The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LOisiliON, MONDAY EVEISING, NOVEMBER 5 .1
66.

splendour of the state-rooms, the cuisine unsurpassed
in any hotel in Europe, and, above all, their com-
parative cheapness as a means of transport. Some
of our English readers will reply, " That is all very
well, but you must remember, as a general rule,
our rivers are not assmooth as the American rivers ;
they are not liable to encounter the storms we have
on the coast." I can only say the ferry-boats that
Sld across the river from New York to Brooklyn,
and from New York to Staten Island and New Jer-
sey,
are liable to much rougher weather than ever a
penny steamer on the Thames does, or ever could
encounter. Yet in America the boats travel at
night in safety ; they are well ventilated and lighted,
the cabins commodious and luxurious, seats covered
with velvetper contra. Can a more dismal picture
be imagined than that of being on a London Thames
Express Boat ? There is no necessity for describing
them ; they are well known to both elements of the
Anglo-American public. Lately a sort of apology
for the American style of steamboats has been in-
troduced for summer travel with the most success-
ful results. The Albert Victor, and boats of that
class, are able to charge much higher fares, and are
patronised by a better class of people than the old-
fashioned ones. Pleasure-seekers demand comfort,
and they will pay for it. I again ask, are not the
Boston and New York Sound Boats liable to quite
as rough weather as the boats to Dublin or Ham-
burgh ? They have all the strength, speed, and sea-
worthiness of our iron coast steamers, but their
comfort is incomparably superior.
But the millions who travel on railways are every
day asking what improvements oan be made for
their safety and comfort.
Is it any reason because a man can only afford to
pay for a third-class ticket, he should be, as a rule,
placed in a compartment hardly fit for cattle ? That
in this place people should be allowed to smoke the
most abominable tobacco in the foulest of pipes?
that weakly females, consumptive men, and febrile
children, should inhale the sickening and nauseous
smoke, which to them, perhaps, is an abomination?
that the door should be slammed at every station
with a sound as loud almost as the report of a 12-
pounder cannon, and enough to frighten and 'jar
the life out of a nervous or a hypochondrous body.
But it may be answered that people will smoke in first-
class and second do., that they have the slamming of
doors. This is too true. There is one comfort, however,
in riding in a first-class English carriage. They are
luxurious ; and no one who enters would think of
puffing any but the most delicate of Havanas. We
pay well for our luxurious first-class. We hear a
great deal about the filthy tobacco habits of the
Americans ; but, for my part, I never saw any one
smoking where ladies were, or in any carriage in
that country, unless it was in the regular carriage
appropriated to that purpose, and I have often
known gentlemen who were desirous of smoking
ride in the large van appropriated to the luggage
rather than annoy their fellow-passengers.
Respect for the softer sex, on the other side of
the water, is the absolute slavery of the rougher
half of that world, and has given rise to the state-
ment by an eminent writer, that " America is the
Paradise for Women." Now, I never smoke, do
not like the smell of smoke, and yet I think the
individual is selfish indeed who would deprive his
fellow-creatures of that which he conceives to be a
luxury. And the sooner the managers adopt the
American system in reference to smoking the better
1 for all classes who will and must travel.

In English railways you are locked in, and we
know well enough what the consequences of that
system is ; gentlemen with reputation and character
hesitate now to occupy carriages alone with their
fellow-travellers sometimes placed therein. Many
gentlemen have been almost ruined, and the peace
of their families destroyed by the unjust charges
made by designing persons. Then, again, we know
that one or two ruffians could and have robbed,
insulted, and murdered those who, being locked in,
were at their mercy.
If an English railway carriage took fire, the
whole of those who occupied an apartment might
be burned or suffocated before a guard could be
made aware of the fact. If an English railway
carriage or the train is precipitated down an em-
bankment there is no outlet for escape ; they are
safely locked within. _ .

Now, what are the conveniences of the American
system ?
We will imagine the system between New York
and Washington, or the former city and Montreal,
introduced into Europe—we will suppose the pas-
senger is journeying in the early morning train—
he arrives at the station, purchases his ticket, tells
the baggage or luggage man where he is going ; he
receives a brass or copper cheque, the duplicate
number of which is strapped on his baggage. On
entering one of the carriages he finds himself in a
compartment capable of containing sixty persons.
The seats have all velvet cushions and backs, while
resting places for the feet are arranged under the
seat forward of the one he occupies. These seats
are arranged parallel to each other, each capable of
holding two persons ; a long passage passes down
the centre to the doors, which open at either end of
ouoefy a passenger ever leav-
, however long it niay
the apartment ; there are scats, therefore, right and
left.i ngh Theree train d
is
during
iong his necessity
journey,
be ; for lines being connected and of an equal gauge
the trains can be shunted from one to the other.
During the journey boys pass through the cars or
carriages with all the latest papers, pamphlets, and
books, and the passenger desirous of occupying
his time finds mental nourishment at hand. If the
weather is warm a boy with refreshing ice-water is
in attendance. In every railway-carriage there are
those conveniences which are especially necessary
to the invalid. if on the route the passenger is
desirous of leaving his family for the enjoyment
of a cigar or pipe he has only to pass forward to the
smoking carriage, for all the carriages are so connected
and covered over so as to be passable; and when he
has finished the said luxury he can return to his
former scat with his family. A large front carriage
is devoted to a refreshment-room, and here he will
find hot coffee and tea, stewed oysters, smoking hot,
broiled fowl, ham, eggs, and in fact a cafe or re-
staurant on wheels. Supposing there is sickness how
easy to obtain a physician, for the chances of one
being on the train is almost a certainty.
What murder like Muller's hellish business could
occur, what false charges of attempted insults,
what real insults, could take place, and what real
protection to life, honour, and property there would
necessarily be.
Then when we are almost at our journey's end
perhaps we have business to attend to before we
arrive at our hotel, or we are in a hurry and do
not choose to wait for our baggage. An autho-
rised agent passes through the train, he asks
for our check (optional or not whether we hand
it to him), he gives us a receipt and a duplicate
number, we pay him one shilling, and we have no
more bother ; in an hour our luggage is at our
residence, he takes a receipt of its delivery if at a
hotel, we show our duplicate ticket when we ar-
rive and deliver our baggage ; if at home, of course
our family recognise our baggage,
and have no
bother from beginning to the end.

Then we will suppose we have been busy all day;
we want to rush off to Manchester, to Liverpool,
to Scotland, to the Continent, anywhere. Do we
not all know that the deprivation of rest affects the
system more than either the loss of food or
water. Suppose for two shillings extra we can
enter a carriage where long
sleeping berths
are arranged with curtains, blankets, and that
we can remove our boots and clothes, and
take a sleep during the night of only five hours, or
if the novelty is such that we cannot sleep, that we
can extend and recline our bodies during that space
of time. In the morning the male chamber maid,
as he is denominated, has water, soap, and towel
for our morning ablution, our clothes are brushed,
our boots are blacked ; then, after a good hot cup
of coffee, we retire to another carriage, and just
at the grey of the morning we arrive fresh
and
_invigorated at our destination. Surely
every one will acknowledge that it would
be an improvement on the present mode of
travel in England and on the Continent. Why not
take a lesson, then ? Why cannot we, who are com-
pelled to travel, find those conveniences in Europe
that Young America boasts in the enjoyment of ?
The railroad structures here arc beyond any in