The Portland daily press., 1870-03-04
DAILY PRESS.
ND.
Friday Morning, March a, 1870.
J ~
ENGLAND.
BRIGHTON, THE ENGLISH "NEwPoRT."-A
PHASE OF ENGLISH LIFE.
Correspondence of the Press.l

correspondence OF the Press.l
BRIGHTON, England, Feb Is, 1870.
MIR. ED1ToR,-The "Grand Tom" has be-
come arbitrary in its demands as to routes to
be taken and seasons of the year year for sight
seeing. London, Paris, Nice, Rome must each
be visited at its own most desirable season.
In fact the conscientious tourist finds himself
hurried along with somewhat of "a nightmare
feeling of so many impossible things to ac-
complish in given length of time.
But any one arriving in Liverpool any time
from May to December and going up to Lon
don need not refer to an almanac to help him
in his decision Brishton-ward. While some
avail themselves of this, the majority of Amer
leans abroad skip this English "Newport"
and thereby lose glimpse of phase OF Eng
lish life, which is certainly very charming.
Though fifty miles from London, Brighton
is considered nowadays almost as one of the
suburbs of the Metropolis. For after ride
of a little more than an hour in one of the
comfortable railway carriages of the "London
and South Coast Line" one finds himself in
the midst of gaiety of Ensland's favorite sea-
side resort. A strange contrast to the weari-
some journey which William the Conquerer
must have felt before him on landing at the
neigbboring town OF Hastings.
We shall never forget our first impressions
of Brighton coming down out of the pene-
trating chiiness of London fog into its
brilliant atmosphere. The town is situated
on the side of hill sloping southwark
to the sea, and it is so planned
that any of its ONE hundred thousand inhabi-
tants or fifty thousand strangers can in five
minutes walk, join the gay promenaders along
the cliff or plunge into the surf. Our walk
that October morning, was of course to the
beach. As far as the eye could reach, the
sands were covered with groups of ladies and
gentlemen and parties of children and their
nurses. Young ladies reading, writing, sew
ing, some with their crochet deftly working
and as deftly-firting. Punch and Judy
shows, trained birds; negro minstrels, per-
forming dogs-al giving such a festive
air to everything as though all were out on
one grand picture.
All this on the beach forming the fore
ground and The picture, then up along the
cliff or esplanade is fine wide drive of three
miles in length and on either side a cha rming
promenade, the fine residences the whole dis
tance constituting the back ground to the pic
ture. Fancy this esplanade from October to
Christmas-especially; though from My to
October, the bathing seasons there is also great
gaiety.
Fancy it thronged with the carriages
Of the nobility, gay parties of equestrians and
the pavement crowded with soma of these
pretty, bright-faced English girls and matrons
And then, the air filled with the music O
the bands, and above all such au atmosphere
of cheerincss and good nature as makes one'
heart glad. Yes, the atmosphere of Brighton
| is emphatically that of enjoyment. Pleasure
seeking, not money getting, is the occupation
of its inhabitants. No business is carried OF
| here. Piers are only well-kept walks seawart
for gossiping, music-listening and sunset
viewing, boats for pleasure parties, shop.
only enough to supply the daily wants of Wis
itors and inhabitants, no shipping, no com
merce, no harbors. Nothing to remind u
that labor has become the normal condition
man. In fact, having spent three months il
Brighton, we can testify to its fascination
and to any tourists from our dear old Port
land we can only say, come and c.