It Might Be About Ten Or Eleven O'clock When We Arrived Here.
After
the two Englishmen had first given me some breakfast at their
lodgings, which consisted of tea and bread
And butter, they went
about with me themselves, in their own neighbourhood, in search of
an apartment, which they at length procured for me for sixteen
shillings a week, at the house of a tailor's widow who lived
opposite to them. It was very fortunate, on other accounts, that
they went with me, for equipped as I was, having neither brought
clean linen nor change of clothes from my trunk, I might perhaps
have found it difficult to obtain good lodgings.
It was a very uncommon but pleasing sensation I experienced on being
now, for the first time in my life, entirely among Englishmen:
among people whose language was foreign, their manners foreign, and
in a foreign climate, with whom, notwithstanding, I could converse
as familiarly as though we had been educated together from our
infancy. It is certainly an inestimable advantage to understand the
language of the country through which you travel. I did not at
first give the people I was with any reason to suspect I could speak
English, but I soon found that the more I spoke, the more attention
and regard I met with. I now occupy a large room in front on the
ground floor, which has a carpet and mats, and is very neatly
furnished; the chairs are covered with leather, and the tables are
of mahogany. Adjoining to this I have another large room. I may do
just as I please, and keep my own tea, coffee, bread and butter, for
which purpose my landlady has given me a cupboard in my room, which
locks up.
The family consists of the mistress of the house, her maid, and her
two sons, Jacky and Jerry; singular abbreviations for John and
Jeremiah. The eldest, Jacky, about twelve years old, is a very
lively boy, and often entertains me in the most pleasing manner by
relating to me his different employments at school, and afterwards
desiring me in my turn to relate to him all manner of things about
Germany. He repeats his amo, amas, amavi, in the same singing tone
as our common school-boys. As I happened once when he was by, to
hum a lively tune, he stared at me with surprise, and then reminded
me it was Sunday; and so, that I might not forfeit his good opinion
by any appearance of levity, I gave him to understand that, in the
hurry of my journey, I had forgotten the day. He has already shown
me St. James's Park, which is not far from hence; and now let me
give you some description of the renowned
St. James's Park.
The park is nothing more than a semicircle, formed of an alley of
trees, which enclose a large green area in the middle of which is a
marshy pond.
The cows feed on this green turf, and their milk is sold here on the
spot, quite new.
In all the alleys or walks there are benches, where you may rest
yourself. When you come through the Horse Guards (which is provided
with several passages) into the park, on the right hand is St.
James's Palace, or the king's place of residence, one of the meanest
public buildings in London. At the lower end, quite at the
extremity, is the queen's palace, a handsome and modern building,
but very much resembling a private house. As for the rest, there
are generally everywhere about St. James's Park very good houses,
which is a great addition to it. There is also before the
semicircle of the trees just mentioned a large vacant space, where
the soldiers are exercised.
How little this famous park is to be compared with our park at
Berlin, I need not mention. And yet one cannot but form a high idea
of St. James's Park and other public places in London; this arises,
perhaps, from their having been oftener mentioned in romances and
other books than ours have. Even the squares and streets of London
are more noted and better known than many of our principal towns.
But what again greatly compensates for the mediocrity of this park,
is the astonishing number of people who, towards evening in fine
weather, resort here; our finest walks are never so full even in the
midst of summer. The exquisite pleasure of mixing freely with such
a concourse of people, who are for the most part well-dressed and
handsome, I have experienced this evening for the first time.
Before I went to the park I took another walk with my little Jacky,
which did not cost me much fatigue and yet was most uncommonly
interesting. I went down the little street in which I live, to the
Thames nearly at the end of it, towards the left, a few steps led me
to a singularly pretty terrace, planted with trees, on the very
brink of the river.
Here I had the most delightful prospect you can possibly imagine.
Before me was the Thames with all its windings, and the stately
arches of its bridges; Westminster with its venerable abbey to the
right, to the left again London, with St. Paul's, seemed to wind all
along the windings of the Thames, and on the other side of the water
lay Southwark, which is now also considered as part of London.
Thus, from this single spot, I could nearly at one view see the
whole city, at least that side of it towards the Thames. Not far
from hence, in this charming quarter of the town, lived the renowned
Garrick. Depend upon it I shall often visit this delightful walk
during my stay in London.
To-day my two Englishmen carried me to a neighbouring tavern, or
rather an eating-house, where we paid a shilling each for some roast
meat and a salad, giving at the same time nearly half as much to the
waiter, and yet this is reckoned a cheap house, and a cheap style of
living.
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