Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-07-21
A WATERTOWNIAN IN ENGLAND.

JAWS AIo1EL, STRAND, LONDON, Eng,
July7, 1886.-Editor Republican: Had
] not in weak moment pledged myself
to give you an account of our experiences
while abroad, you would not find me
thus engaged, | assure you. It's DO small
n after "doing" London. One cannot
realize the vastness of the place and the
amount OF material for sightseeing until
he is in the midst of it. Have been on a
steady go, day and night, since last Fri
day, July 2, and must keep it up until
next Sunday, when we start for Paris
via Dover and Calais. We have been
favored with very fine weather since our
departure from home, having bad but
one rainy day, aDd that one the day of
sailing from New York, with stiff breeze
thrown in, introducing us to old Neptune
in good style. We accordingly ''ofered
up our tribute" (chestnuO freely and un-
stintedly. The balance of our trip to
Southampton was one of pleasure, good
company and good cheer prevailing. The
majority OF the passengers going to Bre-
men direct, the parting scene at the
Needles Oft Southampton was really at
fecting; it seemed to us that we were
parting from lifelong friends.
The routine of ship life on board q
Bremen express steamer is az follows:
Breakfast, to o'clock; concert on the
main deck by very good band of pro.
fessional musicians from $3.50 to 10;
dejeuner at 1890, consisting of three or
four kinds of sandwiches and herring,
with an unlimited quantity of Culm-
bacher and Eilsener beer at Is pfenDig
per glass; cents of our money; dinner
at l p, NJ coffee or chocolate with
"kucheh"-ae 8 P. M; supper at 6 to z;
concert In the salon from $3.50 to 10,
with another Unlimited quantity of beer:
taps, or lights out, at IL sharp in smok-
ing and card rooms. The cuisine is good,
but wIthal little too rich and too many
onions for an American stomach. Wines
OF all descriptions are sold la carde at
very reasonable rates and OF good quality.
Our trip to the seaboard was also a
very pleasant one, with stop-overs at Mil
waukee, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Detroit,
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Buffalo, Albany,
from Albany to New York down the
Hudson on Palace steamer. At the Falls,
while DOMINIC the oil-cloth suit prepare
tory to descending to the Cave of the
Winds and under the Falls, we met Will
Purple, looking for the world like a
Laplander in bis yellow suit OF oil-cloth,
ready to make the trip also. We went
through together, with sensation never
10 be forgotten.
Our time in London has SO far been
taken up by drives through the city and
rides up and down the Thames, with in
spections of the Tower, Armory, Crown
Jewels, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's
Cathedral, Albert Palace, Battersea Park,
Hyde Park, St. James church, st. Mar
garet's church, South Kensington Mu-
scum, Geological gardens. and Natural
History museum. Tomorrow we go to
National Gallery and Crystal Palace. The
Houses of Parliament are closed to the
public since the dynamiters have been to
work there. Had our 4th of July cele.
bra.ion all to ourselves. Attended divine
service at the Abbey in the morning.
Splendid choral singing and magnificent
organ ACCOMPANYING Felt ourselves to
be in good company, with Longfellow's
bust Immediately to the right, and
Macauley's, Dickens and Thackeray's
graves at our feet, from which you can
conclude that we were seated in Poets
Corner. The Sunday laws, / am told, are
very strict in England, which makes
London very quiet city on Sabbath
mornings; but they have here, as with us,
a way of circumventing obnoxious laws
which is quite successful. 1t seems there
is an old law making it compulsory for
an inrkeeper to furnish food and drink
to traveller The masses in London,
therefore, turn travellers on Sundays and
travel to the suburbs-Kew, Richmond,
Hampton Court, etc There is an i'm
mense exodus every Sunday afternoon,
with many different ways OF getting there
underground, Thames, omnibus, han
som, stage, etc. We secured seats as
outside passengers on the stage and do not
remember of ever having had more en-
joyable drive; it was exhilirating; drawn
by four spirited horses. to the music of
the post horn and cracking of the whip,
through ye old historic burghs of Ken
and Richmond, over the Thames through
Bushey park to Hampton Court. The
OioeohSC AtOu ChO ClIy 10 IhCAtJ u'lICos
At proper relay stations the horses are
watered, $50 is the driver, conductor and
some of the passengers, for that matter) or
changed, and on it goes again, with every
one in good humor and merry, as one
should be in ''merry England" We ar
rived at Hampton Court rather late and
had just time to hasten through the
galleries and grounds for hasty inspec-
ton. The place is one of great historical
interest and contains number of very
fine paintings. The park is still left as it
was originally laid out, i. g., in the old
French style. The palace was built by
Cardinal Wolsey, and afterwards occupied
by Cromwell, William III. aud succeed
ing monarchs.
Bushey Park, royal domain of about
II 900 acres, is entered by four gates.
The one we entered led us through a
triple avenue of old majestic horse chest.
nut trees, planted by William III. They
tell us that mention is made in the pa.
pers when these trees are in bloom, as it
affords sight quite unequaled in Eng.
land. At Hampton Village we got
good dinner from the joint for 2s. The
drive back was full of excitement, With
continued racing between rival coaches.
Arriving liz town. we found all the