Collins' Illustrated Guide to London and Neighbourhood Part 10

_Favorite_-blue-Holloway Road, Caledonian Road, King's Cross, Euston Road, Portland Road, Regent Street, Piccadilly, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Museum, "Queen's Elm"-every 9 minutes.

_Havelock_-Kingsland Gate to "Elephant and Castle," _via_ Sh.o.r.editch, Bishopsgate Street, London Bridge, Borough-at frequent intervals.

_Paragon_-green-Brixton to Gracechurch Street, Kensington, "Elephant and Castle," London Bridge-every 10 minutes.

_Buxton_ to _Oxford Street_-Kensington, Westminster Bridge, Charing Cross, Regent Street-every half hour.

_Royal Blue_-blue-Pimlico, Piccadilly, Strand, Cheapside, Fenchurch Street Station-every 8 or 10 minutes.

_Waterloo_-blue-from "York and Albany," Regent's Park, by Albany Street, Regent Street, Westminster Bridge, "Elephant and Castle" to Camberwell Gate-every 6 minutes.

_Westminster_-brown-Pimlico to Bank, _via_ Lupus Street, Vauxhall Bridge Road, Westminster, Strand, &c.-every 6 minutes.

Such are a few of the numerous omnibus routes of London. From such places as Charing Cross and the London Bridge Stations, you can get an omnibus for almost any part of London, up till nearly midnight; while, by the aid of a map, no matter in what quarter you may be, you will speedily find out how best to consult your particular tastes in the way of locomotion and sight-seeing. In the case of gross incivility or overcharge, you have a simple remedy by taking the conductor's number and applying for a summons at the nearest police office. If you are curious in the matter of social contrasts, say, you might do worse than by getting up outside a _Stratford and Bow_ (green) omnibus, at the Oxford Street Circus, and riding-for sixpence all the way-_via_ Regent Street, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square, Strand, Fleet Street, St. Paul's, past the Mansion House and the Bank, Royal Exchange, Cornhill, Leadenhall Street, Aldgate, Whitechapel Road, Mile End, to Stratford. If your tastes should lead you westward, an enjoyable s.h.i.+lling's worth may be obtained by riding on the _Richmond_ (white) omnibus, from St. Paul's Churchyard to that prettily situated little town.

LONDON TRAMWAYS.

There are now _three_ Tramway Companies in London:-1. _The Metropolitan Street Tramways Company_, (_Limited_.) They run regularly from Westminster Bridge to Clapham and Brixton, at about every 5 minutes from each terminus, Fare 3d. 2. _North Metropolitan Tramways Company_: (1) From Aldgate, along Whitechapel and Mile End Road (through Bow) to Stratford Church; (2) From Moorgate Street to the Angel, Islington, thence to Kingsland, Stoke Newington, &c. Both running every 5 minutes, Fares 2d.; (3) another route is by Old Street to Stoke Newington and Clapton. 3. _Southall_, _Ealing_, _and Shepherd's Bush Tram Railway Company_, (_Limited_.) This company is constructing lines in the western suburbs of London. There are tramways in the north-west of town.

CLUBS AND CLUB HOUSES.

There are, in all, in London, about ninety. The following is a list of the princ.i.p.al club-houses:-

Alpine 8 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square.

Army and Navy 36 to 39 Pall Mall, S. W.

Arthur's 69 and 70 St. James's Street.

Arundel 12 Salisbury Street, Strand.

Athenaeum 107 Pall Mall.

Brooks's 59 St. James's Street.

Carlton 94 Pall Mall.

City Carlton 83 King William Street, E.C.

Cavendish 307 Regent Street.

City of London 19 Old Broad Street, City.

Conservative 74 St. James's Street.

East India United Service 14 St. James's Square.

Garrick 1315 Garrick Street, Covent Garden.

Gresham 1 Gresham Place, City.

Guards' 70 Pall Mall.

Junior Athenaeum 29 King Street, St.

James's.

Junior Carlton 30 to 35 Pall Mall.

Junior United Service 11 and 12 Charles Street, St.

James's.

Junior Army and Navy 13 Grafton Street, Bond Street.

Naval and Military 94 Piccadilly.

New University 57 St. James's Street.

Oriental 18 Hanover Square.

Oxford and Cambridge 71 to 76 Pall Mall.

University Portland 1 Stratford Place, Oxford Street.

Pratt's 14 Park Place, St.

James's.

Reform 104 Pall Mall.

Smithfield 47 Halfmoon Street, Piccadilly.

St. James's 106 Piccadilly.

Travellers' 106 Pall Mall.

Union Trafalgar Square, (S.W. Corner.) United Service 116 and 117 Pall Mall.

United University 5 Pall Mall, East.

Westminster 23 Albemarle Street.

Whitehall Parliament Street.

White's 37 and 38 St. James's Street.

Windham 11 St. James's Square.

THE LONDON PARCELS DELIVERY COMPANY.

This Company-whose chief office is in Roll's Buildings, Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, and whose minor receiving houses, at shops, &c., are very numerous-delivers parcels at a tariff of 4d. if under 4 lbs. weight, and within three miles distance; under 14 lbs. within a like range, 6d.; and so on up to a cwt., which will be delivered for 1s. 2d., subject to the aforesaid condition. Over three miles distance, the charge for delivering a parcel under 1 lb. to any part of London and its environs will be 4d., under 7 lbs., 6d., and so forth. For a parcel under 112 lbs., if carried beyond three miles, sender will be charged 1s. 6d. To more distant places, minimum charge is 6d. Light but bulky packages charged for by measurement. The Company does not undertake to _collect_ parcels from the houses of the senders.

MONEY-ORDER OFFICES, AND POST-OFFICE SAVINGS-BANKS.

The _London Postal District_, to which special rules relate, includes every town and village within twelve miles of the General Post-office.

Reference has already been made to the number of post-offices, receiving-houses, and pillar-boxes, in this area. There are 500 _Money-order Offices_, the whole of which (with a very few exceptions) have within a recent period been made _Post-office Savings-banks_ also.

The facilities thus afforded to strangers visiting London for a few days, for receiving or transmitting money, are very great. A Post-office Money-order will convey sums of a few pounds without risk of loss, at a cost of a few pence, either from the visitor to his country friends, or from them to him. The Post-office Savings-banks are even still more convenient; for a person residing in the country, and having money in the savings-banks, _can draw it out in London_ during his visit, or any part of it, with a delay of a day or two, free of expense. In whatever part of London a visitor may be, he is within five or ten minutes' walk of a Money-order Office; and at any such office he can, for six hours a day, (10 till 4,) obtain the requisite information concerning both of these kinds of economical monetary facilities.

LONDON LETTERS, POSTAL AND TELEGRAPH SYSTEM.

As just stated, the _London District Post_ operates within twelve miles of the General Post-office: that is, within a circle of twenty-four miles in diameter. There are a few outlying patches beyond this circle, but they need not here be taken into account. This large area is now divided into eight _Postal Districts_, each of which has a name, an initial abbreviation, and a chief office. They are as follows:-

E. C. _Eastern Central_ St. Martin's-le-Grand, (head office.) W. C. _Western Central_ 126 High Holborn.

N. _Northern_ Packington Street, Islington.

E. _Eastern_ Na.s.sau Place, Commercial Road, East.

S. E. _South-Eastern_ 9 Blackman Street, Borough.

S. W. _South-Western_ 8 Buckingham Gate.

W. _Western_ 3 Vere Street, Oxford Street.

N. W. _North-Western_ 28 Eversholt Street, Oakley Square.