Victorian London - Crime - warnings to travellers

    In walking through the streets, avoid lingering in crowded thoroughfares, and keep on the right-hand side of the footway.
    Never enter into conversation with men who wish to show you the way, offer to sell "smuggled cigars" or invite you to take a glass of ale or play a game at skittles.
    If in doubt about the direction of any street or building, inquire at a respectable shop or of the nearest policeman.
    Monday is the workman's holiday; Saturday the most aristocratic day for the Opera, Crystal Palace, &c.
    Consult the Post Office Directory for addresses of friends who do not live in lodgings.
    Do not relieve street-beggars, and avoid bye-ways and poor neighbourhoods after dark.
    Carry no more money about you than is necessary for the day's expenses. Look after your watch and chain, and take care of your pockets at the entrance to theatres, exhibitions, churches, and in the omnibuses and the streets.

Routledge's Popular Guide to London, [c.1873]