New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-09-05
FROM LONDON TO PARIS.

| THE TRIP VIA NENHAVEN End DiETi
HOW ROUTE MAY DE THE "goRrEsr IN MILE
AND THE LONGEST IN TIME-IiIKaE PEiNCifA'
| ROUTES OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES THAT Will
NOTBE ADOPTED ELFIsBSYss or FRENCH hAiL
WAY NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or THE CHANNEL
PASSAGE.
IrRoM TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIBUNE
DEPPF, Aug. II. -" London to Paris via New
| haven, Dieppe, and Rouen The shortest ana
cheapest route So say the directors of the Lon
DON Brighton and South Coast Railway, all non
ora BILE men, and they have placarded the kingdom
with this attractive advertisement. aThey own the
| line to Newhayen | believe they also own the
| steamers plying between Ncwhaven and Deppe.
| The number of passengers who have been induced
| by this statement TO select this route must be
| counted by thousands. But in fact, the Ncwhaven
route to Paris is not the shortest and is not the
| cheapest If you take foot rule and measure the
distance on the map, it is tre less than tie
others But the unwary traveller for whom THIS
advertisement is meant, understands shortest 10
mean quickest and it Is very far from being the
quickest. With exception, IL Is the longest OF
the four routes. By way of Dover or Folkestone
the trip from London to Par-s may be don" in from
nine to ten hours. BY Newhaven ana Dieppe it
takes from twelve to sixteen hours And IL IS no
cheaper than the Southampton and HavTc
route. The enterprising Mr.. Cook used to
take his tourists by this route, being unable To
arrange with the leading companies OF the two
main lines from London to Paris. Now the Cook
parties may 90 by Dover
Those who travel to save money, will save five
dollar bill If they so by Newhayen. They would
save still more by staying at home. 1t may be rec
commended also to those who think they can ENJOY
scenery out of the windows of railway train. The
Chemin de Fer de pOuest from Deppe or lfayre via
ROucn to Paris follows in part the valley OF the
Seine, which is pretty and sometimes picturesque
The Chemn dc Fer du NOrd from Calais and Bou
logne to Paris less interesting landscape
When much is said, nothing more can be added
in favor of the Newhaven route except that it per-
mits you to stop at Deppe. If Dieppe and not
Paris be your immediate object. there is other
way of getting here without making a tedious cir
cult. The Brighton people well aware of
this that the fare from London to Dieppe, com
dared with the rate from London to Paris, ceases
to be cheap. If you do not complete the railway
journey from Deppe to Paris, 100 miles or 50, they
deduct but ten shilngs from the Paris fare The
actual cost is further increased by an unreasonable
charge for luggage The French limit OF sixty-six
pounds is maintained, although you pass over not
an inch of French rails. No English railway ever
charges YOU for extra weight Of luggage unless the
excess be very great and even then civil word to
the station master will usually carry you through
went down the other day into DevOnshre by the |
Great Western Railway. We party of |
eight, mostly children and servants, who were to |
be absent two months and we had something like |
a ton of luggage. on which we paid not penny. |
For the carriage of my modest portmanteaus from |
London to Dieppe the extra charge was seven |
shllings, which made the whole fare thirty shill- |
ingsj or three shings less than the nominal |
charge from London to Paris.
When / began this letter | meant to say some |
thing about Dieppc, but rs I have been talking |
about the journey from London to Paris viii add |
one or two other remarks on this very dry but |
practical subject. There are, suppose, no other |
800 miles | have travelled SO often. Many years
ago | computed that | had made the journey more |
than hundred times and l have not yet quite
abandoned the habit. 1t is one Of the advantages
of living III London that you can 90 Sc easily to
Paris; an observation which l beg you not to re-
peat to any Englishman Of your acquaintance. He
would net think it complimentary to his own cap
ital. The Hon. Roscoe Conklinq who accom-
plished the trip only, found the travelling
arran gements imperfect that he was able to base
on this single experience an argument for the
superiority of America 10 European argument
delivered, if | remember rightly, on the deck of a
somewherc between Sandy Hook and
the Battery. This ship carried the British flag but
Mr. Conkng did not allow this accident to inter
rupt his argument-ndeed he got round the
Dritsher by bearing the American banner proudly
lloft in his own right hand and under the protect
NJ folds OF the Stars and Stripes discOursed of the
deficiency of lavatorieS in English cars He was
not far wrong in his general conclusions though
ome Of his particulars might be open to correction
The London and Paris service is in fact a very
imperfect one the best of the lines It is ex-
remedy dear-$15 the single fare for 2s3 miles-it
5 at least one hour longer than it need be- and the
Tayeller is made aware at every point that his
omfOrt Is but secondary or tertiary consideration
it'll the autOcrats of the railroad and steamboat |
lore than enough has been written on the terrors
f the Channel passage. 1t is trying for women and
nvalids and the victims of seasickness and when
really blows a gale the Channel the motion
enough to try the stoutest nerves. | have known
Ill sailors i'll. The Calais Douvres now running
etwecn these two ports is attempt to mitigate !
he Inconvenience of the old-fashioned boats |
which fast and safe, but otherwise not credit
BILE to the flag they sail under l can't speak of {
he new ship except from hearsay. She runs only
n the daytime and only five days week, but is J
aid be comfortable and moderately steady,
hOugh wanting in speed.
But the shortening of the whole journey is to he !
ffected on land, lot on sea, and on the French
de. The long waits at Calais and Boulogne may
asily be abolished and tie speed of the French !
rains increased From London to Dover or Folkes-
tone the pace is very good. The ninety miles are 1
one in less than two hours But from the arrival in
lover till the start for Calais there an interval
three hours of which only an hour and half is !
opposed to be occupied by the passage. OF the
EST part goes to waste in embarking and landing d
lggage and part is devoted TO the profit of the res
aurant at Calais just as. later on, twenty min !
ties more expended for the benefit of the res :
iurant at Amens These halts may be cut down f
ye-sixths, and since all want to be fed we
Mould be fed by restaurants on wheels or by the h
ystem in force at Dion and elsewhere by 4