Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-05-29
A LONDON LETTER,
Things Seen, Heard and Done by Two
Yankee Travellers.

LONDON, May 1, 1891.
Here we are i'm "Ltmnon" sure enough,
and Londa and |, like two Impractical
children, are enjoying it to its fullest eX-
tent. We came through quickly tive hours
from Liverpool, locked in compartment
by ourselves with one gentlemen. 1t was
all very queer. Cars just as they built
them the first time. You enter the car at
the side, instead of the end. The guards
wave their flags. The conductor whistles
instead of the engine. No checks, no re-
ceipts for baggage Old English stage coach
idea. Conservatives | should say so.
We passed over and through several fine
towns and a great deal of lovely and fertile
country. God made the country and man
made the town" You are quite impressed
that man not only had finger in the bust
ness, but was the main hand in producing
this emerald jewelled country.
The gentleman in our compartment was
nice and polite, in pointing out places of
interest. We passed matched roof houses,
mansions and castles Here is a public
house, called "The Pretty Pigs" Here are
men cultivating fields of wheat with hoe.
Bought Londa bouquet, lilies of the val
ley, "tuppence." Here is Tom Brown
Rugby school; and now we stop at old Sam
Johnson's birthplace, Litchfeld Here
three weeks ago Col. Dyott died. He was
the last of his family BY weird notion he
arranged to be buried in the middle of the
night. There were no mourners, all dead.
His butler and land steward preceded the
coffin. The earls and dukes hereabout sent
their carriages for the procession, all empty {!
Queer freak.
Now we begin to smell and taste london.
and are soon whirled away to our lodgings.
London is too big. You cannot compre-
bend it. And yet they adding house after
house. We drove to the Garland House.
Full. Sowe tooktemporaryapartments near
by, and next day found our present quarters,
IL Montague place, off Russell square, or
park. We pay five shillings a piece for
board and lodging, SIPS. 1t is fine house,
in a nice part of the city, and fourteen very
cultivated people at the table.
We started down the Strand at once. for
Barring Bros, and were delighted with the
intelligence that there were letters for us.
one from you, and one from Senator Ed
munds, enclosing letters to our ministers in
England, France and Germany. Londa
and | take great satisfaction in riding on
the top of the busses. Such mass of We
hicles, and such novel sights Merchants
and everybody of pretension wear "beav-
ers.' Little boys of ten strut along with
"stove-pipes" like men. Lord Dundrearys
with eyeglasses: porters with brass labels
about their neckS, and mutitudes of police
men everywhere and very obligng. The
Hanson cabs are convenient. and will take
you almost everywhere for shilling. Two
persons cost the same as one There is
nothing brilliant about London, but every
thing is made for service. The houses are
rough, black and grim, the carts and car
riages are heavy and huge Everything is
done slowly and methodically. 1t is as diff
ficult to hurry an Englishman as it is to
check a Yankee.
We have visited the British museum for
a couple of hours. 1t is at the back of our
house, and | am looking upon it as | write.
We took only peep, and intend to take it
in later. 1t is great world into which one
needs to be born and live whole life in
order to describe it. 1t is like the collec-
tions at the smithsonian" only more so.
Quaritch is to give us "A readers ticket to-
day, which carries access to all books. pa
pers and periodicals.
presented my Senator Edmunds's letter
to Mr.. Lincoln, who was very cordial and
nice to us both, and entertained us for half
an hour, and will give us a letter to Gen.
New, our consul general, for my tariff in
formation. | am to call on Thursday for
tickets for Parliament.
We were in the National gallery couple
of hours yesterday. 1t is quite fatiguing
looking at so many saints, angels. Christs
and holy monks. Our feeling was akin to
Mark Twains after he had seen 1000
monks, more or less, looking piouslv up to
heaven. But the English modern school
enlisted our interest, and the Turner gal
lery pronounce magnificent! He was an
impressionist with grandeur of coloring
and imagination that takes you in. We
shall 90 again.
We We're admitted to view the Great
Bank of England, the mistress of Thread
needle street. The usher, in uniform,
showed us through with great ceremony
We saw the 800 clerks at their duties. and
looked at the outside of the vaults. Here
is where the directors dined, and is where
they smoked, said our regimental "This
is the lavatory, sir, of the directors, sirr'
The building is suspicious, Unlocking one.
and shockingly low, as if it had been driven
into the ground a couple of stories, but il
is very richly gilded within.
Spent half day in the geological gardens
in Regents park of 472 acres. Londa was
fascinated with the snakes, and thinks they
are very nice. But my preference was CEN
tered on the animals rather in the grotesque
style of architecture, like the giraffes-with
a decided leaning to the rhinoceros, hippo
potamus and elephant with the usk-a
style of ornament. The bald chimpanzee
sally came in for our attention. She
knows "a thing or two" Although she
cannot talk, she can count up to seven,
and perform various intelligent acts You
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