The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-12-07


Away India.
4 PoRr SAID, Egypt, November s.
Some one of our American authors
has said that the true art of writing
consists in knowing just what te
leave in the inkstand. But lest
transgress Ithe above. / throw the
responsibility on the editor who by
his experience in his profession, will
know what ought to find its way to
the waste basket.
| 1t is now almost four weeks since
in company with my friend Mansell,
left the port at New York, for
Bombay. Most of that time has
been spent ON board Of steamers
Three days in England was all the
respite we had from our close con-
finement. We were a little over
eleven days in reaching Glasgow.
The passage was stormy, the winds
being directly opposed to US, most Of
the way. The floor was very I'M
steady..which.d did notiadd much to the
dignity Of locomotion. 1t is a great
sensation when calmly walking to
find the floor suddenly very much
nearer than you had anticipated, or
to feel it suddenly sinking from be-
meath you, while you seem to be left
in mid air. But this is not all. A
ship on a rough sea is not confined
to any particular motion or set of
motions. 1t seems able to vary
them at will, and when you have
grown somewhat accustomed to the
plunging motion, without any warn
ing whatever, one side of the vessel
lifts itself in the air and if there is
no table convenient or post within
reach you find yourself unexpectedly
on the other side of the saloon in an
attitude which you had no idea of
assuming at that particular time
In one of those sudden lurehes of
the ship, noticed waiter bearing
three plates of soup slide half way
across the saloon, then calmly set it
in the intended place, and start back
again as though this was the usual
method of delivering it. When the
passengers pale with terror, asked
some of the officers if this storm was
any thing unusual, they would reply
20 this is nothing" we could not
help but wonder what real out and
out storm would be like, when waves
that dashed clear over the upper
deck were an ordinary affair.
After landing we spent few days
in Scotland and England, taking in
Glasgow, Liverpool and London. 1t
would take too much room, to give
even faint idea of what we saw in
these places. But there are two or
three traits in John Bulls character
that l wish to allude to briefly; one
is the custom of "tips" so called.
Every man who does you the small
est service expects a shilling or six
pence, the railway guard, the railway
and hotel porter, the waiter, the cab
man, all in addition to the fee paid
for their service expect "tip."
Any one who does you the slightest
kindness, for which an American
would scorn to take any thing smil-
ingly says 1--WE generally get some
thing for this" So accustomed
does one grow TO this abominable
habit, that he fears to ask a police
man the way to any point lest he
may say, "a sixpence please" and
one almost feels when some one looks
pleasantly at him, that he ought to
tickle his. palm with "tip." This
is SO interviewer in English life that
the native expects it, prepares for it,
and is not satisfied without it, but
to foreigner it is very trouble
some not to say disgusting feature
of European life. Again, English
people seem to imagine that Ameri-
cans are "loaded to the water line"
with money and behave themselves
accordingly. From the railway por-
ter to the dry goods merchant all
look on him as their lawful victim
and lay in wait for him like tiger in
his jungle, smiling serenely all the
while. The sound Of his voice is a
signal to double the price of what
ever ware they may have to dispose
Of The drayman doubles his usual
rates, as we found to our cost, the
merchant looks at his price list,
takes hasty measure of his Gus
toner, and makes a mental calcula-
tion of just how much he can take
him in for, then begins. And what
makes the case more desperate for
the poor victim is the fact that every
man seems to be in partnership with
every other man. No sooner does he
escape one of these remorseless
sharks than he is bounced upon by
another until he must get out soon
OF not get out at all.
We took the steamer on Saturday
at A p. m. but it was midnight be-
fore she weighed anchor and was
towed out, we wakened up on Sun
day morning Oct. 81, to find our
selves well out into the Irish Sea,
with cold damp wind blowing the
sea was rough and most persons
found it pleasanter in the saloon be-
low. But after clearing the sea and
the mouth of the English Channel
we at once began most delightful
sail. Those who had reason to
know had warned us that on the
Bay Of Biscay we might expect
rough weather and seasickness.
Our experience was the exact reverse.
The water was smooth even to glassi-
ness at times, and we decided that
the Bay had been slandered. All
the way across the Bay and along
the Portuguese coast, to Gibraltor, it
was all that could be desired in the
way of smooth sailing and fine
weather.
But before l speak of Gibraltor
and the Mediterranean let me intro
duce the readers of,the New DOMINION
to my fellow passengers, or at any
rate to as many as will be of inter
est to you. On board the Anchoria
from New York to Glasgow the pas
sengers were mostly Scotchmen.
One of the strong features Of a
Scotchman's character is his stern
religious zeal. Nor were our COM
panions any exception. On Sunday
we had preaching, and on week day
evenings, weather permitting, we
gathered around the piano and sang
from Moody's and Sankey's collec-