MISCELLANY No 20
VICTORIAN TRAVEL
A very brief Introduction
by Philomathes:
In contrast to our
rollicking 1838 jaunt by stagecoach with Mr Jorrocks we now present this useful, if rather serious
-- it will go on for another six weeks – guide to travelling by railway in
1862. By this time the period of intense
development of the British railway system had happened, most places in the land
were close to a railway line, and the great British public were just beginning
to use the train, having until now not strayed more than a few miles from home
(mainly because their family members all lived nearby and they didn’t know
anyone who lived further away). But the
Victorians needed to know The Right Thing To Do, in this case the Right Way To
Travel, and travel by train was a serious business, as we shall see...
THE
RAILWAY TRAVELLER'S HANDY BOOK. (1862)
PART
1
A
FEW PRELIMINARY REMARKS
THE extension and ramification of railroads
throughout the habitable globe, together with the daily increase of railway
traffic, are matters of notoriety. Most persons undertake a journey at least
once in the course of the year, and it is no exaggeration to state that every
man, woman, and child may be ranked as a railway traveller. Nay, more, there
are those who pass the greater part of their lives in a railway carriage,
flitting incessantly from one station to another, and only breaking off their
travels at night, to resume them on the morrow. If, therefore, railway
travelling be so general, and railway travellers form so numerous a class, it
may be reasonably anticipated that a work touching upon the comforts and
discomforts, the conveniences and inconveniences of locomotion, will meet with
universal acceptance and approval. Especially when it is considered how
valuable is even one of these practical hints or suggestions, of which some
hundreds will be found in this little volume.
In order to render the work more easy of reference,
it is divided into three periods: BEFORE THE JOURNEY—ON THE JOURNEY—AFTER THE
JOURNEY. This arrangement will admit of any special item of information being
lighted on at once; while the natural order which the various items take will
render the manual a never-failing remembrancer and referee, from the moment the
railway traveller conceives the idea of his journey until he has accomplished
it.
At the outset of our task we are desirous of
bespeaking the special attention of the various classes of railway travellers,
by a few remarks which may prove individually applicable, and favourably
dispose each class towards the objects of general interest.
BEFORE THE JOURNEY
BUSINESS TRAVELLERS.
COMMERCIAL travellers, and others who pass a great
portion of their time on railways, would succeed in deriving much valuable
information during their progress by dint of observation and inquiry. There are
certain ins and outs of railway travelling which do not appear on the surface,
but which are nevertheless intimately connected with its working. These
matters, although of little moment to the occasional traveller, are worthy of
being ascertained and treasured up by him whose movements in life may be said
to be regulated by a railway time-table. It is impossible to define what we
mean more intelligibly than by calling them wrinkles. For example, some one
train may be more comfortable to travel by than the others: it may be less
crowded, and carry a better class of company than ordinarily ; or the carriages
and general accommodation may be of a superior kind. Innumerable hints of a
similar nature may be gleaned, and chiefly by placing one’s self in
communication with stationmasters, guards, porters, and others connected with
the line. Through the same medium much: local information may be obtained,
which will serve as some sort of guide to commercial operations. For instance,
a traveller arrives at a place he has not hitherto visited, he wishes to find
out a certain class of traders in the town, but he is totally ignorant of their
names, addresses, or extent of business. The railway officials connected with
the station have probably resided in the neighbourhood for many years, and in a
few moments they could furnish every particular. In doing this they need betray
no confidence, nor step aside from the straight path of duty, while the
alighting passenger would be materially benefited by these few minutes’
colloquy. There are numerous other suggestions tending to the economizing of
time and money, the avoiding of inconvenience, and the enhancing of personal
comfort. These may be gained by the business traveller making up his mind not
to miss a single opportunity of inquiry and observation, and not to be backward
in reducing them to practice.
PLEASURE-SEEKERS.
WE will suppose a person about to start on an
excursion, unpledged to any particular route, and solicitous only of obtaining
the greatest amount of pleasure for his outlay. In such cases, it would be an
excellent plan to collect the various excursion schemes put forth by the
railway companies. To compare the advantages offered one with the other, to
note the several stopping-places on the route, and if these be not familiar, to
glean, by aid of guide-book or gazetteer, some knowledge of the places
themselves, together with the objects of interest by which they are surrounded.
Thus, the cost of the trip, and the privileges to be enjoyed, may be
ascertained with. something like reasonable certainty. With regard to pleasure
seeking, it may be observed that each person has his peculiar notion of what
pleasure is. Most of us plead guilty to a hobby, and nearly every man has a
predilection for some sport, amusement, or pursuit, which he follows at every
opportunity, and enjoys with greater zest than all others. The geologist with
his hammer, the entomologist with his hand-net, the botanist with his microscope,
the angler with his rod, and the sportsman with his gun—each presses forward
with an ardour unaccountable to his neighbour, and in the prosecution of his
particular enterprise finds an enjoyment which he would neither forgo nor
exchange. The opportunities for indulging in any special diversion will be
found to favour particular localities. These facts are duly recorded in topographical
works, may be readily referred to, and will thus put the pleasure-seeker in
possession of a certain amount of capital to start with. In like manner the
mere sight-seer may ferret out in what direction are to be found the largest
store of curiosities and marvels, on which to feast his wondering eyes.
HEALTH-SEEKERS.
Lord Byron declared that the most exquisite of human
enjoyments consisted in being borne swiftly through the air on horseback. Dr.
Johnson, when being whisked along the highroad rapidly in a postchaise, turned
to his travelling companion, Boswell, and exclaimed with a jubilant air, “Sir,
there are few things in life better than this!” Following up this theory of
sensation, we are tempted to declare that the being whirled through space at
the rate of thirty or forty miles an hour is most pleasurable in its effects.
To the over-wrought brain, or the overstrained mental faculties, to the toiler
who has sunk into a state of exhaustion, this rapid locomotion acts as a most
agreeable fillip. Nor is this to be found alone in the journey itself; the bustle
of the station, the incidents of the platform and waiting-room, the chance chat
in the railway carriage, all tend to arouse the faculties, and to impart to
them a freshness which they lose in silent and persistent labour.
But there is a possibility of carrying this beyond
due limits, as the following incident will show:
A gentleman in a delicate state of health was
recommended by his physician to reside by the seaside. Having business in
London which required his frequent attention, he determined upon selecting
Brighton as his residence, so as to be within easy reach of the metropolis. The
South Coast Railway runs a train to and from Brighton and London—a distance of
fifty miles—in an hour and a quarter. Of this train the gentleman referred to
arranged to avail himself twice a-week. After a few days’ sojourning at Brighton,
his health became greatly improved. On the first occasion of his going to town,
however, he was seized with a violent headache, which grew worse as the day wore
on, and which, after his journey down, left him in such a state of pain and
prostration, that he was obliged to seek his bed immediately on his arrival at
home. The next morning he had partially recovered, and in two or three days he
regained his former improved condition of health. On his second visit to town,
he was tormented with the same kind of violent headache, succeeded by an equal
amount of prostration. Nature and the beneficent sea breezes once more revived
him, when on the third occasion of a journey to London, he was attacked by
precisely the same symptoms as on the two previous occasions. He now thought it
time to make known these facts to his medical adviser, who was not slow in
discovering the peculiar relation in this instance between cause and effect.
The simple truth was, that the performance of a journey of a hundred miles
within so short a space of time, and at such a rapid pace, had too greatly
excited the nervous system, and had otherwise disturbed the functions of a
delicate organization and a debilitated frame; and the force of this conclusion
was afterwards made apparent by a cessation of the headaches with a
discontinuance of the journeys. To the jaded and toilworn, therefore, we would
say, close your books, leave the desk, fly the study, hasten to the nearest
railway station, and take a return ticket for some twelve or fifteen miles. On
arriving at your destination, scud down the green lanes and across the fields,
setting out at a brisk pace and maintaining it until your return to the
departure station in a couple of hours’ time. The journey homeward will
appropriately cap the achievement; which, although we do not vaunt as a panacea
for all the ills of life, we nevertheless declare, from experience, to be one
of the very best repairers of health and restorers of spirits.
SEASON -TICKET HOLDERS.
When a person makes up his mind to reside at some
place accessible by railway, there are several circumstances—supposing him to
be a man of business and a frequent traveller—which it would be important for
him to investigate. In the first place he should ascertain upon what terms a season-ticket
can be procured, for virtually the railway fare is a part of the rent, and
therefore ought to enter into the calculation of the probable cost when taking
a house under these conditions. Secondly, he should learn the times of arrival
and departure, so as to make sure that they are conformable both with his
commercial and domestic arrangements. Next, he should glean whether the trains
are habitually punctual or unpunctual. To a man of business the arrival of a
train even a few minutes behind time is apt to prove of serious consequence. In
most Government oflices the employees are compelled to “sign on,” as it is
called, when they arrive in the morning; and as the hour strikes, a line is
drawn across the book of entry, thus obliging all who come after to place their
signatures below this line. By this simple arrangement the names of late comers
can be gathered at a glance. When this occurs a few times only, and at distant
intervals, it is usually visited with a fine or a mild reproof, but a frequent repetition
of late arrival brings down upon the head of the offender condign punishment,
and sometimes results in dismissal. In ordinary employments, this want of
punctuality in commencing the duties of the day is regarded as one of the worst
traits in the character of a man of business, and greatly tends to shake the
confidence of the employer. Even in cases where a person is responsible only to
himself, this detention is always provocative of annoyance, and is frequently
attended with loss.
Another consideration is, the distance at which the
place of business is situated from one terminus, and the place of residence
from the other. For if the interval between these two points is protracted, it
follows that the getting to one from the station will occupy more time than is consumed
by the journey itself. Nor is the distance alone to be regarded; the means of
conveyance should be inquired into, both as regards the cost and the dependence
that can be placed upon them. Finally, it would not be amiss to ascertain
whether, upon extraordinary occasions, the company would be disposed to accord
the privilege of a special train, as when, for instance, a party was made up to
visit the theatre, or other entertainment terminating after the time of
departure of the last ordinary train.
TRAVELLERS IN GENERAL.
But whatever be the motive which impels a person to
undertake a journey, whether it be love, law, business, pleasure, politics, or
self, all render themselves for the time being amenable to the same regulations,
subject to the same wants, and susceptible to the same ameliorations. Glancing
at these in their natural order, and assuming the intending traveller to be
sitting in his room a day or two previous to his departure, turning his future
movements over in his mind, the first things which will commend themselves to
his attention are those useful publications known as
RAILWAY GUIDES.
Of these, there are two in common use—the A B C and
Bradshaw. Both are published on the first of each month, and both contain the
latest alterations in the fares, times, etc., up to the moment of going to
press. Generally speaking, these alterations are not material, and the guide
for one month might in the majority of cases be made to do duty for another. Still
the possibility exists of a change having been made; to be prepared for which
it is as well to possess the publication of the current month. And, by the by,
when the purchase is made, the date on the cover should be referred to, in
order that a guide of the time past may not be bought in mistake for one of the
time present. The A B C Railway Guide is, as its title imports, a work easy of
reference, the names of the places being
alphabetically arranged, and the times of departure and arrival, the fares,
etc., being so clearly given as to prevent the possibility of a mistake. It is,
however, chiefly adapted for the use of persons who have only to proceed direct
from one point to another, without being
doomed to thread the labyrinth of branch lines, junctions, etc. Bradshaw—the wellknown
Bradshaw—is the other guide taken into the railway traveller’s confidence. This
work contains a mass of information compressed into the very smallest compass,
but on that account, and by reason of various signs and symbols having to be
made use of, it is not so easy of interpretation as it might be. This fact has
given rise to innumerable witticisms on its unintelligibility. And we must
confess, that although we are acquainted with a few of the initiated to whom
Bradshaw is as easy as A B C, we have never yet met with a lady who did not
regard it as a literary puzzle, while the majority of the sterner sex have
failed to master its intricacies. Knowing by experience the great value of this
vade mecum, and desirous that others
may equally appreciate it, we will endeavour to furnish a key to some of the
most prominent difficulties, in a few brief suggestions which may be
collectively termed “How to read
Bradshaw.”
1. When you are searching for the name of a place,
refer to the alphabetical index at the commencement of the guide, and you will
be directed to the appropriate page.
2. To ascertain the time of departure from, or
arrival at, any place, run your eye along the figures which cross the page in a
line with the name of the station.
3. When a train passes a station without stopping,
it is indicated by two dots, thus ..
4. When a
train stops at some given point without proceeding further, it is notified by a
thick black line -, or by the word “ Stop.” If any train be shown below in the
same column, it is an independent one.
5. The course of the main line is denoted by thick
marks down the right hand side of the station columns; deviations or branches
are indicated by thin lines.
6. A thin line in the middle of trains, thus \,
represents a shunt, and is intended to show the continuous route of the
traveller.
7. Wave lines, thus MW, have a twofold use; first,
to direct the eye into the next train, and, second, to show that passengers do
not travel past the stations opposite to which the wave line appears.
8. The various letters, as a, b, c, etc.,
occasionally met with in the tables usually refer to explanatory notes at the
foot of the page.
9. Through routes, steamboat, omnibus, and coach
communication in connection with the trains, will be found towards the end of
the guide, after the tables of the ordinary lines.
Finally, beware of mistaking the up-trains for the
down-trains, or vice versd. Be quite certain that you have learnt the proper
time of arrival or departure, and refer a second time to prevent the
possibility of error. Ascertain beyond doubt that the train you intend going by
stops at the station for which you are bound; all sorts of exceptional cases
are mixed up with many intermediate stations, and the ordinary routine is
departed from in reference to market-days, and other local exigencies; Much
valuable information respecting hotels, boarding-houses, apartments, etc., in
the various towns in the United Kingdom, will be found scattered through the
latter portion of the guide. The glowing terms in which nearly every proprietor
speaks of his establishment must not, of course, be interpreted literally.
Nevertheless it is something to ascertain the names and whereabouts of these
temporary homesteads; and in these days of extortion and anti-extortion such
notifications as the following are worthy of being treasured in the memory; for
example, “ No charge for candles at this hotel.” “A fixed charge for attendance.”
“A list of refreshments exhibited in the coffee-room.” “Visitors are not
expected to take wine,” etc. etc.
PREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY.—PACKING, ETC.
Most persons appear to have an instinctive horror of
“ packing-up.” Some are happily in a position to depute the business to others,
but by nearly all the process is avoided until the very last moment. The
consequence is, that things are hastily thrown together pell-mell, without any
attempt at order or arrangement; dresses are rumpled, coats are creased, linen
soiled, rough articles are brought into unseemly contact with the delicate, the
dirty associated with the clean, to say nothing of tricklings of ink, and streams
of oil, which are apt to escape from their ill-secured receptacles. Our first
piece of advice is, that railway travellers should confine their luggage within
as narrow limits as possible, not encumbering themselves with a number of
useless articles, or with such as may be obtained at the point of destination
as readily as at home; to take, in point of fact, only the necessary and the
indispensable. The Romans gave the name of impedimenta to their baggage—a word
which pretty clearly interprets both ancient and modern opinion. The gallant
General Sir Charles Napier declared that the only equipment required by an
Indian officer comprised a second shirt, two pairs of socks, and a tooth-brush.
But although few would be inclined to subscribe to the latter scanty outfit,
there cannot be a doubt that the traveller who is able to carry his luggage in
his hand is a comparatively free man, while he who has many packages to look
after is, for the time being, a slave. It should be also borne in mind that
extra luggage entails extra expense; every trunk, portmanteau, or bandbox,
carries with it a certain charge, and can scarcely be touched by the tips of
strange fingers without having an impost levied upon it. There are numerous
instances, however, where large quantities of luggage cannot be escaped. In
such cases it would be advisable to adopt the following course: Classify the
articles in such a manner that the same sorts shall have separate boxes or
distinct places assigned them. Thus, pack all the heavy articles by themselves,
or dispose them in the bottoms of the boxes, etc. Place all the articles not
required for immediate use by themselves, and those that are so required by
themselves. Carry the articles which you will need when you reach your
journey’s end, such as night-dress, brushes and combs, etc., in a
travelling-bag, so that you may be spared the pain and labour of uncording and
unpacking at a moment when it goes sorely against the grain. Attach to the
inner side of the lid of each package a list of the various articles which such
package contains; then number each package, and finally make a memorandum of
these lots, with their corresponding numbers, in your pocket-book, so that when
at any time you require a particular article, you can, by referring, at once
determine where such article is to be found. If you are solicitous about the
exterior of your luggage, envelop it in canvas, the pulling and hauling, the pitching
and tossing, the friction and jostling, which packages are subjected to in
travel, to say nothing of the paste-brush which the railway porter impartially
applies to the effects of Patrician and plebeian, are not calculated to improve
the appearance of polish or paint. When packages are corded, they should be
corded tightly and securely; in such cases, the cordage is regarded as the
legitimate medium for lifting and carrying; therefore, if it be loose, or the
knot insecurely fastened, prepare yourself to see your package lying smashed on
the ground, its contents strewn in every direction, and the porter gazing at
you with the cord in his hand, and a reproachful look on his features, for
having supplied him with so treacherous a holding. The directing of luggage is
a matter of no small importance, carelessness in this particular frequently
causing the miscarriage of packages. The name and address should be written
legibly, and in a bold hand. Observe, also, that the name of the place should
be in larger letters than the name of the person; and however much this may
offend our selfesteem, it must be borne in mind that in the hurry and bustle of
departure, the destination is what is first required to be known, the owner
being a secondary consideration. When address labels are attached by tying,
they should be of leather, parchment, or some such untearable material. One may
frequently note a strip of writing paper, with the superscription traced on it
in microscopic characters, the said strip partially strangled with twine or
thread, and tenderly attached to the handle of a package; an arrangement that
may answer the purpose of indicating the ‘birth-place of the embryo lupine in a
garden plot, but ill adapted for the rough usage of the railway station and the
exigencies of the luggage van. Cards of address, fastened on by tacks, are not
to be recommended, for the cards are apt to be torn away by contact with other
packages, leaving the tacks standing alone as monuments to the memory of the
departed. The best plan is to paste the labels on to the luggage, as they will
thus more certainly retain their position; for this purpose adhesive labels are
prepared and sold, which have only to be wetted and applied in the same way as
postage stamps. To avoid confusion, and to prevent things being mis-sent, it is
advisable to remove the labels having reference to previous journeys. As a
crowning precaution, it would be as well to place the name and destination of
the owner of the luggage inside as well as outside, so that in the event of the
latter being destroyed, a clue to the claimant may be furnished. The number of
articles which are constantly travelling out of their legitimate course,
through carelessness in the matter of address, exceed belief. Some curious
stories could be told of railway travellers and their luggage chasing each other
half over the United Kingdom by some unhappy mischance, never happening to
reach the same place together; so that the “Adventures of Japhet in Search of
his Father,” or “Coelebs in Search of a Wife” are but tame and uninteresting narratives
compared with “Tomkins in Quest of his Trunk.”
TRAVELLING EQUIPAGE.
There are, perhaps, few things upon which human
ingenuity has been brought to bear with such force as travelling conveniences.
The distant traveller and the tourist, the family man and the bachelor, he
whose means and desires are unlimited, and he whose resources are
circumscribed, and whose requirements are few, has each been considered. Many
of us can remember the clumsy and cumbrous trunks and boxes of a bygone period,
rendered clumsier and heavier still by outworks of brass-headed nails and bands
of iron. Also those extraordinary carpet-bags, in which nothing could lie flat,
and from which everything emerged in a dreadfully dilapidated state. Mais nous
avons changé tout cela, and now travelling trunks, portmanteaus,
bags, etc., may be had in every conceivable variety of make, shape, and size.
For family purposes, a species of large trunk has been invented, which, when
its outer covering is removed, resembles a chest of drawers, partaking, indeed,
of all the convenience of that well-known article of household furniture
without its cumbrousness. Trunks there are, also, of a smaller size, divided
into compartments, affording facilities for arranging the wardrobe, and for
separately placing away each article of dress. Of portmanteaus there exist a
great variety, some on a large scale, and substantially made, so as to approach
nearly the genus trunk, others with collapsing propensities, enabling the
capacity of the receptacle to be considerably extended when occasion requires,
and materially diminishing the bulk when not in use, by which means it becomes
a large or a small portmanteau according to the contents. Another portmanteau
is made of a size to admit of its being placed under the railway seat, and has
the handle placed in such a manner that it may be easily carried by the owner.
An equal amount of ingenuity has been displayed in connection with travelling
bags. There is one of a hybrid nature, being a travelling bag upwards and a
portmanteau downwards, proving as convenient as the latter, and as portable as
the former. Another kind of bag is made to open square, enabling the articles
to be placed in on a firm basis, and not coaxed or jammed in sideways, as in
the ordinary bag.
As travelling bags are put into requisition more
generally than any other kind of travelling gear, it will not be amiss to
describe a bag recently introduced, which is made to contain the various toilet
requisites, as well as articles of attire, and which possesses the combined
advantages of compactness and portability. This bag is constructed to open in
such a manner as to present the whole of the fittings standing erect in the
centre, leaving the sides free. By a simple contrivance it is further made to
open at the bottom. On two boards or standards are displayed the fittings; the
boards, being supplied with a long hinge and handle, may be lifted out of the
bag, and made to stand firmly on a table; the sides then lying flat, are in a
convenient position for packing. The inner parts of the sides are provided with
strong flaps, and also strong elastics and fasteners, to confine any article
packed under them. One side of the bag can be opened to the bottom, leaving the
other side still upright. The bag can be used without the fittings, the whole
interior being then available for packing besides the flaps. It is also supplied
with a new form of handle, the ends of which slide in grooves, thereby allowing
it to lie quite flat on the top of the frame. From bags we come to a species of
knapsack, which is generally strapped on to the back, but being fitted with a
handle on the top it may, when not used as a knapsack, form a convenient
substitute for a travelling bag. Haversacks and wallets come next in order,
these are made to contain a change of linen, toilet requisites, etc., and are
slung across the shoulder by a strap. For persons who are going short journeys,
or who intend to pedestrianize, this is, perhaps, the best kind of travelling
appendage that can be conceived; it renders its wearer at once independent and
easy. He can go from place to place without being importuned by touts and
tag-rag. He enters an inn, and leaves it without any of that parade or
sensation which even the smallest of travelling bags appears to engender, and
he can always have whatever he requires ready at hand, and soon becomes so
accustomed to his general burden, as to be scarcely aware that he is carrying
anything at all. Dressingcases are designed of every form and variety, and in
keeping with the utilitarian spirit of the age, are also made to combine with
the customary portmanteau or travelling bag, the articles being so disposed as
to fill up vacancies which would otherwise remain unappropriated. Another
convenient form of dressing-case is that where the toilet requisites are
spread, if we may so term it, on a strip of leather, and are then capable of
being rolled up into a small compass. Nor have ladies been forgotten in the
matter of travelling equipages. There are ladies’ wardrobes, ladies’
portmanteaus, ladies’ compendiums, ladies’ bonnet trunks, etc., each admirably
adapted for the various purposes to which it will be put. The travelling
receptacles chosen, and the luggage packed, the next consideration is—
FIXING THE TIME OF DEPARTURE.
In answer to the question whether it is better to
travel by day or by night, we should say that much depends on the constitution
and temperament of the traveller. It is decidedly imprudent for a delicate
person to expose himself to the night air, which to some extent he must do,
however securely the doors and windows of the carriage may be closed. Nor can
the deprivation of the usual night’s rest be conducive to health. For although,
in some exceptional cases, there are travellers who can sleep as soundly on the
railroad as in their beds, the majority of travellers, in spite of every
effort, fail on procuring any slumber beyond that homeopathic amount familiarly
known as “ forty winks.” But setting aside the drawback of broken rest, some
persons maintain that there are certain recommendations which render night
travelling preferable to travelling by day; one is, that people are, generally
speaking, more sociable, the darkness and stillness of night appear to dispel
that distrust and shyness with which English travellers habitually regard each
other by day, so that the journey is made agreeable by conversation and the
interchange of courtesies. To the very timid, another recommendation is that
there is less chance of collision, the line being comparatively clear, and
extra precaution being taken to prevent the possibility of accident. Some
persons prefer starting by the last. train at night to the first train in the
morning, because the excitement attendant on the journey, and the dread of
oversleeping themselves, entirely breaks up their night’s rest, and renders
them in a very unfit state to set out upon their travels. If the day be chosen,
the hour of departure should be regulated, to some extent, by the time of
arrival. It is very awkward, for instance, to invade the domicile of a country
friend in the middle of the night, and owing to the absence of suitable arrangements
it may prove equally unpleasant to the invader. In cases where the traveller is
bound for some across country place, and has to depend upon a public conveyance
to transport him to his final destination, he should assure himself that the
omnibus, coach, or fly, will be at the station to meet the train he travels by;
and on extraordinary occasions he may secure the attendance of a conveyance by
a polite request, either by post or telegraph, being forwarded to the
superintendent of the station at which he intends to alight.
LETTERS OF ADVICE, ETC.
When the traveller is about to visit an hotel or
lodging-house, he will insure a comfortable reception by writing a letter, a
few days prior to his departure, to the proprietor of the house he intends
staying at, instructing him to prepare certain rooms, and make such other
arrangements as may be necessary, it would be as well if the letter were posted
in sufficient time for an answer to be received before the day of starting, so
that the traveller may be assured of his arrangements being carried out, or in
the event of it being impossible to comply with his request, that he may be
made acquainted with the fact. Even when the visit is about to be paid to a
friend, where there is always a welcome, the proposed visit should be notified,
to save inconvenience to all parties. There are very few people who like to be
taken by surprise, and the usual exclamation of, “If I had only known that you
had been coming,” is sufliciently indicative of the disappointment felt. Should
you require a ladies’ carriage, a horse-box, or a carriage-truck, write to the
station-master a day or two previously, as they are not always to be had at the
moment. In cases of invalids, or decrepit persons, it would also be as well to
write to the station-master, or other authority, beforehand, to endeavour to
secure such conveniences and comforts most favourable to the sufferer‘s
infirmities. At the same time it should be borne in mind, that although there
is every disposition on the part of the different railway companies to be as
considerate as possible, still they cannot be expected to confer special
advantages on individuals, to the detriment of the public interest and the
general working of the establishment.
To be
continued
