The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-05-17
AN AMERICAN HOTEL.

In Dickens HouSehold Words is the fol-
lowing description Of the ST. Nicholas Hotel
(undcr another name which, besides being
interesting as quaint but faithful desrrip.
ton OF that great establishment, and Ameri-
can Hotel living, has the additional merit of
showing how our hotel system. As best car
ried out, strikes an intelligent and travelled
Engishman.
The Saint Bohlink House is a mighty edi-
nee OF pure white marble. Saint Boblink is
'ha" 100 hooit a SAINT to be- canonlzed in
romPo. The windows sparkle like gems in
queens diadem. and seem as numerous as
the facets in cry>.aI Wide vawning is the
DOORWAY; countless are the columns lofty
and aerial the balconies; vividly verdan: the
veran'iahs: and high above the topmJst bal
nstradr floats Sclf-aSSrrtinclv in the air. the
great banner of the stars and >tri,ws. This
Is an hotel with vrnocanre but run not
away with the Impression that it is uniuue-a
solitary monster. like the Sphinx. the Grand
Hotel dn Louvre, or the Great Western IIo.
tel. Paddin.fon 1t has brothers and cousins.
and children As capaciuuS il not more so than
ltseit, on either side. and up and down. AS far
AS the eye can reach. in the great transatlan-
II" Bourvard-the Parvarcr House. the st.
llominy House, the Golden Gate House. the
Amal.amafcd Squash Hotel. and other big
sounding ho>tclrirS The st. I,oblink is A
vast eating aud drinkin. factory an eastern
caravan>rra opened hy American enter
PRISE: an EmprrorS palace l.t out in room
lots at three dollars dav; Vatican for yoy-
ayers.
People say that there are above two thou
sand rooms in this sane Vatican. | >bnnld-
mt like 10 bet but to guess from the ,orIl.>
OF travellers that the 81 Bob!ink rivr> shell
ter to. it would really seem AS though hi, ho-
Illness the Pope had the smaller of the two.
The ear of man has not heard how many
the st. BobIink would accommodate Al a
pinch and no one Is in a POSITION 70 dispute
the boast of Washington Mu>h its landlord,
Grow travc!!in. in Europe with a secretary,
courIcr. tutor. 4 covrrnrSS. and two la
dies MAIDS tor his iamiv) that he could take
the who,t of Congress III to board provide
beds in addition. for the British IIonSp of
Lords. IT they chose 10 come over and spr
the workings OF TIE American CONSERVATION
and flrd. without muvh trouble. >l,akriowns
into the bargain. tor the House of Commons.
gu may have reoui>. and suites of rooms
at the ~. Bnbink. AZ sliding scale Of prices.
II Won are inclined to DO the Sardanaraln>,
y"u can rcvel in >plcnl,r. ard ruin vonr>clf
1t YOU like; bat If you are but simple SEN
Siblc. single traveller. who has travelled. prr-
haps. twelve hundred miles with no more luz
gage than vali>" or shiny carpet has.v
may board and lodge, and enjoy vour thou
sanl;h >h-re Of all ,hr !uxrri,> + tbs h,,e!
palace for the moderate sum Of three dol
lars, OF twelve >hllincs aud sixpcncc per
diem There are even cheaper and not
much less splendid ho;c!>: but The 81. Bob
link is tir>ichop-sn \ One House.
For your three dollars day YOU have the
run of all the public apartments. noble bill
hard room. where Won NAV win or lose dollar
bills OF or to cxcitablc SouthernerS and SEN
ator> in want OF excitement. 10 vour hcart's 5
conirnt; rralin. rooms. where the ten thou
sand newspapers of the | mon. all printed on
the largest possible paper in the smallest pos
>Ib'r type. are spread on the green b,ize ia
hle>; s'nok g roo as where vou NAV taste
the flavor OF real IIavanas. or luxuria,c in
the ma>ticaton Of the fragrant ri. tail wri-
'lnT rooms: audience rooms: cloak rooulS :
lavatorrs. conservation parlors, am! lOuncinr
balconies. don't know whcrlcr they have
fitted up IA whirtiiug room at the Saint Bob
link Yet, hnt dare saw that convenience
will De added t" the establishment on the re-
turn of Washington Mash. Esquire. from
Europe. NJ the same time. perhaps. II would
he as well 10 elect an apartment devoted To
the national pa>tImc OF cNpcctoration. At
present. for want of special location. the
whole palace is one huge s;,ittoon. which is
Inconvenirnt TO foreigners
The harroom of the Saint Boi,link NAV br
initiated. but it can never be rqua!lrd in Eu
rope. No efforts ofrla>ric art. of upholstery
ingenuity. of architectural cunning could pro-
durc such result as it is here apparent. The
green velvet spring rourhe>. with carved oak
armrcst>. that art!ullv invite vou to lounge
IN" marble man'lcIcces and stove to;'s that
seem To say, eductvclv-''cunr, raise YOU,
heels above the level of Your heads. aud show
the European stranger a row of chcvaux d,
trisr OF black pants y the ro,king chair; tn,
dainty marble and bronze tables, (transatlan
tic "reminiscences OF PariSiah cafes y arabps,u
ed gas burners; the cut elass looking glass
cs; gilt frames. and Venetian blinds; tn.
SplendItcrous commercial advertisements tha
so worth,ly usurp the place OF stupid hi.t
art pictures and rngra,inSs: for who wou:,
not rather see Fits. fits. fits" in chrome
photography. or doctor Turnip>ccd's me,i
lated mangelwurzcl." or ''th- Patent IIrra
rlci'lan Drcta,ivr Pallorks." sumptnou>l,
framed aud glazed. than SIR Edward Land
s"er's ''DeerStalkinC." or the Queen afte1
Winterhaltcr? But | do the bar of III.
Saint Boblnk in ustice. There are som,
encravInss. The massive head OF DAME
Webster frowns upon the sherry-cnbhIrr
drinkers; proudly Gin print) in the muld,
Mississippi, defiant Of snacs and Sawver>
streams along Prleg Potter steamer. huge
hurricane-decked, many port holed high pres
surtd, and hideous-her engines working in
sight. as if her boilers were impatient to
burst, and had come ny from the engine
room to see how many passengers there were
before bursting.
| Then there is grand view of the palace
itself-thc Saint Boblink-as large As life.
Cat least on the scale Of half an inch to a
toot,) lithographed by Messrs. Saxony and
Mayor. The barroom has almost made me
forget the bar though one vist to it is suil-
ccnt to stamp it in our remembrance forever
There, on that great marble Geld of Bacchus,
are sold the most delicious thirst quenchers
in the two hemispheres. 1t is not necessary
that should cnurmerate them. The names,
at least OF egg noggs. juIeps, brandy smashes,
timber doodles. AMI stone fence, are known
in Europe. There are already several buf-
fets in Paris where You Tan be supplied with
the cool and cunning drink knOwn-where-