Jennie June In Europe

[CopyriglUed ISSö.'] Cowes. [sleofWight, July .-The ilfferenee between two days could iiuilly bo more marked llinn that irhicb div du the past Iwcnty-four liours froni the present in the niind of jour correspondent. Yestcrday s foodly conipany were gathered on the maso Beent steamer Ems, themajority lufrering all the horrors of a ('hannel passage, for an uuuaually calni and pleasanl yoyage was being brought to i. tempestuoue close. Ocean voy ages are all alike. and only the fair weather and a little lrcak in the machinery, ivlrch deta'ned us some liours in such suushine as niailo our sliip seem likc a [airy vcssol 1 ecalmed in au cnchanted DcoaB, var ed the rostful briiihtness of the days. 'i'hat incident deserves mention, however, for a better reason than tho cessation it ;ifforded from the iiiii.sc and ar of the quiet machinery. Il Imj osed o long and arduous a task npon the machinists, who would stop aelther for food nor rest till it was ionrpleted that the passengers raised a handsome suiu to be divided among them. Klit the Captain would by no tneans consent th:it it should be oftored to t!:em. Ho said: "These en'ineers are experts; they are gentlemen; they have cach won university uonors; iiiej7 nave oniy uone uien uuty; they would fee] insultcd." But it was represented that the money had been given and could not be returned, so the captain statcd the caso to the engineers and al Iheir suggestion the aiouey was given to the "widows and srphnns' fund of seamen." I do not know whether this little act, and the saptiona way of putting it, will strike my readers as it did sonie of us who saw and heard it, but I knowitthrilled sno of theiu and made her glad and hatikt'ul that there are men who do ïood work for iheir own honor and reputation's sake and are gentlemen in the entine room as well as in a dress snit. The delay brought us nearl.M a day later into Southampton liarbor and perhaps occasioned our rough experience of "weathcr' during the last twcnly-four hours that we spent on board the steamer, and which left beliind the gray and lowcring skies that greeted our approaoh to the famous ■■.'eedles," t!ie pointe of rocks which rear their llinty heads and foriu the Urst view of the "Garden of Kngland" -the Isle of Wight. There is a lighthouse on the extreme point jutting out into the sea, and adwnturous 1. oatmcn sai] and row in between the cruel, fagged, teeth-l.ke rocks, but it is dangerons for one not an expert, for there are powerful undcrcurrents which sweep treacherously down f rom fresh water ar.d draw the unsuspecting into the eddies and cavcrnous pools beneath. The usual transfer from the ship to a tug was niadu in Southampton liay and a landing efi'ected with little trouble and loss of time. On two previous occasions that I had entured England the sinall impedimenta carriod by ladies were not examined at all, but tliey are more part'cular now, and. every bag, satchel and shawl strap was gub'eeted to a rigorous examination for pössible drnamite rather than the contraband whisky and tobáceo. One of the boxes belonging to a lady of our ])arty had been put in her charge for transmisión to a friend in London, and she was herself quite ignorant of what it contained. On opening it some books and unimportant articles appeared, with wads oí newspaper weldcd tightly in and about a large square tin box. 'lhe metal, however, only appeared in one corner. The box itself was wrapped in several folds of brown paper, and Vcd and knolted, and knotted and tied, and finally sealing waxed in a most formidable fashion. The deputy looked at the three women who stood sponsors for the box, without knowing its contenta, and finally called anothor deouty, and the sécond man .summoned the chief. "What was in it?" No one could teil. The three men evidently thought it was a "caso:"' but linally one cut the striugs with an "England-expects," etc, sort of an air, and everyone looked curiously to see what the suspected repository contained. Six packages of Huy)er''s candy! - that was all. The men looked ashamed aud bundled H up agaip with more haste than care, while a laugh went aröund the American side of the Southampton Custom House. We had something contraband, however, in the shape of a bottle of fine old Kentucky whisky, which a believer in its virtues had put into our hands at parting, but which had not been opened. This it was considered might prove an acceptable gift to a patriotic American living in London, provided the amount of duty added to the trouble of carrying it did not make it too much of a burden. The men looked at it, weighed it in their hands; they knew it was good whisky, and hnd an opportunity to turn the tables and the. laujrh, but to their credit be it sa;d they refased to take advantage of thé situut:on. "One bottle to Ihree, Jack."' sad one: that's not too much; let it pass." And itdid pass free of any duty whatever. Withiu an hour of landing the whole opeiation had b;'en satisfactorily . perfor'med and we were on board the Carisbrooke bonnd for Cowes, our objective poiut while remaining on the pretty Isle by the sea. - - The Isle of Wight is turtle shaped, East and West ('owos divided by the Medina rivcr forming its mouth. Straight through the center is Kewport and Carisbrooke village and castle; on the right Yarrnouth, on the left Ryde, on the lower left Freshwater and tho Blackgang Chino, and on the lower right Franklin, Ventnor and Bon Church - all nauies famliar to every Englishspeaking car. Although ono of the old towna - Brading - was settled by 8t. Wilfrert, who landed her in TOí and comorted the men of Wight, the island up to the clo-e of the last century had lost its early importance, and consisted of liltle more than two or three slraggling villagea and the relies of former lino castles and ;il e. Thé Eev. Leigh Rirbtnoaid, whi :' f Brading and her Bruall villaje from 1V97 to löte, pxcited widespread intrert aniong the people among whom he dwelt by his "Snort and Simple Annals of the Poor," which included the "Dairyman's Daughter" and "Little Jane. the Yoiing Cottager." Those pious little narrativos of unwritten live excited a sortof furore and contained charming incidental bits of description of the varied and peculiarly beautiful scenery of the islaud. But the fashionable pre-eminence it has attained, lts rapid fjiowth and increase in population, must bo largoly credited to the iniluonce of the present royal family; to the fact that the Quonn spent her earl yeara with hor mother, the Duohess of Kent, at Norris Castle, and feit so" attached to the locality that she purchaseil Osborne House from her own private funds and maintains it as the one home which is facred to her own use atid that of her family, and from which strangers are excluded. Rycle 3 the largest town on the island, and as the yachting centro and the scène of the annual ball and regatta of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, it is very gay in the season. It is also a good point from which interesting excursions niav be made, but for purposes of rest and quiet and study of local color and character is not so desirable. There is a vast difl'erence between the present appearance of Ryde with its sraooth beach, its wide esplanade, its broad views extending to the Solent Sea on the west and the Énglish Channel on the East and south, taking in Osborue and Norria Castle, the beautiful shores of Cowes, Appley Towers. St. Clare, and its appearance to Fieldina;. wlio in 1758 waa carried here from a wreek, through what he calis an "impassable" gulf of mud by two men and lodged .ná "comfortless inu." built from the remains of a wreek. Of course, the principal attraction of Cowes to tourists is the Queen's residence, Osborne House, at least they think it is, and the subtle influence of the fact doubtless assists to give the charm which renders it so fascinating to the stranger. But there is no obtrusive nunkeyi'sni, or subservanee to royalty; the queen and the members of her faniily are private individuals, and though treated with great respect are neither mobbed nor followed. It is often said there is less of vulgarity here than in any other resort in England, and in this respect itis compared to our own Newport. But there is a total absence of the assumption and less apparent exclusión and parade of wealth than in .Newport, and it is therefore inönitcly more agreeable to the casual visitor. The season does not begin here till July; it reaches its height in the early part of August, and closes in September. But it is agreeable in some parts of the Isle of Wight all the year round. There are parts of it that are desolation itself, and others where the i'owers bloom in the open air from January to December. The Marine Parade is the fashionable promenade, and it terruinates at the "Greou," a public park-like pleasure grounil. wlth velvet turf, seats, trees and a beautiful view over the Solent, od rising ground, whkh was presented to the town for the use of the people by Mr. K. Stephenson, son of the famous engincer. A wide, low window of the ivy-covered inn, where I wrole this letter, is the Parade, and between it and the Green is the castle now used as a club house by the Royal Yacht Squadron, who lease it from the crown. The building is one of two forts constructed for defense by Henry VII. from materials brought from Beaulieu Abbey, and is situated at a bend in the road, vvhere the view of the terraeed wall of West Cowes and East Cowes, across the Medina, is widest and finest, but the tower is too close to the view to present in itseJf an imposing or picturesque eftect. Ii is not, however, commonplace and ] ;oseats a pretty sight when the squadron is gathered, as it is to day, in the bright blue-green waters of the Solent, flags flying, crews and commanders forming groups on shore, neat little boats playing in all directions. Cowes, of course, is nothing if not nautical, The children wear sailor suits, the girls sailor hats, with a sprlnkling of the coarse straw bonnets, so common among Knglish girls, and which look all alike, with their trimmings of cream lace and flowers. Redfern Brothers havo their original house here, and are the authority on yachting suits and tailor made gowns, probably bccause they design for the Princess of Wales and all the royalties. At least a dozen doth gowns have been made as part of the trousseau of the Princess Beatriee, and wool costumes are the stcady wear of the youngor members of the roval family in all its branches, and they all bear the Redfern stamp. The shop is unpretending enough, but it contains a great variety of woolen materials, specially woven, speoially dyoti, specially matched in exclusively manufactured braids, buttons, silk linings and fin shings of various kinds. This specialization of materials and their admirable preparation and finish and the vigorous attention to detail are the great features of the house, while the demand of its customers for garments for special pusposes, always designated with erence to the purpose, supplieo a constant succession of novel ideas. A new design for a gown is named tUo "Admiraï's Trousers" bocause of the broad braid stripes which forni the side panels and the gold embro'.dered cufl's, vost and epaulettes, all upon cream white in conjunction with admiral blue ohuddah, or Ticuna cloth. The belt is leather with gold stitching and finish. The " Admiral' sTronsors" is agowo suited to a vacht dinner. The "Cruisor" is a regular yachting dress- the flag of the vacht forming the drapery upon tho left. and its colors, the piaits let into the s:des mil partir coveredby cords. The jacket is doublé breasted and short on the back, the cap with tip, the most fashionable yachting cap of the season. Yachting is pursued hero with a degree of earneslness nknown to the Iess marítima communities. Ladiesas well as gentlemen mako a business' of it, and dress for it, not by having one semi-sailor suit made for occasional trips, but by keeping on hand a complete wardrobe for morning, evening, stateroom, deck and society, as wcll as solitary occasions. Thcre are special wraps, with large full dolman, or rather clerical sleeves, lined with crimson plush or iigured raw silk, for ladies who leave the yacht to dino with fricnds on shore, and breakfast jackets of cream cloth, embroidered with tha berger in gold or colors, and with the initials or monogram on the top of tho left arm to match the flag. The buttons are specially made and hand-painted with the Hag upon the surface, or gold oflicers' buttons are u. .cd and kept for a permanent possession. The Princesa of Wales uses the Royal Yacht Squadron buttons in gold Perhaps the reader would like to know how much it costs to live in this "jewel set in the sea," in a way thal is really not economical, but altogether delightful. For our party, cons;sting of threo ladies - tvvo young, one not so young - we have three rooms, two - a bedroom and a sitting room - frontingon the Parade and having a balcony in front lined with flowers and creeping vines of various kinds wh'ieh sereen from observation while afi'ord ing a lovely lookoutover the fa'r waters of the Solent and the ever-chang ing panorama upon sea and land. The sitting room is well furnished and in excellent taste with sofa, tive easi' ar.d arm chairs, stands, centre table with dark embossed cover, light rosewood chairs with peacock brooaded covers; quaint old bouftet, piclures, som l bound copies of illustrated works and the "Argosy;" niantfl mirror, lambrequin, screen and ornamenta; inlaid coal hod aud brasa tire ron--. Th.' chair covers are arüstic, and the ruis arO of skins or match theearpet. Tlio ono wide window forms a door whitli opens on to the balcony, and give.s a conservatory extensión whlch is charm ing and full of sweetuess and color. The beds are excellent, all the appointments very clean, and we have our meáis served by a neat-handed Phyills who [;osse3ses tbat .curious touch of refinement in speech and manner so universal among the young wonien of the lowtr middle class in England, and seems a part of tl.em not at all dependent on the more or less of theth'.eeR's they have aci.uired. or even the Latín and iess Kreek; for "educated" girls in England often do a kind of work for pay for whicli a gradúate of an American high school would consider herself far too good. For these accommodations, not includ ing the attendance, we pay iivc and sixpenee per day, for meals fiom onf and sixpence to tvvo and sixpenco fo' each person, according to what we or der. So that our average of cost, in cluding fresh strawborries, which w buy and add to our eggs or iish in tli morning and to our tea in theevening, is about $2 per day each, and we hav all been wishing every moment sincf we have been here that our few, too few, days could be extended indeh'niU'ly.