of London is the far-famed _Crystal Palace_. This structure, in many
respects one of the most remarkable in the world, owed its existence to
the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park. The materials of that
building being sold to a new company towards the close of that year, were
transferred to an elevated spot near Sydenham, about 7 miles from London.
The intention was to found a palace and park for the exhibition of
objects in art and science, and to make it self-paying. The original
estimate was £500,000, but the expenditure reached nearly £1,500,000—too
great to render a profitable return likely. The palace and grounds were
opened in 1854; the water-towers and great fountains some time
afterwards. The marvels of this unparalleled structure cannot be
described within a limited space. [Picture: Crystal Palace] The building
is about 1600 feet long, 380 wide, and, at the centre transept, nearly
200 high. It consists of a nave and three transepts, all with arched
roofs, and all made chiefly of iron and glass. Within, the building
consists of a central nave, having marble fountains near the two ends,
and lined with statues and plants throughout its whole length. On each
side of the nave are compartments to illustrate the sculpture and
architecture of different ages and countries; such as Greek, Roman,
Assyrian, Pompeian, Egyptian, Alhambraic or Saracenic, Romanesque,
Byzantine, Mediæval, in its English, French, and German varieties,
Renaissance, Palladian, and Elizabethan. Other compartments illustrate
certain industrial groups, such as cutlery, porcelain, paper, encaustic
tiles, &c. On the first gallery are large collections of pictures,
photographs, and casts from medallions and small works of art. Near the
centre transept are all the necessary arrangements for two
concert-rooms—one on a stupendous scale, in which 5000 singers and
instrumentalists can sometimes be heard at once. [Picture: Interior,
Crystal Palace] An orchestra of unparalleled dimensions is constructed
here for great festival commemorations, and similar musical meetings.
The botanical collection within the building is very fine; and to
preserve the exotic plants, one end of the building is maintained at a
high temperature all the year round. Some portions of the galleries are
let out as stalls or bazaars to shopkeepers; and very extensive
arrangements are made for supplying refreshments. In an upper gallery is
a museum of raw produce. In long galleries in the basement are exhibited
agricultural implements, and cotton and other machinery in motion.
[Picture: Crystal Palace Fountains]
The park and gardens are extensive, occupying nearly 200 acres; they are
beautifully arranged, and contain an extremely fine collection of flowers
and other plants, occupying parterres separated by broad gravel-walks.
The terraces, stone balustrades, wide steps, and sculptures, are all on a
very grand scale. The fountains are perhaps the finest in the world,
some of them sending up magnificent streams of water to a great height,
and some displaying thousands of minute glittering jets interlacing in
the most graceful manner. A portion of the water is made to imitate
cascades and waterfalls. The jet from the central basin rises to 150
feet; and those from the two great basins to 250 feet. There are two
cascades, each 450 feet long, 100 wide, and having a tall of 12 feet.
When the whole of the waterworks are playing, there are 12,000 jets in
all; and when this continues for the length of time customary on some of
the ‘grand days,’ the water consumed is said to amount to 6,000,000
gallons. Two water-towers of enormous height, (nearly 300 feet from the
foundations,) to which water is pumped up by steam-engines, supply the
water-pressure by which the fountains are fed. The illustrations of
extinct animals and of geology, in the lower part of the grounds, are
curious and instructive.
Railway trains, running frequently during the day, give access to the
Crystal Palace, from the Pimlico and London Bridge stations of the
Brighton Company, from the Kensington and Chelsea stations of the West
London Railway, from the Waterloo station of the South-Western _viâ_
Wimbledon, and from the Ludgate Hill and other stations of the Chatham
and Dover. The last-named company have built an elegant and convenient
‘high-level’ station, in front of the main centre transept. The Crystal
Palace is a shilling exhibition; but the greater number of visitors only
pay 1s. 6d. each for a ticket (third class) which insures admission to
the palace and grounds, and the railway journey there and back; first and
second class tickets are higher; and there are days on which admission to
the palace is also higher. A whole week might be spent in examining the
various treasures; for the Crystal Palace and grounds are interesting in
each of the following features:—Sculpture; Illustrations of Architecture;
Pictures and Photographs; Illustrations of Mechanics and Manufactures;
Botany; Ethnology, or Illustrations of National Characteristics;
Palæontology, or Extinct Animals; Geology; Hydraulic skill in the
Fountains; and Musical facilities of an unprecedented kind. There are
also facilities in the grounds for Cricket, Archery, Boating, Athletic
Exercises, and Sports of other kinds, either regularly or occasionally.
The directors must be credited with the undoubted excellence of their
Choral Festivals and Orchestral Concerts. For great holiday
demonstrations, too, there is nothing else at all equal to the Crystal
Palace in the kingdom; and railways give access to it from almost every
part of the metropolis.
Alexandra Park and Palace.—This is situated on the north side of London,
near Hornsey, and is reached by means of the Great Northern Railway. It
has long remained closed for want of funds, but is expected to be opened
in June. Its objects, &c., are similar to those of the Crystal Palace.
The building was erected from the remains of the Exhibition of 1862.
[Picture: Albert Memorial]
[Picture: London Stone. Supposed to be an ancient Roman terminal stone,
whence, as from a centre, the miles were reckoned throughout Britain.]
APPENDIX.
TABLES, LISTS, AND USEFUL HINTS.
Suburban Towns and Villages within Twelve Miles’ Railway-distance.
THE distances are measured from the terminal stations of the great
Companies’ lines. The names of these stations are abbreviated thus:
_Padd._—Paddington; Great Western.
_Eust._—Euston Square; London and North Western.
_K. C._—King’s Cross; Great Northern.
_Shore._—Shoreditch; Great Eastern.
_Fen._—Fenchurch Street; London and Blackwall.
_L. B._—London Bridge; South-Eastern, and London and Brighton.
_Wat._—Waterloo; London and South-Western.
_Vic._—Victoria or Pimlico; Crystal Palace and other railways.
_N. L._—North London.
_Lud._—Ludgate Hill; London, Chatham, and Dover.
_St. Panc._—St. Pancras; Midland.
The places accommodated by the North London Railway have no mileage
distances named; for all the stations on that line are equally within the
metropolitan limits. The Metropolitan Railway is not here mentioned at
all, for a similar reason. For all stations on the South-Eastern, the
distance from Charing Cross is about 1¾ miles farther than from London
Bridge. On the Chatham and Dover, most of the stations are about
equidistant from the Ludgate and Victoria termini. The places reached by
steamers are marked _St._; while _Om._ signifies Omnibus, in cases where
there is no very available railway route. When a town is some little
distance from the nearest station, two mileages are named: thus,
‘Beddington, 10½ Croydon + 2½,’ implies that after a railway journey of
10½ miles to Croydon, there are 2½ miles of road.
Abbey Wood, Kent L. B. 12
Acton, Midd. from all N. L. Stations.
Anerley, Surrey L. B. 7½
Balham, Surrey Vic. 5
— L. B. 11
Barking, Essex Shore. & Fen. 7
Barking Road, Essex Shore. & Fen. 5
Barnes, Surrey Wat. 7
—, from all N. L Stations.
Barnet, Herts. K. C. 10½
Battersea, Surrey St. & Om.
Battersea Park Vic. 1
Beckenham, Kent L. B. 9
— Lud. & Vic. 10
Beddington, Surr. L. B. 10½ Croydon +2½
Bickley, Kent Lud. & Vic. 13
— L. B. 12
Blackheath, Kent L. B. 6
Blackwall, Middlesex Fen. 4½
— St. & Om.
Bow, Middlesex Fen. & Shore 4
Brentford, Middlesex Wat. 10
— Padd. 13
Brixton, Surrey Vic. 3
— Lud. 4
Bromley, Kent L. B. 10
— Lud. & Vic. 11
—, Middlesex Fen. 4
Buckhurst Hill, Essex Fen. & Shore. 10
Bushey Park, Midd. Wat. 13
Camberwell, Surrey Lud. & Vic. 4
Carshalton, Surrey L. B. 12
Catford Bridge, Kent L. B. 6
Charlton, Kent L. B. 7
— St.
Chelsea, Middlesex St. & Om.
Chigwell, Essex Fen. & Shore, to
Ilford or Woodford.
Chiswick, Middlesex Wat. 8
Clapham, Surrey Wat. 4
— Vic. 2½
Clapton, Midd., from all N. L. Stations to Hackney.
Colney Hatch, Midd. K. C. 6
Crouch End, Midd. K. C. 4 Hornsey + 1½
Croydon, Surrey L. B. 10½
— Vic. 12
Crystal Palace, L. B. 7
Surrey
— Vic. 9
— Lud. 9
Dalston, Middlesex, all N. L. Stations.
Deptford, Kent L. B. 3½
Ditton, Surrey Wat. 12 Kingston + 2
Dulwich, Surrey Lud. & Vic. 5
Ealing, Middlesex Padd. 6
East Ham, Essex Fen. 6
Edgeware, Middlesex K. C. & Om. 8½
Edmonton, Middlesex Shore. 9½
Elstree, Herts St. Panc. & Om. 11
Eltham, Kent L. B. 6 Blackheath + 2
Enfield, Middlesex Shore. 12
Finchley, Middlesex, from all N. L. Stations to Finchley Road.
— K. C. 7¼
Forest Gate, Essex Shore. 5
Forest Hill, Surrey Vic. 11
— L. B. 5
Fulham, Middlesex Wat. 6 Putney + ½
— St. & Om.
Gipsy Hill, Surrey L. B. 8
— Vic. 8
Greenwich, Kent L. B. 4½
— St. & Om.
Hackney, Midd., from all N. L. Stations.
Hadley, Midd. K. C. 10 Barnet + 1
Ham, Surrey, Wat. 12 Kingston + 2
Hammersmith, Midd., from all N. L. and Metropolitan Stations.
— St. & Om.
Hampstead, Midd., from all N. L. Stations.
Hanwell, Middlesex Padd. 7½
Harlington, Midd. Padd. 9 Southall + 3½
Harrow, Middlesex Eust. 12
Hatcham, Kent L. B. 4
Hayes, Kent L. B. 10 Bromley + 2
—, Midd. Padd. 7 Hanwell + 3
Hendon, Midd. St. Panc. & Om 7
Herne Hill, Surrey Lud. & Vic. 6
Highgate, Middlesex K. C. 4¾
— Om.
Holloway, Middlesex K. C. 2
Homerton, Midd., from all N. L. Stations to Hackney.
Hornsey, Middlesex K. C. 4
Hounslow, Middlesex Wat. 12
Ilford, Essex Shore. 7
Isleworth, Middlesex Wat. 12
Kensal Green, Midd., from N. L. Stations.
Kensington, Midd., from Metrop Stats.
Kentish Town, Middlesex from all N. L. Stations.
Keston, Kent L. B. 10 Bromley + 4
Kew, Surrey Wat. 9
—, from all N. L. Stations.
— St. & Om.
Kilburn, Middlesex Eust. 3
Kingsland, Midd., from all N. L. Stations.
Kingston, Surrey Wat. 12
Lady Well, Kent L. B. 5
Lea Bridge, Essex Shore. 5½
Lee, Kent L. B. 6 Blackheath + 1
Lewisham, Kent L B. 5
Leytonstone, Essex Shore. & Fen. 6
Loughton, Essex Shore. & Fen. 12
Low Leyton, Essex Shore. & Fen. 5
Maldon, Surrey Wat. 10
Merton, Surrey Wat. 9
Mill Hill, Middlesex K. C. 8¼; Om. 7
Mims, Midd. K. C. 12 Potter’s Bar + 2
Mitcham, Surrey Wat. 10
— L. B. 10½ Croydon + 4
Morden, Surrey Wat. 8 Wimbledon + 2
Mortlake, Surrey Wat. 8
Muswell Hill, Midd. K. C. 4 Hornsey + 1½
New Cross, Kent L. B. 3
North Woolwich, Ess. Shore. & Fen. 7
— St.
Norwood, Surrey L. B. 8½
— Vic. 8
Parson’s Green, Om. 4
Middlesex
Peckham, Surrey Lud. 5
Penge, Surrey L. B. 7
— Lud. & Vic. 9
Plaistow, Essex. Fen. 5
Plumstead, Kent L. B. 10
Ponders’s End, Midd. Shore. 12
Poplar, Middlesex Fen. 4
Potters’s Bar, Midd. K. C. 12
Putney, Surrey Wat. 6
— St. & Om.
Richmond, Surrey Wat. 10
— from all N. L. Stations.
— St. & Om.
Roehampton, Surr. Wat. 6 Putney + 1½
Romford, Essex Shore. 12
Shacklewell, Midd. Om. 3
Shepherd’s Bush, Metrop. Stats.
Midd.
Shooter’s Hill, Kent L. B. 9 Woolwich + 2
Shortlands, Kent L. B. 10
— Lud. & Vic. 10
Snaresbrook, Essex Fen. & Shore. 7
Southall, Middlesex Padd. 9
Southgate, Middlesex K. C. 7
Stamford Hill, Midd. Om. 4
Stanmore, Middlesex Om. 10
Stepney, Midd. from all N. L. Stations.
Stockwell, Surrey Om. 4
Stoke Newington, Midd. from all N. L. Stations.
Stratford, Essex Shore. & Fen. 4
Streatham, Surrey L. B. 10
— Vic. 6
Teddington, and Wat. 13
Bushey Park
Thornton Heath, Surr. Vic. 9
Tooting, Surrey L. B., Vic. & Lud. 8
Tottenham, Middlesex Shore. 8
Totteridge, Herts. K. C. 10½ Barnet + 2
Turnham Green, Midd. Om. 5
— from all N. L. Stations, Wat. and Lud.
Twickenham, Midd. Wat. 11¼
— from all N. L. Stations.
Vauxhall, Surrey Wat. 1½
— St.
Walham Green, Midd. Om. 3
Walthamstow, Essex Shore., Station at 5¾, and Om.
Lea Bridge
Wandsworth, Surrey Wat. 5
— Vic. 2
Wanstead, Essex Shore. & Fen,
Snaresbrook Station.
Welling, Kent L. B. 9 Woolwich + 2½
West Ham, Essex Fen. 4
West Wickham, Surr. L. B. 10½ Croydon + 4
Whetstone, Midd. K. C. 6 Colney Hatch + 2
Willesden, Middlesex Eust. 6½
Wimbledon, Surrey, Wat. 7
Woodford, Essex Shore. & Fen. 9
Wood Green, Midd. K. C. 5
Woolwich Dockyard, L. B. 8
Kent
— Arsenal L. B. 9
——Dockyard and St.
Arsenal
CHIEF OMNIBUS ROUTES.
There are few better ways for a man to see London, on a fine day, than by
riding through it on an omnibus. These vehicles mostly begin to run
about 8.30–9 a.m., and cease about 12 p.m. To give more than a mere
general notion as regards a few of the chief omnibus routes, is
impossible in our limited space here. The fares range, for the most
part, from a minimum of 2d. to a maximum of 6d. They are painted inside
the omnibus: the main localities passed on the way, outside. The groups
of these conveyances known by distinctive _names_, (all the omnibuses of
each group having one common name,) are chiefly the following:—
_Atlas_—colour, green—running between St. John’s Wood and Camberwell
Gate, and _vice versa_, _via_ Oxford Street, and over Westminster
Bridge—every 5 minutes.
_City Atlas_—green—between Swiss Cottage, St. John’s Wood, and London
Bridge Station, and _vice versa_, _via_ Oxford St., Holborn, Bank—every 7
minutes.
_Bayswater_—light green—from Notting Hill and Bayswater to Mile-End Gate,
_via_ Oxford Street, Holborn, Cornhill, Whitechapel—every 6 minutes.
_Bayswater_ to _London Bridge Station_, _via_ Oxford Street, Holborn,
Cheapside—every few minutes.
_Bayswater_ to _Shoreditch Station_—Oxford Street, Holborn, Cheapside,
Threadneedle Street, Bishopsgate Street—every hour.
_Citizen_—_Paddington_ to _London Bridge Station_—Edgeware Road, (only,)
Oxford Street, Holborn, Bank—every 8 minutes.
Other omnibuses also run to and from Paddington, as follows:—
_Paddington_ to _London Bridge Station_—green—Royal Oak, Edgeware Road,
New Road, City Road, Bank—every 10 minutes.
_Paddington_ to _Fenchurch Station_—Some of the above go to Fenchurch
instead of London Bridge Station.
_Paddington_ to _Whitechapel_—green—as above to Bank, then Cornhill and
Aldgate—frequent.
_Paddington_ to _Charing Cross_—red—Edgeware Road, Oxford and Regent
Streets, Charing Cross—every 8 minutes.
* * * * *
_Favorite_—green—Holloway to London Bridge, _via_ Highbury, Islington,
City Road, Bank, King William Street—about every 8 minutes.
_Favorite_—green—Holloway to Westminster, Islington, Exmouth Street,
Chancery Lane, Westminster Abbey, Victoria Street.
_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_ Shoreditch,
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 shilling’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 principal 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.
Athenæum 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 13–15 Garrick Street,
Covent Garden.
Gresham 1 Gresham Place, City.
Guards’ 70 Pall Mall.
Junior Athenæum 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_ Nassau 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.
The use of the district system is, that if a letter, arriving from the
country, has on the outside the _district initials_ as well as the
address, it has a fair chance of _earlier delivery_; and if sent from one
part of London to another, such chance is the greater. The reason for
this is, that much of the sorting is effected at the eight chief district
offices, if the initials are given, to the great saving of time. An
official list of a vast number of streets, &c., with their district
initials, within the London District Post, is published at 1d., and is
obtainable at most of the principal receiving-houses.
The portion of each district within about three miles of the General
Post-office is called the Town Delivery, and the remainder the Suburban
Delivery. Within the town limits there are twelve deliveries daily: the
first, or General Post, commencing about 7.30, and mostly over in London
about 9; the second commencing about 8.15, and the third at 10.30. The
next nine are made hourly. The last delivery begins about 7.45. There
are seven despatches daily to the suburban districts. The first, at 6.30
a.m., to all places within the London District limits. A second, at
9.30, to suburbs within about four miles of the General Post-office. The
third, at 11.30, takes in almost all the London district. The fourth
despatch, at 2.30 p.m., goes to spots within about six miles of the
General Post-office. The fifth, at 4.30, comprises the whole of the
suburban districts, and, except in the more outlying country spots,
letters are delivered same evening. The sixth, at 6 p.m., goes to places
under four miles from the General Post-office. The last despatch is at 7
p.m. Letters to go by it should be posted at the town post-offices or
pillar-boxes by 6 p.m., or at the _chief_ office of the district to which
they are addressed. They will thus probably be delivered the same night,
within about six miles of the General Office. The suburban deliveries
begin one to two hours after despatch, according to distance.
It is always well to remember, that for any given delivery, a letter may
be posted rather later at the chief office than at any of the minor
offices of each district; that _letters_ only, not newspapers,
book-parcels, manuscripts, &c., may be put in pillar-boxes; and that
letters posted during the night, (from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.,) have a chance
of earlier delivery than otherwise, seeing that the pillar-boxes are
cleared at 5 in the morning, and, as a rule, we believe, earlier than the
receiving-houses. Outgoing letters for the evening mails are received at
most offices till 5.30, and at the chief office of each district till 6.
By affixing an extra penny stamp, the letter is receivable till 6 at the
minor, and till 7 at the chief offices.