Morning journal and courier., 1890-07-17
ACROSS THE OCEAN.

Notes of a North Haven Resident's
 Journey Across the Atlantic - Nep-
 tunes Exciting Spirit - Big Waves
 and Drenched Passengers-A Mourn
 full Lady-A vexatious Delay - Lon-
 don Tradesmen i'm a Rebellious
 Spirit - on Account of ExOrbitant
 Taxation - Thifsy.three Per Cent.
 sRather Steep'' for Most Sufferers
 Incredible Hut True The Low
 Rates for Wages Enterprising
 TradespeopIe object to the Ameri-
 can Protective Tariff.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 LONDON, Eng, June 30.-Wishing once more to see the old world in my lifetime took passage in the City of Berlin of the In- man line of steamers which sailed from New York on the 18th of May. The day was beautiful and we had the promise of pleas ant voyage. We left the pilot at Sandy Hook and the great ship was just on her course for the old world on Tuesday morn- ing, being the first morning out. We found on rising from our berths that heavy swell had come on and the ship was pitching about at a very uncomfortable rate. I had crossed the ocean twice before on this ship
 
 The swell continued to increase through out the day and the great iron ship, which IS 63O feet long, was tossed about like cork, the waves sweeping her decks from stem to stern. Nearly every one on the boat was sick and were obliged to take to their berths, The captain admitted that it was g very stirring up sea. I was surprised at this for had never before known any officer admit that the weather was bad at any time. At dinner time not over five or six passen- gers were at the tables. I looked in there from curiosity, not that wanted any food concluded it was busy day for the passen gers, not at home. A long line of gentlemen and ladies had gathered on the upper deck where occasionally the spray from huge wave would reach them. l had just left my my chair and had passed into the saloon when a wave came and did it's level best and gave them a thorough drenching. At night the clements held high carnival. It was all very grand, but would ratker have been excused. One lady came out of her room shedding bitter tears and said to her hus- band: 'I want to go home; what did come others, myself among the number. I went down into the ship like Jonah, to sleep. but unlike him, did not get into very deep sleep. had a horrible nightmare and two hobgobblins appeared in my room and looked ugly enough to have come for my scalp. found in the morning that others had been troubled with the same hallucinations as myself and that horrible objects had appeared before their eyes when awake, the brain having become affected. The misfortune of ,his, was the rough sea came on the start. Had it have happened when three or four days out we should have become accustomed to the motion of the ship and could have then stood it with impunity. The weather was fine after this till the last day of our voyage. When we arrived off the bar at Liverpool the tide was too low to admit of the ship going over. The wind was blowing heavy gale and too rough for her to come to anchor. They were therefore obliged to turn about and cruise one way and another, and this was kept up nearly all night. The sensation when this great ship was turning about in the troughs of the sea was not the most pleasant. In the morning we were all safely landed. We had at no time been in tmmi nent peril, but it was very uncomfortable. This was my fourth voyage and the most un- comfortable, but 1 have no reason to com plain. There were others that fared much worse. Some were so much shaken up for three or four days. When I re- turn it will be on the fastest steamer that can find. Business is very dull here, and the tradesmen are ready to rebel against the rate of taxation that they are compelled to endure. I will undertake to tell you what taxation is here, though it will
 be at the risk of your discrediting my state- ment, for I did not believe it myself till con 6rmed by several individuals. For example 8 tenant hires a house or store at 8 yearly rent of $100, which he pays to his landlord He is then compelled to pay the government 0 tax of 33 per cent. on the $10O, making hii tax about $133. In other words, the land lord gets $100 and the government gets ta1 of B per cent. If the tenant pays the tax all right; if not, he is evicted. The Landlord is taxed six pence on the pound for hi property, which, in United States carrenoy would be tax of 12 cents on $5. In short the landlord pays a tax of a fraction lesi than 21s per cent, while his unfortunate tenant pays tax of 33 per cent. ThiI would seem incredible, but I asked mJ banker about it to-day and his reply was "Yes, this tax has been creeping up till i has reached 33 per cent"
 All living expenses are higher hers than a home with the exception of sugar, tea ant ! coffee. Wages are very low: Bricklayers ant ! mssons get $1.80 per day, carpenters ant l joiners $1.75 per day for ten hours. Wage | in the cotton and woolen mills are surpris | ingly low. Not one article can be manufac tured on this side the water lower than VI can do it, only by extracting blood none, from their operatives. The poverty ant ! squallor met with here is distressing to wit ness, but the government seems to do the bes ! they can for the poor and the poor rate is | heavy one. Great enterprise is shown b, the tradespeople. I don't think l ever say | their equal. The tendency is to consolida tion, and the great bazaar absorbs his un fortunate rivals and secures the trade of whole section. I like the English peopl
 much and feel, when here, that am in country next to my owp. They are rathe cold to the stranger till acquainted, bu when you once have their confdenc the best of treatment may be expected. Her is where we came from; we are their sons though they think us somewhat wayward The most they have against us is our protec
 tive tariff, which they wish to see done ava.
 with as soon as possible. The English farme is sorely pressed and at his wits end. Tn large amount of beef and produce we sent here has almost ruined him and he finds hard to meet the demands of his landlord flo rent of land. We do not appreciate ou country as we should. Hard as it seems t. live here in England, no doubt visitor Qoinl to Austria or Russis would find he had left comparative paradise. L. BAssErT.