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just in time for a good dinner. After a rest of an hour or so, we started out again to see a new station which the Great Northern Railway Co. is building at King's Cross. We first went to Oakley Square, and then struck across to the East, passing through a very miserable part of London, where "gin palaces" are innumerable, and wretched characters are to be met at every few paces. The station will be an enormous building. It has two arches facing the street of about one hundred feet span each. There is but one lair of bricks laid yet on the frame. It struck us that the outer structure was not of sufficient size or weight to support the thrust of the arches.        We concluded to return by Camden Town. Before we had gone far we passed two funerals, both children. The coffins were carried by a man, on his shoulder, the mourners following behind him. After going some distance and not finding a cross road, we made inquiry and were directed to go further on which we did for a long way over a verry muddy  

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road, Maiden Lane, until we came to the Camden Road by which we returned home. In the evening we rested after our long walk. 
     December 1st. In the forenoon Father drew in a picture from his sketch of Kilchurn Castle. I coppied an engraving of Wilson's Niobe, on a small canvas, for father to paint. Mother heard Lilly and me say our lessons.     After dinner we went to see the Zoological Gardens, which are situated on the North-West corner of Regents Park. On Mondays the price of admission is sixpence. It is a large enclosure, covering many acres, with parts pretty thickly wooded, intersected by perfectly kept walks, between which are beautiful flower beds, and the houses containing the animals, which are quite substantial with open cages in front, so that the animals can come out & get the sun and air.     There is a structure, about fifty feet long and thirty high, of wire, in which the birds are kept, with perpendicular divisions to separarate the different species. There are small trees and vines, and basins of water in it. In