The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-06-11
EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENCE
Interesting Letter from DR.. 8. L.
Jepson Of wheeling.
vienna, May 20, 1878.

To 4 man who has more money than
he can conveniently find use for, nothing
Is easier than continental travel in En-.
rope, even without the least knowledge
Of any language except the English. AT
all good hotels, this language is spoken,
a we'll rs at most OF the larger railroad
stations. And II one ia anxious to see
all places and objects Of interest at every
stopping place, Al English speaking
puide, or Commissionaire, "a they are
here called, can be hAd on demand. When
q party OF several persons are travelling
together, both time and money are saved
by employing one OF these men, who, II
recommended BY the hotel proprietor,
will be found gentlemanly, reliable and
fairly intelligent. In addition to these,
every street corner in all the Continen-
tai cities contains 8 group OF men with
big brass labels on their hats, the mean.
ing Of which 10, that the wearer thereof
IL anxious to serve you 10 any capacity
whatever, from carrying your baggage 70
plotting you through the intricate mazes
Of these crooked old streets, or to the
palaces OF kings even, and all other In
teresting objects. Few Of them speak En-
glish, and hence they can be OF but little
service 10 travellers unacquainted with
their language. They are often, however,
4 great convenience 10 those who sojourn
here for 4 time, and being in msst cities
subject to control by the police authori-
ties, they are not apt to impose very
much on 4 WIDE awake man. In Holland
only did l find them at all pestiierous,
but there some Of them are more impu-
dent than 8 Niagara hickman. On one
occasion In Amsterdam, in the absence OF
a knowledge OF any emphatic words in
the Dutch language, l was compelled to
use my cane on an unusually perseyering
fellow who knew aboutsix English words,
and persisted in aipging them al me
rather more frequently than was agreea-
bic.
II any one comes to the Continent with
an impression that he Is going TO find eve.
rything very cheap here, he will not be
many days 10 awaking 10 his mistake.
The days OF cheap travel and living in
Europe are oyer,thanks 10 the foolish ex.
t~ravagance, and indiscriminate liberality
Of wealthy American and English tour
i,ts. A gentleman IN Amsterdam who
accompanied an Englishman through the
diamond cutting establishment In that
city about the time l was there, told me
that the Englisbman distributed among
the various men he came in contact with,
something more than FIVE dollars. This
Il . .amnle Of the sort OF thing that Am
erican and English trayelers,-most Of
whom. until recent years have been veal.
thy have been for SO long doing, that now
the prices have gone up on everything,
and English speaking people especially,
are expected to pay good stiff prices Tor
what they purchase, and for what they
eat, and then give away about ten TO TWEEN.
ty.tye per cent more in fees TO seryanu.
This abominable system Of feeling every.
body one comes in contact with, OF which
We fortunately see but little IN America,
renders It impossible for anyone to calcu'
late or know what his expenses will be
for any day or for any occasion. A hotel
proprietor may tell you his prices are ten
dollars per day, but when the bill is pre-.
sented. In Il will be found 80 much for
lights, 40 much for service, and go much
for one 10 half q dozen other items that
the uninitiated had made no calculation
for. And the walters at table must be
feed, the "Portier the big man OF the
hotel over here and two or three other al
tsndants must be treated in the same mai
uer. unless the customs which our very
generous American brethren have estab.
iished, be departed from. In which lat
ter case OF course you are set down "a z
mean sort Of person, and | fancy would
feel rather so yourself. :,
The hotels will souge a stranger, II
the least opportunity Is offered. know
gentleman who paid Sl65 for a dinner
Al The Railroad Station Hotel in Utrecht
simply because the hotel authorities knew
he was in = hurry to reach the train,And
could not stop to demand a reduction oil
the price asked. Another has told me he
maid Is cts. for two minutes use OF a q n
die in the Hotel des Princes, Berlin, an;
other 81 cts. for two eggs in the Hote!
DAnsleterre, Munich, and q friend Of
mine Who boards at the Hotel Mueller In
this city pays IS cents for the washing Of
4 shirt and 10 cents for every candle be
burns. 1 hope you will print this ad'
vertisement gratuitously; and then allow
me to suggest to your readers who con-
template a visit to Europe this summer,
that the one golden rule which every Ira
veler who would not be imposed upon
must adopt is this; make a contract IN ad'
rance for everything.
Ihad been led 10 expect to find the cost
OF living in this city much lower than 10
| Great Britain, and 90 II would be, were
one disposed 70 live as do very many Of
the medical students here, aud many OF
de residents also, I am informed. 30
far "a my observation goes, among stu
dents this generally consists Of about the
following: breakfast, dry bread and 4
glass Of coffee, 8 cts; dinner at restaurant
SO TO so cents; supper, bread and milk or
beer. 8 or 10 cents. Lodgings cost them
about sl.25 TO Sl.76 per week. Even
this style Of living will foot up about i've
dollars per week, which afriend from
New York informs me Is . higher price
than l. paid BY the students in that city,
for superior accommodations. Tbs same
variety that one gets on an American Ia
BE. cannot be had here at any price.
Nowhere on the Continent have | seen
earpeted room. The floors are neatly
laid, and we'll wA1ed, and generally =
rug Il spread along side the lounge and
bed. Doubtless the floors in the private
houses OF the wealthy are covered, at
least in Winter, bot these l have notseen'
Indeed few ot..lhe Ihomes here seem 70 %
" private in the American sense. The
great bulk Of the people live In nats."
fmmense houses Of four and ave stories
are 90 erected As to provide dwellings o.
four 10 six rooms each,tor families 70 ths
number o. eighteen 70 thirty or more
Very many families Of the middle Glasses
my iandlady informs me, always AK
tkeir dinner at the restaurants, and THU