can go almost anywhere in a tram-car with comfort, it
does not much matter, especially as you escape the woful jolting a
cab entails.

The names of streets in America are not put up on the corners as with
us. They are painted on the nearest lamp-glass. This is well for the
night, but inconvenient for the day. The name is only on one lamp,
and so small you must go close to read it. You have thus generally to
cross the road, and where four streets meet it is not easily found. I
did not like the plan. But London is also far from perfect in this
way, and might take a lesson from Paris. There, as a rule, the name
of the street is at every corner.

The elevated railways are a feature in New York. Like our underground
lines they lessen much the street traffic. They run about the height
of the second floor windows, and must be an awful nuisance to the
inhabitants of those rooms. The rails are supported on a timber frame
which rests on stout wooden piles. These latter are possibly twenty
feet high, they are very rough, and greatly disfigure the
thoroughfare. Another disfigurement in the streets of New York are
the telegraph-poles. We run our wires over the house-tops or
underground. They do not. The wires are probably more numerous than
ours, but all are supported on poles.

I went one trip on the elevated railroad. As you cross the open
streets, you get good views of the city, but only then; at all other
times the houses on either side shut out every thing. I thought the
service, the punctuality, the carriages quite equal to, if not better
than, our underground lines.

Among other things I went to one of the principal Fire Brigade
Stations. We all know, or ought to know, the Americans are an
inventive race. Much I saw showed great ingenuity, and not only that
but high powers of organization. I may mention one instance. The
horses for service stand ready harnessed except their collars (the
harness is peculiarly simple). The said collars are suspended in
front of the fire-engine, as far from it as when on the horses. The
collars open at bottom, and hang thus something like the capital
letter V inverted. A telegraph-bell rings when a fire breaks out
anywhere. The horses are taught, when they hear this bell, to go at
once in front of the engine, and put their heads and necks through
the collars till they are in their places. The collars close with a
spring, and the engine is ready to start! If I remember right, two
minutes i