Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-05-19
AaIp aaian &LanerIIt
The Cosr Of Foreign travel,

We extract from volume just published. "From
Wal Street to Cashmere" By John B. Ireland, the
following very interesting piece Of practical infCr
nation IS to the expense of foreign travel 1t will
settle dispute in many mind in regard to
question 80 nice, yet 50 important He says:
Travelling in England, with moderate speed, in
Arst-class RAN carriages eeachiBg occasionally
posting, when in out Of the way places, always put
ting up at the best hotels in London, with rooms at
Longs and with meals there, or at the clubs, costs
about So or SO per day. Tois Is an average ex-
pense for gentleman to travel On, ana live cemfor-
tsbly, with remarkable quantity Of good wine fer
dinner.
On the continent the same can be done including
the living in Paris or any ether capital for Sc per
DAY at The hotel good lodgings and dining at the
best restaurants In Syria, on the Nyle if travel
ling alone, the expense would be about So Fer dsy,
or If with one friend about $3.50, and Two or three
from "a to SIS. Usually, every one travels there
with or two friends; always did except the last
time-Wken l went down tS Palmyra. Then be-
yond Suez, the steamer charges are on an average
95 to S25 per day including wines, beers So, and
the expense Of the route known by the distance as
these vessels never average over $50 miles q day.
In fair weather. under the most advantageous cir
cumstances, they reach nine to nine aud o half
miles an hour, and I've had experience Of eleven
different steamers and mostly their best.
In India the expense varies with the mode Of
yelled on horseback, with carts for my men and lug
gage, that mi bt make an average Of twenty-five
miles dsy-end at every place of interest stopping
from one to seven days In Madras, you travel on
the principal routes in what called The bullock
gbarries-Vehicles on four wheels which are drawn
by bulloeks-Eho made an average Of over four
miles an hour night and day. On the untrsvelled
routes, il is by palanquin, horseback. The diff
ference Of expense consists in the ground gone
over 1t does in every PLACE, THAI in the mode Of
L.
day would cost no more in palanquin than on q
kOrss but then you lose the comforts of your SER
wants
found this travel in India could be well done,
comfortably, and in reasonable, gentlemanly style,
with, whea took horses sometimes one sometimes
two, and always with from four 70 seven men, (Who
who we're necessary from the castles, aud not su-
perfutes besides the bullock CARTS and their two
drivers. / found my expenses here were about 81
per day, except in the extreme north, when visited
cashmere, where owing to the numerous and in
creased exchanges and credits, they were about IL
per cent more, for two or three days, when hur-
rying to Bombay, and by mistake Of friends or
ders, paid $40 per day.
In Java and the "Straits'' there were about the
same, excepting posting in Java, which costs
81 mile in whatever direction, going or returning
The expenses vary much with the haste Of travel
and the luxury. The same ground may be gone
over much more rapidly for the same expense, il
less attention is paid to the extra comforts
Another matter is the exchange. The farther
east the greater the rate of exchange and bankers
commissions. Usually they are half per cent, some
times per cent, often in the east they are tive
per cent, then you 60 into the interior Of India
silver being the only currency, you must buy drafts
hoondies, (natiVe drafts,) or take credit, which
are an additional expense, because you must draw
the extreme amount you may use, and perhaps
more, pay the exchange and bankers commission
on the up country credit, and Eve or six per cent
exchange there. The exchange when was al
Bomba we're 10 per cent, then my London bankers
commission and another exchange for the letter Of
credit then the exchange on New York and another
bankers commission there, besides his charge for
credit on the London banker.
The rates Of Singapore and Java were twenty
five per cent besides all the Others by the time the
draft was finally paid by my agent in New York.
In China, still worse, being during the war, the
exchange on London was SO per cent? In all these
cases, give my own experience, travelling in q
comfortable gsntlemanly way, neither extravsgsnt-
ly stinting myself; and as 1 have said before,
these may be lessened Is or 20 per cent by redu-
cling the comfort, or be the same, il reducing the
comfort and using more speed; for If a man in Eng
land goes from London TO Liverpool, Edngt urgh,
or Paris, 8 twelve fourteen hours journey, the
charges are S1S, S22, and S92, Il think;) bat if he
stops in those places few days, it reduces the
erage to the sum named. All Of these expenses
are purely for travelling, aHd those incident to
travel; but they do not embrace clothes, or other
purchases.