New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-11
THE BRITISH INN.
COME CASUAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF
.ur WAYS OF THE BRITISH INN
KEEPER, AND ALSO OF THE
BRITISH TOURIST IN HIS
NATIVE LAND.

London. July 80.
,sar the season when the British Tourist
n,",,snd they call him the Towrow. to rhyme
how-sets forth on mis- travels He has, in
WI" .,,,acter Of tourist many points of interest
50 has some habits which are peculiar.
Az them is that of writing TO what Mr..
A'herlain calls his organ of prediction, gen.
"The Times" He writes. for the most
"' =. n grumbler. He has been Overcharged
T,cs for eggs and bacon. The wicked inn
sr has given him oeomargarine-which he
.ounces with the soft-instead of butter.
=. ,,ain was late. His luggage has been rudely
aimed at Paris by officers insensible to remon-
'aoces in the English tongue. These and many
,,,r lamentations appear,in print with periodi-
:, regularity which may be called astronomical.
nv are often entertaining. They are often use
=, They do. as a whole, tend TO keep the inn
nor and railway manager in order; at least
!, england itself. And they illumine the Eng
Wan character, especially the prosaic and practi-
., side of il. You see more clearly the narrow
ass the tenacity about trifles. the heroic deter
-nation of the Briton to have his own British
cav amid foreigners who do not understand the
british constitution; his high regard for his own
..ntort in little matters, and his invincble dis
NE 10 being imposed upon.
No ought to be the more interesting to Ameri-
,,ns because he is unlike them There are.
,,,ssd superficial resemblances between the two.
The American abroad is just as capable as his
oousln Of resenting ways which are not his, and
osrsssting sometimes by strong means. what he
thinks attempts at overcharging him, or other
rise taking advantage Of his Ignorance or of his
xsalth All Americans travelling in Europe are
,nposed 10 be rich. and prices are adjusted ac-
,,ringly But perhaps the main point of differ
.nee between the English and American traveller
that with which began. The American strug-
ss almost always unsuccessfully. against ex-
,orlon and when the struggle is over goes his
var in silence. The Englishman does not think
"A, battle over till he has sent bulletin 10 the
,,vspapers There is not a hotel-keeper or Gus
tom.house officer the European Continent who
has not scores Of times heard the indignant Eng
Nshman threaten to write TO The Times. The
phrase has passed into a proverb If the Ameri-
can does not write to The Times" it is partly
because he has no Times to write to-no one
,sner indlsputably entitled to be called the lead
INK Journal nor any. may add. which makes It's
private correspondence so distinctly feature OF
the paper and treats it as department OF news.
The general burden Of all these letters Is the
cOstlneSS OF EnglSn HOtelS anu !hiiS anu '"S
distractions thrown in the way of English travel
That raises the question. which is new one
yearly To the well-to-do father Of an English
family whether he shall spend his holiday at
home or abroad. Apart from personal prefer
ences he has to consider questions Of expense and
questions of comfort Ny own belief Is that nine
times out of ten he would rather stay IN England
than travel abroad. He is in truth. driven
abroad. or If not abroad, to Scotland or lreland;
which perhaps is abroad. The British lnnKeeper
drives him out Of his own country. No doubt
the Continental innkeeper sometimes does MS
best to drive him back again, but that Is
different branch Of great subject which must
be treated separately. Such knowledge as pre-
walls In this country touching foreign lands is
ne in great measure to the repelling infu-
xes Of that very hosiery which in English
xrature makes such an agreeable figure. the
English inn. and now of later days the English
ho,el which. l believe, has never been sung In
English verse nor ever will be.
But when the social history of this country
comes to be written by competent chronicler.
be will award to the English Boniface the credit
Of having taught his countrymen the geography
Of the globe He has made 1t difficult for him 10
travel at home. if not impossible and 1t is proba-
than 1t ever was One reason is that the hotels
are better, and therefore dearer The standard
has been raised. and prices have been raised The
new big hotels of London, which were Initiated.
though not very closely. from America. are now
In their turn initiated throughout England. The
American who cannot sleep happily unless under
roof which shelters some hundreds Of other
guests besides himself may now find in almost
L. ilara 10 u
The enormous caravansary which is his ideal Of
comfort in travel
His delight in this discovery may be diminished
vhen the bill comes in and he perceives that ne
htxpected 10 pay for rooms and attendance and
fires and lights and other sundries sometimes
little less and often good deal more than ne
would pay in America on the American pan TOT
both room and board. This need not surprise
him. nor need he come all the way to England to
acquire this kind Of information The first New
York hotel on the European plan he goes 10 VIII
make the whole matter clear. The American
may not care about the extra expense ana ne
may like the hugeness OF the new hotels and OF
me Joint stock company system OF management
The Englshman does care about every extra SIX
pence. and mere size ic not to him the attraction
which he firmly believes I T. be 10 every Ameri-
Agh,ful 10 the tourist from beyond the Atlantic
'ne native Of these islands continues to 90 ABROAD
and his would-be host continues to be his best
instructor In geography.
will give you an instance. Particulars are
Always worth more THAI generaiitics. IL nap
whed not long ago to a friend Of mine 10 WISH 10
~ With his family TO an English watering pace
some two hours distant from London. he 'eie-
"A
.''m and two bedrooms on the secone ho'r' anu
.ehs not unvcrsed in the ways OF these piacc'
se'ed 10 know the price. The answer was wv
."n which led him TO reflect and to change MS
~a. He went instead 10 a watcrine-place '"
~'fench coast. The journey was twice as 'oHs
a., more than twice as expensive for party vi
..sssrsons. He stayed four days and re'"'heu'
making up his accounts discovered t""''
- ,ta tour