National Republican., 1886-12-11
LETTER FROM LONDON,
Lively Description of Hotels, Clubs,
Streets, Theaters, and CathodraIs.


10 HALF Moon STREET, PIccADrLLY,
LONDON, Nov. 20.-As have been here
now month, feel should write short
resume of my feelings over what l have
seen and as journey across the Atlantic is
no novelty, shall not describe 1t except to
say that II II was more generally known In
the United States, the Canadian steamship
route would be greatly preferred. The
beginning OF the trip is for hundreds Of
miles calm and quiet, giving one an oppor-
tunity to get settled and used to the ship,
its smells, noises, and motion, and at the
end of the trip after sighting Neville, Ire
land, you also have twelve hours quiet, to
pack up and get ready to go ashore. The
tenders that come to the side of the ship
are dirty, miserable, little Wheeling steam
ers that are disgrace, and you are dumped
aboard with mail bags, luggage, and what
not. The arrangements for examining
your trunks and transporting you to the
great railroad stations are to my mind first
class, though paid literally and thus had
my attention.
The tourney from Liverpool to London
was pleasant and rapid. When l reached
the Langham Hotel found rooms prepared
for me--immense, cold, dismal vaults, with
brass bedsteads and cretonne hanglngs, and
on the rlantels two little, poor, diminutlye
stearine candles that seemed to say: "Ex-
wanted gas, wanted lamps, anything to
liven up things, but there was no gas, only
In the halls and public rooms. Here, now,
was hotel costing million and a half of
dollars, flreproof, gorgeous In gliding and
marble, and no gas In the sleeping rooms
and no bath rooms. Out In the halls were
strung In row dozen exaggerated coal
hods, with lap rugs or blankets on each
these were the baths. Great Cd And
when you wanted bath this diabOlical in
strument of torture was brought into the
room, the rugs put down, the coal hod put
on 1t, and hot or cold water put In. This
was the famous bath that Englishmen love
to tell about-that they have every morn
ing. Well, 1t was all very "curus.n At
breakfast time my nurse came to
me and said: IThe children can't
get anything to eat; they gave us oatmeal
porridge and bacon, and the children never
eat either and don't know what 1t is.n
Well, cussing myself for not having taught
my youngsters to eat oatmeal porridge and
bacon, ordered them up good beefsteak
to chew on. When my wife and went
down and took q table In the big room, they
call "coffee ROOM" because l suppose
that everybody drinks tea, we noticed
''chappies" coming In and walking around
big table and peering down at cold joints
OF beef, mutton, &C., and 1t seemed fear
fully rude to us. 1t appears the gag is to
walk up to this table and examine the lay
out, and then say, "Awh, there, give me
some Of that beef, We know" And that
people eat breakfast OF cold dishes, where
we eat steaks, chops, &c. What with the
want Of gas and the general funereal aspect
of the boarders, made up my mind that
my stay at the Langham was not good for
my health, so | looked around and took q
suite of two bedrooms and parlor on the
first floor Of this place, and barring the
disposition to stint us now aud then and
swing In a lot Of extras, / am well satisfied.
My rooms are about the price they would
be on Fifth avenue, New York; / then pay
so much day for the board of the two
servants and my two children. My wife
and i eat our meals as we like, either In our
rooms or out; II In our apartments, we
order the evening before our breakfast,
lunch and dinner served at any hour we
choo In our parlcr with separate linen,
silye. fishes, &c. This is very convenient,
and we can have friend or two to break
fast, or lunch, or dinner without Its causing
remark, only We pay for each meal stated
price, SO far I've been using one hanson
cab, the owner of which is a study out of a
book, and who has saved me many dollar
already. His name is Benjamin Smith,
thirty years cab driver, and knows Lon.
don out and In. AS the city part, as they
call 1t, is as far from Half Moon street az
FOrty-second street is from Trinity Church,
and as l am not yet up on the different
streets, have to hire this man to teach me
how to get around.
TraveIsing as | have daily the great
thoroughiares leading back and forth |
can only say am dazed and wonderstruclS
at the tide OF travel, the immense traffic,