The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-29

, underground railways, when their ramiicstion,
beneath the streets are perfected, will no
J supersede the necessity for American tram
ways In England Concerning these and hun
dred other very important points of detail, par
liamentary commission could readily obtain reli
able information; and 1t is to be hoped that nc
charters for street railroads will be granted unit
the subject be thoroughly investigated.
The substitutes for cabs 10 America are hack.
ney -coaches-umbering, two.horsed carriages
little used BY the citizens except at Irish fune
rails, but LETT free to victimize poor strangers
Nominally under the control of the police, the
drivers, who are generally roughs, or rufians, az
Dickens rechrstens them contrive to evade all the
efforts of vigilant officials, like Inspector Brack
EFT. to keep them in order.
Printed rates Of fare are directed TO be placed
in every coach, and the drivers hide them under
the cushions or foor-cloths, where travellers can
lever find them. Legally the fare is fifty cents
two shilngs Engsh-per mile but practically
me passenger Is at the mercy of the driver, who
VIII not accept less than dollar-four shillings
Englisb-for any distance, however short, and who
VIII cooly drive of with your trunks in the day.
time. or knock you down nthe nighttime, il you
resist his demands. which are uniformly extorton-
ate. The law directs him to give you ticket
with his number inscribed, when you engage his
coach. Practically he never does anything of the
KIND, and abuses you manfully If you ask for his
ticket. Compare these dear and dangerous hack
ney coaches with the cabs of England. You have
only to step into the street. or send out servant
and your cab Is Immediately at your service. For
sixpeDce mile, or twoand-sixpence an hour
the legal fare Is two shillings-you may ride
Wherever you please. Ii you are in doubt about
the distance, police notices are plentfuy posted,
detailing the exact fares between various loca
VIII f. af Hysnss A%s.
order him to drive to the nearest police sta ton.
and have the affair settled at once. A London
cabman dare not disobey such an order; New
York driver would tip you into the East River
Unquestionsbly the London cabbies always want
more than their just fares, and usually manage to
get 1t; but, as rule, they rather inclined to
whine than to be insolent, and, except with drum
ken men, they are seldom quarrelsome. / have
lived two years in England, have employed cab.
men a. all hours of the day and night, and much
more frequently than the majority of people, and
have never yet had dispute which an extra
slxpence did not satisfactorily settle. There are
people who upon principle would not give an
extra sixpence to settle anything but they are
not Americans, or else they are fitted for another
world, where there ia no small change Even
such persons will admit, however, that it is better
to De begged for money than to be knocked down
and robbed OF 1t; and this s Just the distinction
between English and American cabmen In pojnt
OF fact, almost all the English cabbes are beg.
CARS They have no fixed idea Of the just amount
OF their fares. II you hand them what you think
right, and walk of, they drive away; If you hest.
tate, they begin 10 talk about the bad weather.
and rough roads, and long distances and ask Won
Tor more money. They never have change and
regard you as fair game, aud name any
price less than sovereign. During the recent
cab'strikes. amused myself by considering what
me results would be if every csbman were paid
MS exact rare by every passenger. Why in the
first place the cabman's receipts would be cut
down at least one-third. Imagine the conse. |
quences for yourselves. This may be an argument |
Tor raising the legal fares of the cabs; but that is
a matter beyond our province. / only desire to |
call attention TO the fact that nowhere in the |
world, and particularly in England is the dealing
between cab-driver and his passenger conducted |
upon business principles-so much service for so
4" My horse is lame, sir ~ or 1--WE driven yepv
fast, sir :" or It's a rainy night sir ~ or I'd
Ike to drink your health, sir an excuse for re.
ceIving more than the law allows but nobody
more than my fare, sr;'' or this shilling be.
longs to you, sir, as I've driven you only a |
mile" One night, after dinner party, having
carelessly put my gold and silver together in nv
shillings and hslfsovereigns for sixpences.
In the dark; but neither at my hosts
house nor at the hotel did any csbman
cal TO refund the money. do not deduce from
thls accident that all cabuen are thieves; mere
y slate that English cabmen swinde you more
clyilly than most others. Only at Paris is the
pour boire so fixed q charge that no intelligent |
person need be humbugged.
10 my countrymen anxious to see London |
give this advice, instead of the stereotyped for
nula OF the gude-books about riding on the ton !
Of the omnibuses: Walk till you are tired and
men call cab to carry you back to your hotel or
% your predestined terminus.
In walking about London You will ALWAYS find ,
lmusement, and often instruction. No Ameri. :
ans education is complete until he has come 10 :
1nglsnd, and studied attentively the country and :
ne people; NO Eng1shman's education is COM
lete until he has made a similar study of Amer :
ca. The two countries are so much alike. and | !
et SO Inherent, that at every step there is some
ang new to 'earn-somethng to imitste--some- a
ning 70 avoid. In some respects, the Americans
re centuries in advance of the English people: in
theirs, we transatlantic folks, compared
'ltn the English, are barbarians. II / were
oIced 10 sum up the characteristics of the two
atoms in single sentence, should say that
re English are TOO fond of retaining old ideas he
ause they are old, and that the Americans are
20 fond OF adopting new ideas because thew are
ew. Too much conservatism Uersus too rapid
rogress this is England and America in a nut.
lell. A dear old English friend named Robert
anna, who instructed me in nv youth. and
ught me to love this country next TO nv own.
ut the same thought in another form. Eng.
no, L said be. :" has too much law and America
10 little" Not to take the reader further away
ON the subject of which began to write. Town
at these thoughts occurred to me- as they pro
IDLY have to many others, when first drove Is
'out IN hanson, and saw something of the D.
ystenes OF London. Along your hap-hszard -
ute you notce on every hand some proofs of ne
e ultra.conservatism of England. Across GER OF
IN streets, for instance, you see iron ratings of
ected with gate, and sometimes a gate ~
eper. IN
These streets are not always the most unfre.
ented. Southampton street, Strand one of the We
siest thoroughfares in London is thus barred and
'graeed. Upon inquiring. you Iearu that such -
eets are the property of noblemen; that the ne
ties are closed at fixed hours By the nobeman,s sc
mmands; and that, in order to show that public ar
fic Is permitted on suffersnce, and to prevent &C.
desuetude of legal rights, the gates are shut :,
maily once year. no matter how much the pn
bic may be Inconvenience. Would any other me
oP'e than the English permit this! Riding trs
Their, You discover that the transit of a cab on
ross public park is forbidden by somebody o.
20 signs himself :" George Ranger" and that vi
D are obliged to drive miles out of your way in
lseqnence. Would any other people than
English submit to this Arrived at another he
Il In the evening, you see a number of men ers
! women walking about dscon solately inside ~,
you are informed that they do not know p.'
y to get out. the gates being locked at nine ant
lock. You also discover that, although the the
es OF this park closed, oficsls are at hand fax
open them for cabs aud carriages, and that -
sc useless officials, who merely represent a WI
bic annoyance, are salsried by the crown, TO bra
ON the parks belong. The crown means the tai
pie. Would any other people than the Fog. will
anhr nit 20. hah bad