ket
sprung up at Hungerford, and the Police Commissioners established their
office in Whitehall-place. The traffic in Scotland-yard increased; fresh
Members were added to the House of Commons, the Metropolitan
Representatives found it a near cut, and many other foot passengers
followed their example.

We marked the advance of civilisation, and beheld it with a sigh. The
eating-house keeper who manfully resisted the innovation of table-cloths,
was losing ground every day, as his opponent gained it, and a deadly feud
sprung up between them. The genteel one no longer took his evening's
pint in Scotland-yard, but drank gin and water at a 'parlour' in
Parliament-street. The fruit-pie maker still continued to visit the old
room, but he took to smoking cigars, and began to call himself a
pastrycook, and to read the papers. The old heavers still assembled
round the ancient fireplace, but their talk was mournful: and the loud
song and the joyous shout were heard no more.

And what is Scotland-yard now? How have its old customs changed; and how
has the ancient simplicity of its inhabitants faded away! The old
tottering public-house is converted into a spacious and lofty
'wine-vaults;' gold leaf has been used in the construction of the letters
which emblazon its exterior, and the poet's art has been called into
requisition, to intimate that if you drink a certain description of ale,
you must hold fast by the rail. The tailor exhibits in his window the
pattern of a foreign-looking brown surtout, with silk buttons, a fur
collar, and fur cuffs. He wears a stripe down the outside of each leg of
his trousers: and we have detected his assistants (for he has assistants
now) in the act of sitting on the shop-board in the same uniform.

At the other end of the little row of houses a boot-maker has established
himself in a brick box, with the additional innovation of a first floor;
and here he exposes for sale, boots--real Wellington boots--an article
which a few years ago, none of the original inhabitants had ever seen or
heard of. It was but the other day, that a dress-maker opened another
little box in the middle of the row; and, when we thought that the spirit
of change could produce no alteration beyond that, a jeweller appeared,
and not content with exposing gilt rings and copper bracelets out of
number, put up an announcement, which still sticks in his window, that
'ladies' ears may be pierced within.' The dress-maker em