gilded pillars, and communicating with the upper deck by wide staircases with metallic steps and mahogany balusters. The laundries and the crew's berth are shut off at the fore part; on deck are arranged four rows of cabins separated by a passage, and at the stern three immense dining-rooms run in the same direction as the cabins; a passage leads from the saloons at the stern to those at the bows round the paddle-engine, between its sheetiron partition and the ship's offices. The ill-fated vessel, however, never seems to have prospered; and more than once she was nearly lost in the Atlantic, through failing to answer her helm, or through some other accident. Now it appears that she is likely to be used for conveying coals from Newcastle to the port of London. directly opposite Greenwich Hospital, is Cubitt Town, so called from the fact of a large portion of the land here having been some years ago taken by Messrs. Cubitt & Co., builders, for the construction of works in the manufacture of all kinds of ceramic ware used in building, &c. Rows of streets and houses were built in the neighbourhood of the works, and in 1853, Mr. William Cubitt, M.P., erected a church here for the use of the inhabitants. This edifice, built of brick, with stone dressings, and in the Early English style, stands at the south-eastern extremity of the island, its tower and spire being a conspicuous object from the river. St. Luke's Church, in Stratford Street, Millwall, consecrated in 1870, is a stone building of modern Gothic design, with a heavy-looking tower and spire. Limehouse is situated on the north-western side of the canal which separates the Isle of Dogs from the mainland. It is so called from a lime-kiln, generally known as the lime-house, which stood here. Pepys, under date of October 9th, 1661, writes, in his "Diary":"By coach to Captain Marshe's at Limehouse-to a house that hath been their ancestors' for this 250 years, close by the lime-house, which gives the name to the place." Norden, writing in 1592, adopts the derivation of Limehouse from the lime-kiln, which, according to Mr. Cowper's statement in his work above quoted, exists to this day; but Stow gives the derivation as a corrupt spelling for Limehost, or Lime-hurst, the latter of which denotes a plantation, or 547 designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, and was consecrated in 1730. The original drawings and plans for the building are preserved in the British Museum. The steeple of the church is conspicuous from the river, but is not remarkable for its beauty; indeed, this church, like others of which Hawksmoor was the architect, exhibits a style remarkable for its solidity of ap a place of lime-trees. LIMEHOUSE CHURCH. that Shakespeare introduces the name in the play of Henry VIII. (Act v., sc. 3), where Porter says:"These are the youths that thunder at a playhouse, and fight for bitten apples: that no audience but the Tribulation of Tower-hill or the limbs of Limehouse, their dear brothers, are able to endure." It may be remembered | pearance and singularity of design, which may be The district was originally a hamlet of Stepney, but was made into a distinct parish in the reign of Queen Anne. The church is one of the fifty which were authorised to be erected by an Act of Parliament passed in the ninth year of that reign. It is dedicated to St. Anne, and was built from the ment. the opposite side, are carried up several feet above also the East India Company's Chapel, was built the large cornice, and form two curiously orna- during the Commonwealth, and contains two or mented towers. In the interior of the church there three monuments to distinguished men, among is nothing remarkable as to the general arrange- them being one to Robert Ainsworth, the Latin The Roman style is preserved throughout. lexicographer, who died in 1743, and whose epitaph Stone columns, of the composite order, standing was his own composition; and another to George upon square pedestals, support an enriched cor-, Steevens, the Shakesperian critic and editor, who nice, continued only over part of the side aisles. died at Hampstead in 1800, and was buried here. Small Ionic columns of wood are placed as sup- This latter monument was executed by Flaxman. ports under either gallery, the entrances to which are equally crude in design with many other portions of this edifice. The east window, of painted glass, from a design by West, was executed by Mr. Buckler, the painter of the window in the "Barons' Hall" at Arundel Castle. The pulpit is an elaborate specimen of carved work, and is stated to have occupied two years and a half in its execution. The "fine and beautiful" Commercial Road, as Baron Dupin calls it in his "Commercial Power of Great Britain," constructed under the direction of Mr. Walker, an eminent engineer in his day, runs directly through the parish. It is seventy feet in width, and forms a direct communication between Whitechapel and the West India Docks. The Lea Cut and the Regent's Canal both enter the Thames at Limehouse. The former was executed in 1772 for the purpose of obtaining a more direct communication between the Pool and the River Lea, which it joins at Bromley. The Regent's Canal is of more recent formation. Its route is traced through nine parishes; it is eight miles in length, and its mean width thirty-seven feet. It rises eighty-four feet by means of twelve locks, is crossed by about forty bridges, passes by means of a tunnel (upwards of half a mile in length) under the New River and part of Islington, and by another tunnel (a quarter of a mile in length) at Paddington, and communicates with the Grand Junction Canal. Poplar, which adjoins Limehouse on the east, was likewise originally a hamlet of Stepney, from which parish it was separated in 1817. The district embraces the Isle of Dogs. Dr. Woodward, in "Strype" (Circuit Walk, p. 102), writing in 1720, observes :-" Popler, or Poplar, is so called from the multitude of poplar-trees (which love a moist soil) growing there in former times. And there be yet remaining, in that part of the hamlet which bordereth upon Limehouse, many old bodies of large poplars, standing as testimonials of the truth of that etymology." The parish church, dedicated to All Saints, was consecrated in 1823. It is a large building, with a handsome steeple, which contrasts favourably with that of Limehouse Church. Poplar Chapel, called The old manor-house of Poplar, an ancient wooden building, was situated on the south side of the present East India Dock Road, but was partially pulled down early in the present century. The old house was formerly owned by Sir Gilbert and Sir William Dethick, who held successively the appointment of Garter King-at-Arms in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The Town Hall and the offices of the Local Board of Works for Poplar are handsome and commodious buildings, the latter being of recent erection. "To Poplar adjoineth Blackwall"-so wrote Dr. Woodward in "Strype's Appendix "; and added that it is "a notable harbour for ships, so called because it is a wall of the Thames, and distinguished by the additional term Black from the black shrubs which grow on it, as on Blackheath, which is opposite to it, on the other side of the river. ' In the reign of Edward III. Sir John de Pulteney possessed the manor of Poplar. His London house was at Cold Harbour, in Upper Thames Street. Mr. Cowper conjectures that if he ever resided in this neighbourhood, it was at Blackwall, where there is a place called Cold Harbour. "Near the ancient ferry, called Globe Stairs, opposite the 'Artichoke' Tavern," he observes, "there stands an ancient house, which tradition says was successively occupied by Sebastian Cabot and Sir Walter Raleigh. Whatever value may attach to the tradition, the house in question is both curious and interesting. Its framework is of wood, and still likely to last for years. Some grotesque heads and other carvings adorn the outside. The floor of the house is considerably below the present level of the street, and the principal entrance is blocked up. Though now in a narrow and confined situation, originally its windows looked out upon the rising sun, and commanded an extensive view up and down the river, as well as across into Kent. By the gradual encroachments of buildings all around, it has been hemmed in as we now find it." The Brunswick Wharf, at Blackwall, was opened for the reception of steam-packets in 1840. Lovegrove's Tavern, the "Brunswick," was for many years famous for its fish, and particularly for whitebait dinners. The Vastness of Trade and Commerce-Arrival of Coal-ships and other Vessels in the Port of London-Number of Barges and other Craft required for Traffic in 1792-Plunder carried on in the Lighters on the River-Institution of the Thames Police-Proposals for the Establishment of Docks-Foundation of the West India Docks-The Opening Ceremony-Description of the Docks-A Curious Museumew Dry Docks-The Wood Wharf-The Rum Quay-The South West India Dock-The Wool Warehouses-The East India DocksMillwall Dock-Insecurity of Merchandise before the Establishment of Docks or Institution of the Thames Police. THE docks of London show at once to the most casual observer the great enterprise and prosperity of the metropolis. It will readily be conceived that a population of more than 3,000,000 souls must necessarily, to a great extent, be supported by its trade and commerce, its proceeds in money value far exceeding in amount that of any other community in the world. The merchant is the dealer with the trading universe, the tidal Thames bringing with its flow the treasures of near and distant nations; and, with the aid of steam, persons of all nations come to us with objects of business and mutual interchange. : Charles Knight, in his "London," says "The stranger, especially from an inland county, who takes a passage by one of the steamers which leave London Bridge every half-hour for Greenwich, will be astonished at the apparently interminable forests of masts which extend on both sides of the channel, where a width of three hundred feet should be kept for the purposes of safe navigation, but which the crowd of ships from all quarters of the globe, of colliers, coasters, steamboats, and river craft, renders it difficult for the harbour-masters to maintain. If the tide be running upward, laden coal-barges are thronging the channel, proceeding to the wharves in the upper part of the river, and colliers at their moorings are at all times discharging their cargoes into barges alongside. By the regulations of the coal trade, only a certain number of coal-ships are allowed to unload at the same time, the others remaining lower down the river until their turn arrives; and the coal-meters, who are appointed by the City, are also limited in number. But for these restrictions the river would present a still more crowded appearance, as it has happened that above three hundred colliers have arrived in the lower pool in one day, and even now a very large portion of the river is occupied by this one branch of commerce. Seventy years ago, not only coalships, but vessels of every other kind, discharged their cargoes into lighters while at anchor in the stream; but such a practice would now be impos sible, so great has been the increase of commerce. East Indiamen in general came only as far as Blackwall, where they discharged their cargo into decked lighters of from fifty to one hundred tons, and, the hatchways being secured under lock and key, they proceeded to the wharves. West India ships discharged in the river, and the cargoes also, were conveyed in lighters to the legal quays. All other vessels, except they were of small size, were in like manner compelled to use lighters in discharging their cargoes. At the present time the majority of the barges and river craft are solely employed in transporting the cargoes of coal, corn, and timber ships: comparatively speaking, only a small proportion being required for the conveyance of all other commodities, the chief of which are of a bulky kind, and do not offer any great temptation to pilferers." In 1792 the number of barges and craft required for the traffic between the ships in the river and the quays was 500 for timber and 1,180 for coal, each averaging 33 tons; 402 lighters of 39 tons; 338 punts of 20 tons; 57 lugger boats of 24 tons; 6 sloops of 27 tons; 10 cutters of 71 tons; and 10 hoys of 58 tons: making a total of 3,503 craft. Property of the most costly and valuable description, and every kind of merchandise, was daily exposed to plunder in these open boats, for only the lighters of the East India Company were decked, and it was considered that even they afforded a very insufficient protection. The temptation to pilfering was almost irresistible, those who were honestly disposed taking their share, under the plea that waste and leakage were perquisites. So many persons were engaged in the work of depredation on the river that it was carried on in the most daring and open manner, lightermen, watermen, labourers, the crews of ships, the mates and officers in some instances, and to a great extent the officers of the revenue, being combined in this nefarious system, while on each side of the river there were hosts of receivers, some of them persons of opulence, who carried on an extensive business in stolen property. In 1798, the Thames Police, called then the Marine Police, was instituted for the repression of these offences, but the source of the evil was still untouched, the temptation remaining undiminished so long as the exposure of property was rendered unavoidable by the absence of sufficient accommodation in quays and warehouses. During the last century scarcely an effort had been made for the accommodation of the vastly increased trade of London, and the mercantile interests experienced, in consequence, impediments and losses, which it is wonderful did not arouse them earlier to provide a remedy. About the year 1793 the complaints of the merchants began to attract more attention than they had hitherto received, and they held meetings, at which various remedies were proposed, but for a time no substantial improvement resulted therefrom. Many plans were brought forward, among them being the following, each of which embraced the Isle of Dogs in their scheme : The West India Docks were the first public wet-docks constructed on the north bank of the Thames in the port of London. There had, however, been for many years a wet-dock at Blackwall, at the ancient ship-yards there; besides which, a Mr. Perry, in 1789, had constructed the Brunswick Dock, which, as we shall presently see, was afterwards enlarged to form the export basin of the East India Docks. The Act empowering the formation of these docks includes the City Canal, or South Dock; and the preliminaries having been duly arranged, the works were commenced in February, 1800, and the "first stone" was laid in July of the same year. Inscriptions setting forth the objects for which the docks were made, written on two rolls of vellum, one in English and the other in Latin, together with several coins of different values, were enclosed in glass bottles, which were deposited in the first stone, at the south-east corner of warehouse No. 8. The docks were formed from the designs of Mr. Jesson, and were formally opened on the 27th August, 1802, the opening ceremony being performed by Mr. William Pitt, the then Prime Minister, in the presence of a vast concourse of spectators. The first ship to enter the new docks was the Henry Addington, a vessel newly built, and one of the finest in the West India trade. For twenty The City plan, of which the chief feature was a dock of 102 acres in the Isle of Dogs, to contain above 400 ships, and another at Rotherhithe, of the same extent, for colliers. Another plan, drawn up by a Mr. Walker, was to excavate fifty-five acres for docks, thirty-five acres additional being intended for quays, wharves, and warehouses. One of the entrances was to be by a canal intersec-one years after the opening of the docks all vessels ting the Isle of Dogs, at a point near the southern shore. The cost was estimated at £880,000. The last of these plans was designed by Mr. Reaveley; it displayed considerable ingenuity, and its chief features were :-(1) To form a new channel for the river in a straight line from Limehouse to Blackwall, the Long Reach round the Isle of Dogs thus constituting a dock, with flood-gates at each entrance (2) To continue the new channel below Blackwall towards Woolwich Reach, so as to convert another bend of the old channel into a dock. (3) To make a new channel from Wapping, and to form three docks out of the three bends, to be called Ratcliffe Dock, Blackwall Dock, and in the West India trade frequenting the port of London were compelled to use them. The principal, or western, entrance to the docks is near the West India Dock Station of the Blackwall Railway, a little to the east of Limehouse Church. It is surmounted by the model of a sailing-vessel, and over the entrance is inscribed:— "The West India Import Dock-begun 12th July, 1800; opened for business 1st September, 1802." At the principal entrance is a bronze statue, erected to perpetuate the memory of Robert Milligan, "a merchant of London, to whose genius, perseverance, and guardian care, the surrounding great work principally owes its design, accomplishment, and regulation." This statue, In 1799 an Act of Parliament was passed for which was executed by Sir R. Westmacott, is of rendering more commodious and for better regu- life-size, placed on a granite pedestal, and enclosed lating the Port of London; and in that same year by an iron railing. Close by are two guard-houses, another Bill was also passed for the formation of which were erected for the accommodation of small the West India Docks. These docks, which oc- detachments of troops, detailed by the Governcupy the whole length of what may be called the ment when first the docks were constructed for the "neck" of the Isle of Dogs, from Limehouse to more efficient protection of the company's property. Blackwall, are said to be the largest in the world. These troops supplied a cordon of night sentries They are nearly three times as extensive as the round the docks, each sentry having in his sentryLondon Docks, and are almost 300 acres in extent. | box a bell, which he sounded at regular intervals. Greenwich Dock. |