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TRAVELLING EXPENSES.

THE expense necessarily attendant upon travelling, must be admitted to be a considerable drawback from its pleasures. Still the evil is inevitable; and it may be satisfactory to tourists to be enabled to estimate the price to be paid for their enjoyment.

The following scale shows the average charge for the several items which enter into the traveller's bill. The prices in the first division of the scale are rarely exceeded in any of the Inns in the smaller towns, while, in some villages, charges even more moderate may sometimes be met with. The prices in the second division show the charges in Hotels of the highest class in the principal cities, &c.

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If the Traveller requires his table to be furnished beyond the ordinary scale of comfort, he must be prepared for a proportionate increase of charge.

The payment of the gratuities to servants at Inns is a source of great annoyance to travellers. It would very largely contribute to the tourist's comfort, were the charges under this head included among the other items of the landlord's bill. Although this practice has been adopted by a few Hotel-keepers, it is to be regretted that their example has not as yet been generally followed.

To enable them to furnish tourists with some information on this subject, the Publishers have applied to two hotel-keepers of the first respectability (the one in Liverpool, the other in Dublin,) by whom the practice of charging for servants is adopted, and the following are averaged from the rates charged in their establishments:

GRATUITIES TO SERVANTS.

1.

A single gentleman, taking the general accommodation of the Hotel for one or two meals as a passing traveller, Waiter, 6d; Chambermaid, 6d.; Porter or Boots, 6d. This includes the removal of any reasonable weight of luggage; but extra messages and parcels are charged separately.

2.

A single gentleman, staying a day and night, and taking his meals in the hotel, Is. 6d. or 2s. for servants, and if he stays several days, 1s. or 1s. 6d. per day.

3.

A gentleman and his wife, occupying a sitting room and bed-room, 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. per night for servants. If accompanied by sons or daughters, or other relatives, half this rate from each; but no charge for children under nine years of age.

4.

A party of four or six for one night about 1s. 6d. each.

Upon submitting this scale to several of the most respectable hotel-keepers in Edinburgh, they consider the rates to be a fair average. In country and village inns, even the lowest of the payments above quoted may be unnecessarily liberal, while in some of the fashionable hotels in London, the highest may be considerably under par.

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HINTS TO ALL RAILWAY TRAVELLERS.

PACK up your luggage in such order that you can readily carry with you the small matters you may want on your journey, or immediately on your arrival ; let the rest be put in such trunks, cases, boxes, or other packages as will either effectually protect it, or show at first sight that it must be handled carefully; remembering that, at railway stations, a great deal of business must be done in a little time, and therefore luggage, which seems able to bear it, sometimes gets rough usage.

Let your name and destination appear legibly on your luggage; and if you wish to be safe against all chances of loss, put your name and address inside also of each package. Picture to yourself your trunk lying on the road, left in the corner of an office, or sent out to a wrong direction, and imagine what you would then wish should be on or in it, that it might be correctly and speedily sent to you. What you would then wish you had done, do before you start. Let the label be of a strong material, and firmly attached to the package.

Be at the station some minutes before the time; if you do not resolve to be so, expect to see the train on its way without you.

Get your ticket (by paying your fare), and be careful to understand exactly how far that ticket frees you. On some railways you keep that ticket to the end of your journey; on others you are called on for it at starting. In either case be ready with it, remembering that, if you cannot produce it, you may be called upon to pay your fare again.

See where your luggage is placed on the carriage, and prefer that it should be on that in which you are to be seated, if practicable; see also that the company's ticket or luggage number be affixed to each package, or you may be called on to pay the carriage of it.

Expect to pay for the carriage of all your luggage above 56 lbs. weight. Take the best care you can to prevent the necessity of your leaving the carriage before you reach the refreshment station at the end of your journey. Take your seats as soon as you have made all needful arrangements; you may have with you a carpet-bag, hat-box, or other luggage, if it be not so bulky as to annoy your fellow-passengers.

Do not open the carriage doors yourself; and do not at any station, except those where refreshments are provided, attempt to leave the carriage for any

reason whatever, without the knowledge of the conductor, lest you be injured by some accident, or left behind.

Neither smoking nor dogs are allowed in the carriages; the latter are conveyed under proper arrangements, and at a small charge, which may easily be learnt at each station.

Female attendants will be found at each terminus, and at the refreshment station, to wait on ladies and children.

Children under ten years of age are conveyed at half-price; only infants unable to walk are carried without charge.

Invalids and decrepit persons commonly receive very considerate attention from the persons employed at the stations and on the line; but they must calculate on none which would materially interfere with the general working of the establishment, except they have expressly applied for, and been assured of, it beforehand.

Carriages of various kinds, special and public, suitable to the different localities, will be found at both the termini, and at nearly all the stations.

On change of carriage, or leaving the train, be careful to see what becomes of your luggage.

Each person employed on the line has a distinguishing number on the collar of his coat; if you have any complaint to make, write to the Secretary, designating the offender by his number.

Railway servants are enjoined to the observance of civility and attention to all passengers, and they usually fulfil these duties very cheerfully when treated with common propriety. They are forbidden to receive any fee or gratuity.

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