Today, on July 3rd, I traveled to the eastern part of London to see the Tower fortress, the underwater tunnel, and to take a ride on the railway from London Bridge to Deptford.

The Tower, the London fortress built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, is located on the bank of the Thames, at the edge of the City, and is separated from the other parts of London by a rather wide moat. The fortress is surrounded by multiple buildings, and inside, the grounds are built up with so many structures that it could not be defended if attacked; but all the regulations for fortifications are sacredly performed in it: in the evening at sunset, the gates are locked, and a yeoman warder sergeant passes the keys to the commandant until the next morning. During the day, the entrance into the fortress is open to the public. The warders, or stewards, dressed in red tunics on which the royal crown and coat of arms are embroidered in gold and in multicolored silks, take the curious sightseers to all the wards of the fortress for a fixed fee. Some travelers find it improper to have to pay a fee to visit a certain building, monument, etc., but I find it very convenient: I know in advance how much I need to pay, will not spend more than necessary, will not offend my guide in giving him, by ignorance, less than he should receive. I paid five shillings and was able to see everything I wanted.

On the grounds of the fortress, as I have already said, there are some secondary structures: the most notable and the oldest, the White Tower, built in 1070, sits in the middle; it is irregularly shaped and supplied with four corner towers. We entered into the fortress through the ancient, black, crumbling Traitors’ Gate: the gate got its name because state prisoners were brought through it. Inside the gate, we were shown the Bloody Tower, in which the children of Edward IV were slain by the order of Richard III. — Rare is the history of a country that presents (almost until the accession to the throne of the reigning House of Hanover) so many scenes of horror, bloodshed, and atrocity as the English one.