Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-09-19
OLD OXFORD TOWN.

An Interesting Letter From England
The Climate There Not Much Bet
ter Than Ours-AbOutth the University
of oxford.
The following letter from England was
written by New Haven lady who has
been travelling there during the past sum
mer and will be read with interest by not
a few:
BIRMINGHAM, Eng, Aug ~, 1890.
The skies have scowled and the clouds
have wept nearly every day since our ar
rival here, and the winds have been whist
ling among, had almost said, our bones.
We have been in Canterbury, London, Ok
ford and Salehun and receive cold and
fearful welcome from each. The only
compliment they had to offer was an equal
readiness to weep over our departure as
over our arrival.
In July and August we have been glad
to have fires when we could get them and
have longed for them when they were un-
attainable. Nevertheless we have had
some warmer weather, few days Of sick
ening heat in London when we felt as II
we could hardly drag or be dragged about
We have also had some days of delightful
sunshine-but such capricious sunshine.
Days with all the beauty and treachery Of
who yentured out into the
sunshine without an umbrella is quite
| worthy to be ornamented with fools cap
and bells. Salehun is little village about
seven and half miles southeast of this
city, char1ningly situated and within
pleasant driving distance of Norwich,
| Cfrotfor1 an Won etc
| There we rented furnished house, the
furniture including two maids and boy,
| for little over a week while the family
were off in Wales. About the house were
extensive grounds and gardens. It was
ing with English servants, and in
| English ways, which had more annoy
! ting the cook do most of the housekeeping
1 manage to enjoy it on the whole. Mr..
and Mrs. H. were with US and that was
| delightful; also Elsie's dog Duke made a
pleasant addition to our party. The pony
and trap were sheltered near by and were
kept pretty constantly on the go. Rain OF
shine, we were out Of doors most of the
| time. Oxford is one of the most delight
| full places we have visited in all England
or elsewhere. Little as like
England, and frequently as have wished
| to never visit it, nevertheless I will be
| willing to do SO for the sake of Oxford.
The college buildings are SO old and quaint
and their gardens are beautiful borders gay
with flowers, walks shaded by interlacing
trees overhead, and lawns with turf like
velvet. Even the discolored end honey
combed old gray walls have their rugged
| ness concealed or beauti6ed by the drapery
| of vines and flowers
The various colleges, including the uni
versity college, are under central control
salled the University of Oxford; otherwise
they are distinct colleges. We did oul
best in the short time we had to visit them
all, or at least the handsomest and most
noted, but failed in doing even this. Nine
were as many as we could do even scant
justice The gardens of Worcester, Trim
ity and Magdalen, including Addison'f
walk at the last, pleased us most; but
think that perhaps we enjoyed thu
buildings of Christ church college
the most, and certainly found considerabl,
excitement waiting in the main quadran
gle for Treat Tom ''to bowl out" the 10.
strokes which gave the hour 9:05-the fv'
minutes being the limit of grace allowed
for delinquinting after 9p. m. It bein,
vacation, we saw no gowns and Oxfort
caps; but there were a "lot"-lot Is
favorite anglcism-of young ladies, a
some 800 "exten6on students" were il
town. What loss of sweet opportuni
ties that they and the regular student
could not be in Oxford together to wan
der amid the classic shades and-oh, onl
platonize, of course. We sail from her
soon and have not much longer to remain
and endure this fitful, chilly climate.