THE THAMES BRIDGES 17 come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time. gradually making expiation for itself." Nearly a thousand years ago the Saxons built a wooden bridge over the Thames. Since then time and fire and flood have wrought havoc to the various structures that had succeeded the firstnamed very primitive old bridge—and still London Bridge stands as the great pathway from north to south of our City. In the morning, as in the evening, it is very wonderful to watch the longcontinued flood of passers-by-and this goes on each year in spite of the other bridges by which the river is spanned, and in spite of the tunnels underneath the river's bed-truly a great population. "Old London Bridge" was built in the time of King John; and it had a long life, up to the date of the erection of what is practically the present bridge, which was completed in 1831. On the 28th of March 1904 the new footways on this bridge were opened to the public; but, in spite of these footways having been considerably widened, there is at certain hours an inconvenient crowd of passers-by. This condition is likely to remain for many a long day to come. About two hundred years ago the Thames was so clear and pure that it was used constantly by the nobles and others who |