houses in Cheapside and Cannon-street, and elsewhere, are owned by
men who mostly began life without a rap. Go to the beautiful villas at
Norwood, at Highgate, at Richmond, and ask who lives there, and you will
find that they are inhabited by men whose wealth is enormous, and whose
career has been a marvellous success. Fortunes in London are made by
trifles. I know a man who keeps a knacker's yard, who lives out of town
in a villa of exquisite beauty, and who drives horses which a prince
might envy. Out of the profits of his vegetable pills Morrison bought
himself a nice estate. Mrs. Holloway drives one of the handsomest
carriages you shall meet in the Strand. Sawyer and Strange, who the
other day were respectable young men unknown to fame, paid the Crystal
Palace Company upwards of 12,000 pounds, as per contract, for the liberty
to supply refreshments for a few months. In the city there, at this
time, may be seen the proprietor of a dining-room, who drives a handsome
mail-phaeton and pair daily to town in the morning to do business, and
back at night. Thackeray has a tale of a gentleman who married a young
lady, drove his cab, and lived altogether in great style. The gentleman
was very silent as to his occupation; he would not even communicate the
secret to his wife. All that she knew was what was patent to all his
neighbours--that he went in his Brougham in the morning, and returned at
night. Even the mother-in-law, prying as she was, was unable to solve
the mystery. At length, one day the unfortunate wife, going with her
dear mamma into the city, in the person of a street sweeper clothed in
rags, and covered with dirt, she recognised her lord and master, who
decamped and was never heard of more. The story is comic, but not
improbable, for London is so full of wealth, you have only to take your
place, and it seems as if some of the golden shower must fall into your
mouth. Mr. Thwaites, when examined before the Parliamentary Committee on
the Embankment of the Thames, said, "The metropolis contributes very
largely to the taxation of the country. The value of the property
assessed under Schedule A, is 22,385,350 pounds, whilst the sum for the
rest of the kingdom is 127,994,288 pounds; under Schedule D the
metropolis shows 37,871,644 pounds, against 86,077,676 pounds. The gross
estimated rental of the property of the metropolis assessed to the poor
rates is 16,157,320 pounds, against 86,077,676 pounds from th