Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1843-09-09
English Inns aud English Servants.

An American, whose letters from England
arc published in the Richmond Enquirer, writes
thus from FELTON,, in Northumberland county,
England:
al had cause 10 be surprised at the comforts
to be had at the country inns Of England, equal
ling as they generally do, those Of the best ho-
tells of London. say surprised, because the
terms, as compared with those in London, are
so moderate. AT this inn, the price of lodging,
such as prince might be content with, is on
ly one shilling. Meals are not quite so cheap,
but much lower than the same in London. You
know the London hotels are proverbially high
priced, the world over. This is not at all
wonderful when you consider in addition to
the heavy taxes upon every thing that is used,
the extravaganza with which all their depart
mcnts arc conducted. The loss inevitable
from this extravaganza and waste must come
out of the pocket of the stranger who patron
ICES the establishment Any one too, who will
look at the servants, and the manner in which
they dress, will not be surprised that they want
high fees from all upon whom they attend.
Imagine, as is actually the case, the waiter
dressed in fine broad cloth, ruified shirt,
white cravat, elegantly worked collar, pumps,
and occasionally white gloves, and what a con-
trast do we see to those we have been accus-
toned TO have around us. This fincry in
which these servants dress, is no doubt borrow
cd from the servants of the nobility, who arc
very gaudily arraycd. The aristocracy seem
to have quite q passion for handsome servants.
Of course they are dressed in livery but
livery is not confined to the nobility, but eX-
tends to many commoners as well, cannot see
its use, unless it be to distinguish the servant
from the master. A stranger, without this
distinction, would be at a loss to know who was
the gentleman-the servant being in many in
stances the better and more intellectual look
ing man Of the two, as have often observed i'll
Hyde Park.
"The practice of giving fees to servants in
England, has become as much part other sys
TEN, as the revenue laws themselves. Ii is a
custom the more especially vcxatious 10 Amcr-
cans, because they have not been used to 1t.
The evil does not consist in any thing so much
as the uncertainty as to what you have to pay.
If, when ones bill were presented at a tavern,
the amount due to servants were added on, ac-
cording to some fixed and general rule, there
would not be much reason To complain. But,
as il is, the traveller is often put to the nccessi-
ty of paying more than he can afford, or than
the services arc worth, for fear of seeming ,o
impose upon menlal by paying TO little. Al
many public places, where no tickets of adj
mission are sold, antique places, churches, no.
blemen's seats, &C., fees are regularly expect
, ed, and generally the qualification felt by thu
stranger is such as to make him feel that any
, little sum he may have to bestow, is well spent
| can tolerate poor widow, making her live
hhood by exhibiting the memorials of such q
f man as Shakespeare; can excuse work
! man, in hot manutactory or foundry, toling
, and sweating from day TO day for lean wages
asking for the whcrewth to buy bottle ofal'
or some comfort for his family but when
5 sec nublemcn, who are rolling in wealth, an,
C splendor and supcrluty, making, as it were
2 public places OF their seats, grounds and gal
5 leries, permitting their establishments to b,
4 shown for money, which indiiicrcntly finds it
G way to their pockets, or else paying ,hei
a housekecpers and porters with what is rccciv
|, ed, and thus permitting these gentlemen il
|, livery" to levy contributions upon the public
l. whcrewith they may gamble, and carry o.
Il "high life below stairs" can find no justifi
t. cation for such practices beng carried on b.
d men, who assume 10 be above every thing sol
d did, and, more than that, who style themsevc
d "noble." | do not know how the practice ,
taking tees could have become so General, M
le less it be sort of extension of the prncip'
c. upon which John Bull has acted-that of taxin
n every thing that would bear it. You kno
&c that servants, the world over, will initiate Ii
v, vices of their masters. ! think the Englis
is menials seeing what large sums their master
I'd who governed the country, raised by means
e. taxes and protective tariffs, only adding on
ne little to the price ofevery article, resolved tn
or they would do the same, ard protect themsely
lis by screwing small sam, or as much as he cou
Is, give out OF evcy gcntleman they met"
~, A paper in Texas recommends the settle
=" not 20 run in debt. Having run in debt TO 9
"e here, says he, there can be no greater folly tn
running into it when here, beyond which the
rs is no place to run.
M -----------
NE "Ml;ons for de; fence" as the darkey cr
rod when the farmers dou MAS after him.