Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-09-15
IFrom o ur Regular Corresponds nt.l
Our European Letter.
LONDON, Eng. Aug. 81. 1880.

LONDON, Eng. Aug. 81. 1880.
London is Just now. in the eyes Of polite
society, absolutely empty. There must be
A population of nearly three millions still
in town; but these people do
not count. A vapid and pretentious Tor
eign office clerk, whom l had the misfor-
tune to meet the other day at Oowes,
informed me with an air Of gravity that
there was at this moment really no one
in London except the men at the foreign
office and the guards" l disguised my
friend by asking him whether the metro
politan police had abandoned their posts
But he was quite right in saying that OF
his own particular world the great mass
had departed and was either shooting
grouse in Scotland or on the north OF
England moors or yachting around the
Isle of Wight. A certain proportion 100
of our fashionable society has gone
abroad. But the proper thing to do in the
month of August is to sail or shoot grouse
as, during the month we have just entered
people who respect the usages OF high
life, shoot cartridges to the exclusion oil
almost every other pursuit. In October
the pheasants will claim due share OF
attention, and fox hunting will begin
The Brighton season, moreover, Will be
at hand; and thus each succeeding month
will bring its own particular form OF
pleasure until the arrival of winter, when
London will once more be full. For. IN
addition to "the men in the foreign office
and the guards" numbers OF rich and
distinguished persons, who formerly spent
their winters at their country houses, are
now throughout the cold month to be
found in London. Field sports are all
very well for the men, but for the women
of the family they, as rule possess nc
attraction whatever; and it is IN grea'
measure, no doubt, to female influence
that the new winter movement towards
London NAV be attributed. The cut ano
dried arrangements by which August II
divided between grouse shooting anc
Yachting, while September is devoted tt
partridge shooting, October to fox hunt
ing and so on, will this year, be put out o
order owing to the impossbility of getting
in the corn crops at anything like thu
usual period. Even in the south o
England the wheat has scarcely anywher'
been cut, while on many fields it is ia
from being fit for cutting. The partridge
who survived the slaughter oil last yea
must have fancied when the first OF eep
TENDER arrived and passed Gas happened IL
many parts of the country without the Ill
ing ola single shot that the sangulnary Ira
dition which fixes that date as the hrst
partridge shooting had somehow been los
SIGHT of. On many corn field the oiro
will be left undisturbed, except by IN
sickle of the reaper, until at least Tn
middle of the month; and in the mortimer
counties Notwithstanding, the CHIEF pun
= suit of the English sporting, will nave 10 D
deferred until about the twentieth. Mean
while those unfortunate birds who neg
lectng the corn fields, had taken up the'
abode in the midst of turnips, are alread
being sacrificed. But the supply OF par
tridges in London market is most meagr'
and of the small number offered for sal
large proporti IN are of foreign origin
, Meanwhile it must be admitted that Lon
don, at the beginning of September
somewhat dull. Everything in the wa
of active life seems to have come to a
end. Parliament is not sitting; the la
courts have risen for the long vacation
both the opera houses are shut; the prime
! pie dramatic theatres are also CLOSED
4 and there is scarcely any place OF amus'
= ment worth going to just now except u
y promenade concerts. Nor are they wort
= going to very often, While yachting an
7 shooting are engaging the energies OF To
/. upper portion of society the middle class
IS are amusing themselves in sheir own st
/. manner at the seaside. But the dullne
Il of our English watering places is n sui
d ciently vast subject to be treated by itsel
d ALPHA.