132 REVIEWS — THE ENGLISHWOMAN IN AMERICA. 



do not speak to the other half. And worse than all, religious differences have 

 been brought up as engines wherewith to wreak political animosities. I never 

 saw a community in which people appeared to hate each other so cordially. 



The further you go from Charlotte Town the more primitive and 



hospitable the people become. They warmly welcome a stranger, and seem happy, 



moral, and contented The difficulty in procuring servants is felt from 



the Government House downward. A servant left at an hour's notice, saying, 

 ' she had never been so insulted before,' because her master requested her to put 

 on shoes when she waited at table ; and a gentleman was obliged to lie in bed 

 because his servant had taken all his shirts to the wash, and had left them while 

 she went to a ' frolic ' with her lover. 



The uiDper class of society in the island is rather exclusive, but it is difficult to 

 say what qualification entitles a man to be received into ' Society.' The entree at 

 Government House is not sufficient ; but a uniform is powerful, and wealth is 

 omnipotent. 



We wonder if any able editor of Charlotte Town lias, as yet, availed 

 himself of the opportunity of reviewing this highly flattering picture 

 of himself, his brother editors, the Prince Edward citizens and their 

 Metropolis, presented by our fair traveller to the world at large. If so, a 

 peep at his style of treating the theme would not be without a certain 

 spice of interest. But we must follow our enterprising observer to our 

 Western Colonial settlements, accompanying her in her short cut 

 through the States, where the following may serve as a sample of her 

 experience in the cars : 



" ' You're from down east, I guess V said a sharp nasal, voice behind me. This 

 was a supposition first made in the Portland cars, when I was at a loss to know 

 what distinguishing and palpable peculiarity marked me as a ' down easter.' Bet- 

 ter informed now, I replied, ' I am.' ' Going west V ' Yes.' ' Travelling alone ?' 

 ' No.' 'Was you raised down east ?' ' No, in the Old Country.' ' In the little old 

 Island ? Well, you are kinder glad to leave it, I guess ? Are you a widow ?' 

 'No.' ' Are you travelling on business ?' 'No.' ' What businesss do you follow?' 

 'None.' 'Well, now, what are you travelling for?' 'Health and pleasure.' 

 ' Well, now, I guess you're pretty considerable rich. Coming to settle out west, 

 I suppose V 'No, I'm going back at the end of the fall.' ' Well, now, if that's 

 not a pretty tough hickoiy-nut ! I guess you Britishers are the queerest critturs 

 as ever was raised !' " 



Thus pioneered on her way, our English traveller reached Toronto, 

 in time to be present when the false despatch was received among us 

 announcing the fall of Sebastopol ; and she rejoices vnth genuine 

 British feeling over the sympathy which the supposed triumph of the 

 British Arms excited. But unhappily at that recent date Toronto was 

 not so well provided with hotel accommodation as it has since become, 

 and the authoress draws comparisons between the quarters travellers 

 then found in Toronto and in the cities of the neighbouring States, not 



