New-York tribune., 1880-06-27
Faox RoCHEFoRT TO THE RHINE
yoa ACROSS FRANcE BY RAIL.

ygNTICNAL TOURIsT-INCIDENTs OF WAY TRAVEL
rN RRANCs--A PRoFIrABtE SUGGESTION TO
81 AmfRIcAN ToURIsTs-MARKED CHANGES IN
PEOPLE AND scENERY-PREvALENoE or Tux
FED TROUSERS.
lrRon AN OCCASIONAL coRRgsPoNDEN OF TIE TRIBUNEJ
BAsIr Switzerland. May 30.-I venture to say 1t
bas never fallen to the lot of one in ten thousand of
che Americans who annually scamper over Europe
by beaten highways TO undertake the voyage of ex-
ulcraion by rail through the very heart Of France
which your correspondent has Just accomplished.
For modern aul with it's $4,000 kilometres of rail-
way Ia uridironed over with tracks as completely IN
proportion to its area Is the City Of Philadelphia
and although the FrenchIpan's natural impulse
when he wants to make journey anywhere Is 10
no 70 Paris first and start from there, yet httie
ssady of ths map the front page OF the admraoie
railway indicafexr sold everywhere at IL Genus
copy s,lfces to show that there are several drect
routes by which one may travel from the Atlanuc
coaut TO Tho Swiss OF German frontier without GO
ing anywhere near the capitsl-routes too on which
close competitions are made by the various lines
3 ana on which capital hotel accommodations can
bs had for those who desire to break the fatigue OF
the journey by travelling only in the daytime ana
: stopping over at night 70 rest.
To be sure, the average speed of the trains on
these cross lines is not remarkable. AS French
man would say, it, "leaves much to be DESIRED"
Only on the grand trunk routes from Paris to
Bordeaux, Marseies. Lyons, etc.. does one see the
sep;de trains with their lines OF hrst-class
Z coachcs only in which the passenger after paying
what Ia virtually double fare. is whisked across
the country at the speed of an American express
train. Button tho ordinary lines one rides first,
second or third-class as he pleases and joys COM
fortably along at the rate ofrom fifteen to eighteen
miles an hour, all day long, stopping at every sta
tion But what Of it The days journey Is laid ont
Tor You to reach o certain point at certain hour
: bv the timetable Do what you will, You can reach
there no sooner What matters it, then If the train
does atop twenty times an hour You will not dine
or ret TO bed q moment the later for it. You have
only to take an occasional pull at your lunchbasket
or pipe chat with one or another OF the talkative
fellow passengers who getting In and out at
every statlon read little doze little. take every
thing good -nataredy y-and the days Journey which
In the morang looked so long and tedious In antci
patton. Is over before you know 1t. And then,
too, what constantly changing panorama OF
scenery of costumes, and of people France Is like
!. half dozen countries rolled into one and the
traveller who journeys across it longtudnaly ira
verses one stratum after another Of patois and
tradition and scenery, each totally unlike its pre-
decessor.
The distance from Rochefort to the Rhine may be
fouehly stated at 500 miles 1t is considerably less
rather make the latter trip twice over in an Erie
express than the same distance once in a French
way train. The experience may do well elG7gh the
irst time but as for repeating it-wen, don't be-
lisye any tourist ever did.
R0chefort, as everybody knows, Is the great ma
val station the Bay of Biscay near the mouth OF
the Charente. Few Americans ever find their way
thther and il must be confessed that those who do
rarely tell Of it and don't stop long. In fact the
place Is 80 hopelessly stupid and So utterly devoid
of any other rasoa dere than its shipyard and arse
nal that almost feel bound to apologize for aud-
ing to 1t at ALL But let it serve as starting point
ut all events. 1t Is good place to start from. There
Is q daily noon train for Poitiers, and 1t leaves
punctnal,y on the minute.
BUYING TICKETS AND CHECKING BAGGAGE.
Say what we may of French railroads, they are
perfect models Of promptitude and precision. A
single moments deviation from the advertised time
table seldom occurs. One must be at the depot ten
or fifteen minutes ahead of the starting tine
though. There is always long line Of people at
the ticket window, and the uniformed clerk inside
ls none too lively in stamping and making change.
At the larger stations, to expedite matters, an
official stands at your elbow as you purchase your
ticket, calls out the price, sees that you get the
right change, and then passes you on with
o gentle push to make room for the
next man. Then the baggage has to be checked.
1t goes by weight entirely. Each passenger
s allowed sixty pounds for which. delivering his
trunk and showing his ticket to the baggage-ageDt
he receives paper check or receipt. With this
check in his pocket he may be entirely at his ease
about his trunk to the end of his Journey 1t is
to arrive at its destination when he does he has
only to hand the porter or omnibus driver his
check. and the trunk is forthcoming. The French
system in this regard is vastly more convenient
<L~. .l.~L &1nGx LnxxA
over the allowance Of sixty pounds Of baggage with
you; then 1t is that vanity and vexation Of spirit
begin for You. Suppose your trunk weighs say 100
pounds, surplus Of forty over the regulation al
lowance. The bsggage-agent weighs 1t. and screams
out thek0tal In q voice 80 loud that 1t would be
xsesonsble to suppose he was conversing with
sone one thousand feet of. You then step up to
. littls window In the baggage Office, and pay so
much per pound ON your surplus forty pounds, &C
eording to the distance yon are gong. The rate is
trifing-only q cent q pound for every hundred
m{les-but tbe great bother Of the business is the
eiibe Il consumes in petty details. You pay cents
for stamp on the receipt. 2 cents more for the
oonsiene. 2, or cents more. as you please. for a
poHboire to the amiable baggage-agent for the
beueRcent care he 10 presumed to have displayed in
getting the matter through promptly for you, and
by the time it is settled you lucky If the spare
fifteen inmates have not elapsed, and you are not
obliged 10 grab up your valise and other hand bag
gnae and scramble into the nearest coach, regard
7. lees Of The class which your ticket calls for.
THE BENEFIT AND ECONOMY OF THrRD-c1Ass
TRAVEL.
About Ibis matter Of first. second and third-class
travel In France. there Is q good deal Of false
pside. and no end of amusing deception. know
os plenty of welito-do people, moving In good soci
ety. whose spirit Of economy Is 80 strong that they
always travel third-class after they get few sta
tions away from home. whore they think nobody
Will know them. 1t isA great saying-just one-half
Of what Hrstclass travel costs. For instance, one
can go from Rochefcrt Paris and back thirdelass
fof what IL costs to 20 way only In frst-class
wagon. Tho latter, to be sure. is extremely luxuri
cas-in fact moro 90 than Is necessary--and one lie