File:London (1892) (14791006593).jpg

Identifier: londonbesant00besa (find matches)
Title: London
Year: 1892 (1890s)
Authors: Besant, Walter, Sir, 1836-1901
Subjects: London (England) -- History London (England) -- Social life and customs
Publisher: London : Chatto & Windus, Piccadilly
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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s, As if the Fire had only purged theCity, the buildings are infinitely more beautiful, more com-modious, more solid (the three main virtues of all edifices)than before. They have made their streets much more largeand straight, paved on each side with smooth hewn stone, andguarded the same with many massy posts for the benefit of footpassengers; and whereas before they dwelt in low, dark, woodenhouses, they now live in lofty, lightsome, uniform, and verystately brick buildings. This is great gain. And yet, lookingat the houses outside Staple Inn and at the old pictures, atwhat loss of picturesquencss was this gain acquired ? Therecords are nearly silent as to the way in which the people wereaffected by the Fire. It is certain, however, that where theplague ruined hundreds of families, the Fire ruined thousands.Thirteen thousand houses were burnt down ; many of thesewere houses harbouring two or three families, for 200,000 wererendered houseless. Some of them were families of the lower
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X HH CHARLES THE SECOND 315 working class, the riverside labourers and watermen whowould suffer little more than temporaiy inconvenience, andthje loss of their humble sticks. But many of them weresubstantial merchants, their warehouses filled with wine, oil,stuffs, spices, and all kinds of merchandise ; warehouses andcontents all gone—swept clean away—and with them thewhole fortune of the trader. And there were the retailers,whose stock in trade, now consumed, represented all they hadin the world. And there were the master workmen, theirworkshops fitted with such machinery and tools as belongedto their craft and the materials for their work—all gone—alldestroyed. Where was the money found to replace these 4m- treasures of imported goods ? Who could refurnish his shopfor the draper ? Who could rebuild and fill his warehousefor the merchant? Who could give back his books to thebookseller ? No one—the stock was all gone. The prisoners for debt, as well as those who were im-pris

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