Show FROM A FRIEND the Metro metropolis on the hersey lovely landscape lights of london political projects EDITOR HERALD in my last communication I passed pawed over many items of interest in order to conclude at birmingham and to briefly report rrt the proceedings s odthe of the B binning ham am semiannual semi annual conference which occurred just prior to tho the date writing I now desire to return to liverpool ool and give your readers some idea of the importance of that celebrated city which for so many years has been the leading seaport of the british isles LIVERPOOL 18 SITUATED in the dorth side of the river mer sey and is partly built upon flat ground round and partly it upon n a gradually y rising ace acclivity E ivi t it has a present besent population of about ut souls besides a transient population of many thousand seamen and business men the latter of whom reside on the opposite side of the river but have their offices and warehouse q in the city some idea of its importance as a seaport may be obtained from the following figures THE VALUE OF EXPORTS through liverpool amounts annually to about nearly vessels are each year registered in the port and of this nu number m er arc are steamers monopolizes it four fifth of the trade between great britain and the united states and its custom duties amount to per annum its aggregate tonnage far exceeds that of london besides it is tho the greatest cotton mart in the world THE DOCKS arc aire the grand characteristic feature of liverpool and indicate more forcibly the reigning commercial activity and enterprise than any other portion of the city they extend a distance of eight miles along the banks of the river have a basin area of about four hundred and fiat fifty acres and a lineal quay space p ace aires of nearly early thirty miles they arc are accessible half balf tide docks and basins and some of them are surrounded I by ril largo sheds and bonded la ci between the lowest ebb and highest flood tide is twenty two feet so that the surface of the water in which the vessels float in the docks is ir i often twenty two feet higher than the surface of the river without ta the ae city contains some magnificent public buildings its streets arc are well paved and kept scrupulously clean and the suburbs are roost most extensive and delightful THE RIVER is is navigable for ve vessels sels of gr great eat barden burden fora for a distance of thi thirty t miles above or beyond diverl liverpool pool it t is three quarters of a mi mile ae in width at the city but increases in breadth for some distance inland bet being ng eight miles across at its widest tyint point our journey by rail from liverpool to birmingham exhibited some of the finest LANDSCAPE Y that I ever beli beheld eld upon either side of the track a gently undulating country laid out in plats crossed ial dinall all directions by neatly trimmed hedges and covered with the most prolific verdure spread out as adras far as the h e eye could penetrate penetrate ene like a rich c carpet ar of green en farm houses and n barns neatly kept villas with beautiful parterres par terres stately mansions with ornamented grounds orchards and forests were seen at intervals upon the rout route cand and occasion occasionally all y the dark gloomy battlements tle ments of f some ancient castle roared reared its portentous vl visage age above the trees as if frowning down from tha darkness of medieval time to the age of civilization and advancement with threatening mien AS WE r BIRMIN the outlying streets street sand and buildings seemed more like the regularly built barracks of ofa a military fort than the suburbs of a large and thriving city the central portion of the town however contains some vi very fine buildings and its atil pa lr railway ailway depot ia is one of the finest in england the front of this mammoth structure is very handsome being in the italian style and the interior oi isa is a splendid example of the power of modern science it contains five platforms each one quarter of a mile in length and ten j parallel lines of track the whole is spanned by a semicircular roof of glass and corrugated iron resting on massive side pillars it is 1100 feet lonc long feet wide and 80 feet high the city of birmingham one odthe of the oldest of the realm is 13 situ abed upon the banks of the river rca rea a email small stream now almost lost to view by the construction of bridges and buildings buil dinga across its channel at the northwest an angle e of warwickshire Warwick shire and has a population bation of f it covers coven an area ot acres being more than five miles in length and three in breadth it has lin miles of Et streets mostly well paved and contains about houses houm r abife THE COUNTRY from birmingham to london is is yer very I similar to that alren already dy described described unless there be a greater wealth forests more numerous country residences and many more villages and and towns the first thirty miles of our journey w was as made in forty five v e minutes including two stopa stops and the entire distance was run in in just three hours I cannot attempt to give you on any description of london in in the present letter except in in a general way for it is altogether too large to be seen or understood in the brief space of time that I have been here I have seen all that can bo be seen of it however by the unaided human vl vision iou from the top of ST PAULS CATHEDRAL on a sunny springtime day lay and have traveled its streets almost incessantly on foot byrain by rail and otherwise for a week or nr more yet one thousandth part has not yet been seen neither net ther can one thousandth part of what haa has been seen be told in the brief space of a communication like this I will therefore simply say that the metropolis of london is situated in what ia is here known as THE VALLI Y OP THE THAMES the river by this name coursing through it from west to east it has a present population of about inhabitants and it occupies an area tho the circumference of which is about ninety four miles it is more than twice as large as new york and brooklyn combined and four times larger than Philadel philadelphia libia charing cores corss is recognized as the center of the metropolis and from this totne point the metropolitan police num numbering ering men patrol the streets for fifteen miles in every direction the city proper or LONDON as it was enclosed in walls and entered by gates in early times and which still maintains a separate municipal organization having its own police etc covers but a few square miles and not more than 1100 men are ares said aiato to reside or dileep within its borders it being occupied by public buildings churches st state ate departments etc some idea of its size W FUU j r be formed from the fa fact ct that the tle city of london sends four representatives to parliament and the other constituencies which with the first comprise the metropolis of london send twenty two these being b based sed upon the population of freeholders would make inake it to represent less than one fifth of f the entire city THE RECENT MARRIAGE of prince leopold to the princess helene of WaI deek the sudden death of the princess bister the recent release of the parliamentary suspects the resignation of mr forster chief secretary of f ireland and the appointment of lord frederick cavendish to the vacancy together oget ber with the diabolical assassination SaSsi sassi nati nation on of this latter gentleman within seven houra hours after taking P the oath of office and also of mr burke under secretary are inci incidents of current and profound iro found interest here bere just now but I presume that before you receive receive this by the slow medium of the mails maus they will be topics of the distant past with you yon THE tilt BUDDEN SUDDEN CHANGE CHAINGE OF POLICY which gladstone is inaugurating has been most severely criticised criticized by the press and now that it has resulted in the death of two such prominent remittent and worthy gentlemen as bord lord cavendish and mr burke it is thought that a great crisis is near at hand which may result in in an entire change of state administration certain certai n it is that great excitements excite ments exists in all parts arts of the kingdom and every political faction seems to be aroused to the very highest pitch of excite ment two great national parties the liberals and the conservatives representing democrats and royalists or whigs and tones tories in a general getie ral pense sense are as bitter in their anta antagonism as are the republicans and democrats democrats in our own country they are also about m is evenly balanced and strange to say THE till CATHOLIC ELEMENT which is ready to unite with cither either party that will afford to ireland the lhoost anost liberal to told the balance of po power we r inthe in the last election it threw its influence cc on oil the side of the liberals and ee ELI cured the election of gladstone wl who 10 promised anlis ed to pursue a certain liberal erl policy towards ireland the celebrated t cyd irish land bill that has evoked so much interest and discussion was designed to be a partial fulfilment fulfillment of this pledge on oil the part of the liberals and the recent release of the suspects and the change of policy just inaugurated by the premier are further concessions but as THE mr OLIVE DRANCH OF or PEACE and reconciliation so graciously extended has been quickly follow followed ed by one of the most disgraceful and cold blooded deeds of violence that ever atta attached clied itself to the irish nn shade of political significance it would not be surprising if the most stringent measures were that they should eventually result either in the entire subjugation of the murderous element in ireland or lead to E erins ains final an and d entire disruption from the united kingdom As tho the highest consideration of self protection against foreign powers would be involved in the latter case cas e there is but little question that the former policy will bo be pursued and a strong effort mado made to carry it to a successful issue at any hazard jos A WEST LONDON may alay ath 1882 |