The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-17
For the Farmer and Mechanic.
E rem Hawfle'ds in AIamonce TO
HaWfieIdS In England


5srs OF the Farmer and Mechomic, | will
attempt to tell in a plain way something
Of the Old world, without any desire or
hope TO display any power Of Rhetoric
or strive for the merils of a writer. At
Ter being upon the water for eight days
and came into sight as the steamer
gHIed into the English channel. 1t is
fascinating and enuoblIng to look upon
the great waters, especially when there
: lust enough motion to form white
capped waves. Byron's words
Time writes no wrinkles on thy azure
brow
As creations dawn beheld thee, thou
rOllest now
run continually on the mind. | can see
we'll how sailors become attached to the
water and can never give it up for land
There is much m%Ouotony in a voyage.
The ice-bergs are now floating from the
North, the ice having trOken up. We
mssed several in the distance. The
rity of Berlin in a fog ran against one
seriously damaging it. Tons of ice fell
upon deck. The passengers became
much alarmed and ran for the boats, but
the ship got into New York safe. The
fog is so thick you can scarcely see your
hand before you The City Of Rome
about the same time and same cause
ran into into Il French bark and % lives
were lost. This steamship is the largest
which comes into New York port.
In the fog our BOAT ran very slow and
every two minutes blew the whistle.
which sounded very doleful. bur ice-ber9s
don't pay any attention to the whistles.
The speed of steamer Is l. miles pei
hour.
At first the land in the distance ap-
reared a drcary aad desolate country
resembling Il high sandy desert; but a.
the ship drew nearer, a land OF fertility
and green fields met the eye. As !
leaned over the railing of the deck. look
In- at the land iutting out into the water
aud taking my first impression of En-
Gland, | was forcibl, reminded Of the
derivation of the word. which | heard at
Bingham School from the su%perinten-
dant-Anglc-laud CONTRACTED into Eng
land) so named by the SaXons from its
position. Upon landing at Southamp-
ton we were ushered into a large room
with counters, where each satchel, valice
and trunk was examined by the officers
oil the tuStOlil. lODuJtO dlu eIplIIS dIt
about the only chief article Of duty.
Every person is allowed , ounces to-
bacco, over that he pays about 30 cents
DUTY per pound. After receiving chalk
marks Oh Our packages equivolant to
our .. X, we could pass out. The next
step was to take cars for London. The
railway facilities are much inferior to
American. The carriages or coaches as
they call them are very small, low and
div jded with partitions, which hold s or
10 persons. one half facing the other.
From the platform you mount a single
step running the full length of the car,
open the door to your apartment and
enter.
There three classes, first, second and
third the latter being about one half
of the first. No conductor accompanies
the train and takes up tickets as with
us. The ticket IS given up at point Of
destination. If YOU wish to stop the
train You can pull a cord, communica-
tug with the guard. y heavy fine Is
inflicted if the cause is not sufficient.
The engineers have no cab, only a pro-
lection against the wind and a two foot
projection overhead to keep off rain.
There can be no objection found to the
speed, on the road between London and
Liverpool the rates is a mile a minute.
The engines on this road have one
immense driving wheel which gives
speed. Every railway stations has its
~re.reshment roOm refreshing to look
upon with It's bowles filled with all kinds
of drink and elegant eatables under
glasses, large coffee and tea stands with
pretty girls behind the counter. Here
was when [ found that a ''tupence'' was
tw0-penCe or four cents, and a 'thri-
pence" was three-pence and a tupence-
apeny was two pence and a half pen
ny. But the English talk much more
Ike the Southerners than the Yankees.
They always give the long sound of Il in
such words as cattle, can't, and the like.
The railway employees or servants as
call here are very courteous. The word
servant takes the place of u word en-
plogee. 1t would do we. for some of
the Pennsylvania r. II. officials to come
over and take lessons in courtesy.
1t is novel and pleasant for n to
feel for the first time that he is in a
foreign land of which he has read and
heard so much; in the laud of William
the conquerer, of Edward, of Elizabeth, of
Milton, Grey and Shakespeare in the
land of castles and by-gOne chivalry.
1t is a beautiful land, picture land, a
Utcpian land. The eyes love to feast
upon the green fields bound by well
trimmed hedges of hawthorne, the clear
brooks, the undulating landscape with
its elms and oaks, and the large herds Of
fat cattle and hOcks of well-bred sheep.
England is one continuous, well c~ultiva-
ted garden spot. Every foot of land
IS utilized even UP to the cross ties.
The coat of green is almost unbroken,
barley, wheat, oats and rye growing on
these fields not covered with grass.
The oak aud elm abound. The houses
are all built of brick some look very
ancient. They are covered with tiles,
or in other words, dirt shinples made in
the same way as brick. Some have
matched roofs, made of straw a foot and
a half thick. Timber is very scarce.
The farm houses are not scattered as
with us, but collected in communities.
pom arrival in London found my
watch 3 hours behind. which is the diff
ference between New York and London
time.
TIE first thing of note was a Lon
don fog. This city contains 4! million
inhabitants. 1t IS some,chat larger than
RaIeiqh. There are over ten thousand
policemen, 1t covers over l22 square
miles. la various directions there are
ten miles of houses. Some OF the
working people have never seen the
other side of the city. Its yearly nat
ural Increase is $4,000, a growth which
is a little more rapid than Durham, yet
in comparison there is not as much pluck
and enterprise exhibited The city is
filed statues of kings, and monuments,
erected to commemorate noted events
and services of tho: e distinguished in