it against his hip and his fingers moving up and down briskly in a beckoning manner, said, " We are not allowed to take it, sir we are not allowed to take it." As Mr. George stepped out upon the platform at the London Bridge station his first thought was to find Rollo, who had chosen to come in a second-class car, partly for the purpose of sav- ing the difference in the fare, and partly, as he said, " for the fun of it." Rollo had a regular allowance from his father for his travelling ex- penses, sufficient to pay his way in the first-class conveyances ; and the understanding was, that whatever he should save from this sum by trav- elling in the cheaper modes was to be his own for pocket money or to add to his reserved funds. LONDON BRIDGE. 23 The second-class cars. Mr. George's luggage. Mr. George and Hollo soon found each other on the platform. " Well, Rollo," said Mr. George, " and how do you like travelling cheap ? " " Pretty well," said Rollo ; " only I could not see out much ; but then I have saved six shil- lings in coming from Dover. That is the same as twelve New York shillings a dollar and a half. I can buy several pretty things with that to carry home." " That's very true," said Mr. George. " Some time I mean to go in the fourth-class car," said Hollo. " 'Tis true we have to stand up all the time like sheep in a pen ; but I shall not care for that." " "Well, you can try it," said Mr. George ; " but now for our luggage." The English people always call the effects which a traveller takes with him on the jour- ney his luggage. Yery soon a porter took Mr. George's trunk from the top of the car. " Will you have a cab, sir ? " said the porter, touching his cap to Mr. George. " 1 want to leave my trunk here for a short time under your charge," said Mr. George. " That is a little out of the line of your duty, I know ; but I will remember that when I come for it.'' '24 HOLLO IN LONDON. The reasons why Mr. George left the luggage at the station. " All right, sir," said the porter, promptly, touching his cap again. He took up the trunk and threw it on his shoulder ; and then, followed by Mr. George and Hollo, he walked away to the luggage room. After it had been properly deposited in its place, Mr. George and Eollo went out of the station into the street. " Are not you going to ride ? " said Hollo to Mr. George. " No," said Mr. George ; "I am going to walk." " What's that for ? " said Hollo. " There are two reasons," said Mr. George ; " one is, I want to show you London Bridge." " Well," said Hollo ; " and what is the other reason ? " " The other is," said Mr. George, " that I do not wish to have the trouble of the luggage while I am looking out lodgings. If I go to a hotel and leave my luggage there and take a room, and then go and look up lodgings, we have the hotel bill to pay, without getting much benefit from it ; and, if we take the luggage on a cab, we might go to a dozen different places before we find a room to suit us, and so have a monstrous great cab fare to pay." " Yes," said R )llo ; " I understand. Hosidrs, LONDON L> R i D <; E. Mr. George's account of London. " The city." I should like to walk through the streets and see the city." As our two travellers walked along towards London Bridge, Mr. George explained to Rollo what is stated in the first chapter in respect to the double character of London. " What we are coming to now, first," said he, " is the city the commercial capital of the coun- try. In fact, it may almost be said to be the commercial capital of the world. Here are the great docks and warehouses, where are accumu- lated immense stores of merchandise from every quarter of the globe. Here is the bank, with its enormous vaults full of treasures of gold and silver coin, and the immense legers iu which are kept accounts with governments, and wealthy merchants, and great capitalists all over the world. Here is the post office, too, the centre of a system of communications, by laud and sea, extending to every quarter of the globe. " The chief magistrate of the city," continued Mr. George, " is called the lord mayor. He lives in a splendid palace called the Mansion House. Then there is the great Cathedral Church of St. Paul's, and a vast number of other churches, and chapels, and hospitals, and schools, all belonging to, and supported by, the 26 ROLLO IN LONDON. " The West End." London Bridge. A remarkable scene. commercial and business interests which con- centrate in the city. You will find a very dif- ferent set of buildings and institutions at the West End.' 7 " What shall we find there ? " asked Rollo. " We shall find there," said Mr. George, " the palace of the queen ; and the houses of Parlia- ment, where the lords and commons assemble to make laws for the empire ; and the Horse Guards, which is a great edifice that serves as head quarters for the British army ; and the Admiralty, which is the head quarters of the navy ; and the private palaces of the nobles ; and the parks and pleasure grounds that connect and surround them." About this time Mr. George and Hollo began to come in sight of London Bridge ; and very soon afterwards they found themselves entering upon it. Rollo was, for a time, quite bewil- dered with astonishment at the extraordinary aspect of the scene. They came out upon the bridge, from the midst of a very dense and com- pact mass of streets and houses, on what is called the Surrey side of the river ; and they could see, dimly defined through the murky at- mosphere, the outlines of the city on the other side. There were long ranges of warehouses ; and innumerable chimneys, pouring forth black LONDON BRID GB. St. Paul's C"atliedral. The people on the bridge. smoke ; and the Monument ; and spires of churches ; and, conspicuous among the rest, though half obscured by murky clouds of smoke and vapor, the immense dome of St. Paul's, with the great gilded ball and cross on the top of it. The bridge was built of stone, on arches, and was of the most massive and ponderous charac- ter. There was a roadway in the centre of it, on which two continued streams of vehicles were passing one on the left, going into the city ; and the other on the right, coming out. On each side were broad stone sidewalks, formed of mas- sive blocks of granite, feeling solid and heavy under the tread as if they had been laid upon the firm ground. These sidewalks were crowded with passengers, who were going, some into, and some out of, the city, so as to form on each sidewalk two continuous streams. On each side of the bridge, towards the water, was a solid parapet, or wall. This parapet was about as high as Hollo's shoulders. Here and there, at different places along the bridge, were groups of people that had stopped to look over the parapet to the river. Each group formed a little row, ar- ranged along the parapet, with their faces towards the water. " Let us stop and look over," paid Rollo. 28 R o L L o IN LONDON. Seats upon the bridge. Rollo and Mr. George look over the parapet. " No," said Mr. George, " not now ; we will wait till we get to the middle of the bridge." So they walked on. When they had proceed- ed a little way, they came to a place where there was a sort of niche, or recess, in the par- apet, perhaps ten or fifteen feet long, and four or five deep, from the sidewalk. There were stone seats extending all around the sides of this recess; and these seats were full of boys and men, some with burdens and some without, who had stopped and sat down there to rest. Rol- lo wished to propose to Mr. George that they should stop and sit down there too ; not because he was tired, but only to see how it would seem to be seated in such a place. He did not propose this plan, however, for he saw at a glance that the seats were all occupied, and that there was no room. A little distance beyond they came to an- other niche, and afterwards to another, and another. " These niches are over the piers of the bridge," said Mr. George, " I suppose. Let us look over and see." So they stopped a moment and looked over the parapet. They beheld a turbid and whirl- ing stream pouring through the bridge, under the arches, with a very rapid current ami a.t LONDON BRIDGE. The steamboat. Down the river. Kullo's mi t.tkc. the instant that they looked down, they saw the bows of a small steamboat come shooting through. The deck of the steamer was crowded with people men, women, and children. Some were standing, and others were sitting on bench- es that were arranged round the side and along the middle of the deck ; all, however, in the open air. " I wonder where that steamer is going," said Rollo. " Down the river somewhere/' said Mr. George ; " perhaps to Greenwich or Woolwich." " Up the river, you mean," said Rollo. " Don't you see she is going against the current? See how swift the water runs under the arches of the bridge ! " " Yes," said Mr. George ; " but that current is the tide, coming in from the sea. This way is down towards the mouth of the river. See all this shipping here ! It has come up from the sea." Here Mr. George pointed with his hand down the river, waving it from one side to the other, so as to direct Rollo's attention to both shores, where there lay immense forests of ship- ping, three or four tiers deep on each side, and extending down the river as far as the eye could penetrate into the thick and murky atmosphere. Besides the tiers of shipping which lay thus 30 ROLLO IN LONDON. A eily of ships. Below the bridge and above the bridjo. along the shores of the river, there were two other ranges, each three or four tiers wide, out in the stream, leaving a broad, open passage be- tween them, in the middle, and two narrower passages, one on each side, between them and the shore. " It is a city of ships," said Rollo, " with streets of open water." "Yes," said Mr. George, " it is indeed." The streets, as Rollo called them, of open water, were full of boats, going and coming, and of lighters and wherries, with a steamer now and then shooting along among them, or a large vessel slowly coming up or going down by means of its sails. " This is the way down the river," repeated Mr. George. " The ships have come up as far as here ; but they cannot go any farther, on ac- count of the bridge. Look above the bridge, and you will see that there are no ships." So Rollo and Mr. George turned round to look up the river. They could only catch an occasional glimpse of the river through casual openings in the stream of carts, carriages, vans, cabs, wag- ons, and omnibuses that were incessantly roll- ing on in opposite streams along the roadway of the bridge. Although the view was thus obstructed, they could easily see there were no LONDON BRIDGE. 31 The little black steamers on the Thames. Drawbridges. ships above the bridge that they were standing on. There were, however, several other bridges farther up, with a great many boats passing to and fro among them ; and, here and there, there ap- peared a long and sharp-built little steamer, glid- ing swiftly through the water. These steamers were painted black, and they poured forth volumes of smoke so dark and dense from their funnels as quite to fill the air, and make the whole prospect in that direction exceedingly murky and obscure. " Let us go over to the other side of the bridge," said Rollo. " Not yet," said Mr. George ; " but you see that there is no shipping above the bridge. Vessels could not go up above the bridge, in fact. They could not go up, for the mastu are too long to pass under the arches." " They might have a draw in the middle of the bridge," said Rollo. " No," said Mr. George. " A draw will not an- swer, except in cases where there is only a moder- ate degree of passing over a bridge, so as : to allow of an interruption for a little time without any great inconvenience. But this bridge, you see, is perfectly thronged all the time with continued streams of foot passengers and carriages. If a draw were to be opened in this bridge for only ten minutes, to allow a vessel to go through, there 32 HOLLO T N LONDON. How the steamers get under the bridge. The Custom House. would be such a jam on both sides that it would take all day to disentangle it." " I don't see how the little steamers get through under the bridges," said Eollo. " The smoke- pipes are higher than the arches." "Yes," said Mr. George, "they are. But I will show you how they manage that by and by. There is something very curious about that. Now let us look down the river again." So Rollo turned round with Mr. George, and they both looked down the river. They saw on the left hand of the river that is, on the Lon- don side, the side towards which they were go- ing a great steamboat landing, with several steamboats lying near it. " That is where the steamboats lie," said Mr. George, " that go down to the mouth of the river, and across the sea to France, Holland, and Ger- many." " I should like to go in one of them," said Eollo. " Do you see that large building just below the Bteamboat landing, fronting the river ? " " Yes," said Rollo ; " what is it ? " "It is the Custom House," said Mr. George. " Every ship that comes into the Thames from foreign countries has to send her manifest there and pay the duties." LONDON BRIDGE. 33 What is a manifest .' Tlie scene at the Custom House. " What is a manifest ? " said Rollo. " It is a list, or schedule," said Mr. George, " of every thing there is contained in the cargo. The officers of the Custom House make a calcu- lation, by this manifest, of the amount of duties that are to be paid to the government for the cargo, and the owners of the ship have to pay it before they can land their goods." " Can we go into the Custom House and see it ? " said Rollo. " Yes," said Mr. George. " I am sure it must be open to the public, because all sorts of persons must have occasion to go there continually, to transact business ; but I do not suppose there would be much to see inside. There would be a great many tables and desks, and a great many clerks and monstrous big account books, and multitudes of people coming and going continual- ly ; but that would be all." " I should like to go and see them," said Rollo. "Well," said Mr. George, "perhaps we will look in some time when we are going by on our way to the Tower or to the Tunnel. But now look down just below the Custom House and see the Tower." Rollo looked in the direction which Mr. George indicated ; and there he saw upon the bank of the river, a little below the Custom House, 3 34 ROLLO IN LONDON. Air. George points out the Tower. The old wall of London. rising above the other buildings in that quarter of the town, a large, square edifice, with turrets at the corners. This building was surrounded with other edifices of a castellated form, which gave the whole the appearance of an extended fortress. " That," said Mr. George, " is the famous Tower of London." " "What is it famous for ? " said Rollo. " I can't stop to tell you about it now," said Mr. George. " It was built originally as a sort of fort to defend the city. You see, the place where the Tower stands was formerly the lower corner of the city ; and there was a wall, be- ginning at the Tower, and running back all around the city, and so down to the water again at the upper end of it. Do you see St. Paul's ? " added Mr. George, turning half round and pointing. " Yes," said Rollo ; " but it is pretty smoky." "You can see," said Mr. George, "from the position of St. Paul's, where the old wall went. It passed some distance back from St. Paul's, and came down to the water some distance above it. All within this wall was the old city of London ; and the Tower was built at the lower corner of it to defend it. " Do you see any reason," continued Mr. George, "why they should place the Tower at LONDON BRIDGE. 35 The reason of the location of the Tower. Its present use. the lower end, rather than at the upper end, of the city ? " " No," said Rollo, " I do not see any reason in particular." "The reason was," said Mr. George, "that what they had reason to guard the city against was the danger of an attack from enemies coming up the river in ships from the sea ; and so they placed the Tower below the city, in order to inter- cept them. But now the city has spread and ex- tended down the river far below the Tower, and back far beyond the old wall ; so that the Tower is, at the present time, in the midst of an immense region of streets and warehouses, and it is no longer of any use as a fortification. It is too high up." " What do they use it for, then ? " said Rollo. "It is used by the government," said Mr. George, " as a sort of strong box, to keep curios- ities, treasures, and valuables of all sorts in, and any thing else, in fact, which they wish to have in safe and secure custody. They keep what are called state prisoners there." " Can we go in the Tower," said Rollo, " and see all these things ? " "Yes," said Mr. George, "we can see the treasures and curiosities ; but I believe there are no prisoners there now." 36 ROLLO IN LONDON. The blind man. How he walked in the crowd. Just then Rollo heard a rapping sound upon the stone of the sidewalk near him. He looked round to see what it was. There was a blind man coming along. He had a stick in his hand, which seemed to be armed at the lower end with a little ferule of iron. "With this iron the blind man kept up a continual rapping on the flagstones as he slowly advanced. The iron produced a sharp and ringing sound, which easily made itself heard above the thundering din of the carriages and vans that were rolling incessantly over the bridge, and served as a warning to the foot pas- sengers on the sidewalk that a blind man was com- ing. Every one hearing this rapping looked up to see what it meant ; and, perceiving that it was a blind man, they moved to one side and the other to make way for him. Thus, though the sidewalk was so crowded that a person with eyes could scarcely get along, the blind man, though he moved very slowly, had always vacant space before him, and advanced without any difficulty or danger.* " Think of a blind man in such a crowd as this ! " said Rollo. " Yee," said Mr. George. "And he gets along better than any of the rest of us," said Rollo. See frontispiece. LONDON BRIDGE. 37 Hollo's plan for getting through a crowd. The watermen. " Yes," said Mr. George, " so it seems." " The next time I wish to go through a crowd," said Rollo, " I mean to get a cane, and then shut my eyes and rap with it, and every body will make room for me." " Look round here a minute more," said Mr. George ; " there is something else that I wish to explain to you. You see there are no bridges below this, though there are a great many above." " Yes," said Rollo ; " and how do they get across the river below here? Are there ferry boats ? " " I think it likely there are ferry boats down below," said Mr. George. " At any rate, there are plenty of small boats which any body can hire. They are rowed by men called watermen. 1 Bound 'prentice to a waterman, I learned a bit to row.' " " What poetry is that ? " said Rollo. " It is part of some old song," said Mr. George. " Look down the river and you can see these boats cruising about among the shipping." " Is that the way they get across the river be- low here ? " said Rollo. " Yes," said Mr. George ; " and then there is 38 ROLLO IN LONDON. The Tunnel. Why a tunnel was built instead of a bridge. the Tunnel besides. They can go under the river through the Tunnel if they please, about a mile and a half below here." " Is that the reason why they made the Tun- nel," said Rollo, " because they could not have any bridge ? " " Yes," said Mr. George. " It would have been a great deal cheaper and better to have made a bridge ; but a bridge would have inter- fered with the shipping, and so they made a tun- nel underneath." " I never knew before," said Rollo, " why they made the Tunnel." " Yes," said Mr. George, " that is the reason. It was a very difficult and expensive work ; but I believe it proved a failure. Very few people use it for crossing the river, though a great many go to see it. It is a curious place to see. But now let us go across the bridge and see what is on the other side." Mr. George and Rollo had to stand several minutes on the curbstone of the sidewalk before they could find openings, in the trains of vehicles which were moving to and fro over the bridge, wide enough to allow them to pass through to the other side. At length, however, they succeed- ed in getting across ; and, after walking along on the upper side of the bridge for some distance LONDON BRIDGE. Looking up the river. The little steamers. farther, until they had nearly reached the Lon- don end of it, they stopped and looked over the parapet down to the water. Of course their faces were now turned up the river, and the view which presented itself was entirely different from that which had been seen below. Immediately beneath where they were standing, and close in to the shore of the riv- er, they witnessed a most extraordinary specta- cle, which was formed by a group of small and smoky-looking steamers, that were hovering in apparent confusion about a platform landing there. The decks of the steamers were all crowded with passengers. Some of the boats were just coming to the land, some just leaving it, and others were moored to the platform, and streams of passengers were embarking or disem- barking from them. The landing consisted of a floating platform, that was built over great flat- bottomed boats, that were moored at a little dis- tance from the bank, so as to rise and fall with the tide. There was a strong railing along the outer edge of the platform, with openings here and there through it for passage ways to the boats. Behind, the platforms were connected with the shore by long bridges, having a little toll house at the outer end of each of them, with the words, " PAT HERE," inscribed on a sign over the win- 40 ROLLO IN LONDON. Mr. George proposes a sail in one of the steamers. dow. The passengers, as they caine down from the shore, stopped at these toll houses to pay the fare for the places to which they wished to go. The decks of the steamers, the platforms, and all the bridges were thronged with people, going and coming in all directions, and crowding their way to and from the boats ; and every two or three minutes a steamer, having received its load, would push off from the platform, and paddle its way swiftly up the river among a multitude of others that were shooting swiftly along, in all directions, over the water. The volumes of dense, black smoke which rolled up from the funnels of the steamers made the at- mosphere very thick -and murky ; and the whole scene, as Mr. George and Hollo looked down up- on it from the parapet above, for a time seemed almost to bewilder them. " Let us go down and take a sail in one of those steamers," said Mr. George. " Where do they go to ? " said Rollo. " I don't know," said Mr. George. " Well," said Rollo, " let us go." So saying, Mr. George and Rollo walked on towards the end of the bridge. Here they found a broad stone staircase, which turned off from the great thoroughfare, at a place near the corner of a large stone building. The staircase was LONDON BRIDGE. 41 The dry arch. Conversation between Mr. George and the tollman. very broad and massive, and was covered with people going up and coming down. " This must be a way down to the landing," said Mr. George. So our two travellers began to descend ; and, after turning several square corners in the stair- case, they came out into the street which led along the margin of the river, at a level of twenty or thirty feet below the bridge. This street passed through under one of the dry arches of the bridge, as they are called ; that is, one built on the slop- ing margin of the shore, where no water flows. They passed across this street, and then entered a broad passage way which led down towards the floating platforms. There were a great many people coming and going. They stopped at the toll house on one of the little bridges to pay the fare. " How much is to pay ? " said Mr. George to the tollman, taking out his purse. " Where do vou wish to go ? " said the toll- man. " I don't know," said Mr. George, looking at Hollo ; " about a mile or two up the river." " To Hungerford landing ? " asked the 'toll, man. " Yes," said Mr. George. ' Or Westminster ? " said the tollman. 42 ROLLO IN LONDON. Asking the way. The orange woman. " Yes," said Mr. George, " we will go to Westminster." " Twopence each," said the tollman. So Mr. George and Hollo each laid dcwn two pennies on the little counter in the window sill, and the man giving them each a little paper ticket, they passed on. " Now the question is," said Mr. George, " how to find out what boat we are to get into. Here is an orange woman on the platform ; I will buy a couple of oranges of her, one for you and one for me, and then she will be glad to tell us which is the boat." " She will tell us without," said Hollo. " As a matter of favor ? " asked Mr. George. " Yes," said Rollo. " I suppose she would," said Mr. George ; " but I would rather that the obligation should be the other way." So Mr. George bought two oranges of the woman, and paid her a halfpenny over and above the price of them. She seemed very grateful for this kindness, and took great interest in showing him which of the boats he and Rollo must take to go to Westminster. " There's one thing that I particularly wish to go and see," said Rollo, " while we are in Lon- don." LONDON Dr. i DOE. 43 Rollo's wish- The ragge d schools. Their origin. " What is that ? " asked Mr. George. " One of the ragged schools," said Rollo. " What are they ? " asked Mr. George. " Why, they are schools for poor boys," re- THE FIUST KAGGED SCHOOL plied Rollo. " I believe the boys that go to the schools are pretty much all ragged. These schools were begun by a cobbler. I read about it in a book. The cobbler used to call the ragged boys 44 ROLLO IN LONDON. Mr. George and Hollo embark upon the Westminster boat. in that lived about his shop, and teach them. Afterwards other people established such schools ; and now there are a great many of them, and some of them are very large." " We'll go and see some of them," said Mr. George. " I should like to go and see them very much." So saying Mr. George led the way to the boat that the orange woman had pointed out as the one for Westminster ; and they stepped on board, together with a little crowd of other passengers who were going up the river like themselves. THERlVER. 45 On board the boat. The sail on the river. CHAPTEE III. THE RIVER. MR. GEORGE and Rollo fell into the line of people that were pressing forward over the plank which led to the boat that the orange woman had directed them to embark in ; and they soon found themselves on board. The boat was small and quite narrow. There was no saloon or enclosed apartment of any kind for the passengers, nor even an awning to shelter them from the sun or rain. There were, however, substantial settees placed around the deck, some forward and others aft. Some of these settees were on the sides of the steamer, by the railing, and there were others placed back to back in the middle. There were not seats enough for all the passengers ; and thus many were obliged to stand. As the boat glided along swiftly over the water, Rollo gazed with wonder and interest at the various objects and scenes which presented themselves to view around him. The rows of dingy-lookirg warehouses dimly seen through the 46 ROLLO IN LONDON. Another landing-place. The pilot's signals. smoke along the shores of the river ; the ranges of barges, lighters, and wherries lying at the margin of the water below ; the bridges, stretch- ing through the murky atmosphere across the stream, with throngs of people upon them pass- ing incessantly to and fro ; the little steamers, long and slender, and blackened by smoke, shoot- ing swiftly in every direction over the surface of the water ; and the spires and domes of the city seen on every hand beyond the nearer buildings, attracted by turns the attention of our travel- lers, and excited their wonder. In a very few minutes, however, after the boat had left its first station, she seemed to be ap- proaching another landing-place, and Hollo was very much amused to observe how the steamer was manoeuvred in coming up to the landing and making fast there. The pilot who had the command of her stood upon the wheel house on one side, and gave his orders by means of little ges- tures which he made with his fingers and hand. The helmsman, who stood at the wheel in the stern, watched these gestures, and regulated his steering by such of them as were meant for him. There were other gestures, however, which were meant for the engineer, who had charge of the engine. This engineer, however, could not see 's invitation. His succes*. " Come here." for almost all the little wagons, as well as the other toys, that children get in America, come from Germany." " Ah ! " said Rollo ; " I did not think of that." " Would you ask her to let me see her wag- on ? " continued Rollo. " Yes," said Mr. George ; " that is, if you can ask her in German.'' " Don't you suppose she knows English ? " asked Rollo. " No," said Mr. George, " I presume not." " I mean to try her," said Rollo. So he extended his hand towards the child ; and then, smiling upon her to denote that he was her friend, and also to make what he said appear like an invitation, and not like a command, he pro- nounced very distinctly the words, " Come here." The child immediately came towards him with the little wagon. " There ! " said Rollo ; " I was pretty sure that she could understand English." The child did not understand English, howev- er, after all. And yet she understood what Rol- lo said ; for it so happens, by a remarkable co- incidence, that the German words for " come here," though spelled differently, sound almost precisely like the English words. Besides, the child knew from Rollo's gesture that he wished hnr to come to him. THE EMIGRANTS. 195 No progress. The child's mother. Her husband. Hollo attempted to talk with the child, but he could make no progress. The child could not understand any thing that he said. Presently a very pleasant-looking woman who was sitting on a trunk near by, and who proved to be the child's mother, shook her head smilingly at Rollo, and said, with a very foreign accent, pointing at the same time to the child, " Not understands Eng- lish." Mr. George then held a little conversation with this woman in German. She told him that she was the mother of the child, and that the old woman who was reading near was its grand- mother. She had a husband, she said, and two other children. Her husband was on the shore. He had gone into the city to make some pur- chases for the voyage, and her two other children had gone with him to see what was to be seen. Mr. George and Rollo, after this, walked about the deck of the ship for some time, looking at the various family groups that were scattered here and there, and holding conversations with many of the people. The persons whom they talked with all looked up with an expression of great anima- tion and pleasure in their countenances when they learned that their visitors were Americans, and seemed much gratified to see them. I suppose they considered them very favorable specimens 106 ROLLO IN LONDON The sorrows of the emigrants. of the people of the country which they were go- ing to make their future home. I am sure that they needed all the kind words and encouraging looks that Mr. George and Rollo bestowed upon them ; for it is a very serious and PLEASANT WEATHER. solemn business for a family to bid a final fare- well to their native land, and in many instances to the whole circle of their acquaintances and friends, in order to cross the stormy ocean and seek a home in what is to them an entirely new world. THE EMIGRANTS. 197 Discomforts of the voyage. Situation of the passengers. Even the voyage itself is greatly to be dreaded by them, on account of the inevitable discomforts and dangers of it. While the ship is lying in the docks, waiting for the appointed day of sail- ing to arrive, they can pass their time very pleas- antly, sitting upon the decks, reading, writing, or sewing ; but as soon as the voyage has fairly com- menced, all these enjoyments are at once at an end ; for even if the wind is fair, and the water is tolerably smooth, they are at first nearly all sick, and are confined to their berths below ; so that, even when there are hundreds of people on board, the deck of the ship looks very solitary. The situation of the poor passengers, too, in their berths below, is very uncomfortable. They are crowded very closely together ; the air is confined and unwholesome ; and their food is of the coarsest and plainest description. Then, be- sides, in every such a company there will always be some that are rude and noisy, or otherwise disagreeable in their habits or demeanor ; and those who are of a timid and gentle disposition often suffer very severely from the unjust and overbearing treatment which they receive from tyrants whom they can neither resist nor escape from. Then, sometimes, when the ship is in mid ocean, there comos on a storm. A storm at sea, attack- 198 ROLLO IN LONDON. A storm. Alarm of the company. The winds. ing an emigrant ship full of passengers, produces sometimes a frightful amount of misery. Many of the company are dreadfully alarmed, and feel sure that they will all certainly go to the bottoir. THE STORM. Their terror is increased by the tremendous roar of the winds, and by the thundering thumps and confusions which the ship encounters from the wave::. TIIE EMIGRANTS. 199 A squall. The passengers in the dark. Getting the food. The consternation is increased when the gale comes on suddenly in a squall, so that there is not time to take the sails in in season. In such a case the sails are often blown away or torn into pieces the remnants of them, and the ends of the rigging, flapping in the wind with a sound louder than thunder. Of course, during the continuance of such a storm, the passengers are all confined closely be- low ; for the seas and the spray sweep over the decks at such times with so much violence that even the sailors can scarcely remain there. Then it is almost entirely dark where the passengers have to stay ; for in such a storm the deadlights must all be put in, and the hatches shut down and covered, to keep out the sea. Notwithstanding all the precautions, however, that can possibly be taken, the seas will find their way in, and the decks, and the berths, and the beds become drip- ping wet and very uncomfortable. Then, again, the violent motion of a ship in a storm makes almost every body sick ; and this is another trouble. It is very difficult, too. at such times, for so large a company to get their food. They cannot go to get it ; for they cannot walk, or even stand, on account of the pitching and toss- ing of the ship ; and it is equally difficult to bring it to them. The poor children are always ROLLO IN LONDON. Diseases. The sick Their misery. greatly neglected ; and the mournful and weari- some sound of their incessant fretting and crying adds very much to the general discomfort and misery. It often happens, moreover, that dreadful dis- eases of an infectious and malignant character break out on board these crowded ships, and mul- titudes sicken and die. Of course, under such circumstances, the sick can receive very few of the attentions that sick persons require, especially when the weather is stormy, and their friends and fellow-passengers, who would have been glad to have assisted them, are disabled themselves. Then, in their dejection and misery, their thoughts revert to the homes they have left. They forget all the sorrows and trials which they endured there, and by the pressure of which they were driven to the determination to leave their native land ; and now they mourn bitterly that they were induced to take a step which is to end so disas- trously. They think that they would give all that they possess to be once more restored to their former homes. Thus, during the prevalence of a storm, the em- igrant ship is filled sometimes with every species of suffering. There is, however, comparatively very little actual danger, for the ships are very strong, being built expressly for the purpose of THE EMIGRANTS. 201 Strength of the emigrant ships. resisting the severest bufferings of the wa\ es ; and generally, if there is sea room enough, they ride out these gales in safety. Then, after repairing the damages which their spars and rigging may THE \VEECK. have sustained, they resume their voyage. If, however, there is not sea room enough for the ship when she is t/ us caught, that is, if the storm comes on when she is in such a position that 20:2 HOLLO IN LONDON. The danger. Driven on shore. The wreck. the wind drives her towards rocks, or shoals, or to a line of coast, her situation becomes one of great peril. In such cases it is almost impossible to save her from being driven upon the rocks or sands, and there being broken up and beaten to pieces by the waves. When driven thus upon a shore, the ship usu- ally strikes at such a distance from it as to make it impossible for the passengers to reach the land. Nor can they long continue to live on board the ship ; for, as she strikes the sand or rocks upon the bottom, the waves, which continue to roll in in tremendous surges from the offing, knock her over upon her side, break in upon her decks, and drench her completely in every part, above and below. Those of the passengers who attempt to remain below, or who from any cause cannot get up the stairways, are speedily drowned ; while those who reach the deck are almost all soon washed off into the sea. Some lash themselves to the bulwarks or to the masts, and some climb into the rigging to get out of the way of the seas, if, indeed, any of the rigging remains standing ; and then, at length, when the sea subsides a little, people put off in surf boats from the shore, to rescue them. In this way, usually, a considerable number sire saved. These and other dreadful dangers attend the THE EMIGRANTS. 203 Mr. George and Rollo continue their walk. companies of emigrants in their attempts to cross the wide and stormy Atlantic. Still the pros- pect for themselves and their children of living in peace and plenty in the new world prompts them to come every year in immense numbers. About eight hundred such shiploads as that which Rollo and Mr. George saw in the London Docks arrive in New York alone every year. This makes, on an average, about fifteen ships to arrive there every week. It is only a very small proportion indeed of the number that sail that are wrecked on the passage. But to return to Mr. George and Rollo. After remaining on board the emigrant ship until their curiosity was satisfied, our travellers went down the plank again to the quay, and con- tinued their walk. The next thing that attracted Rollo's attention was a great crane, which stood on the quay, near a ship, a short distance before them. " A.h ! " said Rollo ; " here is a great crane. Let us go and see what they are hoisting." So Rollo hastened forward, Mr. George fol- lowing him, until they came to the crane. Four workmen were employed at it, in turning the wheels by means of two great iron cranks. They were hoisting a very heavy block of white marble out of the vessel. 204 ROLLO IN LONDON. The dinner bell. Twelve o'clock. Dining in the yard. While Mr. George and Hollo were looking at the crane, a bell began to ring in a little steeple near by ; and all the men in every part of the quay and in all the sheds and warehouses im- mediately stopped working, put on their jackets, and began walking away in throngs towards the gates. " Ah ! " said Mr. George, in a tone of disap- pointment, " we have got here at twelve o'clock. That was just what I wished to avoid." " Yes," said Hollo ; " they are all going home to dinner." Hollo, however, soon found that all the men were not going home to dinner, for great numbers of them began to make preparations for dining in the yard. They began to establish themselves in little groups, three or four together, in nooks and corners, under the sheds, wherever they could find the most convenient arrangement of boxes and bales to serve for chairs and tables. When established in these places, they proceeded to open the stores which they had provided for their din- ners, the said stores being contained in sundry baskets, pails, and cans, which had been concealed all the morning in various hiding-places among the piles of merchandise, and were now brought forth to furnish the owners with their midday meal. THE EMIGRANTS. 205 Convenient way of getting a drink. One of these parties, Rollo found, had a very convenient way of getting ale to drink with their dinner. There was a row of barrels lying on the quay near where they had established themselves to dine ; and two of the party went to one of these barrels, and, starting out the bung, they helped themselves to as much ale as they required. They got the ale out of the barrel by means of a long and narrow glass, with a string around the neck of it, and a very thick and heavy bottom. This glass they let down through the bunghole into the barrel, and then drew up the ale with it as you would draw up water with a bucket from a well. Rollo amused himself as he walked along ob- serving these various dinner parties, wondering, too, all the time, at the throngs of men that were pouring along through all the spaces and passage ways that led towards the gate.* " I did not know that there were so many men at work here," said he. " Yes," said Mr. George. " When business is brisk, there are about three thousand at work here." * It was while these workmen were going out in this way from the yard that the incident of the little girl falling into the dock occurred, as has been already related. 206 ROLLO IN L o x D o x . Mr. George reads from the guide book. " How did you know ? " asked Rollo. " I read it in the guide book," said Mr. George. Here Mr. George took his guide book out of his pocket, and began to read from it, as he walked along, the following description : " ' As you enter the dock, the sight of the forest of masts in the distance, and the tall chimneys vomiting clouds of black smoke, and the many- colored flags flying in the air, has a most peculiar effect ; while the sheds, with the monster wheels arching through the roofs, look like the paddle boxes of huge steamers.' " " Yes," said Rollo ; " that is exactly the way it looks." " ' Along the quay/ " continued Mr. George, still reading, " ' you see, now men with their faces blue with indigo ; and now gangers, with their long, brass-tipped rules dripping with spirit from the cask they have been probing ; then will come a group of flaxen-haired sailors, chattering Ger- man ; and next a black sailor, with a cotton handkerchief twisted turban-like around his head ; presently a blue-smocked butcher, with fresh meat and a bunch of cabbages in a tray on his shoulder ; and shortly afterwards a mate, with green paroquets in a wooden cage. Here you will see, sitting on a bench, a sorrowful-looking woman, with new, bright cooking tins at her feet, THE EMIGRANTS. 207 The atmosphere. The warehouse. Dark vaults. telling you she is an emigrant preparing for her voyage. As you pass along the quay the air is pungent with tobacco, or it overpowers you with the fumes of rum ; then you are nearly sickened with the smell arising from heaps of hides and huge bins of horns ; and shortly afterwards the atmosphere is fragrant with coffee and spice. Nearly every where you meet stacks of cork, or yellow bins of sulphur, or lead-colored copper ore.' " " It is an excellent description," said Rollo, when Mr. George paused. Mr. George resumed his reading as fol- lows : " ' As you enter this warehouse the flooring is sticky, as if it had been newly tarred, with the sugar that has leaked through the casks ' ' " We won't go there," said Rollo, interrupting. " ' And as you descend into these dark vaults,' " continued Mr. George, " ' you see long lines of lights hanging from the black arches, and lamps flitting about midway.' " " I should like to go there," said Rollo. . " ' Here you sniff the fumes of the wine,' " con- tinued Mr. George, " ' and there the peculiar fun- gous smell of dry rot. Then the jumble of sounds, as you pass along the dock, blends in any thing but sweet concord. The sailors are singing 208 ROLLO IN LONDON. A jumble of sounds. The number of hands. boisterous Ethiopian songs from the Yankee ship just entering ; the cooper is hammering at the casks on the quay ; the chains of the cranes, loosed of their weight, rattle as they fly up again ; the ropes splash in the water ; some captain shouts his orders through his hands ; a goat bleats from some ship in the basin ; and empty casks roll along the stones with a hollow, drum- like sound. Here the heavy-laden ships are down far below the quay, and you descend to them by ladders ; whilst in another basin they are high up out of the water, so that their green copper sheathing is almost level with the eye of the pas- senger ; while above his head a long line of bow- sprits stretch far over the quay, and from them hang spars and planks as a gangway to each ship. This immense establishment is worked by from one to three thousand hands, according as the busi- ness is either brisk or slack.' " Here Mr. George shut Cie book and put it in his pocket. " It is a very excellent account of it altogether," said Rollo. " I think so too," said Mr. George. As our travellers walked slowly along after this, their attention was continually attracted to one object of interest after another, each of which, THE EMIGRANTS. 209 Buck hums. KM iff handles fur all creation. Mahogany logs. after leading to a brief conversation between them, gave way to the next. The talk was ac- cordingly somewhat on this wise : " uncle George ! " said Rollo ; " look at that monstrous pile of buck horns ! " " Yes," said Mr. George ; " it is a monstrous pile indeed. They must be for knife handles." " What a quantity of them ! " said Rollo. " I should think that there would be knife handles enough in the pile for all creation. Where can they get so many horns ? " " I am sure I don't know," said Mr. George. So they walked on. Presently they came to an immense heap of bags of coffee. They knew that the bags con- tained coffee by the kernels that were spread about them all over the ground. Then they passed by long rows of barrels, which seemed to be filled with sugar. Mr. George walked by the side of the barrels, but Rollo jumped up and ran along on the top of them. Then came casks of to- bacco, and next bars of iron and steel, and then some monstrous square logs of mahogany. Mr. George and Rollo walked on in this man- ner for a quarter of a mile, and at length they came to one of the drawbridges. This draw- bridge led over a passage way which formed a communication from one basin of the dock to 210 ROLLO IN LONDON. Mr. George and Hollo w;-it to see the drawbridj.";. another. It was a very long and slender bridge of iron, made to turn on a pivot at one end. There was some machinjry connected. with it to work it. " I wish they would come and turn this draw- bridge away," said Rollo. " I want to see how it works." "Perhaps they will after dinner," said Mr. George. " Let us sit down, then, here somewhere," said Rollo, " and wait." So Mr. George and Rollo, after crossing the drawbridge, sat down upon some of the fixtures connected with the machinery of the bridge. From the place where they sat they had a go'od view of the whole interior of the dock. They could see the shipping, the warehouses, the forests of masts, the piles of merchandise, and the innu- merable flags and signals which were flying at the mast heads of the vessels. " It is a wonderful place," said Rollo ; " but I don't understand how they do the business here. Whom do all these goods belong to ? and how do they sell them ? We have not seen any body here that looks as if he \vas buying any thing." " No," said Mr. George. " The merchants don't pome here to buy the