New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-20
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
FRENCH VIEWS OF IRELAND.

THREE MONTHS TOUR IN lRELAND by Mduunlc
de Bovet. Translated and Condensed by Mrs AZ
thur Walter. With Illustrations. limo, PIP. 3l2'
Charles Scrbner's Sons.
The Impressions of lively FrenchwOman on Ire
land promise somewhat uncommon interest, and this
promise is in good part fulfilled by Madame dc
Bovet's book II the reader who IS familiar WIN
the history OF Ireland finds in IL rather surpluSase
of the kind OF Information with which guideDooRs
abound, he must bear in mind that 1t was written
for q French public, who q rule are NIUE ac-
ouained with the traditions OF any foreign country
We however are disposed 10 find fault with the
incorporation these pcrunctory scraps OF hsVors
on quite another ground The truth is thai when h"u
sme dc confines herself to the results OF her o"
observation she is exceedingly interesting lresh anu
graphic She has an uncommon gift Of description ana
draws striking little pcturos of the phases OF sh e
which most impressed her. She has too' all 'he
courage Of her convictions, and speaks lhe uu'h "
Il presents itself TO her. without fear or lNor.
curious how often and how closely her impressions TO
semble those of Thackeray, though the lauer Wclc
drawn from the ireland Of half century ago. Inc
French woman is indeed no Aatterer' but emlhehuS
pla,nsnoken and il f. evident that from the day she
landed in Dublin she was forciby struck 0! oer'al"
Irish traits which seemed II her almost III '"en'
selves sufficient TO account for the SLOW prosIe7 u
the country.
She is no politician and frankly disclaims any IN
.onrors ~ roeddne with issues" of any kind. But
she goes about with her eyes very VIDE OPEN anu
what she sees she understands According 10 "ci ''
rnrse of travel In Ireland Is the prevalence VI pebss
II Is a perpetnal and unacceptable nuisance Unescap
able because begGars swarm 80 and are so lnpor,u
nate that if the tourist should empty h's purse 70 INC
crowd q new column. equally hungry and yet more
yocferous would instantly descend upon MN anu
This experience would be repeated at every Stoppns
Mace Next 10 the swarming beggars Mauanne "o
Dovet seems TO put the dirt discomfort ard barDaSh
eharaoterzing the administration OF most OF the Ius
and so-caIled hotels throughout the country ileie
is q sketch of them .
aft one is not very particular where he sleeps, Wv
Cling in Ireland is easy for in the smallest noe oe
IS always able to find a lodging; and from my lois
and often sad experience of Irish hotels am con
WINGED that one is best of in tie inns OF re"o'c
villages In the big towns YOU arrive at the door Oh
a huge caravarserai of imposing appearance You
enter and at first there is no one to receive Sou o"
ever as half dozen servants take possession OF your
luggage and umbrellas. conclude That theS 40 hoV
mean to shut the door in your face Al last a very
smiling woman appears when you nave Haue NDr
understand not without some trouble that yon refuse
absolutely to be all put into The same bedroom you
are shown to your different numbers geueralN il"se
rooms containing two three beds winch yo" loo"
nj with some uneasiness till assured tina: you exc"
s,velv will have the enjoyment of them. Besides the
beds make up for deficient furniture ior' excepting
a chest of drawers which can be made to OPEN
aressngtable TO each bed and couple OF hard chairs,
these vast rooms bare. with this sNperdDuluahoe
Of beds the traveller, who is new TO IT, sees inc al
vantage of being able TO change II the rS CHOICE uoeS
not sut him. 1t IS useless The English bed whose
bad reputation is fully justified Is paradise oy inc
eide NJ an Irish bed. What the UNDERWRITERS Is
made of have never been able to make ont one
thing is certain-that it contains nothlhg even ap-
preaching to elasticity. on this hard BASIS are one
or two thin mattresses very tightly stuffed WIN SOME
thing that resembles poachstOnes; over this are two
calico Sheets then huge white woolen blanket no
holster a large pillow hard and fat: lastly. covering
the whole is a cotton or crochet cOunerpane so heavy
that it requires the arms OF Herc'ues 10
carry 1t. You understand what SORT oi
sleep bne gets in such bed' AS l"E "S
soness goes 1t is like billiard table If you move
the inflow which has nothing keep it in its place.
fails on 10 the floor and the bedclothes get out OF
Mace so that you find yourself In tie morning sleep
ing outside on the mattress; in fact you are bo'h
sufocated by the fearful weight OF the CLONES anu
frozen by the air which penerates on every side
of this always open bed As for cleanliness, one must
not look too closely Here. in England, polished
floors are unknown, and the boards are Invariably
covered with carpets whose oquivocal color Will leave
TO the imagination and not for anything in the world
would 1 walk on one with bare feet. The linen is
farly clean. There never curtains to the beds
only occasionally TO the windows; they are Of white
rupure or embroidered muslin stiff with starch The
sash windows like those in England, rarely have shut
tiers If by chance there any, it is better not TO risk
shutting Them for behind them will be found heaps of
dust plaster and the dirt of ages, which the servants
1t serves curious people right and they will find just
as much in the freplaces, in the drawers, in the cup
boards and in dark If ii is wise not TO look
behind things, it is equally prudent to avoid moving
Them If, for example, you insist on pulling out q
shutter which won't move is usually the case, You
run great risk OF bringing the whole thing down and
unless it is absolutely necessary, don't try and open
your window; YOU will probably be Obliged 10 call up
The whole staff Of the establishment shut it again
without mentioning that if it is past 10 o'clock at night
you might well ring your bell in the desert In the
secOndclass hotels like those Of Kkee there is no
longer any question about cleanliness they de-
cidedy dirty, 10 say nothing of towels in rags, and
sheets with holes big enough put your fist through"
Trouble With the hotel service Madame de Bowel de-
clares to be perpetual As rule everybody promises
10 do whatever is requestedand nobody does it, "Ten
times you ask for your trunk TO be corded An
right they cheerfully answer and the eleventh time
you do IL yourself" Again" You order your warm
water at O'Clock; at quarter no one has come;
you ring and rerng lazy step is heard in the pas
sage; you call and vehcmenty express your displeas
ure 1t does not natter the maid. good-tem-
peredly; there is no BELL And when, in fresh
access Of rage you say Then might die In this
room without any means Of making oneself heard p
your mouth is shut by the girls sublime answer, on
that has never happcnedr You are obliged to laugh,
your anger disappears and get into bed again. and
wait there till the water is hot" once the author put
up without knowing it. at boycOtted hotel and the
experience singular one, though the account Is
too long to be quoted.
Madame de Bovet found the philosophy Of the Iaunt
fng-car very pcrplexing. II was always, or nearly
always raining during her travels and the iaunting-
car IS quite open Now she observed that if ii was
raining when car started tarpaun was stretched
over the baggage in the "well"; but If IL happened TO
be holding up few minutes. the tarpauln was not
nut on and though in five minutes after setting ont the
rain might come down in sheets nothing could induce
driver to pull mp and take measures to protect the
baggage The lady. having several times had her
trunks soaked. TO the conclusion that there was
nothing surprising in the backwa@dness ard poverty Of
,oonlo who took life in tbs way. We have given
...,lo Of Madarne de Rnvet,s hnmor and shIpwd oh