Columbia 5ilnit)cr^ttp tntl)fCitptJfltlfttig0rk LIBRARY ■^ ^ A Wea(V in §Bnv0»€* VOLUME I. YEAR IN EUROPE. COMPRISING ^ ^(DiirjBi^^ii m^ (mm^imsi.'i^m^^ ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, IRELAND, FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, THE NORTH OF ITALY, AND HOLLAND. In 1818 and 1819. BY JOHN GRISCOM, •nOFEiaOR OF CHEMISTRY AND NATURAL PH1L080FHY IN THE N. YORK INSTITD- TION ; MEMBER OF THE LIT. AJJD PHIL. SOCIETY OF NEW-TOKK, &C. LY TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. ''1 RriSHED BY COLLINS & CO. AND E. BLISS & E. WHITE, N. YORK: H. C. CAREV & J. LSA-, Pa2LADE^^PB(I>■.?,s*3^l^> • WELLS & LILLET bOSTOli;/ ; ',.•' \ ' Printed by A Paul, 72 JVastau-sireet. ;GHAM — factories — buttons — tea-trays — sautf-boxes — literary institutions — top of the coach — Warwick — coachmen — Blenheim — Oxford — general ap- pearance — beautiful walks— colleges — libraries— students' dress — immorality — chalk, flint — agriculture— population — Henley — suc- cession of villages — aiTival in London 53 IjETTER V. — London. — first impressions — yearly meeting of the society of Friends — British and Foreign Bible Society — Lord Teignmouth — Sir Joseph Banks — conversations — Sir Humphrey Davy — House of Commons — Westminster Abbey — coui-t of chan- cery — speakers in Parliament — W. Wilberforce — Sir S. Romilly -=— H. Brougham — Lord Castlereagh — Canning, &ic. — reporters — luncheons — king's birth day — anniversary of British and Foreign School Society — exhibition of the children — Duke of Sussex — dinner — Benjamin West — his galleries — bazaar in Soho square. 65 f jETTER VI. — LoNDON.^-countr}" seats — Chingford church — proro- gation of Parliament — procession — state coach, and other equipa- ges — Seneca Indians — British Museum — its endowment and con- tents — Royal Academy of painting — West — TmmbuU — Alston — Leslie — Newton — annual exhibition — its academicians and lec- tures — Day's collection — Tottenham, mineralogy and meteorology — Rundle & Bridge — diamonds and jewels — menagerie at Exeter Change— British Gallery in Pall-Mall— Bullock's Museum—West- minster gas factory — the Tower and its various contents — Bo- rough road school — Joseph Lancaster — charity children in St. Paul's Cathedral — Society of Arts, Adelphi — panorama of Athens — city election at Guildhall — British freedom — "iVest and East In- dia docks — Isle of Dogs — Suri^j' Institution — Sowerby's JVIuseum — Greenwich — the hospital for invalids — Royal Observatory — J. Pond — the apparatus — large camera obscura — deaf and dumb school — Dr. Watson — school for the bhnd — Philanthropic Society its buildings and operations — Chelsea hospital — Chantrey, and his elegant sculpture — Ijinwood collection of pictures in worsted — London institution — dinner of the Royal Society at Greenwich — Bond-street — Dubourg's models — P. Colquhoun — Dr. Fothergill's CONTENTS. PAQK countrj' seat — Elizabeth Fry — chemical factory at Stratford — Coade & Sealy's artificial marble — printing by steam — British and Foreign School Society — l^uke of Sussex — visit to Newgate with Elizabeth Fry — Westminster election — hackney coaches — Lon- don streets — pavements — female degradation — splendour of the shops — supply of water — drajnagc — jiopulation of London — mar- kets — meat shops — public squares — royal parks 8G liETTER VIL— Departure fiom London.— Weather— Hounslow— large wagons — Slough — Sir W. Herschell — large telescope — con- versation — Windsor Castle — the King — furniture — Windsor park — Eton college — W iltshire — Whitehorse hill — Bow wood — bar- rows. Bath. — population — buildings — i)ump room — institutions — sedan chairs — good roads — broad wheels. Bristol. — Redclilf church — cathedral — charities of Bristol — thatched cottage — fine views — hot wells — R. Reynolds — Dr. Pritchard — commerce — river Avon — improvements in navigation — Clifton 14C LETTER Vin.— Barlev-Wood Coir age.— Hannah More— her conversation, &c. — Wrington — Langford inn — provincial dialect of Somersetshire — Bridgwater — its antiquity — Taunton — cob cot- tages — potwallopers — Honiton. Exfter — cathedral — goal and bridewell — Haldon hill — fine view — Totness — Ivy-Bridge — Ply- mouth — large ships — cost — Leskard — emigration to America — Cornwall. Truro. — Carpet manufactory — smelting of tin — tin ore — revenue — Bumcoose 169 l^ETTER IX.~CoRNWALL.— MiMNG-united mines—mining captains — raising the ore — different ores — veins or loads — underlie— depth of mines — mine under the sea — products of mines — profit and loss — structure of mines — steam engines — adits — support of the sides and roof — labour of mining — morality of the miners — Scorrier — mineralogical cabinet — geology of Cornwall — antiquity of the tin mines — statistics — quantity of mett.1 and value of the mines — Falmouth. — R. W . Fox — Truro philosophical s(x;iety — Redruth — Grampound — St. Austel — Polgooth — antiquities of Cornwall — manners. Plymouth dock yard — market — varieties of fish — Mount Edgecumbe — Breakwater — smuggling — Dartmoor. Exe- ter — mine of manganese — literaiy and philosophical institution — hospital — insane hospital — antiquity — agriculture of Devon — cider — Honiton — Mere — Fonthill — W. Bcckford. Salisbury — ca- thedral. Southampton 18'i LETTER X. — SouTHAMPTo>. — Canute's lesson of humility — passage to Cowes — Netley Abbey — Cowes — Newport — Carisbrook castle — southern coast of the Isle of Wight — picturesque scenery — Niton — small church — seat of Earl Dysart — Shanklin — Brading — Ryde. Portsmouth — dockyard — dry dock — block machinery — Brunei — circular saws — Chhhtstcr — Collins' monument — Gothic cross — ingenious charity — Arundel — Wortliing. Brighto. — Population — sea-bathing — shampooing — use of donkeys — packets for France 1 ... 223 LETTER XI. — Passage to Dieppe. — Alderman Wood — French sail- ors and gens-d'armes — examination at custom house — beggars — church — Normandy cap — female barber — ^journey to Rouen— suspended lamps — cathedral of Rouen — convent or nunnery — table d'hote — Mount St. Catherine — bridge of boats — French di- ligence — route to Paris — chalk formation — vineyards — Marly wa- ter works — attachment to Bonaparte — preference to Americans — entrance of Paris — Sabbath evening — Elysian fields — Meurice's hotel — garden of Thuilleries — female delicacy — museum of the Louvre — statuary — picture gallery — pent des arts — ascent of Ma- CONTENTS. PAGE dame Blanchard — fiacres and cabriolets — Abbe Gaultier — Count I'Asteyrie — Garden of Plants — Dr. Gall's lectures — village of St. Denys — Montmorency — MontTnartre — attack of the Allies on Paris — telegraph — Institute, its sittings — Luxemburg — paintings and garden — meeting with Friends — plam dress — Adet — Four- croy's sisters — Abb4 Haiiy — his cabinet — ride to St. Cloud — the palace and garden — Versailles — palace and garden — play of the fountains — the water works — Grand and Petit Trianon — Vauque- lin — fSte of St. Louis — vast concourse — singular amusements — balloon — illuminations — Bishop Gregoive — Gymnastic school — school of mines — museum of French monuments — fountain of the elephant — Charles' philosophical apparatus — cemetery of Pere la Chaise — Institut Academique — Fr^res de la religion Chretienne — Professor Berzelius — J. Owen — Gay Lussac — caffes and restau- rateurs — river Seine — sale of books — caricatures — Boulevards — various shows— crowded streets — manner of keeping the Sabbath — state of religion and morals 23t^ LETTER XIL — Departure from Paris — Essonne. Fontainebleau — the forest — gardens and palace — Nemours — Montargis — the Loire — Cosne — cannon founderj' — female influence — LaCharite — Nevers — mendicity — Moulins — fine country — wooden shoes — nuts — agriculture — use of oxen — St. Geraud — Roanne — mode of spin- ning in the fields — Mount Tarare — Puy de Dome — Tarare — ex- tortion at inns — mine of Chessy — La Tour — arrival at Lyons — Rhone and Soane — amusements — museum — La Fourvieres — hos- pital Antiquailles — Notre Damede Fourvieres — chapel of St. Just — Catholic procession — silk manufactory — metropolitan church — curious clock — a dinner — streets and appearance of Lyons — an- cient mosaic — La Charite — Foundling hospital — general hospital — college of Lyons — ancient aqueduct — republican cruelties — road to Geneva — Nantua — opinions respecting Bonaparte — Perte du Rhone. Geneva. — Mouhnier — sectarian divisions — table d'hote — Rans de Vache — Professor Fictet — Dr. Marcet 202 LETTER XIIL— Geneva.— Professor de Candolle— Mad. Vernet— jaunt to Chamouny — Savoy — Bonneville — valley of the Arve — su- blime scenery — water falls — St. Martin — Salenche— evening, and distant view of Mount Blanc — Char-a-Banc — St. Gervais — Ser- voz — Roman chateau — Chamouny — Glacier de Bosson — tender- ness of the guides — passage of the ice — the Priur^ — hotels — col- lections of minerals and plants — ascent to La Flegere — Panoramic view of Mount Blanc — Avalanches — Glaciere de Bois — icy cavern — disaster — Mount Blanc covered with ice — simplicity of manners — natural history of Mount Blanc — return to Geneva — president Vernet and family — professor Prevost — new literary institution — professor Jurine and his cabinet — academy of painting — models of the Alps — Mrs. Marcet — Alderman Wood — evening party at pro- fessor Pic tets— credulity — arrival of two English companions. • 334 IjETTER XIV. — Geneva. — Insane asylum — prison — pauperism — school of mutual instruction — departure — fine scenery on the lake — Coppet — Madame de Stael — Rolle — Morges. Lausanne. — Benevolent English lady — prison — support of the poor — education, savings banks — road to Vevey — superior vineyards — Vevey — ex- cursion on the lake — castle Chillon — numerous clocks — dress of the peasants — agriculture — Bulle — convent of capuchins, unclean- 1}' and idle — Gruyere. FRrEuno. — Chanoine Fontaine — interest- ing conversation — Pere Girard — museum of paintings, &c. — edu- cation — hospital of Friburg — cretins — Jesuits' College — opposition to Pere Girard — situation of Friburg — canton of Berne— -curious CONTENTS. PAG£ costume. Bkrke. — Female exerciseB — Dr. Wyttenbach — libra- ry and museum — HalJer — hospital of Berne — road to Hofwyl — establishment of Emniauuel de Fellenberg- — Vehrly — importance of such a system of instruction — count de Villevielle — village of Riechenbach — beauties of Berne — Arburg — lake Bienne and J. J. Rousseau — merriment of the vintage — manner of collecting the grapes — St. Blaise — IVeufchatel — secretary MontmoUin — captain Courant — hospital — wine press — public spirited citizens — merce- nary soldiers — ascent of the Jura — extensive watch factory — Chaux-de-fond — trade in watches — Locle — M. Houriet — charity school — aqueduct cut through a mountain— descent of the Jura — Yverdun — Pestallozi and his institution ; his character — Lausanne — return to Geneva — Simond de Sismondi 36 1 fiETTER XV. — Genkva. — Public voitures — pledges of a bargain, or arrhes — laws and government of Switzerland — professor Pictet — bibliotheque universei — beauties of Geneva — mechanical ingenu- ity — departure for Milan — Thonon — Ripaille — Vivian — St. Ging- oulph — canton of La Valais — St. Maurice — a hermitage — credul- ity — murder of the Theban legion — cascade of the Pissevache — Martigny — great devastation by a sudden flood — Goitre. Sion. — Hospital — companions in the Voiture — Glis — church and char- nel-house — Brieg — ascent of the Simplon — Napoleon route — Geo- logy — village of Simplon — galleries — excellence of the road — Domo D'Ossola — Catholic superstition — Fariola — Lake Mag- giore — Borromean islands — Isola Bella—colossal statue of Borro- meus — Sesto — G allerate — church and ceremony at Rho — arrival at Milan — superb view from the cathedral 42u LETTER XVI.— Milan.— The great hospital— surgeon Moriji — the foundling hospital — the grand Duomo, its dimensions — statuary — tomb of St. Charles — his character — Monti, the poet — the nauma- chia — the echo — triumphal arch — picture of the Lord's Supper — the Zecca, or mint — count Moscati — the Brera — astronomical observatory — library — Acerbi — the prison — school of Mines — hospital of Trivulzi — Ambrosian library — Angelo Mai, his disco- veries — Petrarch's copy of Virgil — dress of the Milanese — mendi- city — population — departure for Pavia — canal — church of Certusa — Pavia — the university, professors, and course of instruction — the hospital — towers — river Ticino — the Po — stage company — a Ci- cisbeo — Voghere — out-door work of women — poor peasantry — plain of Marengo — Tortona — cultivation — fine effect of the Italian language — morals — passage of the Appenines — Voltaggio — the Bochetta — Campomarone — fast day — a quarrel — arrival at Genoa — beautv of the country and prospect 451* T-ETTER XVII.— Genoa.— The weather— English family— a steam- boat — the university — its classes — reading room — light house — palace of Doria — the great hospital — Maniacs — police of Genoa — church of St. Andrews — San Stephano — a dinner — monks and priests — small-pox — streets of Genoa — schools for deaf and dumb — palaces — Albergo de Poveri — statue of Michael Angelo — cli- mate of Genoa — markets — arbutus unido — departure for Marseil- les in a steam-boat — the crew — beautiful scenery of the coast — curiosity excited — embarrassment — saline d'hyere — the sabbath — isles d'hyeres — orangeries — fig-trees — entrance of Marseilles — surprise at seeing a steam-boat • . 496 A YEAR IN EUROPE. LETTER I. Ship Pacific^ at sea^ 4ttk month (April) Ith^ 1818. My dear ***** AND ****, BY the pilot, who left us about 10, a. m. yester- day, I transmitted a short account of our progress from the time of leaving you, on the preceding after- noon. We had just finished our breakfast, and were beginning to experience that agitation of the ship, which generally proves so distressing to novices at sea. We took our dinner, however, at 4 o'clock, (the regular hour on board our ship) and remained nearly all the afternoon on deck. The wind was easterly, but not so much ahead as to prevent us from proceeding directly on our track. Sandy-Hook and the adjacent shores of New-Jersey and Long Island, were gradually vanishing from the sight ; but the high land of Navesink still continued within our horizon when night closed upon us. The wind, you may recollect, had blown strongly from the east for several days before our departure. The ocean had been wrought by it, into an irregular bro- ken kind of movement, the effects of which, upon my Vol. I. 1 10 VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. system, I at length fouiul it impossible to resist. 1 sought repose in my state-room at an early hour, and passed a tolerably comfortable night. Upon coming on deck this morning, I found that we were fairly launched on the rotund surface of the mighty deep. The wind had veered so much to the northward, as to enable us to lay our course, and to advance at a rapid rate. Several vessels left the Hook nearly at the same time with ourselves; one of them was bound to the same port; but the superior sailing of our ship, especially during a steady and strong breeze, was soon observable. The painful and most distressing sensation of sea- sickness continued throughout this day, so as to de- prive me of all real enjoyment of the majestic scenery of sky and ocean. The night was to me restless, feverish, and trying in the extreme. 8th. I was confined to my birth most of the day. The wind was strong, and the weather cloudy. The motion of the ship was very great ; pitching some- times with tremendous force downwards, as if plun- ging directly into the bosom of a mountain wave ; and then darting upwards with the celerity of a bird, and rearing her bowsprit to the skies. The force of habit upon the body is wonderful. So novel were these sensations to me, and so distressing to my whole frame, that as I lay in my birth to-day, under the effect of constant and irremediable nausea, I felt dis- posed to condemn commerce altogether, as a revolt against nature and Providence, and almost to wish I could have it in my power, on getting ashore, to put a stop to navigation, and to confine people on terra firma, where they might enjoy their appetites. But VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. 1 1 while I was thus harassed and enfeebled by a most debiHtating sickness, our sailors were not only alert on the deck, but, when occasion required it, even when the ship was most violently tossed, would run to the topmast, spring out upon the yards, reef or unreef, without experiencing any emotion of the stomach, except, perhaps, that which sharpens the desire for food and drink. 9th. The wind continues fair, and our motion rapid; but the weather still cloudy. I was unable to enjoy the society of my fellow passengers, from continued and unabated sickness. I spent much of the day on deck, sitting wrapped in a thick coat and fur cap, indul- ging the almost forlorn hope that things would mend. 10th. Still proceeding with a fine breeze. Abet- ter night ; though not much relief has been obtained from the still predominating distress of the stomach. Its digestive power seems to be lost; and whatever is taken, appears to ferment, filling the mouth with a taste like that of impure vmegar. This afternoon we spoke a French brig from Havre de Grace, sixty-one days out, bound to New-York. This was the first incident of the kind, and it served in some measure to relieve the monotony of sick days and nights. 11th. The wind not quite so high as it has been. The ship has rather less motion; but food has little, or no relish. We have been floating for two or three days in the gulf-stream, in which the temperature of the water, as we have proved by trial, is 30° higher than it is just beyond its limits. That such a vast current of water should perpetually flow from the gulf of Mexico, and spread itself so far toward the north and east, appears accountable only on the posi- 12 VOYAGE TO ErCGLAND. tion, that the trade wuids are as constantly driving into that immense basin a body of warm water from the equatorial region of the Atlantic ; which, there accumulating, finds an outlet round Cape Florida, and sets to the northward until it mixes with the water of the Arctic Sea. The warmth of the air over this stream, corresponds with that of the water. Our thermometer has been at 70°. This heat in- creases the unpleasant effluvium of the ship, relaxes the system, and retards recovery. 12th. We had a fierce gale of wind in the night, accompanied with vivid lightning and heavy rain. The sea broke over the ship with prodigious force, and appeared as a continued shower, or rather storm, of fire; as if sparks and burning cinders from a neigh- bouring chimney or house on fire, had blown directly across the deck. This was owing to that quality in the water of the sea called phosphorescence ; which, it is known, is produced by various marine insects of dif- ferent sizes and species, affording light of various degrees of intensity and colour. In the midst of the storm a phenomenon occurred, which drew the atten- tion of all on deck ; and which is so seldom seen, that our captain does not distinctly remember, that he had ever before fairly witnessed it, though he has been a seaman more than twenty years. This was the ap- pearance of balls of fire, resting on the top of one of the masts, and on the ends of one or two of the yards. The sailors call them corposants,* They exploded, shortly after their first appearance, with a most vivid splendour. This is doubtless an electrical effect, analogous to what is produced in a small way, by fixing * Corpo Santo. Ital. A holy body ; from their being formerly considered ns an omen of a prosperous voyage. VOYAGE TO ENGLASD. 13 points to the prime conductor of a machine well ex- cited ; or, by presenting a pointed body to the con- ductor, when the machine is at work in a dark room. On such occasions as this, it demonstrates a highly electrical condition of the atmosphere. Notwithstanding the violence of the storm and wind, the motion of the ship was not so much in- creased as I should have expected ; but this was owing to her being kept steadily before the wind, which happened to come from a quarter favourable to our direct progress. All the sails were taken in before the storm arrived at its height; but not until one of them, (an old sail,) had been split to pieces. Being myself too ill and enfeebled ta leave my birth, to witness the sublime appearances of this storm, I am indebted to my very intelligent friend and fellow- passenger Dr. F. who remained on deck during the whole of it, for an account of the principal pheno- mena. I was awake while it lasted : but felt, as it regards personal danger, a calmness and confidence for which I desire to be thankful. The storm blew over, and the sails were again set before sun-rise. This being the first day of the week, and the weather having cleared up pleasantly, it was proposed to the passengers assembled on the deck, that one should read aloud for the benefit of the rest. This being readily assented to, the last of Dr. Chalmers's discourses was read by a Scotch gentleman, vvho informed us he was present when they were delivered. We were proceeding to read a recent sermon by the same author, when a man at the mast-head cried out, « An island of ice on the lee bow." From the great change we had experi- 14 VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. enced in the temperature of the air and water, we had reason to expect the existence of floating ice at no great distance; and a good look out was maintained for it. Mounted on the windlass, 1 could distinctly see this island, like a white mass in the horizon. In a short time we approached it within a few miles. Its apparent height was forty or fifty feet, and its base on the water, perhaps three-hundred feet in length. It resembled a beautiful hill or prominence, covered with snow. Its sides appeared to be perpendicular, so that the imagination could easily transform it into a castle of white marble, with its towers and turrets on the summit. It appeared, as far as we could judge by the eye, to be immoveable, but it was no doubt subject to the agitation of the waves. The breaking of the sea against it, produced a spray, which rose to a great height, and exhibited a splen- did appearance. In the course of a few hours, five or six other masses appeared, some of which we approached, much nearer than the first. There was something of the terrific mixed with the grand, in the emotion produced by the sight of these prodigious piles of moving ice, the greater portion of which must lie beneath the surface and out of sight. Se- veral vessels have been destroyed by running against them in the night. As the moon shone till midnight, and the wind was not high, the captain thought it safe to keep on his course. Under different circumstan- ces, he would have taken in sail and lain to. If pro- per attention were always paid by navigators to the indications of the thermometer, it is probable that all danger from floating ice, at least in the passage between Europe and America, would be entirely VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. ] 3 avoided. The diminution of temperature, both of the sea and air, in approaching those large masses, affords a sufficient warning of their proximity About 2 o'clock to-day we met and spoke the ship Jane of Philadelphia, out sixteen days from Liver- pool. I do not know that I was ever more surprised at my own involuntary emotions, than at the moment when the name and destination of this ship were an- nounced to us, from the trumpet of her captain. Cut off, as we were, by a waste of waters, from the social endearments of country and home, and all the tender sympathies of friends and children ; wandering in a solitary and trackless way, where all around us was an utter blank in relation to human beings ; and with sensibilities unusually excited by the novelty of our situation, and uncertain of the extent of its duration — to meet with others in the same circumstances, and they our countrymen ! I can only appeal to those whom experience has instructed, whether the sympa- thetic tear, which I found it almost impossible to re- strain, was nature or mere weakness. The secret hope, too, that you would hear of us by this ship was not without its effect, in the impressiveness of the moment. 13th. The wind has been very high most of the day, but directly in our favour. At 12 o'clock we had made, by our log, 250 miles in the last 24 hours. The sea has been very rough, and the pitching and tossing of our frail vehicle excessively great ; but I have so far recruited as to enjoy the magnificence of this grand conflict of winds and waters. We have but one female in the cabin, and she, like myself, was never at sea before. Her illness has been of longer 16 %X>YaGE to ENGLAND. continuance than mine. She is not yet able to sit up. There are five women in the steerage, one with two children, and another with three, two of the lat- ter being twins about seven months old. This poor woman left Europe with a husband, whom she had married against the advice of her parents, to try their fortunes in America. In New-York, under pretence of seeking employment in Canada, he left her a short time before the birth of her twin children, and, asso- ciating himself with worthless and dissolute company, abandoned her to the world. She is returning to her parents ; and, as if a life of trouble and hardship were a guarantee against temporary and incidental evils, she takes care of lier children, and appears to be less affected with the confinement and agitation of the ship, than many of the other passengers. 14th. We have been at sea eight days; and, ac- cording to our reckoning, we have accomplished more than half our journey ! The variety of the table begins to have its attractions, and we have an abundant sup- ply of live fowl and other fresh provisions. One of our hogs one day jumped out of his pen, (the long-- boat fixed in the middle of the deck, serving both as a pigsty and sheepfold,) and ran about the deck. One of the men endeavoured to drive him back; but, w ith blind perverseness, he aimed for a port hole, and plunged into the sea. The poor animal continued swimming on the tossing waves as long as we could see him. 1 6th. We were accosted this morning by a French brig from Cherbourg, and requested to wait ten mi- nutes. The sails were backed, and the French cap*- tain came on board in his boat. The object was to VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. 17 send two letters to France ; to which we had no ob- jection. He was bound to the banks of Newfound- land after fish. 17th and 18th. The wind for these last two days has been ahead, and has blown with much force. Time would pass tediously, but for the inexhaustible entertainment which books afford. 19th. In the course of this forenoon, the captain on deck cried out to the passengers below — "Fish! thousands of fish !" As I had not seen even the gleam of a fish during the passage, I hastened on deck. It was a shoal of porpoises. The sea ran in lofty bil- lows, and, as far as the eye could distinguish objects, they were seen sporting on the tops of the waves, and chasing one another as playfully as kittens on the hearth. They played thickly around the ship. Their glossy brown skins, (appearing green just be- low the surface of the sea,) their graceful and rapid movements, and their great numbers, rendered the sight truly pleasing. They were, at a medium, about 5 feet long. It has rained most of the day, the wea- ther is cold, and the tossing of the ship very great. We are steering in the direction of the western islands, rather than for England. 20th and 21st. Weather and winds still unfavour- able. The confinement even of a dungeon might be endured, if the night could be uniformly spent in refreshing sleep. But how could a person be ex- pected to sleep, if constantly rocked in a great cra- dle, the top of which swept over one third of a cir- cle ? Wakeful in one's birth at the midnight hour, when nothing is heard but the raging of the storm above, the creaking of the masts and joints of the ship, and the hollow groanings of the surge as it IS VOYAGE TO EKGLAM). dashes and rolls along the sides within a few inchex? of the pillow on which one's head reposes — there is a solemnity in this which is not merely poetical. It would never fail to awe the boldest mind into an hum- ble sense of human frailty and of the benignity of that Providence, which, at such an hour, supports and preserves him, had reason and feeling their due em- pire in the soul. 22d. No material alteration in the winds and w^eather. Had the gales continued with which we were favoured during the first week, we should doubtless have been in sight of the green fields of Erin before now. But with our present winds ano- ther week, and perhaps another, .must elapse before we hail the sight of land. 23d and 2Uh. It is almost impossible to remain on deck on account of rain, and the violent agitation of our vessel. What sympathy is not due to the poor sailors! Wet or dry, through storm and tempest, they must be at their post, at least one half of them at a time, and occasionally the whole. The very great exposure which they have to sustain, and the absolute necessity of their being on the alert, ready to ascend to the topmast, or to run out upon the rig- ging to the extremity of the yards, let the ship be pitching or rolling ever so furiously; make it neces- sary that they should be kept in good spirits : hence a resort to the stimulus of grog is conceived to be requisite. They have their regular allowance granted them by the captain, beyond which they cannot go while on board the ship: but is it a matter of sur- prise that so many sea-faring men should become addicted to strong drink, and confirmed in habits oi intemperance ? It is really a melancholy considera- VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. 30 ^ton, that of the thousands of this class, that devote their lives to so arduous and important a service, there should be so small a proportion that preserve a character of moral respectability. I speak of com- mon sailors. The number I fear is very small, who save from their wages a sufficient sum to enable them to spend much time on shore, in a situation of com- fort and improvement, or to secure a decent compe- tency in sickness and declining age. The demora- lizing tendency of a sailor's life is truly to be de- plored. That they who occupy the most exposed, the most toilsome and dangerous situation, in the wide range of human pursuits, and who have therefore the greatest reason to recognise and invoke the protec- tion of an overruling Providence, should be in effect the most regardless of that Providence, and by the immorality of their lives, so generally bring upon themselves the reproach and neglect of the world, is a consideration painful to humanity. There are two causes which powerfully operate in this pro- cess of degradation, — the free indulgence in intox- icating liquors, and the habitual use of bad language. Is it not morally impossible, that the sentiment of veneration for the Deity should be cherished by him, who perpetually associates the name of his Maker with the most frivolous, as well as the most passion- ate impulses of his mind ? The practice of swear- ing, I cannot but consider as inevitably demoraUzing. Greatly is it to be desired, that the benevolent spirit of improvement, which is so conspicuous a feature of the present times, should be directed to this class of the community. If a moral debt be due from one part of society to another, I cannot but believe that they who enjoy the blessings of ease and knowledge, 20 VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. and a due sense of the benefits of religious cultiva- tion, ought to consider themselves bound, as far as practicable, to alleviate the condition of sailors, more especially in relation to their moral and reli- gious improvement. It is a great mistake to suppose that a ship cannot be conducted and governed with- out an habitual violation of the third commandment. Experience has amply proved the reverse. Many of the whale ships which annually sail from Nan- tucket, are commanded by members of the society of Friends, who will suffer no harsh and vulgar lan- guage to be used. Captain Allen, who was gone thirty-two months on one of these perilous voyages, stated on his return, that he had not heard an oath on board of his ship. Marine Bible Societies may do much good ; but associations for conferring the advantages of a virtuous and enlightened education, on young men destined to become mates and cap- tains of ships, would, in my opinion, be productive of the greatest benefits. 25th and 26th. The wind still blows heavily from the same opposing quarter, with frequent squalls of rain. I have tried to console myself with the reflec- tion that, though adverse to us, this wind is as much in favour of our New-York friends as against them. Our captain thinks the Amity has arrived by this time at New-York. How frequently does it happen in the voyage of life, that the same course of events which seems to thwart our purposes, promotes the pros- perity of others, and advances the general good. This reflection ought to soften the edge of our com- plaining. 27th. ^Ve have had a blustering night ; very high wind, accompanied with hail. The motion of the ship VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. 21 more violent than ever. On ascending the deck before breakfast, I found the wind had shifted to the northward, and that we were steering pretty directly for the Channel. We indulge the hope of getting into soundings to-morrow. The sea, "curling its mon- istrous waves" nearly half mast high, and splashing across the ship at mid-decks, involves, in the comforts of a cold salt water shower-bath, all who happen to be in that part of the vessel. 28th. After sailing for weeks under reefed main- sail and topsail, and frequently no canvass at all at the mizzen-mast, and the wind blowing/row England, it was cheering to learn this morning, that we were going directly forward with a fair wind, and with top-gallant and studding sails spread to the breeze. The sun sometimes appeared, and gladdened us with his beams. I do not think he has risen once with- out clouds during the passage. At 4 p. m. sounded and struck the bottom at 85 fathoms ! 29th. A fair wind all night — Weather hazy, with showers of rain. 10 a. m.— No sign of land, though by our reckoning we must have passed Cork : but the weather is too misty to see far ahead — 55 fathoms of water this morning. JVoon. — Spoke a small sloop bound to Waterford : they tell us we are but a few miles from the Irish coast — Very misty with showers. 1 p. M. — The mountains of Ireland are now in full view through the haze. Our reckoning has been surprisingly correct, con- sidering that we have been obliged to depend almost entirely on the log. There have been very few op- portunities for observation. Vol. I. 2 "22 VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. Half past 2. — Came up with and spoke a ship from New-York, bound to Dublin, which left her port as the Pacific entered it. The captain spoke her at Sandy-Hook, going out as he was going iti. In order to clear the rocks on the Irish coast, we have been obliged to steer out into the Channel, and have lost sight of the land. Half past 5. — Abreast of the Sal- tees, large masses of rock, like islands, several hun- dred feet in length, at some distance from the shore. We passed within gunshot of a rock, which appeared just above the surface, like a large porpoise. The dashing of the waves against it, raised a prodigious spray discernible for miles. It is extremely danger- ous, but it is well laid down in the charts. 7 o'clock. — Jn sight of the lighthouse on the Tuscar rock. This rock is about 5 miles from Carnsore Point, on the Irish coast, and opposite St. David's-Head in Wales. The Channel is here about 40 miles wide. 30th. The mountains of Wales were distinctly seen skirting our eastern horizon this morning, while the high hills of Wicklow in Ireland, were still more conspicuous in the west. 9 A. M. — We are now between Dublin and Holy- head, the two principal places between which the packets ply to and from Ireland. A land bird, fatigued in its passage, has just alighted on the deck. Considering the vv^eather, we have really made au extraordinary passage; twenty-two days from land to land, and twenty-five on board the ship. There have been nine passengers in the cabin. My young friend and room mate, J. B. S. has, like myself, fully shared in the distresses incident to a first sea voyage; VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. 23 but has borne up under their depressing effects with much patience and firmness. Dr. F. has proved an interesting companion. We have an English captain returning with his wife from Canada. He is good-na- tured, but savours too strongly of the camp. F. a Scotch passenger is an intelligent man, and evinces in his deportment the influence of a Scotch education. G. a young Englishman from Canada is a modest and decent young man. The other two are Irishmen^ one a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the other a traveller, trader, or Je ne sais guoi. 9 p. M. — -The wind has been so much ahead and so strong, we have done little more than double the Island of Anglesea. The day closes with mist and rain. 5th month 1st. 8 a. m. — Hard rain in the night, and still cloudy. No land in sight, but the wind has changed in our favour, and we are going on briskly. We have just taken a pilot on board, and as he is the first person we have seen immediately from the " land of promise," he has to undergo the keen inspection of our sea-beaten company, and to submit to a multi- tude of questions. The Courier is to sail this day; we hope to meet her and forward our letters. The tide will not serve to pass up the river Mersey, till towards dark. As the hour of debarkation ap- proaches, our mental excitement becomes more vivid» The land we are to set our feet upon, — is it different from our own in appearance ? Do the customs and manners of the inhabitants resemble those of our own country ? Shall we meet with a kind or a cool recep- tion? While curiosity was thus excited, we could not but feel the impulse of joy and gladness in the 24 VOYAGE TO ENGLAND, anticipation of being so soon relieved from the dull monotony of the sea, and confinement of the ship, and left to the free exercise of our limbs, in a coun- try where variety and novelty would conspire to interest us. 12 o'clock. — The clouds are dispersed, and tlie sun shines as it does in America. The scenery along the coast is very fine. The hills rise into mountains, Penmanmaur exhibits its bold and rug- ged front fully to our view, the snow covering its top and lodging in numerous hollows on its sides. Cul- tivation has spread its charms to the very summits of the hills. Houses thickly scattered, hedges, fences, and green fields, are distinctly seen. Thus have we, within the same grasp of the eye, tlie dreariness of winter and the smiling verdure of spring. The mouth of the river Dee is before us. We are under gopd way, expecting to reach the town about 8 or 9 o'clock. 5 p. M. — We are informed by a pilot-boat, that the Courier tried to get out, but was arrested in the river by the tide. We shall probably soon meet her; and therefore I can add but little more. We are going in with the ship — of Philadelphia, after a passage of forty-six days; nearly double the time that we have been out. We have been remarkably favoured, by that hand which guides the movements of the winds and waters; and while the Atlantic rolls between us, I desire that the feelings of sincere gra- titude may pervade my inmost bosom. LIVERPOOL. 2d LETTER U. Liverpool^ 5th month (May) 8/^, 1818. My dear ***** AND ****, Our arrival at this port, on the 1st, seemed to be welcomed by vernal smiles and a serene sky. The mild gleamings of a May-day evening, floated around us, as we doubled the rock and ascended the Mersey. The captain of the Courier boarded us in his boat, took our letters, and shortly after hoisted his sails and pursued his voyage. We anchored abreast of the town before it was dark. Ten or a dozen large windmills in motion, and the movement of a number of sloops, or lighters, with large red sails, struck us as features of peculiarity. We were boarded by seve- ral boats, in which were the head servants of some of the inns, who presented us with cards, and solicit- ed our company. The captain took us ashore in his boat, and abandoned us to the use of our legs on the soil of old England. But to walk with rectitude in our new situation, was an affair of greater difficulty than we had anticipated. So habituated were we to the vacillating movement of the ship, we could hardly avoid thinking that the ground ought to move up and down and sideways, as we placed our feet upon it. We reeled as if intoxicated with wine. Our progress was soon stopped by a large canal, which connects one dock with another. The bridge was hoisted to admit the passage of a vessel; but the officer, with singular politeness, had it lowered for our accommo- dation, and immediately raised it again. We took 26 LIVERPOOL. lodgings at the Star and Garter, in Paradise-street, an inn, which, though not the most fashionable, was re- commended to us as inferior to none in comfort.* In vain, during the first night, did we court the fa- vours of Morpheus. The w atchman called hour after hour, till he sounded three^ and then it was broad day- light. The rest of the passengers were quartered in the same house, and we found upon mutual inquiry in the morning, that not one of us had slept a wink the whole night. Like children, it will take us some time to get used to the absence of our cradle. Every American who has never before been in Europe, must be struck, on landing at Liverpool, with its sombre streets, its dark looking houses, its smo- ky atmosphere — in short, ^vith its great inferiority, in point of pleasantness, to most of our sea-port towns. These repulsive sensations by degrees subside, and entirely lose their influence, as the society, the institu- tions, the public improvements, the wealth, and the taste of some parts of the town, become known. My letters introduced me to C. B. &; Co. and R. H. & Co. whose houses are among the first, in commercial influ- ence and respectability, in this place; the wealth and trade of which are inferior, I believe, to none in the kingdom, except the metropolis. Business is con- ducted here, by some of the merchants, on a scale which, w ith us, would be called gigantic. C. B. k, Co. have about forty persons regularly attached to the counting-room, and ten or a dozen more engaged in out door w^ork. Sometimes the concerns of the house, require one or two hundred men to be em- '^ The "Waterloo is now the best inn in Liverpool, and inferior to few in Enarland. LIVERPOOL. 27 ployed about the ships and docks. In the second storj, they appropriate a room to the purpose of treating their friends occasionally to a good dinner; though there is no one that sleeps in the house. They do it too in a very genteel style. It gave me plea- sure to be introduced, the next day after my arrival, to * ***** the son of our venerable New-Bedford fi-iend, vi^ho was accidentally here. He has been long settled in England, and is well known in the higher circles of society. His manners possess that frank- ness and kindness which characterize the family, with the ease and polish, that result from an acquaintance with the world. He accompanied me to the custom- house, where I was on the point of being subjected to much difficulty and expense. My friends had fur- nished me with a good stock of letters, mostly intro- ductions, and many of them sealed. These the officer seized with the avidity of a harpy, listening to no re- monstrance, and informing me, that I should have £5 to pay for every sealed letter. 1 followed him into the custom-house, quite indisposed to yield to his de- mands, or to give up my letters. After a long expos- tulation, he resigned to me those that happened to have my namS on the outside, and carried the others to the post-office. Thither we followed him, and on explaining the case to the postmaster, he restored to me all those that I assured him were of consequence to me personally, and let the others go into the mail. One of the clerks of R. H. & Co. who assisted me in obtaining my clearances, said he had never known the officers so severe in their scrutiny as on this oc- casion ; but my friend * ***** who is intimately ac- quainted with the collector, explained the mystery. 28 LIVERPOOL. An inspector had just arrived here from London, to inquire into the ship accounts of this town, and had iound that one of the officers was a defaulter to a great amount, and that a considerable number of ships were altogether unaccounted for by his regis- ter. The oflScer would no doubt be displaced and prosecuted for the deficiency. This had produced a great stir among them, and fully explained the rigour with which our trunks were examined. Ha- ving got through this first and unpleasant part of a foreigner's concern, * ***** accompanied my two shipmates, (J. B. S. and Dr. F.) and myself to the asylum for the blind. We were conducted through the diflferent apartments of that interesting charity. About one-hundred pupils, or patients, are here fed and instructed. They consist mostly of children and women, with but few men. In the first apart- ment, the women were spinning and sewing. We asked one of the girls if she could thread her needle ; she answered, " Yes, I will show you," — and put- ting the head of the needle with the thread into her mouth, she brought it out immediately, com- pletely threaded. She guided the end of the thread to the eye of the needle with her tongue, and pushed it through. In the other apartments they were ma- king ropes, cords of silk, as well as window cords, weaving carpets and rugs, making baskets of willow, ^sacking, list and knit shoes, packthread, sail cloth, tarred mats, &c. &c. Many of their articles are ma- nufactured with great neatness. But the musical performances surprised us as much as any part of their exercises. A dozen pupils are taught to play together ; one on an organ, and each of the others on LIVERPOOL. 29 a piano. The perfect agreement with which their fingers jflew over the keys, and the exact concord of tunes produced by so many blind musicians, were tru- ly surprising. I asked one of the boys what they had been playing. He replied, " A hallelujah chorus." The whole number of pupils admitted into this asy- lum, from its establishment in 1791, to the termination of the year 1816, is 46.5; of whom 134 had been de- prived of their sight by small-pox, 120 by inflamma- tion, 57 by cataract, and only 7 by imperfect orga- nization. Thirty-nine had been born blind. The other cases were from various accidents and dis- eases. Forty pupils were discharged in the course of 1816; of whom more than one half were capable of maintaining themselves by the skill they had ac- quired in the school. Two thousand pounds worth of goods manufactured in the institution, was disposed of during the same year. Having a letter to W. Roscoe, Esq., a gentleman well known in the literary world, and deservedly es- teemed here and every where for his learning and philanthropy, * ***** accompanied me to his office. He received me with great urbanity. He is a banker, and a man of business. The coldness and reserve of the mere scholar, are completely worn off by his business habits, while the contracted "single aim" of the merchant, is softened, dignified, and ex- panded by letters and an extensive intercourse with literary men. He has been a member of parliament, and as such was an active and enlightened promoter of measures calculated to advance the interests of general humanity. His person is tall, his figure manly and prepossessing, and beginning to assume 30 LIVERPOOL. the aspect of venerable from the influence of age. We had but little time for conversation in this oui first interview. We thence went to the Exchange, a spacious range of buildings appropriated to the con- cerns of trade. In the centre of the open area where the merchants assemble, is a monument erected to Lord Nelson. It is a costly and finely executed piece of work, but the style, or rather the design of it, really appeared to me to deserve the epithet of bar- barous. Nelson is leaning back in an uneasy posture, with one foot trampling on the carcass of a dead man. Death is seen with his marrow bones peeping from behind a shroud, and, reaching out his arm, is grasp- ing at Nelson's heart ! Beneath are four figures re- presenting different powers of Europe, sitting round the monument in a forlorn posture, with their hands chained to the stone near the feet of the conqueror. There are many other figures in the group indicative of the triumph of victory, and grief for the loss of the victor. In short, this group of statues, of recent exe- cution, and which displays exquisite skill in the artist^ appeared to me to breathe a spirit, which would better befit the capital of a nation of which a Cortes or a Te- cumseh was the ruling chief The triumph of a Chris- tian nation ought surely to be differently exhibited. On the 3d, I accepted the invitation of my friends R. to dine at Green Bank, the residence of their mother, about four miles from the town. The vehicle in which we rode, is called a car. It is managed by one horse, but will easily accommodate four persons besides the driver. The latter has an elevated seat in front; the body of the car is ascended from behind, and contains two side seats, the passengers sitting with their backs LIVERPOOL. 31 to the wheels. At dinner we were joined by Dr. T. a gentleman who holds a high rank in Liverpool as a physician, and equally so among the learned for his scientific attainments. After dinner, W. Roscoe came in, and we spent the afternoon and evening in a lively and interesting conversation ; the first which I had partaken of, in genuine English society. We were all willing to listen to R. and Dr. T. The sub- jects were various, but among them, the probability and utility of a north-west passage to the Pacific Ocean ; the means of ameliorating the penal code ; asylums for the insane, &c. were prominent topics. The opportunity was to me highly interesting, and I have seldom spent a day more pleasantly. The mother of our friend is the daughter of the late Richard Reynolds, of Bristol, so distinguished for his benevolence. To our regret, she was not at home. Her husband was a gentleman of education and wealth, and of great respectability and influence in the mercantile affairs of the town. Their country residence at Green Bank gave us a very favourable impression of the rural taste of the English. A man- sion with something of the Gothic in its structure, and very neat ; a lawn in front, sloping gradually to a fish- pond, and ornamented with a variety of shrubbery ; a fine garden, containing a small but pretty conservato- ry ; gravelled walks, verdant grass-plots, and borders of flowers, all gave a smiling air to the exterior of this abode, while the neatness of its interior arrange- ment, evinced an equal share of enlightened taste. We met by appointment, the next day, Roscoe and Dr. T. at the Liverpool Institution : a fine establish- ment for the promotion of literature, arts, and science. 32 LIVERPOOL. It was opened about a year ago, by an eloquent dis- course from the former of these gentlemen, who is justly considered as the presiding genius of the place. It comprehends a spacious lecture room, a library, or reading room, a collection of natural history, a gallery of paintings, a laboratory. Sic. It is liberally supported by subscriptions and donations.* The institution had just received an accession of fine casts from ancient sculpture, recently taken from the ruins of Phygalia, in Greece. They were deposited in the institution by Foster, Esq. of Liverpool, who is one of those that brought the original sculp- ture from Greece. I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Dr. T. in this institution. He has been engaged during the winter in giving a course on natu- ral history, to an audience of both sexes, a large proportion of w hom are females. The number which usually attend is nearly three hundred : such is the taste here for literature and science. Many of them are proprietors in the institution. Dr. T. is a plea- sing lecturer, and quite a favourite with his female au- ditors. His style is clear and plain, his manners open and modest, and he evinces an extensive acquaint- ance with the different departments of natural history. It gave me pleasure to find in a conversation with W. Roscoe, at his office, that the subject of an ameli- * The origin and progress of this institution affords an incontestible evi- dence of tlie liberality which here prevails in the promotion of literature and science. A prospectus of it was first laid before the citizens at a public meeting at the Liverpool Arms, in March, 1814. A committee was appointed to collect subscriptions, and in June following, they reported to another meeting that £20,200 had been subscribed. An appropriation of jElOOO ns% also HBuie by the corporation in ftirther3,nce of this interesting object. LIVTiRPOOL. 33 oration of the penal code of England, had engaged his active attention, and aroused his warm and gene- rous sympathies. He wished to obtain further infor- mation relative to our penitentiaries : I freely commu- nicated what 1 knew; and put him in the way of receiving from New-York, a further account of them. He almost despairs of any important change in the British laws within a reasonable time, on account of the strong prejudices of the nation, and the fears of the government in the adoption of alterations in their long established usages. As an evidence of the severity of the present laws, and the arbitrary man- ner in which they are executed, he stated to me, that some time ago, a man was taken up for writing a song which was thought to have a dangerous tendency, tried, thrown into prison, and kept there more than two years, in a narrow miserable place, where he could use no exercise. When finally liberated, he was emaciated, feeble, and scarcely able to walk. R. knowing him to be a man of talents and educa- tion, and destitute of support, procured for him a situation as tutor to the children of a gentleman; which duty he fulfilled to satisfaction. A town meeting was called, some time ago, to celebrate the fiftieth year of the reign of the present king. It was proposed, that the money raised on the occasion, should be employed in an illumination. R. moved that instead of wasting it in a blaze, it should be employed in liberating all the prisoners wlio were confined for debt. This motion, though much oppo- sed, prevailed, and the prisoners, about seventy in number, were discharged. There was a balance left of £800 sterling. This was invested in stock, and Vol. I. 3 34 LIVERPOOL. the interest goes to the employment of a solicitor, whose duty it is, to inquire into the detention of every prisoner for debt, and to see that no frauds are practised upon him. A great number of unjust exactions, and vexatious proceedings, are doubtless prevented by this salutary and humane regulation. On the evening of the 4 th, 1 went to hear a lecture on astronomy, by an itinerant, who has acquired some reputation in the country, by the use of a large transparent orrery. The apparatus was clumsy, and the measured periods and cadence of the lecturer were nearly as artificial as the wheels of his machine. From what I have yet seen of the society of Friends here, I must infer that there is rather less scruple with respect to the furniture of houses and the style of living, than amongst us. The men dress more neatly than we do ; but the costume of the females strikes me, I must confess, as being less conformable to the principles of correct taste, than that in our cities. The deep projection of the bonnet seems to give an air of uncouthness to the whole person :— but I am aware, that on these points, our judgments are greatly influenced by custom and habit. There is nothing in the conversation and manners of the fe- males to justify any unfavourable impression from their dress. They are polite, sensible, amiable, and exceedingly well informed. The commerce of Liverpool is surprisingly exten- sive. Several of the ware-houses are ten stories high. The ships are not stationed along the river, as ia New-York, but taken into the docks to load and unload. The docks are prodigious excavations, oc- cupying from two or three, to eleven or twelve acres LIVERPOOL, 35 each, and communicating with the river and vrith each other by canals and gates. The quantity of ship- ping which they contain is astonishingly great. Li- verpool, within the last 40 years, has been completely regenerated. Prior to that period, its principal de- pendence was upon that abominable traffick to Africa, which has entailed so much misery, oppression, and corruption, upon the inhabitants of the western world. Its population, since the abolition of the slave trade, has increased about 25,000. It is now a place of great wealth; and an admirable spirit of liberality prevails in the creation of funds for any laudable pur- pose, whether it be the establishment of a literary institution, or any object of charity or of public good, which has utility and expediency to recommend it. After breakfasting with Dr. T. on the morning of the 6th, and enjoying a lively conversation with him and his wife, who is a Scotch lady, possessing a great deal of taste for the liberal sciences, he accompanied me in a walk to Everton ; a range of buildings erected on a high ridge east of the town. From this ridge we had a charming view of the town, the harbour, the river, the opposite county of Cheshire, and the mountains of Wales in the distant perspective. Many of the houses and gardens at Everton, are in a style of considerable elegance. If the lower and more com- mercial parts of Liverpool, appear unpleasant to an American, as they undoubtedly must, in comparison with New- York or Philadelphia, he will have to ac- knowledge, that these defects are, in a great degree, compensated by the newer parts of the town: and there are not many points, in either of the two last named cities, which equal Everton in beauty of prospect 36 LIVERPOOL. The bricks, of which the houses are all constructed, are ofa brownish yellow, which is soon changed by the smoke of the coals, into a dark and disagreeable hue. We visited the Athenaeum and Lyceum ; places of literary resort, where the newspapers and journals of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France may be found on the tables. Each of these institutions must have cost, at its first establishment, from £6 to £10,000 sterling, and requires for its support at least .500 sub- scribers, at one or two guineas each, per annum. The prosperity of these several institutions, as well as the general tone of the society, which has fallen within my notice, convinces me that they are greatly mis- taken, who imagine that commercial industry and suc- cess are incompatible with an habitual attention to objects of literary taste, and to scientific improvement. An order from W. Roscoe procured us an admission to the public botanic garden. It is a charming esta- blishment. The variety and perfection of the plants, and the taste and neatness of the garden, must strike every American visiter with surprise, because we have nothing to be compared with it. The garden contains about six acres of ground. The proprietors have been very successful in procuring a gardener, who joins to an extensive acquaintance with botany, the greatest enthusiasm in the pursuit ; and he is, withal, a man of pleasant affable demeanour. He was found keeping a little shop in one of the narrow streets of Manchester; where, without much learning, without any garden, and in a crowded city, by yielding to the impetus of inclination and genius, he had be- come a great botanist. He is now transplanted into a genial soil, and flourishes to satisfaction. LfVERPOOL. 37 A considerable part of the town is lighted by coal gas. I visited the factory, and found it superintended by Sadler, son to the celebrated aeronaut. He informed me, that he himself last year crossed the Irish channel, from Dublin to Holyhead, in a balloon. He gave me two interesting pamphlets, descriptive of their aerial voyages. The arrangement of the gas machinery is very similar to that described by Accum in his treatise on gas light. I need not therefore under- take to describe the process, especially as I may have an opportunity of observing it in other places, and under different modifications. This concern is mana- ged by a company. The cost to families, for the use of the light, is from £3 Is. to £4 16*. per annum, for each argand lamp, according to its size, with permis- sion to keep it burning till 10 o'clock. If it burn longer, the charge is increased. The company are at the expense of fixing the pipes to just within the house. The dinner hour at Liverpool, at which we have been invited, is five, but it is frequently half past five or six, before the company is seated at the table. The entertainments are ample and excellent ; and if I may venture an opinion, I should say, there is rather more of easy dignity, and of the gracefulness and simpli- city of true social feeling and hospitality, than is commonly to be met with on our side of the Atlantic : yet, on the whole, I have been pleased in observing the close resemblance in manners, of the same rank of society, in both countries. To-morrow we intend setting out for Manchester. We shall leave Liverpool under impressions of gra- titude, for the kindness of those to whom we have been introduced. 3* 36 JOURNEY TO MANCHESTER. LETTER HI. Manchester^ 5th month {May) lOth, 1818. My dear ***** AND ****, Mv last left us in preparation for our departure to this place. A little after twelve, having paid our landlord's bill, and added something to the pockets of the head servant, the chamber maid, the boots, and the porter, we mounted the top of one of the fourteen or fifteen stage coaches which daily run between Li- verpool and Manchester. I had secured for myself the best outside seat — that alongside the driver. The coach was nearly full, that is to say, about twelve on the outside and six within. The distance is 36 miles. The fare on the outside was four shillings, and in the inside twelve shillings. Thus commenced our first journey in old England, and in a style perfectly novel to us. The coaches are very handsome vehicles, ge- nerally containing four seats on the outside, and two within. The roads are so good, that eighteen persons do not appear to be an over load for four horses. Every coach has some particular name painted on it, like a ship, and many of them, of course, have royal or princely titles. The horses are much like our own. Except a slight shower, the day was fine, and the ride to us all, very interesting. Features of novelty and curiosity constantly present themselves to a stranger's eye. The country, through which we have passed, is level, and cultivated with the greatest attention. The thatched cottages of the poor, with small latticed win- MANCHESTER. 39 dows, and generally a little enclosure in front, con- taining flowers, which, in this moist climate, exhibit their bloom to great advantage ; the splendid seats of noblemen and gentlemen, — the boats with expanded sails, moving along the canals, — the Mersey, con- tracted to a narrow stream, and meandering through green meadows, serving as a wide canal, — the pas- ture fields richly enamelled with daisies, — the furze, a bushy shrub, covered with bright yellow flowers, — the green hedge rows, nicely and evenly trimmed, sometimes with a round top, and sometimes a flat one, — the antique churches, — and the high hills at a distance, — all conspired to keep our eyes on the stretch, and our fancies on the alert. Prescot, Warrington, and Eccles, were the principal towns through which we passed. The two former are considerable places, with narrow streets and old fashioned houses, exhibiting, by their antique and sombre appearance, a great contrast to our more recent American towns. Numerous manufactories, particularly of small files and watchmakers' tools, are scattered along the road from Liverpool to Prescot. Warrington is noted for manufactories, particularly of sail cloth. Eccles, an old uncomfortable look- ing village, is celebrated for good cakes. On stop- ping at the inn, they were offered to us at two pence each. We found them to be extremely palatable. They consist of a kind of pastry, with an intermedi- ate layer of fruit. These cakes, it is said, are taken by travellers to all parts of England. The approach to Manchester is marked by a cloud of smoke, and by numerous columns which are seen pouring out of the tall chimneys of the immense fac- 40 MANCHESTER. tories situated in all parts of the town. We drove ra- pidly, througli narrow and crowded streets, with high houses, to the Bridgewater Arms; where we were courteously met by a fat landlady, and accommoda- ted with tolerably good rooms. The persons to whom we were recommended, by letters from Liver- pool, living a mile from the inn, we employed the remaining day-light in walking through several of the streets. This town makes a better appearance than Liverpool, though the bricks have the same dark and rough surface. The houses are high, and the streets and pavements in the modern parts of the town, are of an agreeable width. The foot- walks are here made of broad flag stones ; but in Liverpool, they are mostly of rounded stones or pebbles, which renders the walking unpleasant and painful. 12th. The persons to whom we had letters, have evinced all that kindness and attention which so greatly enhance the pleasure one receives in visiting a new place ; not only by conducting us to manufac- tories, institutions, &ic. but by introducing us to other persons of character and distinction. The celebrity of Manchester, as a manufacturing town, particularly of cotton goods, naturally excites a stranger's desire to visit the establishments, where so much ingenious mechanism is employed; and to witness the processes by which so many fine fabrics of every variety and colour are produced. Such exhibitions of human in- dustry and talents, are certainly calculated to give an elevation to national character, and to inspire the observer with a more exalted opinion of the intellec- tual powers, with which it has pleased Divine Provi- dence to furnish his kindred race. It seems there- MANCHESTER, 41 fore to be regretted, that the interests of individuals and companies, should in any case be considered as incompatible with such liberal admissions to their factories, as tend to gratify an enlightened and ra- tional curiosity. In this respect there is a great differ- ence in manufacturers, depending in some degree on their different views of individual interests ; but more, perhaps, on the temper of the man. The opinion, I be- lieve, is gaining ground in England, that the advanta- ges that have been conceived to arise from keeping their processes concealed, are more imaginary than real; and accordingly a more liberal disposition pre- vails than formerly, in the admission of visiters and strangers. The first factory we visited, was a glazing house ; that is, a place where calicoes are glazed. All the machinery in these factories, (or nearly so) is pro- pelled by steam. The process of glazing is a very curious one, varying in its nature according to the quality of the stuffs, and the degree of polish to be given to it. The first thing is to cover the stuff with a very thin coat of bees-w^ax. This is done by causing the calico, chintz, or whatever it may be, to pass between two cylinders or rollers, which are longer than the breadth of the stuff, in one of which are grooves filled with long cakes of bees-wax, that project a little above the surface of the cylinders. These cakes are perhaps an inch thick, and placed five or six inches apart. The upper cylinder con- tains the wax, the lower one is kept warm by steam, which circulates through it by pipes. The cloth passes between the cylinders, and becomes in that manner slightly covered by the wax. Another pro- d2 MANCHESTER. cess is to pass the stuff between two cylinders, one of which is ofpohshed steel, and the other of paper; the former being kept hot, either by iron heaters, placed inside of it, or by the introduction of steam. The glazing material is applied to it by a sponge. The cloth enters very smoothly into the aperture of the two cylinders, and is pressed with prodigious force as it passes through. This gives a fine and beautiful polish to the stuff, as well as the stiffness observed in well glazed calicoes. Another mode is to place the stuff, after it has been waxed, in a ma- chine, where a very smooth rubber of flint, about four inches wide, passes over it crosswise, rubbing it backwards and forwar-^s. The cloth is moved along under the rubber, by the motion of the machine. We next visited a printing factory ; that is to say, a house where calicoes, chintzes, &c. receive the figures which, in the estimation of the fair purchasers, give them their relative degrees of beauty and value. The contrivance of new and handsome figures is an object of great solicitude to the manufacturers : and so scrupulously does each one guard his own devices, from the inspection of his rival neighbours, that they transport their goods through the streets, in vehicles entirely closed, and fastened with locks. The in- vention of new designs, furnishes support to a great number of ingenious men. I never before had any just conception of the manner in which calicoes are printed. I was witness to the process in which a piece of white muslin, forty-nine yards in length, was converted into printed calico, with a beautiful figure impressed upon it, in the lapse of four minutes. It is sufficiently simple. A hollow cylinder of copper, as MANCHESTER. 43 long as the stuff is wide, is previously engraved with the intended figure. This cylinder is placed over a trough, into which the colouring matter is poured, and becomes partly immersed in it. A long sharp edged knife, which they call the doctor, is so adjusted to the cylinder as to cleanse it, during its revolution, from all the dying substances, except what is lodged within the cavities of the figure formed by the graver. The cloth is passed under the engraved cylinder, and pressed, during its revolution, into its cavities, by the forcible action of a smooth cylinder below. In this way, calicoes impressed with one colour only, are ex- peditiously printed. When more colours are to be put on, it is commonly done by a block. A piece of w^ood about a foot long and six inches wide, is carved with the figure to be impressed. The cloth is firmly stretched overa hard surface; the block is placed on a piece of woollen cloth covered wdth the dye, a portion of which adheres to it. The block is then laid with accuracy, on the stuff, with one hand, and a gentle thump is given to it by the other. It is again dipped in the ink, and the figure is further extended. In this way they vro on, till the whole piece is covered ; and in this way, by going again and again over the piece, they can fill it up with a variety of colours. Thus chintzes are produced of the gayest forms, with large and brilliant flowers, birds, animals, and land- scapes. The factory we were in, is one of the best in the town. We visited several neat factories at Ardwick, in the suburbs of Manchester ; in one of which, the wool, as taken from the raw fleece, is converted, by various successive and ingenious processes, into Manchester 44 MANCHESTER. cord ; a pleasant and valuable material lor men's wear. The engine in this factory, of about 15 horse power, is the neatest I have ever seen. The valves, and some other parts, are patented improvements, by Fenton &l Murray of Leeds. In another extensive concern, we saw again the printing of calico, and the borders of shawls ; and in another apartment, the pro- cess of singeing cords and fustians. This curious pro- cess consists in passing the stuff hastily from one reel to another, over a red hot iron. It goes several times backwards and forwards over the iron, before it is sufficiently singed. This is necessary to give it a smooth surface. The colour produced by the iron is afterwards bleached out. Much of the mere manual labour of Manchester, such as weaving, is conducted by the workmen at their own houses, under the employ of the manufac- turer. We saw in one room ,30 or 40 pieces of tape, woven by one motion of the hand ; each piece having a shuttle of its own, and all of them driven simulta- neously by the same movement. The cutting of fus- tians and velvets, by which the nap is formed, was another interesting process. The stuff is woven so as to form successive rows of elevated threads or loops. The cutter stretches it lengthwise over a frame, and, inserting a long slender knife, somewhat like a rapier, under one row of threads, and dexte- rously pushing it along, cuts the upper part of the threads or loops, and thus produces the shaggy sur- face. After visiting another factory, in which a kind of cassinet is manufactured, Dr. F. and myself were con- ducted to the rooms of John Dalton, so well known MANCHESTER. 45 for his acute and extensive researches in chemical science. We found the philosopher at his desk, sur- rounded by his books, his boxes, and his apparatus, chemical and philosophical, all in " delightful confu- sion." He is a member of the society of Friends, of plain unaffected manners, and highly esteemed in so- cial life. His apparatus is very simple, and chiefly employed in experiments of research. So profound have been his investigations, and so high is his repu- tation as a chemist and mathematician, that the lite- rary and philosophical society of this place have elected him their president ; and he has been recently chosen an honorary member of the Academy of Sci- ence of Moscow, and of the Royal Institute of France. He is a bachelor of about fifty. I breakfasted on the 10th, at Dr. William Henry's, in company with Dal ton. The Doctor's family being absent, he boiled the eggs for us himself, and treated us with great ease and kindness. The conversation of two men so deservedly distinguished for science, could not but be highly interesting. It turned upon certain points of chemical theory — chlorine, acidity, alkalinity, &c. They are neither of them entire converts to the new doctrine of chlorine. Dr. H. with whom 1 afterward dined, conducts a chemical manufactory, celebrated for the purity and perfection of the articles it produces. He very justly noticed, in the course of conversation, the reprehensible practice pursued in America, of counterfeiting, not only the products of British manufacture, the con- taining vessel, the label and directions, but also the signature and seal. If this is unjustifiable in any case, it is emphatically so in relation to medical pre- VoL. I. 4 i6 MANCHESTER. parations, upon the purity of which depends not only the reputation of the manufacturer, but the health and life of the purchaser.* Dr. H. is remarkably clever in his particular department. He is now pre- paring for the eighth edition of his Treatise on Che- mistry, a work which has greatly contributed to extend the science, wherever the English language prevails. It has also been translated and published at Paris. Accompanied by Dr. C. of this place, I visited the infirmary and lunatic asylum, both of which appeared to be extremely well conducted. The infirmary is supported entirely by donations and legacies. The maniacs pay their own way. New patients are ad- mitted only once a week (except in cases of parti- cular urgency) when the managers attend to read their recommendations, and inquire into their claims upon the bounty of the institution. We witnessed the ceremony of their introduction. The applicants, about twenty-two in number, were seated in a semi- circle, answered to their names when called, stated their occupations, and by whom recommended. A large proportion said they were leavers. One man said he was a slubber; which I found was a technical name for part of the operation of calico-making. When the examination was completed, a paper of rules was read to them by the head manager, contain- ing an explicit statement of what they might expect from the attendants and nurses of the house, and of * I understand that the British manufacturers are beginning to retahate upon us by adopting a similar practice. Several varieties of American fabrics having, from their superior texture, grown into extensive demand, ;joods of the same appearance, with the same fold and stamp, are now sent frrtm England, and sold here at a lower price than the American. MANCHESTER. 47 what was to be expected from them in return. The buildings of the infirmary and asylum are neat, but plain specimens of architecture, three stories high above the basement, and pleasantly situated in a wide place, called Piccadilly, with a gravel walk sur- rounding a sheet of water in front, margined with grass, and partially planted with trees. The bene- factors to this charity have been very numerous. The names of the benevolent individuals, with the amount of their contributions, are neatly exhibited in tabular frames attached to the walls in one of the large rooms. Upwards of four thousand pounds have been given by unknown benefactors. The in» terior of those buildings evince the greatest attention to the comfort and recovery of the patients, and to economy in management. The bedsteads are of iron, which, besides the advantage of durability, more ef- fectually secures them from vermin. The rooms of the women are designated by different Scriptural female names as, "Mary ;" " Ruth," &c. while those for men are distinguished by masculine names from the same book. This mode of designating rooms I noticed also at the inns. At the Bridgewater Arms, the names are taken from the ancient mythology. Thus we read over the doors, the words Morpheus, Au- rora, &c. In another inn, my companions and myself dined with several American acquaintance, whom we met here, in a room styled the "Philadelphia," and the other apartments of the house received their titles from the same quarter of the globe. The sur- gical wards of this infirmary are numerously supplied* as might be expected, from accidents which con- stantly occur in the manufactories. In one year the 48 MANCHESTER. number of these has amounted to 1381, while, during the same period, the number of patients of every description was 10,670. Adjacent to the infirmary, and under the management of its trustees, are ex- cellent public baths, which, while they afford a great accommodation to the town, add to the revenue of the house. They consist of hot^ tepid., vapour, and coM baths. The patients of the infirmary are never permitted to use these baths, as there are separate ones provided for them within the hospital. We were conducted to Chetham's Hospital, more commonly called the college. This is a charity school, founded about the year 1650 by Humphrey Chetham, a wealthy individual of Manchester. The building which it occupies, formerly belonged to the collegiate church, and is curiously antiquated in its appearance, both within and without. About eighty poor boys are here lodged, fed, clothed and in- structed. They are to be the "children of "honest, industrious, and pains-taking parents, and not of wan- dering or idle beggars, or rogues." They are clo- thed uniformly in a costume extremely outre in its appearance, and ridiculous in its form. Instead of pantaloons, they wear blue cloth petticoats, a yellow under petticoat, blue worsted stockings, and blue cloth caps. The little fellows are fed with a plain but wholesome diet, and have a very healthy and contented look. The building contains also a library, founded by the same benevolent individual, " for the use of scholars, and all others well affected, to resort unto." None of the books were to be taken out of the library, but " fixed or chaiiied as well as may be." This library has become very valuable, and now MANCHESTER. 49 contains 1 8,000 volumes. In the gallery are several specimens of natural history, and other curiosities, by way of museum. These were explained to us by one of the boys, as a matter of course, in a tone and manner that might have done credit to a well trained parrot. The COLLEGIATE CHURCH of Manchester produced upon our minds sensations, to which we had, till then^ been entire strangers. It was the first example of the genuine ancient ornamental gothic we had ever beheld. Its appearance is truly venerable. In viewing its curiously arched windows, its remnants of stained glass, its antiquated towers, its lofty ceiling, its numerous carved ornaments of angels playing upon diflferent musical instruments ; and es- pecially, the grotesque figures that project from under the roof, in the form of four footed beasts, (but of what species no naturalist could tell;) the mind is car- ried back, as by a charm, to a period much more re- mote in the history of our species, than any which the monuments of our own country, can possibly suggest. The feeling thus produced is no less solemn and delightful, than it is novel and attractive. This church is about 350 years old The whole length of the edifice on the outside is 252 feet, and its breadth 132. The dilapidations of time are everywhere visible upon it ; but pains are taken to repair its breaches in the style of the original structure. The present week is a time of annual relaxation at Manchester. The factories are generally aban- doned, and business suspended. The tide of popu- lation in the streets is astonishingly great, and con- tinues so till ten o'clock in the evening. Genteel 4 * 50 MANCHESTER. persons are frequently accosted by beggars, some ol whom are very miserable in their appearance. Va- rious are the contrivances to attract attention, and excite the charity of strangers. Children are met, singing in the streets, with papers in their hands for sale, such as advertisements of shows, songs, and trash of various kinds. We met a woman playing on a fiddle, and capering through the street to gain a few pence. In many of the wide streets and open parts of the town, machines are erected to furnish amusement for children, and to gain their pence. Large swings, in the shape of a boat, in which twelve or twenty can be seated, are suspended from the centre of a great tripod, and pushed backwards and forwards. Small wooden horses are mounted on a cir- cular platform, and pushed round a central jpost, on which children are seated at a penny a ride. During two or three days of this Whitsuntide week, horse racing, and even bull baiting are practised. The people assemble in the suburbs to view and attend these sports in excessive numbers. 50,000 are supposed to be sometimes collected at once. Manchester is an ancient place, having evidently been a settlement of the Romans. It is built upon the river Irwell; into which empties, upon the bor- der of the town, the river Irk. They are both very small streams. The population and size of the town have increased surprisingly in the last forty years, in consequence of its growing manufactories. In 1773 tt contained but 41,032; in 1788 the number had increased to 50,000; in 1801 to 84,053, in 1811 to 98,571 without including the adjacent suburbs, which every stranger would consider as forming one undir MANCHESTER. 51 vided mass of buildings. These would swell the population of that year to 108,460 ; and it is believed that at present, the whole number would amount to at least 130,000. Notwithstanding the great popu- lation and importance of this town, it is not incorpo- rated, and has not the privilege of sending a single member to parliament; a privilege which is enjoyed, or rather abused, by many a borough in the kingdom of not more than 50 or 100 inhabitants. Manchester is governed by a head officer called the borough- reeve, and two constables, chosen annually from the most respectable of the inhabitants. The popula- tion is thought to be intelligent. Science is cultiva- ted on account of its connection with the pursuits of the inhabitants. The portico, an institution sup- ported by donations and subscriptions, is an elegant building, erected and opened in 1806, for the purpose of a library and news room, at an expense of £6000. There are, besides, several large libraries in the town, belonging to distinct companies. The literary and philosophical society deservedly enjoy a high reputation. Six volumes of their transactions have been published, and many of the papers have been translated into the French and German languages. The Lancasterian school here is considered as infe- rior to none in the kingdom. The house will con- tain about 1200 scholars. Manchester is distinguished by its charities, and more especially that noblest of all charities, a liberal instruction of the children of the poor. This town was among the first to adopt the plan of the benevolent RAIKES, in the organization of Sunday schools. Nearly 8000 children attend the schools, 52 MANCHESTER. supported by members of the established church, and about 5000 those for other denominations, What an aggregate of charity is here presented to the mind ! This benevolence goes far to remedy the evils arising from the severe tasks imposed upon the children in the manufactories, and which are so justly condemned by Southey in the letters of Espri- ella. There is no doubt, however, that a further amelioration of the condition of these infant labour- ers, is still called for by the soundest dictates of humanity. The subject is before parliament, and hopes are entertained that a law will be passed, giving every child a right to a certain portion of education, and restricting them to 10 or 11 hours of confinement in the manufactories, instead of 15 or 16 as now practised. There are several peculiarities of accent and dia- lect, which cannot fail to arrest the attention of an American who has proceeded no further into En- gland than we have. The frequent use of the ex- pletive, '•'•you know^'^'' is very remarkable, and appears to be almost universal. The suppression of the h, when it begins a word, and its employment when not necessary, is a practice equally remarkable. " This is the place, you know^'''' said a very genteel woman in showing me an improved fire-place, " where we ang on the hironsy This pronunciation finds its way, in a certain degree, into very respectable society. The sound of u like oo^ is frequent, but this is per- haps peculiar to Lancashire. " Wiil^ Betty," said our Liverpool coachman to a woman who offered us some flowers, " how art thoo my loov. Pm coomin doon to gie thee a kiss." There is also a pecur JOURNEY TO LONDON. 53 liar inflection of the voice, at the conclusion of a phrase, whether long or short, which conveys the impression of softness and kindness, and strikes my ear agreeably= It cannot be represented by the pen. My companions wishing to make an excursion into Derbyshire, and being desirous myself to reach London by the 1 5th, I shall take leave of them to- morrow-— and pursue my journey. LETTER IV. London, 5th month, (May) IQih, IB 18. My dear ***** AND ****, On the morning of the 13th, I took an inside seat in the Birmingham coach, and proceeding rapidly through Stockport, Macclesfield, Leek, Cheadle, Ut- toxeter, and Litchfield, arrived at Birmingham about eight in the evening. The fare was twenty shillings ; distance, about eighty miles. The towns and villages through which we passed are marked, to an American eye, by their aged ap- pearance. Many of the houses, even those in con- siderable towns, are covered with straw. The churches are mostly in the ancient style of architec- ture, and greatly contribute to the novelty and pictu- resque beauty of the scenery. In passing even has- tily through Litchfield, the size and venerable ap- pearance of the cathedral strikes the eye with de- light. The house in which Dr. Darwin resided, was shown me by one of the female passengers, who o4 JOURNEY TO LONDON. had lived in the town. It has a modern appear- ance, and would be considered any where a very respectable mansion. Neither the house in which Dr. Johnson lived, nor the school-house in which he taught David Garrick, was to be seen from the road. Litchfield is a pleasant town, and the country around it is rich and in a high state of cultivation. We dined at Uttoxeter; and I observed on this and other occa- sions, that ratlier more attention is paid to the de- cencies of form, than is generally practised by stage companies among us. Some person is desired, by the rest, to take the head of the table, and from him the waiter expects to receive his orders for wine, or any other additions to the usual fare, and to him the bill is presented for settlement. Those who do not choose wine, are not obliged to pay for any that may be called for by the others. Our dinner, including a moderate portion of wine, was four shillings and six pence each. My company in the inside, consisted of two females, who w«re social and intelligent, and a clerical gentleman, whose name I did not learn. In England the clergy are distinguishable by the size and form of their hats. He entertained us with anec- dotes relative to bishop Watson, and deacon Paley; with both of whom he had been acquainted. The attachment of these distinguished men to a self-de- nying religion, he did not seem to estimate very highly ; but he spoke of their talents, their writings, and their characters, with great respect. In enter- ing Birmingham we passed a large mansion with very extensive grounds, surrounded by a high brick or stone wall. It appeared to be the abode of opu- lence, but I was told it had been for sometime withiia JOURNEY TO LONDON. 55 the grasp of the sheriff The coach stopped at a large inn, called the Hen and Chickens, but the kind- ness of the friends to whom 1 had letters, prevented me from occupying a room in it. 14th. Having but one day to spend here, I re- gretted to find this morning, that it ^Aas the time of an annual fair, on which occasion many of the manu- factories are closed, the workmen devoting them- selves to relaxation and amusement. Some of the wider streets and open places, are crowded with ex- hibitions of wild beasts, dwarfs, giant women, and learned monkies, in sufficient variety. The shops exhibit a brilliant exterior; and a vast variety of cu- rious articles, mostly the workmanship of this great *' British toy shop," are skilfully arranged in the win- dows to attract attention. By the kindness of several of those to whom I was introduced, 1 visited some of the factories, and had a partial opportunity of witnessing their opera- tions. The machinery for cutting and fashioning the shanks for buttons, works by steam, and is exceed- ingly ingenious. A manufactory of tea-trays, snuffer- trays, inkstands, snuff-boxes, &c. evinced much dex- terity, and in a striking degree the perfection of art, The large trays are made of sheet iron, stamped into proper shape by a dye, then varnished and put im- mediately into a large oven or room wath shelves around it, and heated by flues. The smaller trays are made of paper ; as are the snuff-boxes, ink-stands, &;c. The paper is a coarse brown kind, made for the purpose. A block of v^^ood is chosen, of the size and shape of the intended box ; the paper is pasted upon it. in successive layers, until it acquires 56 JOURNEY TO LONDON. the proper tliickness; it is then put into an oven, and when thoroughly dried, an incision is made around it as deep as the block, and the two parts are slipped off. It is then turned in a lathe, till per- fectly smooth, the parts are nicely fitted to each other, and finally it is varnished and painted with various devices. In so great a snutT-taking country as this, the elegant finish of the box, and the finely wrought classical device on the lid, are matters of luxury and importance. We were politely conducted into a large button manufactory. The cutting out of the piece from the plate of brass, stamp- ing it with the impressions, trimming the edge, sol- dering on the eye or shank, and the final polishing, afford employment to a great number of persons, a large proportion of whom are women. The button is polished in the lathe by applying to it a piece of blood stone. Several chemical manufactories, par- ticularly one of sulphuric and nitric acid, and of some of the salts, which were shown me, are con- ducted on a large scale ; but as the processes do not essentially differ from those usually employed, it ia unnecessary to describe them. A very intelligent friend conducted me in the evening to the Birmingham institution for literature and science. The building contains a commodious lecture room; an apparatus room in which was a good collection of philosophical instruments ; a labo- ratory well provided with furnaces, &c. ; a room containing an assortment of chemical apparatus ; and another room especially appropriated to galvanic experiments, and supplied with a large battery of the most modern construction. There is also a libra- JOURNEV TO LONDON. §7 ty pertaining to the establishment. Such an insti- tution as this, supported by private liberality and enterprise, speaks volumes for the energy and intel- ligent industry with which the useful arts are prose- cuted, and enables us more fully to appreciate the character of a people who have carried those arts to such a wonderful degree of perfection. I did not ascertain, whether, in Birmingham, a stran- ger is recognized as such within a very short time after his arrival, as in Manchester. In the latter town it is said, that within a i^vf hours after the appearance of a stranger, his name, place of resi- dence, business, and all other particulars, as far as they can be learned by careful inquiry and rapid communication, are known throughout the place. This arises from the caution which is conceived to be necessary as a guard to their manufacturing privileges. The streets of Birmingham are of a good width, but the side walks are mostly, as in Liverpool, of pebbles, instead of bricks or flagging. I ought not to leave this place without an acknow- ledgment of the kindness received from several friends, and particularly those by whom I was so hospitably entertained. 15th. After an early breakfast, I took leave of my kind host and family, and set out in the coach for Oxford. I had previously secured an inside seat^ but as the morning was pleasant, I placed myself on the drivers box. This an inside passenger has a right to do whenever all the outside seats are not taken up ; and when they are, he can generally find- some one to exchange with him. On the seat imme- Vol. I. 5 58 JOURNEY TO LONDON. diatelj behind me, and on the very top of the coach< were four genteel females. There is nothing to se.< cure their safety, in this very aerial position, but a slender iron railing, extending round the back and ends of the seat, and about a foul high. Those who sit at the extremities of this seat have scarcely anything lo rest the feet upon. In truth, 1 felt very apprehensive of my own safety the first time I ventured to ride in this lofty style. Custom, however, soon reconciles it, and nothing is more common in stage travelling, than to find ladies preferring a seat on the top. Indeed, so great are the advantages it aflfords with respect to air and prospect, combined with its cheapness, it is no unusual thing to see the top seats full, while the inside is entirely vacant. We passed through Solihull, but the country was not very attractive till we came to Warwick. This town gives a name to the county. Its greatest curi- osity is the castle, one of the oldest, largest, and strongest in the kingdom. It is built upon the mar- gin of the river Avon. Its appearance is truly vene- rable. The extent of its walls and the size of its tower gave a most unfavourable idea of the state of society, which could require so much expense and labour to secure the safety of its possessor. At Leamington we were transferred to another coach. The gentleman whom, from his neat dress and bust- ling air, I took to be the owner of the hotel, and generalissimo of all the forces attached to it, proved to be the coachman. But, in reality, these coachmen are rather to be considered as gentlemen of a par- ticular rank. They are well dressed ; and take the liberty a.? they pass along, to speak and bow to peo- JOURNEV TO L0WD0J7. 59 pie of respectability, and receive the same notice in return. We passed through Bamburj and Didding- ton to Woodstock. Near this place the extensive grounds and park of Blenheim, the seat of the duke of Marlborough, appeared in sight, and the monu- ment erected in commemoration of the victories of the duke over the French forces at Blenheim, rose fully into view. It is situated in the park, and attracts the attention of passengers at the distance of several miles. The park was seen from the road, like a long range of wood, and had more the appearance of an American forest than any thing I had observed in England. It is eleven miles in circumference, and is said to furnish one of the finest rides imaginable. Blenheim-house was not in sight from our road, and my time did not admit of a digression, though it is certainly an object of rational curiosity to a stranger in England. We arrived at Oxford at half past six ; and the evening being pleasant, I immediately engaged a a guide, and spent two hours and a half in explo- ring the wonders, the curiosities, and the beauties, of this ancient and renowned seat of learning. If any thing in art and antiquity, in Great Britain, can strike an American eye with delight and surprise, it will here be met with, probably, in its greatest per- fection. The exterior of the colleges, presents an imposing aspect of antique greatness. The massy structure of the buildings, the number of statueSc and the quantity of carved work within and with- out, would seem to require the labour of ages. Every thing I saw was in a style of neatness. The yards, the gardens, the interior of all the apartments^ 60 JOURNEY TO LONDON". are kept in the greatest cleanliness and order. The walks are highly beautiful. A broad, gravelled pathway, with rows of high and majestic elms on each side, extends, in some cases, a mile in lengthy winding along the margin of a river or canal, and surrounding a beautiful meadow. The rooks build their nests on the tops of the trees, and fly about the college buildings, in great numbers, unmolested. The painted or stained glass in the chapels, the tesselated pavements, the carved ceilings, and the numerous fine paintings with which they have been ornamented, hold the eye and the mind long in ad- miration. I was in the theatre, or rather amphithe- atre, in which the emperor of Russia, and king of Prussia, received their honorary degrees, sitting on each side of the prince regent. In the library the sovereigns dined. On the table of this room, was an engraved figure, exhibiting the arrangement of the seats at the dinner. From the top of this build- ing, I had a fine panoramic view of the city. The students were seen walking every where. Their dress, to a stranger, appears very singular. It con- sists of a black gown, worn over their other gar- ments, and a cap of black cloth fitting the head closely, and to the top of which is fastened a flat square board, which they call a trencher, covered with the same substance as the cap, and resting horizontally on the head, with one corner in front, to which is suspended a few tassels. Its appear- ance is rather picturesque and tasteful. Of the morality of some of the collegians, I had a most unfavourable specimen. Four or five of them came in the evening to the inn where I had JOURNEY TO LONDOJf. 61 taken up my quarters, in the principal street in the town. They entered the coffee room, where two or three travellers and myself were sitting, enga> ged in conversation. After surveying us and the room for some time, they went out, but shortly after returned, seated themselves in one of the recesses- into which one side of the room is divided, and or- dered supper and drink. Their conversation soon assumed a very free cast, and eventually took such a. latitude, as I should suppose would set all Billings- gate at defiance. They abused the waiter, broke a number of things, tore the curtains that enclose the recesses — staid till near twelve o'clock, and then went off, thoroughly soaked with wine, brandy, and hot-toddy. 1 was told the next morning that two ol them were noblemen! Alas ! for such an education as this. What can Latin and Greek, and all the store of learning and science have, to make amends, in an hour of retribution, for a depraved heart, and an understanding debased by such vicious indul- gence ? I cannot but cherish the hope, that this incident does not furnish a fair specimen of the mo- rals of the students. It will doubtless happen, thai in so large a number as that here collected in the various colleges, many will bring with them habits extremely unfavourable to morality and subordina- tion. But from the information derived from my guide, who was a moderate man, and certainly well informed with respect to the habits of the place, and from the observations which forced themselves upon me, in my walk through the streets and gardens this evening, I am obliged to deduce the lamentable conclusion, that the morals of the nation are not 5'^ 62 JOURNEY TO LONDOK- much benefited by the direct influence of this splen- did seat of learning. 16th. Breakfasted at the inn, and took the Lon- don coach at 9 a. m. The day was fine. I found myself seated on the coach with a person of very genteel manners and address, whose profession, though very common in England, is scarcely known in the United States. They are called travellers. Their employment is to be constantly journeying in the service of commercial houses, selling goods, re- ceiving and taking orders, collecting debts, &c. A large portion of the commercial business of the na- tion, is done through their agency. My stage com- panion informed me, that he had not remained more than a week at a time, at any one place, for ten years. They are under great responsibility from the nature of their charge, and this secures their fidelity. They are generally communicative, and very intelligent with respect to subjects which natu- rally fall within the sphere of their notice. I left Oxford with regret at being unable to spend more time at a place which contains so much of the splendour of antiquity, and the pomp of learning and the arts, and more that must appear foreign to an inhabitant of the New World, who visits England for the first time, than any other town in the king- dom, except the metropolis. The country, in this morning's ride, became more interesting, on account of the chalk hills, which, in several places, presented themselves in broken per- jpendicular masses, exhibiting the chalk, stratified with clay and other substances. The nodular flint is extremely common, The roads are paved with it, JOURNEY TO LONDON. 63 and it constitutes, in several places, a material for building. The agricultural taste and skill of the country, simply as it appears to a stage traveller, I do not think at all superior to that which is practised in good farming districts in the United States. I was surprised, in the course of yesterday's ride, to find that the fields of grain and pasture, even on the road side, were entirely without hedges or enclosures of any kind. The farms of different individuals were separated only by a narrow strip of untilled ground. Cattle, and other kinds of domestic animals are, of course, forbidden to run at large on the public high- ways, as in America. The population increases as we approach the capital ; yet there is more waste ground, or common, on this day's road, than on any over which I have passed. We stopped at Henley, and took a cut of cold roast beef, of excellent qua- lity- — an article of which a good English inn is sel- dom without a supply Henley is rather a neat town j I mean in comparison with other English towns ; but it exhibits too much of the wear and tear of age, to be compared, in point of beauty, with our modern American villages. We here crossed the Thames on a fine bridge. This stream, so famous for the mighty doings with which its shores have for ages resounded, is here too shallow for any other craft than large boats, and of a width which would entitle it, in New-Jersey, to the appellation of a creek. It is however a pretty stream ; and the land- scape, after we had ascended the hill on the side op- posite to Henley, is exceedingly fine. We passed, in succession, through Maidenhead, Brentford, Turn- ham Green, Hammersmith, and Kensington, and came 61 LONDON. into London, by the wide and busy entrance of Ox« ford-street. The three last named villages seem to be little more than a continuation of this street. The bustle and activity we encountered, on enter- ing the metropolis, were excessive. Though long accustomed to the busy movements of the busiest city in our own country, I found on this occasion enough of novelty and peculiarity to convince me, had I not known where I was, that I was entering a much more populous and wealthy place, than any I had ever seen. The numerous equipages, with splendid liveries, some of which had three footmen standing behind them, dressed in white uniform, with large cocked hats, and each with a staff in his hand; the multiplicity of stage coaches, passing in and out, with passengers on the top as well as within ; the trains of hackney coaches moving in all directions ; and the crowd on the foot walks, in which so great a variety of costume and figure is discoverable, — all contribute to render the first impression which Lon- don makes, very imposing upon the mind of a stran- ger. We turned down Bond-street, St. James, and drove through Pall Mall, the Strand, Temple Bar, and Fleet-street, to Ludgate Hill, and into the court yard of the Belle Sauvage. I took up my quarters at St. Paul's Coffee House, immediately facing the yard of the great Cathedral, and under the sound of its powerful bell. My first concern was to get a map of the city, and with this to find my way to the residences of those friends whom I wished more im- mediately to see. L0NDO?f. 65 LETTER V, London, 5th month, {May) 23d, 1818. Whatever excitement of imagination or feelings a first entrance into London may produce, it is soon found to be a bustling, dark looking city, with narrow dirty streets, and high houses, and with far less of cleanliness and comfort, externally, than in either of our principal towns. It requires some effort of reso- lution, therefore, to prevent curiosity from subsiding into disgust ; and from hastening to a conclusion, that there is nothing beyond the most noted public build- ings, and exhibitions, that can compensate for much sacrifice of time, or furnish materials for a protracted stay. But a few days of attentive observation are suf- ficient to dissipate this error. As the great extent of the city, its various customs, its ramified police,its very numerous and diversified institutions, its monuments of art and science and charity, come to be gradually presented to one's notice, it will be found, that month after month may be assiduously employed in re- searches and inquiries; and that hardly, within six months, could a stranger, desirous of availing himself of all the opportunities of studying the human cha- racter which London affords, complete his survey of its interesting and almost endless peculiarities. The expedition I must necessarily use, in pursuing the plan I have prescribed to myself in this journey, will enable me to go but a little way in a general descrip- tion. But in truth, it is not the business of a travel- ler to write a statistical account of the countries he 66 LONDoi;. visits ; nor can it be expected that he will enter verj^ minutely into topographical details. His habits must necessarily be desultory, and such also will be the character of his observations. The American acquaintance I have found here, together with the few letters I brought with me, have introduced me to a great number of the society of Friends, in whom I find a full share of characteristic hospitality and kindness. Most of the time, since my arrival, has been occupied in attendance of the year- ly meeting of the society. Its concerns, upon the whole, are transacted much in the same way as in America. Constituted as the government of this so- ciety is, upon principles strictly republican, allowing to each member the right of attending all its meet- ings of discipline, as well those which are chiefly legislative, as those which are executive, it was to me a point of some interest, to ascertain whether the style and temper of such meetings in England, would be found to have any nearer resemblance to the aristocratical tone of British society, than to the greater equality and more general liberty of speaking and acting enjoyed under our constitutions. An attentive, and 1 think impartial observance of the progress of the business in this yearly meeting, obliges me to conclude, that there is nothing in the circum- stance, simply, of living under a monarchical govern- ment, which encourages the exercise of arbitrary power, at least on occasions of the kind I now allude to. Human nature is the same under all governments ; and as far as this experiment goes, I am persuaded there is the same love of power, and the same disposition to exercise it individually, in LONDON, 67 America, as in England. I have no where seen a more scrupulous regard to the rights of individuals, in the deliberations of a religious assembly, than was evinced throughout the proceedings of this meet- ing. 6th month (June) 1st. At a meeting to day of the committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, I was introduced to several gentlemen, who have great- ly distinguished themselves by their zeal and activity in the deeply important cause which this Society has undertaken to support. Lord Teignmouth, the Presi- dent of the Society, officiated as the presiding officer of the committee. He was not distinguished in dress from the other members. His manners are plain, easy, and affable, and his countenance is expressive of those amiable sensibilities which might be expected of a decided advocate of the Bible, and of the excellent biographer and friend of Sir Wm. Jones. Although the committee meets weekly, the business which it has to transact at each meeting is sufficient to occupy a long sitting. Much of it consists in reading the numerous letters addressed to the Society, from al- most all parts of the world. The Secretaries, Owen, Steinkopf, and Hughes, are eminently qualified for the duties which devolve upon them. The great and successful efforts, which they and other officers and agents of this Society, have made, to establish and extend its influence, will cause their names to be transmitted to posterity, as benefactors of mankind ; while in the moral history of England, the establish- ment of this Society must ever form a most brilliant era; and its progress be marked with a lustre cheering and delightful to every friend of religion and peace- 68 LONDON. There were several foreigners of distinction present at this meeting of the committee ; particularly Pro- fessors Cuvier, of Paris, and Pictet, of Geneva. Much animated discussion took place, and several able speeches were made, on questions that arose in the course of the business. 1 noticed, for the first time, the call of hear^ hear, when any thing particu- larly interesting was stated by the speaker. This kind of applause is common I believe at all public meetings, as well as in Parliament. The Bible Society occupies a large building in Earl-street, near Blackfriar's bridge. In one apart- ment is a library, composed of all the most noted editions of the Holy Scriptures, in every language in which they have been printed. In the room in which the committee meets, are elevated seats for the ac- commodation of spectators, who may be introduced by members. There is generally a number of stran- gers present ; for the business and the debates of this body, often furnish as much interest and rational en- tertainment as those of the House of Commons. I was early introduced to the weekly levee of Sir Joseph Banks, and have several times availed myself of the advantages of such an introduction. It is a focus, where one may be almost certain of meeting with the most distinguished scientific men of the me- tropolis, and with learned strangers, not only from different parts of Great Britain, but those also from foreign countries, who may happen to be in London. Sir Joseph's house is pleasantly situated at one cor- ner of Soho Square^ It is a plain building, and not very large. A stranger must be introduced either by a letter or by an accustomed visiter ; but after the LONDON. tji^^ lirst visit, he is at liberty to go as otten as lie pleases, either to the evening conversazione, or to a weekly breakfast, at ten o'clock in the morning. The levees aje held on the evening of the first day of the week, but at so late an hour as not to interfere with the usual exercises of that day. The company generally begin to assemble about nine, and continue to come and go, without ceremony, until about twelve. The front door opens into an anti-room, where are two or three servants, in attendance — one of them at least always in livery. They direct strangers where to leave their hats and umbrellas, and show them the way to the library above stairs. This apartment forms two sides of a square. Sir Joseph, who, from long and severe attacks of gout, has been for many years unable to walk, sits at a table at the angle of the library, and receives the salutation of each per- son who enters, and engages in easy conversation with those who wish to approach him for that pur- pose. He generally wears a star on the breast of his coat, indicative, I suppose, of the order of knighthood to which he belongs. He is now in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and bears evident marks of the decay of nature; but is still cheerful, still alive to the pro- gress of science and the arts, and ever ready to com- municate from the capacious store of his knowledge. Such, however, are his bodily infirmities, he must ere long yield his station as President of the Royal So- ciety, and that still more important rank he has so long filled to the honour and the extension of British science, as the liberal patron of ingenious men — as the great Macaenas of his age and country. His place, it is to be feared, will not be easily supplied ; Vol. I. 6 70 LONDON. for few there are, even in London, who can unite to the finest relish for science, and to the most devoted zeal for the progress of useful knowledge, an income of £18,000 per annum, and a liberal iiand in its dis- tribution ! It is by a distinction of this kijd, that the name of Sir Joseph Banks has been famous in the annals of English science, since, in the year 1768 he sailed, as naturalist, with the celebrated Captain Cook, in his first voyage of circumnavigation. At my first visit at this place, I met with Sir Humphrey Davy, a circumstance which I considered fortunate, for he informed me that the next day he was to leave London for the continent, where he expected to re- main a long time. From the just celebrity of his name, an interview with him was desirable. His person is rather below the middle size, his counte- nance open, his manners lively and animated, and his conversation flowing and vivacious. He obliging- ly gave me a note, which transferred to me, for the time being, his right of attendance at the reading- room, library, and lectures of the Royal Institution. Having married a lady of fortune, he no longer offi- ciates as a lecturer, — but his attention is still occa- sionally directed to chemical research and experi- ment ; and from his known ardour, and his being still in the middle period of life, it may be hoped that the brilliant career of discovery, which he commenced at a very early age, has not yet arrived at its termi- nation. Among the most distinguished foreigners whom I met in Soho Square, was Cuvier, the cele- brated naturalist of Paris. He meets in London with that warm respect which his high reputation, his consummate acquaintance with natural history, and LONDON. 71 his personal merits entitle him to receive. At the same meeting were two young Persians, who have resided some time in London, for purposes of science. Their inquiries, 1 am informed, are chiefly medical. They were dressed in the costume of their own country, in silk mantles and turbans. They spoke English tolerably, and appeared to be men of some aeuteness of observation. The visiters at this cele- brated rendezvous are perfectly easy in their inter- course with each other. Each one is at liberty to sit, stand, or walk, to converse, or to read, as he may think proper, and to withdraw without ceremony, when it may best suit his convenience. On a table, at the extremity of the library, are to be found the latest journals, and other recent scientific publica- tions, of England and other countries. Tea is served round, in the course of the evening. The only no- bleman, who, at this time, appears to be a frequent visiter at these assemblies, is Earl Morton, one of the Vice Presidents of the Royal Society. 2d. After dining to-day with my worthy friend William Allen, whose residence, in Plough Court, is the abode of science and philanthropy, he accompa- nied me, with two of my Philadelphia acquaintance, to the House of Commons, for the purpose of gaining for us an admission to the gallery. We had an op- portunity, in the lobby of the house, of meeting with several members, by whom my friend was well known. We easily obtained a passport to the gallery; but it was so entirely full, that, after remaining some time, crowded and squeezed most uncomfortably, and but just able to catch a glimpse of the Speaker's head and long wig, we thought best to retreat; and, re- 72 LONDON. joining our conductor, we all went to Westminster Abbey, and spent some time in surveying the curiosi- ties of that celebrated mansion, where the memory and remains of the great, the learned, the beautiful, and the brave, repose, in all the sumptuousness of art and affluence. Notwithstanding the vast number of names that are here emblazoned, there is still room enough for future ages. Though my youthful imagination had been kindled with accounts of Westminster Ab- bey, I must confess, that in point of antiquity, variety, costliness, labour, and powers of the chisel, I found more to admire than I had anticipated. It is curious, that among monuments of marble, and images and statues of the hardest sculpture, there should be in- terspersed wax figures of a great many personages, dressed in the costume of their time and rank. These are enclosed in glass cases, to protect them from the dust. Some of them are rather paltry. Queen Eli- zabeth, for example, is so black and ugly, she might, with a change of dress, be well put into a museum, and called the witch of Endor. Nelson has on the same breeches and stockings that he wore at Trafal- gar ; and a pin is stuck into his coat to show the direc- tion of the ball. Of the statuary, none pleased me so much as that executed by Bacon. We walked over the mortal remains of Pitt, and Fox, and Ben Johnson. The Poet's corner can be seen without a fee; but to go further, each visiter pays 1*. 9c?., and is attended by a guide, who explains every thing, and at the end of his course receives his " voluntary con- tribution," and transfers his company to another, who, in turn, tells his tale through a long series of aisles and chapels, and then turns them out, with LONDON. 73 -* What you please, gentlemen." The form of the Abbey is that of a cross, which I understand is the figure of most of the cathedrals in England. Its lenglh, from east to west, is three hundred and seven- ty-iive feet, and from north to south two hundred feet. The height, from the pavement of the nave, to the in- ner roof, is one hundred and one feet. It is certainly one of the oldest edifices in the country. According to a legendary story, the first Abbey was consecrated by order of Sebert, king of the east Saxons, who died m 616. The Bishop of London was to perform the ce- remony, but " St. Peter himself was beforehand with him, and consecrated it in the night, preceding the day appointed by his majesty for that purpose, accompa- nied by angels, and surrounded by a glorious appear- ance of heavenly lights." Wonderful as this was, it did not protect the fabric ; for the sons of this king, relapsing into Paganism, quite deserted it, and it was subsequently reduced to a heap of ruins by the Danish invaders. Edward the Confessor cleared away the rubbish, and erected in their place a structure, mag- nificent for that age ; but it was not till the reign oi Henry VII. that the superb chapel, known by his name, was planned and executed ; the first stone of which was laid in 1 502. In the reign of Henry VIII. and during the civil commotions, it sustained great ravages. It became at length an object of parliamentary atten- tention, and Sir Christopher Wren was employed to give it a thorough repair. It is altogether impossi- ble, by any verbal description, to convey an adequate idea of this magnificent pile — solemnized as it is b}- the tombs and monuments of the great, through so many centuries of English history. Here may be 6* 74 LONDON. traced the progress of sculpture, from the rude Saxon monument, through the Gothic in all ils stages, to the refined and poetic beauty of modern art. There is a curious mixture of the awful and ludicrous in the ap- pearance of the ancient tombs. On a huge stone chest, containing the remains of the deceased, may be seen a sculptured image of him, clad in full armour, lying on his back, and frequently with the hands raised, as if in the attitude of prayer. A husband and wife are sometimes placed side by side, in this style of solemn formality. Of the recent monuments, that of Newton is considered as one of the finest. His statue is placed in a recumbent posture, leaning htB right arm on four folios, — Divinity, Chronology, Op- tics, and Phil. Prin. Math., and pointing to a scroll, supported by winged cherubs. Over him is a large globe, projecting from a pyramid behind, whereon is delineated the path of the comet of 1680, with the signs, constellations, and planets. On the globe sits the figure of astronomy, with her book closed. Un- derneath the principal figure is a most curious bas relief, representing the various labours in which Sir Isaac Newton chiefly employed his time ; such as dis- covering the cause of gravitation, settling the princi- ples of light and colours, and reducing the coinage to a determined standard. The inscription on the pe- destal is in Latin, intimating that, " by a spirit nearly divine, he solved, on principles of his own, the motion and figure of the planets, the paths of comets, and the ebbing and flowing of the sea ; that he discovered the dissimilarity of the rays of light, and the properties of colours thence arising, which none but himself had ever thought of j that he was a diligent, wise, and LONDON. 75 faithful interpreter of nature, antiquity, and the Holy Scriptures ; that, by his philosophy, he maintained the dignity of the Supreme Being; and, by the pu- rity of his life, the simplicity of the Gospel. The inscription concludes with the exclamation — How much reason have mortals to pride themselves in the existence of so great an ornament to the human race !" The most splendid and admired statue, however^ in the abbey, is one of Lord Chatham, executed by Bacon, and erected by order of parliament. The great orator is dressed in his official robes, and is leaning forward, with his right hand extended as in the attitude of speaking. Under him are figures of prudence and fortitude. Below them is Britannia; and under her are two noble figures, symbolical of earth and ocean. 3d. Having breakfasted this morning by previ- ous invitation with *. ***********^ a member of Par- liament, at his house in Bedford-square, and happen- ing to mention my disappointment yesterday at the house of commons, he kindly offered to procure me admittance to-day at an early hour. On calling upon him again at one o'clock, he conducted me to the house, and introduced me in the passage to several of the members, and, among others, to that distinguished philanthropist, William Wilberforce. A hw minutes conversation with him, was sufficient to convince me of the truth of what 1 have heard from others, that he is perfectly amiable in private life. Having a little time to spare, I went into the Court of Chancery, and heard some dull pleadings before the vice chancellor, by lawyers with large powdered wigs hanging down their shoulders. In 76 LONDON. irompliance with ancient custom, the barristers all wear thfese wigs, as do the clerks of the court. To my unpracticed eye there is a stiff formality in their appearance, which horders closely on the ludicrous. Being introduced in the lobby to Sir J. M********, he obligingly conducted me to the gallery of the com- mons, where I obtained a good seat. There are but two modes of admission to the gallery, — a personal or written order from a member ; — or a silver ticket, of the weight at least of half a crown, deposited with the door keeper. Whether the latter proceed- ing be contrary to written law, I know not : but if so, it is so universally connived at in practice, that it ceases to be regarded as a bribe. The room in which the commons assemble, is very simple in its arrangement, and without ornament, except a gilded coat of arms over the speaker's chair. The seats are covered with green leather cushions. They are rai- sed one above another, so as to make the most of the space. There is not a chair in the room, except that of the speaker. The members have no desks before them. If they wish to make notes, they must do it on their knees, with a pencil. A flat table stands in front of the speaker, at which sit two clerks. On this table lies the mace, a large gilt club, with a crown at one end of it. The members enter and take their seats with their hats on, and occasionally booted and spurred, or with whips in their hands. They generally seat themselves in the order of po- litical fraternity, — the ministerialists occupying one side of the house, and those in the opposition, the other. The speaker and the two clerks wear large powdered wigs, hanging in ringlets down the shoul- LONDON. 77 tier, the speaker's wig being larger than those of the clerks, and more in front. The members be- gan to assemble about 4 o'clock. A number of bills were despatched with great expedition; — the speaker uttering, in a monotonous tone, and without stopping, " those in favour say aje the contrary no the ayes have it." The second and third reading of a bill, as they call it, is despatched in the same half-second style. A message from the lords was announced. The question whether the messengers should be admitted, was put and carried with equal flippancy. The mace bearer then approached the table, took up the mace, poised it against his shoul- der, then went to the door, and escorted to the table two men with large powdered wigs. They were the clerks of the upper house. Having delivered their message they bowed, retreated backwards, keeping their faces to the speaker, and bowing as ihey retired, till they reached the gate of a railing, which extends across the floor, and thus made* their exit. These messages occurred several times during the afternoon, and were managed in the same way. When a sufficient number of members had assembled. Sir Samuel Romilly rose, and moved for further inquiries into some cruelties that had been practised in one of the West India Islands, by a clergyman, on one of his female slaves. He read a statement of the case, and spoke some time upon it. His manner is plain and clear, but not eloquent. He was followed by Wilberforce, who, in a speech of about twenty-five minutes, advocated, in a style of great animation, the cause of suflTering humanity. He urged the necessity there was for that house, re- 7tt LONDON. mote as the West Indies are from the parent coun- try, to keep aUve to the welfare of the negroes, and to be prompt in calling for information, on all need- ful occasions, relative to their treatment. I was sur- prised to see so much vivacity of manner, and such a vigour of thought and expression, in a man whose hairs have long since been bleached in the defence of this deeply injured people. The papers in his hand shook with the vehemence of his gesture, while he expressed his indignation at the cruelties which the case exhibited. He is certainly a great orator. His person is small, and though not pre- possessing, its defects are soon overlooked in the glow of intelligence and benevolence which beams around him. You will conclude it was highly grati- fying to me, to have an opportunity of hearing this veteran of humanity make a speech, and that too on his own long heart-felt cause ; — a cause which he has brought to so triumphant an issue. It was the more gratifying, as I am informed, he seldom of late speaks in parliament. The house agreed to the motion nem. con. The next subject of interest was a motion relative to a parliamentary inquiry into abuses upon charities, chiefly devoted to education. This subject was introduced by Brougham in a speech of about an hour. It was a masterly display of popular talent; abounding with keen invective against the House of Lords, for having stripped the bill of some of its best features ; — against the courts, for those reiterated postponements and delays, by which a plaintiff, " with a verdict in his favour and all costs paid," is often ruined ! ' This gentleman is, unques- tionably, a briUiant speaker. The flashes of his elo- I.ONDON, 79 quence were often interrupted by applauses, in the loud repetition of " hear, hear." His person is slen- der, his manner extremely energetic, but rather too impassioned to produce conviction. He was followed, in a speech of considerable length, by Sir Francis Burdett ; a man of great ingenuity and cunning, fer- tility of thought, and correctness of diction, — but with an interrupted enunciation, and a dry unimpressive manner. The subject proved to be one in which the house was much interested ; for it called up in suc- cession, Lord Castlereagh, B. Bathurst, Lockhart. Vansittart, (Chancellor of the Exchequer,) J. Smith, Canning, and some others of inferior note. The speeches of these gentlemen were too short to call into much exercise their particular powers of oratory. 1 could scarcely have chosen a day more favourable to the wish of hearing the best speakers of Parlia- ment upon subjects of general interest. The speeches are taken down by the reporters, or men employed for that purpose by editors of the public prints. There are about half a dozen of them. They station themselves on the upper bench of the gallery, and so negligent are they in attention to the speakers, and talk and laugh so much with each other, as greatly to annoy those who sit near them, and to excite one's surprise at the correctness of their reports. They furnish a pretty good outline of the argument, but give little or nothing of the spirit and force and wit of the debate. A speech of half an hour they will condense into half a column. The house sometimes continues in session till 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, and to obtain a good seat in the gallery, it is necessary, when any important busi- 80 LONDON. ness is anticipated, to take possession as early as li o'clock F. M. I was relieved from this excessive fatigue, by the member with whom I had breakfasted. About 6, he came up to the members' gallery, and beckoned me to come out, and to leave my hat as a guarantee for the same seat on my return. He took me to an eating room, an apartment of the Parliament House, ordered a beefsteak to be immediately prepared, and in the interim conducted me to the House of Lords. A small number only, of their Lordships, had assem- bled, and business had not commenced. This cham- ber is not much better furnished than that of the Commons ; and is very inferior indeed, in costliness of decoration, to some of our halls of republican le- gislation. In the eating room were Lords Sidmouth and Kenyon taking their luncheons. The latter is the son of the celebrated Judge, and is a remarkably fine looking young man. After dining, I resumed my seat in the gallery ; and in the course of the evening, was again beckoned out by my kind friend, to par- take of a dish of tea. This we were served with, in a different room from the former. Several members of the lower house came into the tea room, with whom we had a pleasant conversation, on topics relative to America. In the course of the debate on the abuses of public charities, I learned that all those under the direc- tion of the Society of Friends, were, by the bill, ex- empted from inquiry. This is rather singular, and is certainly an exemption not asked for by the society. The house broke up about twelve. We were once or twice, in the course of the evening, turned out of the gallery. This is done on particular occasions. LONDOK. 81 1(1 always, I believe, when the question is taken on a bill. It is effected by the Speaker's calHng out in a loud voice, " strangers withdraw." 4th. This is the King's birth day. But instead of going to St. James's to see the grand parade of the nobihty advancing to the palace, accoutred in the costume of the " olden time," — lords in bag wigs, large sleeves, and long embroidered waistcoats, and ladies riding in sedan chairs, with hooped petticoats spread like sails on each side, — and then the train of all the stage coaches in London, in their finest garni- ture, extending for miles through the streets, — I di- rected my steps another way. The British and Foreign School Society had re- solved to have, on this day, an exhibition of all the schools, collectively, that are under its direction. Preparation was made for this purpose at Highbury, about four miles from the city. A dinner was to be pro- vided at a large inn, for which tickets were distri- buted. The children were collected from the differ- ent schools of the society, in London and its neigh- bourhood, to the number, probably, of 5009. They were assembled in a green field, adjoining the tavern, so as to form three sides of a hollow square. Each school was encamped in a separate division, under the control of its teacher. On the other side of the square, a stage was erected, large enough to hold about fifty people, and benches were provided in front of the stage, for one division of this juvenile army, equipped with spelling-books, slates, and bibles. The day was almost without a cloud. The view of so many children, of both sexes, sitting on the grass, or amusing themselves, or engaged in some Vol. I. 7 82 LONDON. of their school exercises ; and the groat number ot people collected to witness the exhibition, formed a perspective highly gratifying to the benevolent sensi- bilities of the spectators, and produced a general fexpression of delight and pleasure. A little after 12 the arrival of the Duke of Sussex was announced, by the sound of a bugle. He entered the field without any particular escort, and advanced to the foot of the stage. The press of the crowd was excessive, and the anxiety to get on the stage with the Duke equally so. Through the kindness of some of the managers, 1 was invited to ascend, and was placed at the back of his Royal Highness's chair. He is a remarkably fine looking man, about six feet high. He was not distinguished by his dress from others, except by the glittering star fastened to his left breast. He soon showed himself to be a social and jocose kind of a gentleman. As chairman of the day, he commenced an examination of some of the children, but as the exercises were simply those of spelling, reading, &c. they were not particularly interesting, excepting those of a class of Jewish children. These were exercised by their teacher, also a Jew. They repeated the ten commandments, and some of the Psalms, in Hebrew and English. The Duke frequently spoke to the audience around him, and seemed very desirous to explain every thing to the satisfaction of his hearers. He proved himself to be a man of very considerable address, and by no means unaccustomed to public speaking. After the examination, the company was addressed by H. G. Bennet, M. P., Alderman Wood, and others, and motions of thanks were carried to the managers, &c. The company gradually moved around LONDON. 83 die field to inspect the children, and then passed through the gates, where they were furnished with an opportunity of contributing what they pleased to the funds of the society. The Duke, in his speech, had urged the company to be liberal ; and expressed a hope that the ladies, who had volunteered their ser- vices in holding the plates, would station themselves at the gates, and allow no gentleman to pass, that did not contribute. Provision and beer were liberally distributed to the children in the field. At the ap- pointed hour, those who were furnished with tickets, passed into the dining room, to the number of about 170. The Duke presided at the table. When the cloth was removed, the Duke rose and proposed, as a toast, the King's health ; and made a long, and not an indifferent speech, in relation to the school con- cern, and to the interest his Majesty had taken in it. The toast was drunk with three times three, the com- jpany all standing, except the " Friends" present, who kept their seats quietly, the chairman having ex- pressly stated, at the commencement of his remarks, that the members of that society were at liberty, on those occasions, to act as they saw fit. The health of the Queen, and of the Prince Regent, was, in like manner, proposed and drunk separately; the royal speaker, finding something new to say each time, and generally endeavouring to say something calculated to promote hilarity. He next gave the health of his brother, the Duke of Kent, and humorously adverted to the latter's being about to get married. In short, our chairman showed a decided inclination to keep the company in good humour; and he carried his purpose, as it appeared fo me, quite far enough for Hi LONDON. for the dignity of a prince. Some one sung a song- The Duke then said he would sing himself, — he be- gan — forgot what was next, — began again, — failed a second time, and a third — laughed at his own blun- ders — and then blundered through a song of a per- fectly bacchanalian character, — and received the ap- plauses of the company ! As this was the first spe- cimen of royal manners I ever witnessed, 1 have been perhaps, loo minute in the description. 5th. In company with Dr. S. of New- York, I went to the house of our celebrated countryman, Benjamin West. He was indisposed in his chamber, but on receiving my letter of introduction, from *. ******, of Philadelphia, he directed the servant to invite us to his room. Wp found him seated behind a skreen, in his gown and cap, with a table before him. His sta- ture does not exceed the middle size ; his features arc rather small and sharp ; but his eyes are very expres- sive, and give great animation to his countenance. He was feeble from a late attack of illness, and his voice incapable of its usual pitch. He received us cordially; and as the conversation turned upon America, its im- provements in arts and knowledge, and its future pros- pects, his voice and manner acquired greater energy, and he manifested, in the course of an animated con- versation,the highest regard for his native country,and the most flattering expectations of its future greatness. In the drawing-room, adjoining that in which he re- ceived us, were a great number of pictures, all of the ancient masters. The gpUery containing his own collection, occupies a suite of rooms in the lower- story of his dwelling-house. It is very extensive, and is open to the inspection and gratification of respect- LONDON. 85