om one end, the great desideratum
detailed above would be accomplished. In other words, whereas now you
can find any one of the numbered streets without inquiry, you could
then do just the same with the streets which are named.

Another peculiarity in American towns are strong wire ropes, running
high up across the street, from which, in the centre, depends,
generally in ornamental wire-scroll letters, the name of the
shopkeeper on one side and a _resume_ of the articles he sells. In
some cases these are illuminated at night, and then have a pleasing
effect, besides helping to light the street. I could see no possible
objection to the plan, and if allowed in London, on the condition
that the owners illuminated them properly at their own cost, the sad
darkness our capital lies in, as compared with most others, would, in
a great measure, be done away with. Are we never going to light up
London with electricity? The Americans, on this point, are far ahead
of us. In every large town there the electric light is nearly
universal; and on the Continent, too, much more has been achieved in
that way than in England.

While on American peculiarities I must mention another, though it is
a little thing, and is only universal far out west. The cups have no
handles. This is certainly not an advantage when you are drinking hot
tea or coffee, for you simply can't lift the cup! I have mentioned
before that most of the crockery used in the States comes from
England, and in the case of cups for despatch long distances by rail,
I presume the handles are omitted to enable them to pack better, one
in the other, which of course they do.

I left Chicago when the six hours were up. It was then dark, and as I
slept through the state of Indiana I can say nothing about it. Next
morning we were in Ohio, and skirting the southern shore of Lake Erie
for some hours. I have nowhere seen more beautiful pastoral scenery
than I saw there, or a richer country. There were many perfect
country seats on the borders of that vast and superb lake, and
clean-looking pretty towns and villages. There is no want of rain in
this part of America, and the pasture-fields vied in their bright
green with those in Ireland, which so richly deserves the name of the
Emerald Isle.

In the evening we reached Buffalo, at the eastern extremity of Lake
Erie, and had an hour's halt there. That second wonderful sight in
the world (I hold the Himalayan snowy range to be the first