Omnibuses.—Very few indeed of the regular old-fashioned coaches are now to be seen in London. Most of the places within twenty miles of the metropolis, on every side, are supplied with omnibuses instead. The first omnibus was started by Mr. Shillibeer, from Paddington to the Bank, July 4, 1829. From a return with which, by the courtesy of Colonel Henderson, C.B., Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Scotland Yard, we were kindly favoured, we gathered, that up to date of the communication in question,—viz., 28th June, 1870,—the number of such vehicles licensed in the Metropolitan district was 1,218. Every omnibus and hackney carriage within the Metropolitan district and the City of London, and the liberties thereof, has to take out a yearly license, in full force for one year, unless revoked or suspended; and all such licenses are to be granted by the Commissioners of Police, whose officers are constantly inspecting these public vehicles. Generally speaking, each _omnibus_ travels over the same route, and exactly the same number of times, day after day, with the exception of some few of the omnibuses which go longer journeys than the rest, and run not quite so often in winter as in summer. Hence the former class of omnibus comes to be associated with a particular route. It is known to the passengers by its colour, the name of its owner, the name given to the omnibus itself, or the places to and from which it runs, according to circumstances. The designations given to the omnibuses, whether meaning or unmeaning in themselves, are found to be very convenient, because they are generally written in large conspicuous characters. This being an important matter to strangers, we shall give a condensed list of some of the chief omnibus routes in London in the _Appendix_. Large omnibuses, to work on _street tramways_, after having been tried within the last few years, having evoked angry discussion between opponents and defenders, and having been entirely withdrawn, have now been revived, from Brixton Church to Kennington Gate, on the Mile End and Whitechapel Roads, City Road, Kingsland, &c., &c., and are rapidly extending. There are, to a male visitor, few better ways of getting a bird’s-eye view of London than by riding outside an omnibus from one end of London to the other, as, according to the omnibus taken, the route can be greatly varied.