The daily republic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1853-1853, 1853-08-08
Correspondence Of the Republic.
A teD ".Nctss on the Road" from Washington to
.Nt,r York, and thought or heo on the Crystal
Palace


-Ns,r York, and thought or heo on the Crystal
| Palace
| GRERNFIELD, Mass, August S, 1853.
| From Washington to New York the distance
is two hundred and twenty-seven miles, and the
fare is seven dollars and quarter; from New
York to Boston the distance is nine miles greater
and the fare only four dollars. This fact, APP
pealng as it does directly to the pockets of the
travelling community, deserves word or two OF
| passing notice; and while the cars wait in the
station house at Washington for the call aboard y
of the CONDUCTOR we will endcavor TO ascertain the
cause of so great a difference. The Washington
Branch Railroad, we are told, have contract
with the State Of Maryland VIII ereby the State,
for the consideration of fifty cents per head Oh
passengers, guarantees that no other company
shall run in competition with this one; that is,
you pay seventy five cents to the company for
your seat and fifty cents extra, which goes to the
treasury Of the State TO the detrment of that ofthe
Individual. The transportation in stages at Balti-
more and Philadelphia, and the ferrying at Havre
de Grace and New York, doubtless swells the list
of extras, and New Jersey takes another dip into
our pockets; and so it mounts up to g.. cents per
mile, while from New York to Boston it is only
| l AS cents.
| This is practical sermon against monopoly
one that needs no comment, for it comes home to
the pocket of every man who travels over this
route and the unjust "tax on travellers" is one OF
those srelics Of the dark ages that we can safely
wish abolished without the imputation Of being
too radical. M
| This going to Baltimore in an hour and hall
is somewhat faster travelling than our fathers
were used to when the heavy stage-coach
dragged its slow length along" through mire
and over rocks, sometimes in nearly two days, il
! the roads were ordinarily bad-sometimes in
three, when they were more than commonly SO
and when Through by daylight" was great
feat.
Surprising our traveller Ia gentleman from the
rural distrcts) to leave Washington at FIVE in the
evening, he will, after long night of jolting and
rumblng and vain attempts at sleep, arrive at the
great city little after six next morning; and, al
he steps from the Jersey City ferry-boat and en-.
tiers the Babel he calls to mind oil the stories he
has ever read Of pickpockets and thieves; and as
he strolls through the streets seeking to see the
elephant, he keeps one hand in his breaches
pocket, tightly clasping his well-stuffed pocket
book.
Broadway delights while it astonshes him, and
he is showed, and poked, and jostled, he stands
with his mouth open gazing at the interminable
line of omnibuses, and wondering "who on arth
! the funeral 3 for -
| Soon he meets friend, who undeceives him
about the funeral, and they stop bus, get into
it, and ride up towards the Crystal Palace. He is
alarmed beyond measure at the fearful rapidity OF
their course and the close shaves they take of the
wheels of passing vehicles; and, to his excited
Imagination, it seems that the driver rather courts
than avoids danger, and that he endeavors, with
a praiseworthy perseverance, to run down every
woman and child that crosses their way
| Our traveller has seen an engraving of the Pa
lace, and he expects to see the open place around
filed, as there represented, with Cinnamon with
their pigtails, and Turks with their turbans,
mingling with rosy, portly men in John Bulls
national costume, (shorts and top boots) and wild
Indians and picturesque Switzers, and ferocious
Italian brigands and he is consequently very
much surprised to find only plain, everyday look
ing Yankees and not so great crowd of those as
he expected.
The Exhibition bewilders and astonishes him;
there are many passages and stairways, and sta
tues, and paintings, and piano-fortes, and car
riages, and strange and beautiful things, big and
litte all to his bewildered senses strewn in
less confusion; and from the moment when the
young lady at the entrance gave him a check for
his big walking-stick to the time when he redeems
that article of furniture he wanders around lost
and amazed man.
There is so much TO admre So much beauty
80 much VARIETY So much excellence in all he
sees! And from tho colossal Amazon down to the
little oscillatng engine that stands upon ten-cent
piece he turns from object to object, never weary
ing among the endless variety.
1t depends very much on the temper of man 3
mind what he sees at the Exhibition. To any
man it must be place of great interest; but diff
ferent persons see things in such different light.
Some see a great collection of works of art. they
find statues and paintings there; and others look
only at the jewelry and silver-ware; while some
again walk it were through carriage and
piano-forte bazaar. One acquaintance of mine as
sured me that / should find ssnothing there worth
seeing, except, he added, s'some beautiful soap
and candles!"
| So much has been already written about the
Exhibition that any addition on my part would be
worse than useless. Of its success I have no
doubt, and less Of its merit. That it will be the
means of bringing many foreigners into the coun
| try do doubt, and after the result of the Eng
fish Exhibition, where there were no more than
could be accounted for as exhibitors and their at
tendants, it could hardly be expected. also doubt
that it will bring out much that is very new; but
it will bring the arts and manufactures of other
nations before the eyes of citizens; it will en-
courage and create emulation among our artists
and manufacturers; and it is besides great ma
tional place of amusement, where all America
may meet to examine inventions, gaze in rapt adj
miration on the works of genius, and hold friend
ly converse, North with South, and East with
West, on the great Pacific Railroad and the state
of the crops.
The many little shows and liquor stands around
the Palace reap but poor harvest.