The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-07-30

cot he accommodated at either A
GOOD natured cottager, at work IN his
1otatoe patch before the door, took
Commission on me and shared with
me his humble fare, and with the aid
of his good wife, made their spare
room very comfortable for my nights
lodging. This cottager was one of
many in the employ of the Marquis as
day laborer: He informed me that
the income of the Marquis was f700,
600 year. His own wages were two
shillings a day, or less than fifty cents,
and he paid to the Marquis four pounds
year, or nearly twenty dollars, for
his little brick floor cottage of four
rooms. The Marquis owns the land
for miles around, including several
villages, and he is all the time buying
up the adjacent lands which happen
to come into the market. The Gotta
ger thought the two sons of the Mar
quis now in Parliament, would not be
returned again, since they opposed
and helped to defeat the Reform bill.
The village of Aldford | found to
be of singular beauty; The cottages
were half concealed by bushes
and vines, and the winding streets
were as clean as though they We're
daily swept. / had hoped to hear the
nightingales sing" although it was
not exactly sin time of spring." but
it seems that Philomee does not much
FREQUENT the north of England at any
season. As to the lark, one must rise
early to catch her song, and early just
now in this country is rather fright
full hour to one who needs a full
nights sleep. So failed in part to
become acquainted with Old England,
after all my pains.
OUR RIDE TO LONDON.
We took the Great Western Rail
way for the metropolis, running
through the edge of Wales, and
thence to Strawsburg, Wolverhamp-
ton, Birmingham and Oxford. After
leaving Wales, which presented views
sometimes bold, the scenery became a
beautiful but rather monotonous
variety of fields, hedge rows, copses
and villages. We saw more fields in
grass than In all other crops together.
The wheat had only fairly come into
head, and would not be harvested for
several weeks. Everywhere we saw
women, as well as men. in the hay
fields. Most of the labor seems to be
performed by hand, the absence of
machinery being very notable. / OBJ
served but a single moving machine
all the way to London. Very few cat
tie were in the fields, but there was
no end to the sheep. JUST SO, there
is no end to the mutton and lamb, at
the hotels and eating houses. | must
have eaten more mutton chops in the
last two weeks, than / ever ate before
In any year of my life In the alb
sence of nightingales and larks, Eng
land has given us numberless and
countless focks of unpoetical crows,
almost darkening at times our view.
Very few barns were to be seen and
very few probably exist, the amount
Of grain needing storage being incon-
siderable.
Our ride was most pleasant. Ex-
cept in the mining region neal, Biz
mingham, where the air was heavy
with coal smoke, we enjoyed the fra
GRANGE of the fields, and were not in
commoded with dust from the road or
cinders from the engine. The passen-
gers were genteel- and quiet. They
read their newspapers and slept, but
scarcely ever spoke word, except
when we inquisitive Yankees COM
PEELED them. Then they were civil to
answer our questions, but instantly
relapsed into silence and isolation.
Britons are insular individually as
well as nationally. There were no
ladies in our carriage. The windows
were open on both sides, and there
was fine chance to smoke, yet no one
smoked. The opportunity to spit
would have been irresistible to Ameri.
cans, but nobody seemed inclined tC
avail himself of the privilege. No one
chewed, either tobacco or anything
else.
Ours was an express train, and the
running seemed to be about as rapiC
as that of our fastest trains in Ameri
ca. OF course we rode in carriages
rather than saloon cars. The loco
motives, as we observed, have diminu
tive chimneys, and seldom afford an,
cover to the engineer. Their whist,
or scream has nothing manly or vigor
GUS about it, but reminds one of tn,
feeble squeak of mouse in a cats
mouth. The sides of the roadway ar
cultivated up almost to the rails.
We passed near Stratford on Avon
but reserved our pilgrimage to it
shrine until after our visit to London
BY the by, we everywhere hear Ayo
pronounced with the long. TIL
friends in Avondale would hardl
recognize the name of their beautifu
borough called after this fashion: A
Banbury we made trial of the Bar
bury cakes" which the boys wer
CRYING and selling, and can indors
them as excellent. Only glimpse {
confusion of towers and spire
could we catch Of Oxford, but n