The Republican journal., 1901-12-05
ENGLISH AND SCOTCH HOTELS.

pOlntmentS and CUISINE. This differ
ence will be best shown by description
of the hotels at which we were guests.
In York, Oxford Melrose and Leaning
ton we stopped from choice at the old
time hostelries. In Liverpool the Abel
phi has long been the fashionable
hotel, but the majority of travellers
frequent the Northwestern, big hotel
adjoining the station of the London
and Northwestern railway. For vari-
Gus reasons we were guests of the
Compton Hotel, house frequented by
commercial travellers; and that, you
may be sure, indicates in England, as
in this country, good table, prompt
attendance and comfortable beds. The
Compton is situated on Church street,
a business thoroughfare, opposite the
Protestant Episcopal gardens. The
ground floor is occupied by stores. En-
tering from the street you find yourself
in hall, with luggage stacked on one
side, and ascending long but easy
flight of stairs you reach what we
should call the lobby of the hotel. OPP
posite the stairway is the Office, with
woman at the desk; ana, by the way,
the hotel business in England and Scot
land is mainly, indeed almost exclusive
ly, done by women. On the rights the
staircase leading to the upper floors
the elevator, or Gift" as it is called
here was out of order-and at its foot
was the desk of the porter, an important
parsonage over here. Turning sharply
to the right you enter the Smoke
Room" a good-sized apartment fur
nished with comfortable chairs, sofas,
and many little round tables, each with
its box of Bryant & Mays matches,
ash tray, call-bell and a carafe of water.
At one end was the "bar''; in this case
a sideboard with a glittering array of
bottles and glasses. and an ice-box adj
joining Here, with a little table in
front of her on which to place her sew
ing. and on which her meals were served,
sat the bar maid. She was a feature of
all the English and Scotch hotels at
which we tarried and was certainly
def III her service, neatly dressed and
Iadylike in department. The habtues
treat the bar maid with great respect,
wishing her good morning orgood night
as the case may be, and lifting their
hats in salutation But it is time we
left the smoke room for the ladies'
drawing room, which opened from the
lobby, with two large windows looking
upon busy Church street On one side
was the Coffee Room, and ON the other
the commercial room, but both were
made "a double debt to pay as they
were used as reading and writing
rooms as well as dining rooms Our
meals were served in the coffee room, at a
table large enough to accommodate the
party Of twelve. Before each meal the
tables had to be cleared of books, papers
and writing material and the food was
brought from the kitchen somewhere
in the rear of the house and carried
through the lobby. This seemed very
announcement, but no fault could be
found with the food or the service.
Two walters in the regulation ''sWal-
loW-tailed' coats and white ties attend
ed to our table. At the o'clock break
fast there was porridge for those who
wished it, then fish, fried sole or whit
ing; then chops, bacon, ham and eggs,
bread, dry toast, tea, coffee, cocoa and
orange marmalade. This Sweet is
the usual finish of an English break
fast, and our party took to it very read
lily. At one O'Clock a lunch of cold
meats, bread, butter, cheese and salad
Dinner at 6, or later, with soup, fish,
roasts, game, pudding, pastry, etc.
There was less variety in the dinner
menu than at an American hotel of
equal standing but everything was ex-
cellent, and it was on the whole more
satisfactory meal than one usually gets
from more pretentious bill of fare.
Our next stopping place - Riggs
Crown Hotel, Bowness-was simply
perfection. 1t has already been referred
to in the letters of M. D. P, but too
much cannot be said in it's praise. The
building itself, substantial stone struc-
ture, was evidently not of very recent
date, but it was completely renovated
and newly furnished only year age.
1t was apparent that no expense had
been spared, and the most perfect taste
was shown in every detail. The easy
chairs and lounges, the soft rugs, the
subdued colors of the decorations, the
brightly burning soft coal fire in the
grate-all combined to make the hall,
or general sitting room, one of the most
charming apartments of the kind l
have ever seen. There were the Lon
don dailies and>weeklies and the maya
zines for those who wished to read;
writing material for those mindful of
the loved ones at home: while the
weary traveller who had found this
haven of rest and comfort might doze
before the fire in the depths of luxu-
rious chair or contribute his quota to