LONDONERS AND LITERATURE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5665, 12 August 1905, Page 13

LONDONERS AND LITERATURE

OTrora Our Own Corr£. g p on( 3 en tj LONDON, Juno 23Tho idea of naming tho now County Council pnddlc-.ste;imors after groat men associated with the history of London is an excellent one, but it presupposes a knowledge of local history which comparatively few Londoners po% sess. Hereby iiaiigs a t-aie. A pedestrian on tho river-bank was watching a little procession of four of the new steamers near the opposite shore, and managed to discern tho names of Ben Jenson and diaries Lamb on the prows of tho two leading vessels. But owing, to defective eyesight ho had a difficulty making out tho names of the two which followed. Turning to twt> well-dressed men of tho middle-class, who- were also watching the passage of the new craft, ho asked them for their aid in determining the names. They readily deciphered them for him as ;{ Gikson ,J and ‘■Alleyn" respectively. But they generously vouchsafe some little further information. “Those names. Bon Jonson. Charles Lamb, Gibson, and Alleyn.” one of those instructors remarked with deliberation, “are names of the makers of those steamers. Kaoh builder puts his own name on his boat.*'' The speaker’s companion, so far from questioning this ingenious explanation of the mystery, supplemented it with tho comment that it was n very fair provision for tho Load** Ceaaty Council to have made.