The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-02-18
COMMUNICATIONS.
Letter from Augusta.

AOmM III u ONlOA i lONp.
Letter from Augusta.
The Jail Of Kennebec-A good kind Of hotel
"A Ydtchez hotel, its landlord and its
guests.
AUGUSTA, Feb, l6, 1863
To the Editors Of the Press:
No one visits Augusta, who does not admire
beautiful building of gray granite and fine
proportions. erected not many years since, and
situated on State street. What is il? you ask.
1t cannot be the Court House, ,forevidently this
near by is the Court House. 1t cannot be the
State House, for no Stste House ever looked
90 clean and nice. 1t cannot be church, for
they don't build churches 80 fine and symmet-
rical. 1t cannot be an Asylum, or anything of
that sort, because it has nothing Of the appear
ance of a big factory. had proceeded thus
far In my conjectures, noting the high, central
windows which seemed to betoken some uni
versity chapel or grand library, when there
came along an inhabitant of the baiiwick,
whose earliest intonation revealed his race and
nativity.
"What building is this" l enquired.
THAT, your honor, is the jail Of Kennebec
County, and this establishment right forninst
1t is the Mansion House."
could not believe the main fact-that 1t
was a jail4and the altogether gratuitous, un-
called for and Hibernian allusion to the Man
sion House only added to my doubt. Was
this Irishman, seeing that was a stran ger,
taking me in? Later enquired of response
Bile freeholder,-in fact, took the testimony
of the editor Of the State paper, who informed
me that it was indeed the Jail. Certainly our
Kennebec friends have erected finer temple
TO Imprisonment than they ever have to Reig-
ion; and if every inhabitant had been building
for himself, they could not have been built
better.
There is class Of hotels in the country, ap-
preciated by those who know them, which
unite the main advantages of the hotels of the
great cities--an American institution by the
way, on which on Englishman is now lectur-
ing in England - uniting, say, the brilliant
forts Of the English inn. OF this class are the
Rockingham House at Portsmouth, the Ban
gor House at Bangor, the Massasoit House at
Springfield, and perhaps score of others, TO
me unknown, scattered through the country.
Such house, am glad to find, has the Au-
gusta House become here at the State capital,
under the charge for many years of Major Ba-
ker. In the first place, the house, though
filed, is quiet. There is no fierce rush of
people, and hurry to drink, or dine, or to go,
which makes hotel thoroughfare and little
better than street. 1t has the air of a house
inhabited by people who seem TO think that
life Is capable Of rational enjoyment; by peo-
pie who appear as il they thought that to-day
was given for some great purpose, and hat all
Of happiness does not lie In tomorrow. To-
morrow may be good, but to-day is better.
since God has given us to-day, and 1t may be
In his purposes that tomorrow Is too mnch for
us. Now this house furnishes clean beds,
not found more comfortable dinners, break
fasts and suppers since lodged at the St. Some
thing inn at Halifax, though meantime have
eaten at most of the chief hotels between that
point and the rebel lines southwark - and.
withai, the servants are attentive without be-
ing impertinent or obsequious, and moreover
do not seem to serve you-as you feel is the
case in the great city hotels-as If an expect
ed half dollar were "spurriug the sides of
their intent" Nicely dressed and well-man-
nered ladies, the wives of legislators, public
officers or private citizens, are of the guests,
among whom you note none Of those preten-
tious airs which, conspicuous in some hotels.
render their 'wearers ridiculous, and tend TO
make the cynical believe life farce.
Before the war there was at Natchez, and
In spite Of our gunboats may be there still,
hotel OF the good, comfortable kind, differing
from these that have mentioned in proper
ton TO the difference of latitude, people and
institutions. The landlord was goody man,
presided at his table, wore ruffied shirt. cali
ed all his guests by title, colonel, general, or
judge. They have many titled people in the
south. One day guest sat at the table. a
stranger, whom the landlord first addressed
by the title of judge.
@Will you have piece ofthe turkey, judge p
No answer
"Shall l help you to piece of the turkey,
generalq"
rhereupon the guest broke silence.
Il am neither judge, general, nor colo
mel. am only plain mister"
"Ahw said the landlord, Of the rufIied shirt