New-York tribune., 1901-09-22
THE AMERICAN AND HISTORICAL ENG
LAND.
LAND.

Now with us the American traveller has but
one reputation-that Of being in such Il violent
hurry that. paradoXical as ii may sound, while
he sees everything he sees nothing. But, like
most national portraitures. this is an exaggera-
ton. There are. doubt, great many Ameri-
who follow at top specd Il certain beaten
route, which is regarded as the necessary quail
fcation for being able to say that they have
done" England. But the other hand. there
is an growing number of Americans who
travel integenty. and from these we Britons
may learn many a good lesson The
pr,st nj writer met man at RoSCobcl in Stat
fordshire. who was tracing the Night or CharleS
III after the battle Of Worcester lie had got
badly mixed in the manufacturing district about
NCSclry, which in CharleSS day was Wild, open
country but was going cheerily and consci-
entiousIy on into WarWiCkshire-the dancing
Marston' of Shakespcarc's country Somerset
shire. and by Charmouth and Bridport in Dor
setshire, eastward To Brighton and Shoreham, IN
Sussex. While dealing with royal fugitiVes 1t
might bc interesting TO trace the Duke OF Mon
mouth from SedScmoor 10 the New Forest ana
the wanderinEs of Prince Charlie after Cul-
loden. But the land is full of similar objects for
historical holidays. y tour OF the chief battle
fields Of England Scotland would take one
into some of the best known districts OF the
land-into the very heart of Arcady-especially
those in northumberland and the Scottish bor-
derand, which may he termed the cockpit or
Britain. and where nature has been unable ana
has had no practical reason, 10 after the
natural features of the wild and solitary coun-
try. or we may go further back in history ana
endeaVor to trace the movements of HereWard
the Wake in Lincolnshire. and thus lead our
selves up to Boston. beloved of Americans, who,
so we were informed by the landlord or the
Peacock. know the town better than many Bos-
tunians and are rarely heard 10 ask their way
about
From Boston it is easy to reach another favor
itc haunt of the intelligent Amerlcan-the Coun-
try of the Pilgrim Fathers. who went out IN the
MayfloWer all about AnSteriield and Scrooby-
To be candid the intelligent and energetic
American visitor has opened up historical Eng
land as il had never been opened before ne ne
gan to travel. And he regards as historical
much that is more. strictly speaking, literary
than historical. SugraVe, in NorthamptonshIre,
is of course the historical home of the Wash
inytnns as is WyComhe of the PennS. but how
many British tourists had seen Mlton's cottage
al t'haIfunt Saint Giles, or Cowper'S house at
Olnev or Gray's churchyard at Stoke Pogis, or
ramiIiariZed themselves with Shakespeare es
country. with
Piping PebwoTth, dancing Marston,
Haunted IiibOrough. hungry Grafton,
Dodsfng ExhalI. Papist Wixford
Beggarly Broom and drunken Bidford a;
with Snitterfield Aston Cantlow, Wootton War
rem I.uddi.Igton and other villages, associated
eli her with the life the writings ot the poet,
until paDers in American magazines had
brought them into notice? few enthusiasts
but very few genuine holiday makeIs.-Cfhe
Spectator.