the railway by the same name, and is one of the largest in London. Travelers arriving at the metropolis of the world, by almost any of the large railway lines, can secure hotel accommodations at the end of their journey in the Railway Hotel.

THE STRAND, London, England.—This street has been so named from its skirting the bank of the river, which is concealed here by the buildings. It is very broad, contains many handsome shops, and is the great artery of traffic between the city and the West End, and one of the busiest and most important thoroughfares in London. It was unpaved down to 1532. At that period many of the mansions of the nobility and hierarchy stood here, with gardens stretching down to the Thames. The buildings on the left are the new Law Courts.

CHEAPSIDE, London, England.—This street is in the very heart of the "city" and is especially noted for its so-called "cheap shops," where is offered for sale every variety of articles, from a locomotive to a toothpick. The street is constantly so crowded with vehicles, that pedestrians are often delayed from fifteen to twenty minutes in crossing from one side to the other. It affords much pleasure to stroll along Cheapside and watch the crowds of pedestrians and vehicles pass up and down the avenue. The buildings lining Cheapside have an imposing appearance, and are of uniform architecture.

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, London, England.—Conspicuous, on a slight eminence in the very heart of London, stands the above-named cathedral, the most prominent building of the city. It is claimed that in Pagan times a temple of Diana occupied the site of St. Paul's. The present church was begun in 1675, opened for divine service in 1697, and completed in 1710. The bulk of its cost, amounting to nearly $4,000,000, was defrayed by a tax on coal. The church resembles St. Peter's at Rome, and is in the form of a Latin cross, five hundred feet long and one hundred and eighteen feet wide.

THE BANK OF ENGLAND, London, England.—This irregular, isolated, one-story building, covering an area of four acres, and located in the central part of London, is the largest and most powerful institution in the world. It is the only bank in London which has the power to issue paper money; its average daily business is over $10,000,000. It employs 900 people, and usually carries in its vaults from $75,000,000 to $100,000,000, while there are from 100 to 125,000,000 dollars of the bank's notes in circulation. On the right is the Stock Exchange, giving 1000 stock brokers daily employment.

TOWER OF LONDON, London, England.—This celebrated fortress is located on the Thames in the eastern portion of London. Some of the most interesting events in the history of the Old World are clustered around these ancient relics. Some say the tower was commenced by Julius Cæsar, while most writers affirm that William the Conqueror commenced it in 1078. The tower-walls enclose about twelve acres, on the outside of which is a deep ditch or moat, formerly filled with water. The tower was for a time a residence for the Monarchs of England; afterwards a prison for State criminals.

LONDON BRIDGE, London, England.—Centuries ago the Saxons and Romans erected various wooden bridges over the Thames, on the site of the present London Bridge; but they were all carried away by floods, or destroyed by fire. This bridge was begun in 1825 and completed in 1831 at a cost of $10,000,000. The bridge, 928 feet long and 54 feet wide, is borne by five granite arches, that in the centre having a span of 152 feet. The lamp-posts on the bridge are cast of the metal of French cannons captured in the Peninsular War. About 15,000 vehicles and 100,000 pedestrians cross the bridge daily.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY, London, England.—The Abbey, built in the form of cross, four hundred feet long and two hundred feet wide, is of Gothic design, and was founded in 610 A. D.

"That antique pile,  Where royal heads receive the sacred gold;  It give them crowns, and does their ashes keep;  There made like gods, like mortals there they sleep,  Making the circle of their reign complete.  These sons of Empire, where they rise, they set."

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, London, England.—These edifices form a single pile of buildings of the richest Gothic style. They cover over eight acres, contain one hundred stair-cases, eleven hundred apartments, and cost $15,000,000. They are perhaps the most costly national structure in the world. The Queen enters on the opening and prorogation of Parliament through the Victoria Tower, which is three hundred and forty feet high. The imposing river-front of the edifice is nine hundred and forty feet long, and adorned with statues of English monarchs, from William the Conqueror to Queen Victoria.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE, London, England.—Here is one of the finest open places in London. This great square, which is a centre of attraction, was dedicated to Lord Nelson, and commemorates his glorious death in the battle of Trafalgar, October 22, 1805, gained by the English fleet over the combined armaments of France and Spain. In the centre of the Square, rises to the memory of the great hero, a massive granite column, one hundred and fifty-four feet high, and crowned with a statue of Nelson. At the foot of the pedestal is inscribed his last command, "England expects every man will do his duty."

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, London, England.—The above palace, being now the Queen's residence and occupying the site of Buckingham House, was erected in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham, and purchased by George III. His successor remodeled it in 1825, but it remained vacant until 1837, when it was occupied by Queen Victoria, whose residence it has since continued to be. The palace now forms a quadrangle, and is three hundred and sixty feet long. It contains a sculpture-gallery, a library, green drawing-room, throne-room, grand saloon, state ball-room, picture-gallery and private apartments.

ROTTEN ROW, London, England.—Rotten Row is the finest portion of Hyde Park, irrespectively of the magnificent groups of trees and expanses of grass for which English parks stand pre-eminent. The Park is surrounded by a handsome and lofty iron railing, and provided with nine carriage entrances. In the spring and summer the fashionable world rides, drives or walks through the Row; and in the drives are seen unbroken files of elegant equipages and high-bred horses in handsome trappings moving continually, presided over by sleek coachmen and powdered lackeys, and occupied by some of the most beautiful and exquisitely dressed women in the world.

ALBERT MEMORIAL, London, England.—This magnificent monument to Albert, the late Prince Consort, was erected by the English nation at a cost of $600,000. On a spacious platform, to which granite steps ascend on each side, rises a basement adorned with reliefs in marble, representing artists of every period, poets. musicians, painters and sculptors. In the centre of the basement sits the colossal bronze-gilt figure of Prince Albert. The canopy terminates at the top in a Gothic spire, rising in three stages and surmounted by a cross. The monument is one hundred and seventy-five feet high, and gorgeously embellished with bronze and marble statues, gildings, colored stones and mosaic.