Round the World in Eighty Days

by Jules Verne

Produced by Alex Kirstukas

Transcriber's Note: Round the World in Eighty Days (London: Routledge, 1878) was the third English translation of Jules Verne's Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours to be published. It has since been greatly overshadowed by the 1873 version by George Makepeace Towle (available on Project Gutenberg as EText-No. 103). This text version of Frith's translation was transcribed from a Google Books scan of an 1879 edition published in London by George Routledge and Sons. The text and images used were generously made available by the Internet Archive. All of Frith's deviations from Verne's text have been retained, including such unusual spellings as "Passe-partout" for "Passepartout" and "Maudiboy" for "Mandiboy," but obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

ROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS

By Jules Verne

Translated by Henry Frith

CHAPTER I.

In which Phileas Fogg and Passe-partout accept, relatively, the positions of Master and Servant.

In the year of grace One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, the house in which Sheridan died in 1816—viz. No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens—was occupied by Phileas Fogg, Esq., one of the most eccentric members of the Reform Club, though it always appeared as if he were very anxious to avoid remark. Phileas had succeeded to the house of one of England's greatest orators, but, unlike his predecessor, no one knew anything of Fogg, who was impenetrable, though a brave man and moving in the best society. Some people declared that he resembled Byron—merely in appearance, for he was irreproachable in tone—but still a Byron with whiskers and moustache: an impassible Byron, who might live a thousand years and not get old.

A thorough Briton was Phileas Fogg, though perhaps not a Londoner. He was never seen on the Stock Exchange, nor at the Bank of England, nor at any of the great City houses. No vessel with a cargo consigned to Phileas Fogg ever entered the port of London. He held no Government appointment. He had never been entered at any of the Inns of Court. He had never pleaded at the Chancery Bar, the Queen's Bench, the Exchequer, or the Ecclesiastical Courts. He was not a merchant, a manufacturer, a farmer, nor a man of business of any kind. He was not in the habit of frequenting the Royal Institution or any other of the learned societies of the metropolis. He was simply a member of the "Reform," and that was all!

If anyone ever inquired how it was that he had become a member of the club, the questioner was informed that he had been put up by the Barings, with whom he kept his account, which always showed a good balance, and from which his cheques were regularly and promptly honoured.