The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-03
Continuation of General oates's travels
in Europe from last Sundays Adver-

(Continuation of General Oatess travels
in Europe from last Sundays Adver-
tiser.)
Leaving The Hague late in the after
noon we ran down near the great bath
ing beach and there changed to cars on
another line and ran several miles back
southwark until We were nearly in sight
of Rotterdam, which is the great ship
ping point where the New York steam
ships bound to Holland lapd and depart.
1t is the next largest city to Amsterdam
in Holland. Our road then bore to the
right and took us due north to the Hook
Of Holland, which we reached in a heavy
downpour of rain. AS We neared the
coast the country got poorer and the land
less productive. The HoolS'is o point, of
land jstting out into the sea. which
makes it a good landing place for ships.
There we boarded the Vienna" a steam
ship of considerable capacity. The rain
continued and the weather was disagree
ably cold, although it was the 18th day
of June. We secured our berths and
went below as 1t was then about dark.
The ship lay at the wharf until the 10
o'clock train arrived with quite num-
Der of passengers, and as soon as they
and their baggage were on board. the
ship pushed out and we were afloat on
the North Sea. We had a smooth voyage
and the next morning between and
o'clock landed at Harwich, England. We
got our coffee hurriedly and paid the ex-
horbitaf1t price for 1t of a shilling cup.
We then went through the custom house
and the examination of our baggage
which was pro-forma-a mere farce-as
England has free trade and no tariff tax
on anything except liquors and tobacco.
We were through the custom house in
five minutes and boarded the train for
London, which was off at once. We ran
through beautiful fields of wheat, rye,
barley and oats and farms titled better
than our gardens and ,teeming with fruits
and vegetables of every variety. Numer-
Gus small herds of fine fat cattle and
fiocks of fine sheep, many of which were
black In color, were seen. All these
scenes in the early hours through the un-
dulating grounds were quite an interest
ing and rural charm. Our train made
fine time as they always do in England.
The lands of that wonderful Island are
naturally fertile and are stimulated by
some kind of fertilization every year,
consequently they yield fine crops. Eng
land is the most highly improved coun-
try in the world in every way.
1t is about sixty-f1ve miles from Har-
witch to London and when half way
majority of the farms were market gar
dens. On arrival we went to the house
of a gentleman whom I met in austria
until l could find accommodations at a
suitable place. His house was within the
city but about six miles from the active
business part of it, The next day Sc
cured good accommodations at Queen
Annie's Mansions, within one square of
Westminster Abbey, in which the King
was to be crowned. At the Mansions
we found General Wheeler, his son and
daughters All was hustle and expecta-
ton. The Colonial Governors were in the
great city. these and some select bodies
of soldiers were there from this Canadas,
from Calcutta, India. and the British
colonies throughout the world In his
great speech Daniel Webster truly said
that every morning the British drum
beat could be heard all around the world.
The English are the most conservative
and loyal people on earth. They nearly
all read the newspapers, which are cheap
II cent per copy-and are we'll informed
as to all things occurring within THE
United Kingdom and the common people
do not know nor care TO know a thing
about the remainder of the world. They
are not enterprising, they do not care
for new things and new methods; they
ara entirely satisfied with the old. The
child walks in the footprints of its par
ents and reveres the old ways and old
things, and II must be admitted that of
these they have the best.
The Parliament meets late in the af-
ternoon and sits at night, their grand
fathers did that thing a hundred years
ago. The Bank of England, the greatest
financial institution in the world, pursues
substantially the same methods of bust
ness, bookkeeping, etc., which prevailed
therein one hundred years ago. They are
strict observers of old Judge Hefin's
scripture. In the Constitutional Conven-
ton Of 1875 1 went to him to obtain his
sanction to a change in one of the pro-
visions in the old constitution ! ex-
planned it. He said: Coates, your rea-
soning seems good, but 1 believe in the
scripture, wherein 1t says, Cursed be he
who removeth the landmarks set by, his
fathers" The typical Englishman looks
with grave suspicion upon every proposed
change in business methods of any kind,
and it takes strong proof to convert him
in favor of any change. He Is prone to
look on the old way as the best. An En-
glishman with an Imagination or poetic
fringe to his mind is a rarity. They are
opinionated. self-important, or as we
Americans say. Stuck up" I cannot say
that like them, they are cold and cal
culating. almost devoid of sentiment and
assumes to be densely ignorant about
everything in which he is mott specially
Interested. but as to those, he is wide
awake and grasping. On one occasion, I
and a friend visited Niagara Falls, went
over on the Canadian side and ascended
to the observatory to have a good view.
An Englishman with muttonchops side
whiskers accompanied US. Looking east
ward towards the morning sun and the
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