In a supplement to the The Illustrated London News for 31 December 1842, the reader would have encountered both a song for Christmas and one in praise of London's greatness as the world's preeminent metropolis. Bayley's "Jolly, Holly Christmas! A Song of the Wassail Bowl" (pp. 532-33) was followed by the three verses of "The City of the World" (words by Bayley and music by E. J. Loder). Here is the first verse:

A spirit from a fairy world Track'd thro' the realms of light,
And saw the cities of the earth
Spread far beneath her flight;
And once her white wings furl'd a-while
O'er London's mighty home,
And gave their dew-starr'd beauty rest
On yon cathedral dome.
Sing, glad and bold, to London old,
That proudly, proudly shines imperl'd
In England's breast, o'er all the rest, "The city of the world!"

Successive verses extol the city's "lusty Commerce" (2, line 17), "The giant arms of shining Thames" (2, 19), and the "wond'rous storehouses" (3, line 2) holding the gold of empires. The Bayley also contrasts the "kingly palace" (3, line 5) and "the fair park" (line 6) with "Misery's hovels" (line 9), as a stark reminder that the British lion distributes wealth and privilege somewhat unequally.

References

"The City of the World." Illustrated London News. (31 December 1842): 550.

Last modified 9 October 2006