I\A L, ,'J 6 JOURNAX. OF TRAVELS IK ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND, AND OP TWO PASSAGES OVER THE ATLANTIC, IN THE YEARS 1805 AND 1806. Jm TWO VOLUMES. VOL. L SECOND EDITION. BOSTON. PRINTED BY T. B. WAIT AND CO, TOR HOWE AND DEFOREST, AND INCREASE COOK AND CO. NEWHAVEN. 1812. District of Connecticut^ io wit: BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the first day of February, in the thirty, fourth year of the Independence of tlie United States of America, Benjamin Silliman , of the said District, hath deposited in this office the title of a Book, tlie right whereof he claims as author, in the words following, to wit : " A Journal of Travels in England, Holland, and Scotland, and of two Pas- sages over the Atlantic, in the years 1S05 and 180Q." In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, "An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of them, during the times therein mentioned." H. W. EDWARDS, Clerk of the District of Connecticut. f\ ^ T\ \ PREFACE. 1 T HE Trustees of Yale College, in the autumn of 1804, appropriated a sura of money, for the enlarge- ment of their library, and philosophical and chemical apparatus ; and, they determined on sending an agent to Europe, for the purpose of making the contemplat- ed collections. I was commissioned to execute this trust, and was allowed to avail myself of such oppor- tunities as might occur, for acquiring information, especially in chemistry, which it was my duty to teach, in the institution with which I am connected. Such were my principal objects, in Europe, and to these the greater part of my time was necessarily de- Toted. At the request of the brother to whom the following pages are addressed, I commenced a journal, whicli was continued, from the first, without a single day's omission, till my return. Instead of filling my letters with descriptions of what I saw, I constantly made ray journal the depository of my observations and thoughts, and it was transmitted to America, in numbers, at convenient intervals. iv PREFACE. I wrote at the time^ and an the spot, and was rarely a day behind my date ; my information was derived almost wholly from personal observation, and conver- sation ; beyond the itineraries and guides of the coun- try, I had little leisure to consult books, and none at all to copy or amend what I had written ; and I felt the less disposition to do it as I was writing to a bro. ther^ who, in the communication of the journal, was restricted to a small circle of friends. Of course, I wrote with a degree of freedom which made it unpleasant to me to learn, that it had been found impossible to confine the manuscripts within the limits prescribed, and, when I returned, I was inform- ed that they had been perused by many of my acquain- tance, and their friends. It now became impossible for me to refuse the loan of them to others, and, in this way, their existence became so generally known, that their publication was talked of as a matter of course. I uniformly declined to listen to any propo- sition on the subject, as it had been my determination from the first to withhold the work from the press. But, a good while after ray return, an application was made to me under circumstances so peculiar, that I was compelled to take it into consideration. After perusing the manuscripts, with reference to this object, consulting literary friends, and deliberating, a long time, I consented, not without much anxiety, to at. PREFACE. V tertiptthe difficult task of preparing them for publica- tion. It was difficult, because the public, ?iot my friends^ were now to be my judges, and because jt was scarcely possible to preserve the spirit and freedom which had interested the latter, without violating the decorum which was due to the former, and to many respectable individuals, whose names appeared in my journal. With a design to preserve this medium, the whole has been written anew. Additions, omissions, and alterations have been made, but they have been as few as possible, and it has undergone so little muta- tion, either in form or substance, that the spirit and character of the work remain essentially unchang- ed ; how far it has been rendered more fit for the pub- lic eye, those, who have perused the original volumes, during a period of more than three years that hav« elapsed, since their completion, will be best able to judge. Perhaps, I ought to apologize for interweaving in the journal, so much of my own personal history, and for introducing so many of ray own remarks and re- flections, but, these things were so combined with the very tissue of the work, that it would have been im- possible to have withdrawn them, without destroying, completely, the texture of the fabric. 1*- Vi PREFACE. The apology implied^ in this simple unvarnished tale, I am sensible, is very trite^ and by many will be regarded as inadmissible. However this may be, I have discharged a duty by telling the truth ; what I have said will be believed in my native State, where the principal facts are well known. BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. Yale College, (Connecticut) August 28, 1809. CONTENTS OF V0LU3IE I. Page NO. I.— PASSAGE TO ENGLAND - 13 NO. II.— LIVERPOOL. Circus — Custom-house — American Hotel — Cavalry — Ar- my of Egypt — Literary institulions — A slave ship - - 34 NO. III. —LIVERPOOL. Sketch of the town — American trade — Press gangs — Docks — Dry docks 47 NO. IV.— LIVERPOOL. English dinners — Allerton-hall — Botanical garden — Mr. lloscoe — A transport ship — Environs — English Hotel - 54 NO. v.— MANCHESTER. Gilead House — Prescot — Warrington — Scenery — Stage companions — Manchester — A family scene — Roman camp — Prince Charles — Volunteers — Duke of Bridge- v/ater's canal — Cotton manufactories — Manners and mo- rals of the artists 66 NO. VI.— JOURNEY TO THE PEAK. Stockport — English stage-coaches — Barren mountains — Buxton — Tidpswell — People of the country — Singular scenerv — Ancient castle 80 X CONTENTS. NO. XXIII.— .LONDON. House of Commons 216 NO. XXIV.— LONDON. Mr. Greville—Mr. Watt— Sir Joseph Banks and his con- versazione. -Major Rennel— Dr. Wollaston, &c.—Sir Joseph Banks' public breakfast - - - - 223 NO. XXV.— LONDON. Brompton-gardens-.Chelsea-gardens and hospital— Smug- glers— Mendicants— A successful beg-gar - - 229 NO. XXVI.— LONDON. Gas-lights—Royal Society— Picture gallery - - 236 NO. XXVIL— LONDON. American party— Haymarket theatre— Athletic exercises —Sadler's Wells theatre— Royal institution - • 242 NO. XXVIII.— LONDON. Royal Circus— Old Bailey— Newgate— G.'^ldsmith's Gar- ret—Picture Gallery, &c. 252 NO. XXIX.— LONDON. The Opera _ ... ^- - - - 261 NO. XXX.— LONDON. Anecdotes— Royal Academy— Astley's amphitheatre 264 NO. XXXI.— LONDON. Animals— Puffs— Lloyd's— Royal Exchange— Shop-keep- ers, &c. .,------ 2ri CONTENTS. Xi NO. XXXII.— LONDON. Private parties— A liberal clerg-yman— Rev. Mr. Cecil- Asylum, &c 276 NO. XXXIII.— LONDON. The Thames — Greenwich hospital and park— Royal Ob- servatory ----_... 2gi NO. XXXIV.— LONDON. British Museum-.-Collection of busts and statues— Hun- ger's Museum ---.-__. 288 NO. XXXV.— LONDON. Incidents— Thunder-storm— Bacon's tree— Rules of walk- »»gr>&c. 295 NO. XXXVL— LONDON. Excursion to Richmond— Celibacy common in England 299 NO. XXXVIL— LONDON. The Sabbath— Cockneys— Magdalen Asylum— Surry Cha- Pel 305 NO. XXXVIIL— LONDON. Excursion— Morning ride— Haymarket theatre— The Lon- don stage, &c. - - - . . . -oil NO. XXXIX.— LONDON. Foundling Hospital— English preachers— The foundlings —St. Stephen's 317 14 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN prospect of serene weather made ample amends for the gloom of the day. April 8. — This morning, a large hawk, that had strayed beyond his reckoning, hovered over the ship, and settled upon the peak of our fore-top mast, where he poised himself with his wings, as the motion threw him off from his centre. He seemed much fatigued and very happy to find this resting place; — more fortunate he, than the winged messenger that went from the arkj but found no mast or shrub, rising from that " shore- less ocean." When the hawk first alighted, an English gentleman on board remarked, that the American Ea- gle had come to preside over our passage ; but the omen seems unpropitious, for our tutelary genius has already taken his flight. In the evening, the sky was clear and serene, and the moon shone with uncommon brightness; our ship, with all her canvass filled by a stiff breeze, moved graceful- ly and majestically through the water ; the sea, for many yards around, was all in a foam from the rapidity of her motion, which, was so regular, that I was able to walk the deck with a firm step, and to enjoy the conversation ci an intelligent fellow passenger. Jpril 9. — In the evening, I observed for the first time, the interesting phenomenon of the lunar bow, which was distinctly visible in about 60° of the upper part of the circle. Jpril 10. — We had no longer the fine vernal sun and mild breezes of yesterday, but a gale from the south-east, with a heavy sea, flying clouds, dashes of rain, and violent squalls. At twilight, the heavens and the ecean presented a scene of great grandeur. The wares ran very high, and the ship danced over ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 15 Iheir tops like a feather. The sky became suddenly black ; darkness, almost like that of night, hung over the deep ; — it was, if I may so say, a darkness shed from the clouds, attended with a portentous gloom, un- like the serenity which night produces ; — the white tops of the wavps, as they dashed against each other, and crowned the vast black billows with a seeming ridge of snow, presented a striking contrast to the sa- ble hue of the sea and sky ; and the dexterity of the sailors, who, in the midst of this uproar, climbed the shrouds, and went out to the very ends of the yards to lash the sails, was well adapted to excite my astonish- ment. I had no fears, but enjoj ed in a high degree the majesty of a scene, for my impressions of which I had hitherto been indebted to painters and poets. Early in the evening, the wind declined ; the clouds began to disperse, and the beautiful constellation Ori- on, was the first that appeared to cheer our spirits, af- ter so dismil a day, April \A. — For several days we continued to sail prosperously on our course, aud no interesting inci- dent occurred, till, towards e^Riing, on the 10th day of our passage, we had the pleasure to descry a fishing vessel, lying at anchor, on tlic banks of Newfoundland. The next day we lay to twice, and fished with little success ; but, in the mean ^m\Q we saw one of the greatest wonders of the great deep ; two whales played about the ship, frequently spouting, and raising their " broad bare backs" out of the water. After our last attempt at fishing, we stood on our course, and, in a few minutes, discovered what we ima- gined to be two vessels ; the mate, going up io the round top, saw four more, and presently after, we de- 16 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN scried a whole fleet. We concluded that they must be fishing vessels, and steered for them ; having already formed a plan to board them with our boat, for the purpose of purchasing fish, since we had failed in tak- ing any. There was something, however, extremely, singular in the appearance of these vessels. They were apparently without masts or sails ; — their hulls were of a brilliant white, and, as the sea caused them to roll, they gave a copious reflection, from a very bright sun, and seemed all dazzling. We were employing ourselves in forming various conjectures on the subject, without once suspecting the real fact, when the mate, going aloft with a prospect glass, soon put to flight all our surmises by crying out, Islands of Ice ! ! I felt a mixed emotion, of pleasure and apprehension, from the expected contemplation of cbjecis so splendid and magnificent, and still, so dan- gerous to our safety. Very soon, the progress of the ship brought other islands into view, and rendered those more distinct which we had first discovered. The subject occupied all the eyes, and engrossed all the thoughts and conversation, of our little family. The weather, from being mild in the morning, although still clear, had become .much colder, in consequence, no doubt, of the vicinity , of such masses of ice. That which we had discovered, was, happily, not of the most dangerous form ; it was altogether, in conspicu- ous masses, rising, in some instances, 100 feet out of the water ; that which is most dangerous, is the field ice, which lies on the surface, often to a great extent, and, not being visible at any considerable distance, ships are in danger of running upon it, unobserved. ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 17 Having still several hours of day light, we flattered ourselves that we should get clear of such a dangerous neighbourhood before night. But the hope seemed as ▼ain as that of passing the horizon itself, for new mas- ses were continually coming into view, and we could perceive them appearing, like white spots, in the very verge of the heavens, just in the line where the sky and water seemed to unite, so that, instead of getting clear, as we had hoped, we found ourselves, towards evening, surrounded by numerous ice-islands on every side. Their appearance was, to me, extremely interesting and gratifying, and I wish it were in my power to con- vey to you an adequate idea of these formidable pro- ductions of polar frost. They were all of a very pure and splendid white, with a peculiar brilliancy, arising from the situation of the sun, Avhich was declining ; while the Ice-islands constantly came into view from the east and north, and thus threw back a flood of light upon us, which ren- dered them more conspicuous as they came nearer, and afl'orded the pleasure of continued discovery. Few of them were larger than a house or a church, but there were two which might well be dignified with the name of floating mountains. They all rolled much with the ■waves, with a ponderous motion, that alternately im- mersed an additional portion of the mass, and then, by the returning movement, brought a great bulk into view, which had been invisible before, while streams of water, taken up by the inequalities of surface, ran down their sides. It is not easy to give a correct es- timation of the magnitude of the largest islands. Their appearance was very magnificent. They covered many acres on the water, and towered above our top-gallant 18 A JOUUNAL OF TRAtELS IN masts. So peculiar was their appearance, that it is not easy to compare them to any thing but themselves ; yet, they resembled most, some ancient venerable ruin, while the beauty and splendour of the materials made them look like a recent, highly polished work of art, which some convulsion had thrown into vast disorder. Conceive of some very extensive and lofty palace, of white marble, whose walls have been, here and theie, broken down, almost to the ground, but still rise, in numerous and lofty turrets, and whose sides appear, every where, furrowed by the tempests of ages ; — con- ceive further, of this great pile of ruin as emerging from the ocean, where the heavens alone terminate the view on every side, and that the waves are dashing continu- ally against it, and surrounding its base with foam, and its sides with spray ; and you will then have some idea ef the object which I am aiming to describe. Sun-setUng. — I have this moment been on deck, and find that we are immediately abreast of another ice-mountain, while new ones are momently coming into view in the eastern edge of the horizon. Those which we have passed now present their shaded sides, and have lost their splendour ; while the most remote, in the same direction, appear like dark clouds, with their tops gilded by the last rays of the sun. The air i-3 very keen for the season. Night is now closing fast upon us, and we must pass it among these floating mas- ses ; it will certainly be an anxious night, and heaven grant it may be a safe one. We have the advantage of serene weather, with a fair though small breeze, and we shall have the moon before midnight. 12 o^ clock at night. — Two men are stationed in the bow to look out for the ice :— one mass has grazed our ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 19 side, but without doing any harm, and as the moon has risen, and the weather continues fine, I shall retire to rest. I have not, however, forgotten the interesting history of the Lady Hobart British Packet, which pe- rished last year in these seas, by the same accident to which we are now exposed.* April 16. — Happily we received no injury, being favoured with every circumstance which might give us a safe passage. Had these circumstances, however, been reversed ; — had the night been dark — the sea high, and the weather tempestuous, we could scarcely have escaped ; for, what obstacle would the sides of a ship oppose to the mighty momentum of such masses, im- pelled by the winds and waves of a tempest ! Between two, she would be crushed, and even the collision with one, if the ship were under full way, would cause the same resistance as a rock, and the ragged edges of the ice would pierce her instantly. In order to a correct conception of the vast moving power of these bodies, it must not be forgotten that only" a very small portion of their bulk appears above the water. It is well known that this is the case with cakes of ice floating in a river, and, where it is perfectly solid and well formed, only one eighth or one ninth part of its bulk rises above the surface. These masses are, however, far from having this densi- ty ; they seem to be principally an accumulation of snow, hardened by degrees upon a bed of ice, and * After our arrival in England we became acquainied with tlie slill more tragical fate of tlie American ship Jupiter, Capt. Law, which was lost here, with a great liumber of people, only a few days before our arrival on the banks. She encoun- * red the field-ice, and went down within a few minutes after ■ e struck. 20 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN increased by the clashing of the water, which con- stantly freezes upon them in successive layers. The sailors say that one third of these islands appears above water. This estimation is undoubtedly much too high, but, were even this considered as correct, it will be evident that such islands as the largest which we saw, must be bodies of prodigious magni- tude. But, every allowance being made, there is rea- son to believe that not more than one fifth or sixth part of the ice-islands is visible ; of course an ice mountain of 100 feet high, would really have a perpendicular altitude of 500 or 600 feet. While contemplating these magnificent bodies, Dr. Darvs'in's whimsical project of employing the navies of Europe to navigate them to the tropical regions for the sake of cooling those climates, struck me with pe- culiar interest ; what project or hypothesis has been too ridiculous to be proposed and defended by phi- losophy or to be embellished by poetry and fiction ! April 17. — The last night was very tempestuous :-^ the wind, especially towards morning, blew hard, and raised a very heavy sea ; the sky was co'^ered with ragged, angry clouds, which gave us frequent squalls, with rain, hail, and snow, and the ship rolled so vio- lently, that I slept very little ; but, to compensate for all this, the wind was perfectly fair, and sent us for- ward eight and ten miles an hour. We.- have had the same weather, and have made the same progress, through the day ; but the motions of the ship have been so violent, that it has been impossible to sit at the table. We have been compelled to place our food on the floor, and to sit down around it, with all the simplicity, although not with the quiet and security, of pastoral life. ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 21 You would have been much amused could you have witnessed our grotesque appearance ; — one might have been seen bracing a foot against a pannel, and another against a trunk ; — a second and a third, not equally- fortunate in their position, aided each other, by exten- ding their limbs, and placing foot to foot, in opposite directions, while the walls of the cabin supported them behind. Thus situated, with our plates between our knees, we attempted the arduous business of dining. At every roll of the ship there was a kind of manual exercise to be performed. Besides his own plate, each one had to elevate some vessel to prevent its being overthrown ; one held up a. decanter of wine, another a gravy-dish, and a third the soup-bowl ; and it was only in the critical moment between one roll and another, that the knife and fork could be used with safety. Notwithstanding our caution, it has happened more than once to-day, that a sudden and violent mo- tion of the ship has thrown us all, with the loose fur- niture, and table utensils, into a promiscuous heap, while more solicitude has been manifested for the pres- ervation of the food than of our limbs. As no seri- ous injury has been sustained, we have been very merry on the occasion, and have enjoyed our tumultuous repasts quite as well as on some occasions we should have relished a sumptuous entertainment. The face of tht» ocean has exhibited a scene of great grandeur through the whole day. The wind continu- ing to blow very hard, the captain ordered the dead lights to be lashed in, apd this, as well as other move- ments on board, indicate an expectation of weather still more tempestuous. 22 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN April 1 8. — Accordingly, the wind, which during the night veered to the south, but without subsiding at all, in the progress of the morning increased to a gale ; and before noon this gale became a violent tempest, ■with dashes of rain. There was a very heavy sea, and the motions of the ship were so sudden and violent, that it was hazardous to attempt moving without constantly holding fast by some fixed object. No food could be prepared in the caboose, and such refreshment as we had, was received, as yesterday, on the cabin floor, and even in this humble posture, we were not unfrequently thrown from one side of the cabin to the other. The storm increased in violence through the day, so that it far exceeded every thing which I had hitherto seen ; atad in the afternoon, besides the general vehemence of the wind, there were frequent squalls. Just before evening, while the captain was asleep in his state room^ the ship being laid close to the wind, with nothing standing but a double reefed fore-sail, and the tiller in the hands of a common sailor, a sudden and violent squall struck us, which threw the helmsman from his station, so that the ship was no longer under command of the rudder ; — accordingly she lurched^ as the sailors say ; that is, she fell into the trough of the sea, and the next wave, although she was a tall ship, of more than 400 tons, threw her down upon her side, with tremendous violence, so that a part of her deck was under water ; the people, and every moveable thing, were thrown to leeward, and, for a moment, dismay was painted in the faces of the most experienced men on board. The violence of the shock roused our sleeping cap- tain, who was upon deck In an instant ; — forced the ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 23 helm up, with a whole volley of oaths, and put the ship before the wind, when she righted. The danger was imminent, though transient, for, had the ship remained in the same position, the next sea would, without doubt, have laid her flat upon the water. Night, at length, set in, dark and dismal ; — the tem- pest raged with more violence than ever, and the fury of the sea was wonderful. To an old sailor it miiiht doubtless have appeared no very uncommon thing ; but to me, to whom these incidents were novel, the scene was awfully grand ; and one who has never wit- nessed a tempest at sea, has not enjoyed one of the highest exhibitions of sublimity. I have no particular dread of the water, and, excep- ting this crisis, I had not supposed our situation to be, at any time, imminently dangerous ; yet I could not but be astonished that any machine, constructed of such frail materials as those of a ship, could withstand such shocks as those which we received every moment from the waves, and which caused every timber to trem- ble, while the creaking of the ship's joints, and the roaring of the winds and waves, rendered it almost impossible to hear any one speak. It was not the con- sequence of weakness or of fear, but a natural, and I trust pardonable, efloct of the scene before me, that induced me to descend into the cabin, to read a letter of our mother, received immediately before I sailed, in which she had inserted an interesting production of Addison, who had drunk inspiration at fountains more noble than Helicon. It is entitled The Traveller's Hymn, and might well be adopted as the companion of exery adventurer, whose mind does not despise the idea of protection from on high. 24 A JOURNAL or TRAVELS IN About ten o'clock at night the wind abated, and gradually died away to a still small breeze ; but our situation was more uncomfortable than ever, for the ship, being now without wind to steady her, rolled dreadfully ;— sleep was unattainable, and I could only brace myself, in my birth, and wait for morning. I spent an hour in the evening in viewing the phospho- rescence of the waves. It was indeed a beautiful sight. The ocean was covered all over with luminous spots, occasioned by the foam of the waves, while, around the ship, the water glowed and sparkled almost with the brilliancy of burning coals. When we shipped a sea the spray appeared like a shower of fire, falling among the shrouds, and the deck seemed to be covered with glowing embers. How comes it that the poets, so much celebrated for appropriating every brilliant image of natural scenery, should have m.ade so little use of this ? They have not often alluded to this phenomenon, which is certainly beautiful in itself, and eminentlyjo from its occurring, most remarkably, in tempest and darkness, when beau- ty is contrasted with grandeur. Ajn-il 22, — In the gale on the 1 8th, our spars and rigging received considerable injury and our ship sprung a leak, which, when it was discovered, had made about two feet of water in the hold. Our pumps were very bad ; the carpenter was stupid and inactive ; and during several days of squally and variable wea- ther that succeeded, we endured considerable apprehen- sion, till we discovered, that, bad as our pumps were, they were sulTicient to prevent the leak from gaining upon us. ENGLANB, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 25 We have sailed, all this day, under the pressure of a gale, which has sent us forward ten miles an hour. About 4 o'clock this afternoon, I went on deck to view the tumult of the ocean ; the ship was pressed down so much to leeward by the wind, that her deck was inclined like a roof, and I clambctofi to the windward railing, and found a situation where I Could hold fast by the ropes. The sea often dashed over the ship, and involved us in such copious showers, that I found it necessary to go below. I had scarcely descended into the cabin, when we shipped a tremen- dous sea ; the wave, as the mate informed me, took the ship sideways through her whole length ; its top curled as high as the mainyard-arm, and it fell upon the deck with astonishing violence, a universal crash, and an instantaneous suspension of the motion of the ship, as when an ox is knocked down dead at the slaughter. The sea made a full breach over us, and, for a moment, we were buried beneath it as if we had been sunk ; the decks were swept, and the water came pouring down into the cabin through the sky-light. April ^3 — The weather has continued extremely variable, and the transitions from clouds to sunshine, •and from sunshine to rain and violent winds, have been so rapid and frequent, that it has not been easy to say which have prevailed, but, in all the bad weather and gales which have attended our passage, we have had the satisfaction of being rapidly impelled towards England. April 24. — There was a brilliant rainbow this morning in the west, and, as we were now contending v.\ih a head pea, the spray constantly broke o^rr the ships' bow, and preserved a rainbcw whenever tl:e sun VOL. I. 3 V \^^ A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS lH shone. At evening, the captain, being confident that the Irish coast conld not be far distant, ordered most of our canvass to be taken in, lest we should run upon it in the dark. During the succeeding night the wind blew furiously, and squalls attended us the next day till towards evening, when the sea suddenly went down and became comparatively smooth ; the gulls had be- come very numerous, and we had no doubt that land was near. On the succeeding day, we sounded and found bottom, and all eyes were now intent on dis- covering the wished for object. April 27.— We looked in vain till 5 o'clock in the afternoon of this day, when a man from the mast- head exclaimed — land 1 land ! on the weather bow 1 **«■**■* *?!j^ I went up the shrouds, and saw a mountain in Ireland which appeared like a well defined cloud in the ^dge of the horizon. This more than welcome object occupied our eyes till evening veiled it from our view. April 28.— In the morning the hills of Ireland be- came more and more distinct. We saw successively, the heights of Waterford— the lofty mountains of Wicklow, at a great distance over land— the Saltee Islands, near and very distinct, and lastly, Carnsore point and the Tuscar rock, constituting the south-eas- tern extremity of Ireland, which it was necessary to double in order to enter the [rish channel. It was now past noon, when the wind increased and came more ahead, and the sky assumed a very threaten^ ing aspect. R,;iin followed, it soon grew dark and tii^ht came on, with a violent storm which was driving ^lai!^,-»>^ ENGLAKD, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. ^7 US directly towards a rocky Ice shore, only three leagues distant. The captain thought, that under these circumstances, the attempt to double the point would be extremely hazardous, but, as the wind would be a free one the moment we should pas^ the Tuscar rock, the temptation was so strong, that he called the passengers together to know whether they would risk their per- sonal safety in the attempt ; it Avas unanimously de- cided in the affirmative. Accordingly we tacked, and stood for the north^ but the storm soon increasing to a furious tempest, at- tended with the most impenetrable darkness, and the wind driving us directly and rapidly towards the Tus- car rock, we were reduced to the mortifying necessity of standing away from the land, towards the ocean. The gale soon became extremely violent, but we rodeifc out in safety. During the storm I took my station along with the master in the companion way. We split our fore-top-sail, and such was the fury of the winds and waves, that the captain was obliged to give his commands through the speaking trumpet, and his oaths, which were now more frequent and impious than usual, were thundered out from this brazen throat, with a voice that spoke •• Louder than the tempest." The scene was very sublime ; the sea was covered all over with luminous ridges, and the spray, as it dashed over the gunwale, fell in showers of fire, while the waves shed a dismal light on the " darkness visible," and formed a small horizon of illuminated water around the ship. About 1 o'clock in the morning, the wind began to abate ; a heavy rain deluged the decks, ^ndat 28 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN 2 the wind shifted ; the storm was lulled almost to a fialm ; the sky became suddenly clear, and appeared of an uncommonly deep azure, while the stars shone with wonderful brilliancy. What a contrast ! One hour before, all was darkness, tempest and fury I jipril 30. — The next day we had another gale from the north-east ; several ships were in sight with close- reefed sails and borne down on one side with the force of the wind ; fine objects for the eye and the pencil. Towards evening, the sun broke thro^igli the clouds and discovered to us the same land thAt we saw yesterday. To-day we have doubled point Carnsore, and with light and contrary winds, are beating slowly towards Liver- pool. Jlere we are, my dear brother, in the midst of the Irish channel ; on the right we have the mountains of Wales, and on the left those of Wicklow. Tlie latter are composed in part of whitish sand, which, in the sun, appeared like dirty snow ; with the glass I can distinctly see the channels worn in the hills by the rain. May 1. — Ireland is this moment in view, at a great distance, and we are beating across the channel, dis- puting, with an adverse wind and opposing currents, every inch of our progress. We are now standing across Caernarvon bay, with the hills of Caernarvon- shire in full view. Thus I go on, from day to day, recording the chan- ges of wind and weather, and endeavouring to sketch the ever-changing aspect of sea and sky. On land re- marks upon the weather are always trite, and even bor- der a little on the ridiculous, since we tell our friends what they very well knew before. ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. ^9 But, at sea, depenclant as oUr comfort, nay, our very existence always is, upon the most mutable of all things, the aspect of the sky, the force and direction of the wind, and the motion of the waves, these topics as- sume an importance which they can never have on land, and, an apology for their frequent introduction is cer- tainly unnecessary. Still, there is such a degree of sameness in the incidents of a sea life, that it is difficult to give the narration of them any considerable degree of interest. Exiled completely from the rest of mankind, and confined to a floating prison, every thing interesting in the characters of the few around one, is speedily ex- hausted, and the scenery of the ocean soon grows too familiar to excite anew the pleasure which it at first produced. In fine weather, (if I may borrow a trite allusion,^ the old monarch of the deep is so placid, that his smiles are insipid ; and when he rises in his might, and crowns himself with all the terrors of his stormy do- main, his countenance is so fierce, that astonishment and dismay exclude every perception of beauty, and leave only an impression of a kind of horrible grandeur. The traveller on land is constantly entertained with the varying beauties of landscape; and if the scene of his travels be among civilized men, conversation af- fords him a never failing source of agreeable incident; if in a country, renowned in ancient story, and abound- ing with the beauties of cultivation and the productions of the arts, he must be very unfortunate iudeed, if, with sufficient leisure, he cannot find something to en- liven the tedious detail of dates, places, and distances. Tn such a country 1 hope soon to be, when I trust I 3* 30 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN may find matter which will afford the subject of more entertaining narrative than that which has now occu- pied twenty-seven days. 5 o^clock^ P.M.- — The wind enabled us in the morn- ing to pass nearly across Caernarvon bay, and to bring Holyhead, in the isle of Anglesea, into full view. For some hours we have had a flat calm, and the current has set us over towards the southern side of Caernar- von-bay. We are not more than eight miles from the shore, and I have been taking a view of the sublime scenery of this part of the Welsh coast. Some of the mountains which line the shore, are lof- ty, and their tops are covered with snow. With an excellent glass I can see the slopes of the hills and mountains, covered, to the very feet of the cliffs, with green fields, cottages, and cattle. Most of the moun- tains are very rude and ragged, consisting of bare rocks, rising, in some instances, into obtuse cones, and in others projecting, with perpendicular cliffs, into the very water. The inland mountains appear still more lofty. There is one, whose summit is covered with snow, and enveloped by clouds, rolled up around it like curtains ; I wish to recognise it, as the famous Snowdon, but there is no one on board sufficiently versed in the geography of Wales to inform me. A beautiful, and to me, novel contrast, is now be- fore us. It is formed by the deep verdure which co» vers the feet and declivities of some Of the mountains, and the snow which crowns their tops; the transition appears, in many instances, perfectly abrupt ; the most vivid green terminating in the purest white. Were! a painter I would arrest these transient images of beau- ty and grandeur, that I might renew with you and E;NGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 31 II — , the pleasure which 1 now enjoy, but you must accept the humbler efforts of description, instead of the magical efl'ects of the pencil. May 2. — AVe had a fair breeze, for a short time, last evening, but it soon became contrary, and we spent the night in beating. 10 o^clock. — This morning we find ourselves close under Holyhead, and the island of Anglesea on our right, while the Isle of Man appears on our left, but at a great distance. Hoi} head, the first European town which I have seen, is now in view at the distance of six miles, and with the glass I can distinctly see the houses. The town is situated on a small island of the same name, separated from Anglesea by a narrow frith* The island of Holyhead is principally a rude moun- tain of naked rock, and appears barren and comfort- less in the extreme. On the declivity next to Angle- sea, there appears to be some arable land, on which the town of Holyhead is built ; this town is the station of the packets for Dublin, the high hills around which town are at this moment visible. We are now passing through a region of water, where the meeting of the tides occasions a violent commotion not unlike Hell- Gate.* The tide runs here with great violence, and^ with the aid of a fair wind, is impelling us rapidly to- Avards Liverpool. The snowy mountains of Caernarvon are still visi- ble, pushing their white tops into the clouds. The morning is delightfully pleasant — a fleet of 14 sail of transports is close under our \vea certainly the best actors iu pantomime. It may be said that it aObrds room for the display of much ingenuity, in yxpressing a whole narration or drama without words ;— this is true ; but the drama would be far more inferesting if expressed in words, and every one who has seen a pantomime must have felt a degree of impatience, and even anger, at the very incompetent, although ingenious, efforts which a performer in pantomime makes, to bring forth an idea, which a little plain talking would at once ex- press, with force and beauty. A man may learn to walk on his head, and every one will pronounce it wonderful, while all the world will still agree, that it is much better to walk on the feet. It would seem therefore that no one who has the use of his tongue would choose to converse by motions, any more than a man who has feet would prefer to walk on his head. CUSTOM-HOUSE May 4.— The embarrassmt^nts created by revenue laws, and the formalities which most civilized nations observe, on admitting a stranger to enter their domi- nions, are among bhed at the shortest notice, and with the utmost civility of manners on the part of the servants. A stranger may VOL. I. f> 62 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN select, from a very ample bill of fare, such articles as he chooses, and he may have, in every instance, a separate table for himself. It is always expected that he will call for ^ine at dinner ; — no complaints will be made if he omits it, but, the oblique looks of the waiter, when he carries awaj the unsoiled wine glass, sufficiently indicate in what estimation the gentility of the guest is held. In short, in such a hotel as that which I am now describing, almost every comfort of domestic life may be obtained. But for all this there is a price. I cannot say however that the charges are very extravagant, con- sidering ^he immense taxation of this country. The bed is one shilling and six pence a night. A common breakfast of tea or coffee, with toast and an egg, will not exceed one shilling and eight pence,* — tea at eve- ning is about the same, but the dinner is much more expensive. If it consist of two dishes, it will cost five shillings, with a frugal desert. A separate charge is made for almost every thing ; a glass of beer will cost eight pence, and a bottle of Sherry wine six or seven shillings ; a bottle of Port five shillings, and one of Madeira nine or ten. In England the break- fast, and tea at evening, are considered as trivial meals, while dinner is a matter of great import, and therefore it is much more expensive than both the other meals, for supper is perfectly optional ; it is very genteel to eat it, although it is not'ungenteel to go without. But this list of charges by no means comprehends all. The servants at , the public.houses in England are paid by the guests, and not by their employers. They not only * The money denominations menlioned in this work are al- wnys sterling-, unless it is otherwise mentioned. ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 63 receive no wages, but many of them pay a premium for their places ; that is, the masters of the hotels farm out to their servants the privilege of levying contribu- tions, and the consideration is, their service. At our hotel the chief waiter assured us that he paid one hun- dred pounds per annum for his place, besides paying two under waiters, and finding all the clothes' brushes, and some other et cetftras of the house. He had, more- over, if we might credit his story, a wife and five children to support. The head waiters are commonly young men of a genteel appearance, and often dress a^ 'well as gentlemen. The servants whom it is indispensable to pay in every public-house are, the waiter, who has three pence a meal ; the chamber-maid, who has six pence for every night that you lodge in the house ; and the shoe-black, wlio is very appropriately called hoots, and receives two pence or three pence for ever}'- pair of shoes and boots which he brushes. Besides these, the stranger who comes vtith horses pays six pence a night (o the ostler, and the porter demands six pence for carrying i[i the baggnge, and the sarne sum for bringing it out. The rates which I have stat- ed are the lowest which one can possibly pay with de- cency. It is usual to go a little beyond them, and the man who pays most liberally is, you know, in all countries, considered by this class of people as the most of a gentleman. These demands it is impossible to evade or repel; they are as regularly brought forward as the bill itself, and a departing guest is attended by the whole retinue of servants, who areolTicious to render services which he does not want, and should he be in a fit of mental 64 A JOURNAL OE TRAVELS IN absence, }ie will certainly be reminded that the waiter, the chamber-maid, the boots, and perhaps the ostler and porter, are not to be forgotten. These customs, while they cannot be considered as honourable to the national manners, and are very troublesome to travellers, who are every where pes- tered with a swarm of expectants, are however pro- ductive of some very useful consequences. The ser- vants, looking for their reward from the guest, are attentive to all his wishes, and assiduous to promote his comfort ; their service is cheerfullij rendered, and not with that sullen salvo for personal dignity^ which we so often see in America. In England, the servant is co'ntented with his condition ; he does not aim at any thing higher, while in America a person of this des- cription will usually behave in such a manner as to evince that he regards you as being no better than him- self. This inconvenience, arises, however, from the multiplied resources and superior condition of the low- er orders in America, and although one would wish to alter their deportment, still, as a patriot, he would not choose to remove the cause. Being about to leave Liverpool, I have paid my bill, and after giving thfe waiter his due, I asked him whe- ther that was as much as he usually received ? — he re- plied, that it was what mere travellers paid him, but that American gentlemen usually paid very liberally. There was a French servant in the house, who, from the first, manifested designs upon our pockets. With the characteristic obsequiousness of his country, he was all bows, smiles, and flourishes, with most abun- dant declarations of the pleasure* it would giv€ him to consult our wishes ; and he professed a peculiar sym. E.NGLANDj HOLLAND, AKD SCOTLAND. 65 pathy for our situations, as being himself a stranger. He had fought for his king, and lost his estate ; he had been in battles and sieges from Dunkirk to Tou- lon, and enumerated a list of illustrious commanders under whom he had served. Being amused with his harmless vanity, we listened with some attention to his story, and this gave him such spirits, that, " thrice he routed all his foes, and thrice he slew the slain." I called for a candle to go to bed ; — the Frenchman bounded through the long entry, with the elasticity of an antelope, and brought me one in less time than 1 have taken to relate the circumstance, and as he pre- sented it, with a profound bow, begged my pardon. I told my companion, Mr. R , that unless we re- pressed this man's obsequiousness^ we should be obliged not only to pay him for his services, but for the loss of his nobility, for no one ever saw a Frenchman in a ser- vile situation, in a foreign country, who was not, in his own account of the matter, very much out of his proper place in society, and who had not been a mar- quis, or at least a gentleman. We treated our Mon- sieur coldly for a day or two, and his bows, smiles, and Jlourishes all vanished. 6 * 66 A. JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN No. v.— MANCHESTER. Ride to Manchester.. ..Gilead House.,..Prescot....Warrington.... Beautiful scenery....AfFabiUty of stage companions.... Man-, Chester.... bunday.... English hospitality....A family scene..... College ....Roman camp Gothic church Prince Charles ....Rebellion of 1745 ..Barbarities....A philosophical lecture ....Volunteers....Sunday drilling.. .Duke of Bridge water's ca- nal...Ancient typography....Cotton manufactories-Method of stamping chintzes.... Of cutting velvets....Of singeing the shag....New process of bleaching... American sumac... Sketch ■ of Manchester.. ..Manners, morals, and condition of the ar- tists. RIDE TO MANCHESTER. May 11.— In the afternoon I left Li's^erpool for Manchester, in company with my fellow-passenger, jVir. R . You have heard that people ride on the roofs of the English stage coaches. This situation af- fords fine views of the country, and is often a conve- nient refuge when the inside places are all taken. I mounted tlie roof, and although the situation was so giddy, that at first I grasped the iron railing with great care, I soon learned to fold my arms in security, trust- ing to the balance of position. The first interesting object which attracted our no- tice, as we proceeded into the country, was Gilead iloiise, the seat of the celebrated Dr. Solomon. I need not inform you that the Doctor is well known in America, for every man who has learning enough to read a newspaper, and eyes enough to peruse double pica letters on an apothecary's door, must have become acquainted with the merits and modesty of Dr. Solo- # ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 67 mon. In Liverpool he is universally called a quack and an impostor^ but you know where it is that the pro- phet is usually without honour, and if the Doctor has missed of obtaining this reward, he has gained a more substantial retribution — an ample fortune. The first eiglit or ten miles we travelled on a paved way, and our progress was much embarrassed by the great number of carts going into Liverpool. Our first stage was Prescot, an ancient town, built of brick. The appearance of that street through which we rode was disagreeable. Here the rain compelled me to leave the roof for the inside. Eight or ten miles more brought us to Warrington, another ancient town, with very narrow streets and houses of a ruinous as- pect. The country in its vicinity is extremely beau- tiful, and through the next stage of 18 miles, to Man- chester, we had a continued succession of green fields, neat hedge-rows, rivulets, and country seats ; scenes peculiarly delightful to us who had so recently been on the ocean. Our companions were social, and we found that the circumstance of being shut up in the same coach, enabled us to dispense with the formalities of introduction. Conversation flowed without interrup- tion, and every inquiry was answered with readiness. Lancashire is^ fine country for grass and cattle. Its dray-horses are animals of stupendous size ; they are perfectly black, very fat, and rarely move faster than a walk. The carts in Liverpool are drawn by horses of this description, and one of them was imported into Connecticut a few years ago, for the sake of improv- ing our own dray breed, but I believe the experiment did not succeed, as onr climate appears not well adapt- ed to so corpulent an animal. 6S A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN MANCHESTER. Mai/ 12. — It being the Sabbath, we wandered out to find a church, and by chance came to the old Cathe- dral, where an attendant, an old man, dressed in a kind of uniform of blue and red, conducted us to a seat in the gallery, as we were strangers, and had no claim to any more honourable place. The preacher was a young man, who seemed very intent on exhibiting " his own fair form and just pro- portion." His sermon was a kind of discursive historical essay on the temporary apostacy of St. Peter ; it had very little theology in it of any kind. He had, however, one merit which his appearance would not have led one to expect, that of being superior to the desire of flat- tering at least one half of his audience ; for he remark- ed, that St. Peter was confounded by the question of a maid servant, nay intimidated by a look from a woman. This church was well filled, and the greater part ap- peared to be poor people, ENGLISH HOSPITALITY. Having as yet been in England only a few days, my curiosity, as you may well suppose, is active, and con- stantly employed, in comparing the manners of this old country with those of the very young one of which we are natives. The comparisons of travellers, and their general conclusions, are however always liable to error, because they judge from a limited view of the subject ; the present instance furnishes the hint, and is too apt to forrii the basis of the conclusion. General inductions are always dangerous unless drawn from a great number of particulars. For instance, I experi- ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 69 enoed a great degree of rudeness from the Mayor of Liverpool, which produced an impression unfavoura- ble to the good manners of the magistracy of England, but the very next magistrate with whom I became con- versant, effaced this impression, and produced the op- posite; it is highly probable that both impressions were erroneous, and that English magistrates are much like those of other countries, rude, indifferent, or polite, ac- cording to the particular character and humour of the man. In recording a fact^ however, there cannot be any danger of erK)r, and it gives me pleasure to relate an instance of frank hospitality received by my com- panion and myself, without the smallest claim to it, and with the hazard which always attends the bestow- ing of confidence, in advance^ upon a stranger. Mr. T , a respectable merchant of Manchester, was our stage coach companion from Liverpool, and soon dis- covered himself to be so intelligent a man that we were prompted to make such inquiries as proved us to be foreigners. On our arrival at Manchester, Mr. T gave us his address, requested us to call upon him, and promised to shew us the curiosities of the toun. Ac- cordingly, we called, and were introduced into an in- telligent and agreeable family, whose cordial manners gave us confidence to accept the offer of their hospita- lity. We took tea with them, and would have with- drawn at an early hour, had not their kindness ex- ceeded our diffidence, and induced us to spend the even- ing. We found that our newly acquired friend was not merely a man of business. He had a literary turn, which was evinced by a judicious collection of ancient ' coins, maps, and books, principally historical. Ife had an atlas of American maps, and made me point out the very spot of my residence when at home. Among 70 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN his coins were several of the Roman emperors, and of the republic. On one of the coins of the republic, was the story of Romulus and Remus, sucking the wolf ; the boldness of the relief was very little impair- ed by time. He had also some Saxon coins which, al- though rude, were interesting. In the mean time. Dr. T -, the father of the gen- tleman to whose politeness we had been so much in- tlebted, returned from a tour of professional duty, (for he was a physician) and insisted on our staying to sup- per. Our host entertained us with bAI the kindness of friendship, and in the midst of convivial freedom, we forgot that we were strangers. The glass circulated ©heerfully but moderately, and we felt grateful to the country whose inhabitants treated us with such gratu- itous hospitality. We found that Dr. T was a North Briton, and had been a warm friend to the Ame- rican revolution. The conversation turned upon its most interesting scenes, and the whole family were warm in their praises of Washington. In such society it was no difficult thing to detain us till a late hour, and when we took our leave, it was with warm solici- tations that we would repeat our visit. INSTITUTIONS, ANTIQUITIES, he. May 13 — Under the guidance of Mr. T we have visited the college of Manchester. The building is an ancient monastery, now appropriated to the edu- cation of eighty poor boys, who remain here only till they are fourteen years old, and are then apprenticed to various useful employments. The college contains a valuable library of 15,000 volumes ; we were not however permitted to take any books down, as they were all defended by a lattice ol ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 71 Avire. There is also a small collection of curiositieSj and among these, they shewed us Cromwell's shoUbag and szoord ; the protector was doubtless well furnish- ed with swords, for I have seen on;> in America which was shewn as his. The boys of this institution are dressed in the garb of the 16th century, which is a kind of petticoat of blue coarse cloth with a leather belt, around the waist. They wear also a cap, and a short jacket of the same materials. The venerable edifice which they inhabit, was once the abode of those deluded beings who .mistake seclu- sion for innocence and austerity for piety. It is situ- ated on the very place where the Romans had a summer station. On the other side of the town are the remains of a formidable camp belonging to the same warlike people ; the walls are in some places tolerably entire, and every where they are sufficiently distinct to mark the extent of the camp, which enclosed about 12 acres. I broke oft' a piece of the cement, which at a future day I may have the pleasvire of shewing you, for we have no Roman ruins in America. Near the college is the old collegiate church It was erected in the fifteenth century, and is a very ve- nerable remnant of Gothic architecture. I shall not trouble you with a particular account of tho tombs which ;/J contains of ancient nobility ; of its rude carv- ings and statues, which set all gravity at deliance ; nor of its grotesque tapestry, nor of the ludicrous exhibi- tion of seraphs playing on fiddles. The effect of (he whole is nevertheless very solemn, and it needs no great effort of the imagination to fancy ones-self trans- ported back to the period of the seventh Henry. Over the altar are suspended Ihe colours of the 72d regi- ment, a part of fl^e army that so bravely and success- I. 72 A JOURNAL OF .TRAVELS IN fully defended Gibraltar, under General Elliott. The regiment was raised in Manchester, and on their re- turn, they deposited in this church, the banners under M'hich they fought. It suffered much during the civil wars, being then in the centre of a fortress, which was besieged by the Earl of Derby ; for Manchester was on the popular side. Mr. T pointed out the house in which Prince Charles, the Pretender, lodged in 1745, when he shook the (brone of the house of Hanover. Manchester was warmly in his interest, and I saw the place in the pul>- lic sq-uare, where the heads of some of the first gentle- men of the town, who had held commissions in the pretender's army, were stuck on poles, and their quar- ters suspended on hooks. For these and other similar barbarities, (for it is mockery to call them wholesome examples of severity,) all North Britain, to this day, execrates the memory of the Duke of Cumberland, un- der whose orders these exhibitions were made. Trea- son is, undoubtedly, an enormous crime, but death is a sufficient punishment for any'ofFence against society ; and there is a dignity in justice that is disgraced, by violations of a human form, which are equally atro- cious and puerile. /. SCIENXF.. It is no small gratification to find a taste for science, in a great manufacturing town, where the acquisition of property is the very business of life. The philoso- phical society of Manchester has favoured the world with several volumes of transactions, containing many important and interesting papers. Two philosophical men of considerable distinction reside here, Mr. AVil- ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 73 liam Henry, and Mr. John Dalton. I have had the pleasure, (his evening, of hearing an interesting lecture from Mr. Dalton, on electricity; his statements, which were very perspicuous, were illustrated by several very apposite experiments. His lecture.room is in a build- ing belonging to the philosophical society, and his lec- tures are given to citizens of Manchester, of various pursuits and of both sexes. The theatre opened at the same ho«r with his lecUire, but its attractions were not sufficient to draw off a considerable number of young ladies, who composed a part of Mr. Dalton's au- dience. VOLUNTEERS. I have seen a review of several regiments of volun- teers raised in this town, and held in readiness to act, in case of invasion. They are composed principally of mechanics and manufacturers, but gentlemen of the highest rank and 6rst fortune, equally with the lowest of the people, join these military associations. Their appearance at the review was such as to do them much credit, although they are far from being such perfect machines as regular soldiers. The review was on Sun. day, because this day does not interfere with the work of the artists. We are not informed whether any mili- tary Kenmcoit has discovered, in some newly" found manuscript, such a reading as this, in the decalogue— " six days Shalt thou labour, and the seventh shalt thou train ;'> however this may be, Sunday drilling is said to have become general, in England, since the alarm of invasion has turned them into a nation of soldiers. VOL. I. 7 74 A JOURNAL OP TRAVELS IN DUKE OF BRIDGEWATER'S CANAL. You have heard of the Duke of Bridgewater's canaL and will of course conclude that I have visited so inte-^ resting an object. It was cut for the sake of bringing the Duke's coal to this town. The canal connects Manchester and Liverpool, and, in the distance of thir- ty railes between these two towns, there is not one lock; the canal proceeds on a level, or nearly so, and to this end it perforates hills and crosses valleys and rivers, on arches raised for its support ; it even crosses the river Mersey, and, at the same moment, boats may be seen passing under the arches of the canal, along the river, and other boats floating over the arches and crossing the river, as if in the air : a river above a ri- ver. Near Manchester the canal passes under ground foi- a quarter of a mile ; a roof is neatly arched with brick, and when I placed myself at one end and hal- lowed, the sound was reverberated with a deep rolling echo, dying away at length towards the other end. By means of a junction with other canals, a water commu- nication is opened between Liverpool and Hull, and Ijtverpool and London, and of course between Man- chester, Hull and London. ANCIENT TYPOGRAPHY. Maij 14. — Mr. Roscoe's kindness has followed me to Manchester and made me acquainted, by means of a letter, despatched after I left Liverpool, with a friend of his here who has distinguished himself by collect- ing, at a great expense, a rare assemblage of ancient and valuable books, and of uncommon specimens of typography. Among many varieties of the latter de- ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 7$ scription, he shewed me a book printed by William Caxton, the first printer in Britain. What a change has the introduction of printing effected in this island ! The era is not less important than that of Magna Char- ' ta, or of the revolution which fixed the British consti- tution. Mr. Roscoe's friend procured me access to the infir- mary of Manchester, an institution which does honour to the town. COTTON MANUFACTORIES. I have employed no small part of the time since 1 have been in Manchester in visiting those extensive manufacturing establishments, which are the wonder of the world, and the pride of England. Every facility has been afforded by the proprietors, in the most libe- ral and attentive manner, which could give me the ful- lest view of those works that furnish to the United States so large a part of their clothing. But, after all, I find very little to write on a subject where you will be prepared to expect much. An attempt to describe the intricate machinery, and the curious processes by which our convenience and comfort are consulted, or our vanity gratified, would be both tedious and use- less. Even when one is standing amidst the din of ten thousand spools ; and the sounding of as many shut- tles, he has scarcely any distinct comprehension of the intermediate steps by which he sees the wonderful re- sults produced ; and must himself become a weaver, or ^ spinner, before he can detail to another the particu- lars of these seemingly simple arts. Yet my impres- sions have not been altogether too vague for descrip- tion. It was a new fact to me, that the most beautiful of the chiutses are stamped by means of copper cylinders^ 76 A JOURNAL OP TRAVELS tN on which the figures are engraved ; these cylinders are covered with the proper substance, and then impressed on the stufi's by rolling. The velvets are woven, at first without any of that downy coating, which makes them so pleasant to the touch. The threads which are to form this shag, are, in the first instance, inserted at both ends in the very texture of the cloth, so as to produce a vast number of small loops, running in rows, from one end of the piece to the other. These loops are cut by hand. The cloth is extended horizontally on a machine, and the artist inserts among the loops a long slender knife, much resembling a very delicate sword ; this, guided by one hand only, he pushes along so dexterously, as to cut the whole series of loops for several yards, at one thrust, without piercing the cloth, unless a knot or other obstacle turns his instrument aside. This operation being repeated along every thread in the whole breadth of the piece, a shag is at length raised over the whole surface. But it would be very rough and inelegant if left in this state. To remove its roughnesses, the whole piece i» made to pass rather slowly over a red hot iron cylinder, and in absolute contact with it ; and during the whole operation, the iron is maintained at a red heat, by the aid of a fur- nace. I would not assert a thing seemingly so incre- dible, had I not witnessed the process ; and my asto- nishment was not less than your incredulity will be, provided the fact be new to you. This operation is not confined to the velvets. Most of the cotton goods are singed in the same manner, to smooth them for the final finishing ; and they assured me (what indeed ap, pears scarcely credible) that the finest muslins wera treated in the same way. ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 77 The new process of bleaching is now extensively in- troduced at Manchester, and has, I believe, nearly sub- verted the old. The bleaching, which used to occupy months, is now performed in a few days. Manganese, sulphuric acid, water, and common salt, .are placed in large leaden stills, heated by steam. A very suffocating and corrosive gas* rises, which is made to pass into water, having abundance of lime suspend- ed in it ; the lime condenses the gas, and produces with it the bleaching drug, into a solution of which the goods are plunged, and it is wonderful with what ra- pidity the colour is discharged. Some weak acid is usually added to liberate the bleaching principle. This method of bleaching is a discovery of modern chemis- try, and when you consider that all the coloured cot- ton stuffs must be first bleached before they can be dyed, you will see at once the great importance of the discovery. The saving is in time, for the materials are more costly than those employed in the old way. ^ A great deal of American sumac is used here in dy- ing. I learned in one of the dye-houses that the Ame- ricans give themselves unnecessary trouble in grinding this article, and that it is quite as useful in the state of leaves, merely dried, and packed in that condition. Probably there may be so much saving in freight, in consequence of grinding, as to pay for that operation. The factories here are very numerous, and wonder- fully extensive. Some of them employ 1200 people, notwithstanding the application of the steam engine, as a moving power, in a great multitude of the proces- ses. The country, for many miles around Manches- ter, is tributary to the great factories. Spinning, weav- * The oxigenized muriatic. 7* 78 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN ing, and other preliminary operations, are performed in the villages and cottages, and the fabrics are brought into town to be finished. While I was walking with some of my stage companions through a village near Warrington, a shower caused us to seek shelter in the cottages, and we feund the people employed in this manner ; their appearance was aeat, cheerful, and com- fortable. SKETCH OF MANCHESTER. Manchester is built principally of brick ; the mo- dern houses and streets are spacious and handsome, but the ancient streets are narrow, and the buildings mean, ruinous, and defaced with smoke. It contains numerous churches, and some humane and liteyary in- stitutions ; it employs a 'great part of a population of from eighty to ninety thousand inhabitants, in manu- facfuring cotton, and in the various businesses con- nected with this. The town stands on a plain, and has three small rivers running through it, which afford great conveniences to its manufacturing establishments. The names of these rivers are the Irwell, theMedlock, and the Irk. The manufacturers, who are of both sexes, and of all ages, appear generally pale, thin, and deficient in muscular vigour. The fine fibres of the cotton irritate their lungs ; and the high temperature necessary in most of their processes, together with con- stant confinement in hot rooms, and, more than all, the debauched lives which too many of them lead, make them, at best, but an imbecile people. The wages of the labouring manufacturers are high, at present, but so few of them lead sober and frugal lives, that they are generally mere dependants on daily ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 79 labour. Most of the men are said to be drunkards, and the women dissolute. How ditferent these scenes, where " The pale-fac'd artist plies the sickly trade," from our fields and forests, in which pure air, uncon. strained motions, salubrious exhalations, and simple manners, give vigour to the limbs, and a healthful as- pect to the face. I am not, however, disposed to join those who rail at manufactures without informing us how we can do without them. I am fully persuaded of their impor- tance to mankind, while I regret the physical, and, more than all, the moral evils which they produce. Liverpool is the second town in England for foreign commerce, and Manchester the second for population. To-morrow morning I shall leave this town for the Peak of Derbyshire, where I may be detained a day or two by its mineral curiosities. My companion, Mr. R , having business in the northern manufacturing towns, and not caring to descend with me into mines and caverns, will leave me to-morrow, and depart for Yorkshire, while I must make my way alone; but, although solitary, I shall go cheerfully forward, nor feel disposed to adopt the plaintive strain ; ** Remote, unfriended, melancholy, slow.'* 80 A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN No. VI.— JOURNEY TO THE PEAK. Leave Manchester.. ..Stockport....Use of the word ya/r.... Eng- lish stage coaches....Guards.... Baggage... .Barren mountains.... Buxton ...Ride on horseback,. ..Tideswell....Country people, their manners and language.. ..Singular scenery.... Beautiful contrast..,. Ancient castle. KIDE TO BUXTON. May 15. — This morning, at five o'clock, I left Manchester, in the stage, for Buxton. The environs of Manchester appeared handsome, from the number of well cultivated fields, and neat houses, and two or three inconsiderable villages occurred in the distance of six miles, which brought us to Stockport on the Mersey. Stockport is a considerable ancient town, built of brick. There are some good houses, but most of them are decayed and destitute of beauty. The town has a considerable manufacture of cotton and printed goods. It stands on the declivity of a hill, and has a bridge over the Mersey, which was blown up in 1745, to prevent the retrieat of the rebels. When we left Manchester, early in the morning, the sky was cloudy, and the weather threatening. On my getting into the coach, a stranger accosted me very civilly, and remarked that it was a fair mornings I bowed assent, although I could not comprehend how such a morning could be considered as fair. But, in the progress of our conversation, I found that he con- sidered every day as fair which is not rainy. If this use ©f the word be general, it indicates that the fre- quent rains in this country cause them to assume a lower standard of fine weather, than what prevails in climates where the sun shines more constantly. ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 81 At Stockport we crossed the Mersey, and entered Cheshire. The weather becoming what 1 had been accustomed to consider as fair, that is, the 8un really shining forth, I was induced to take a seat on the top of the coach, with the guard. Most of the English stage coaches travel with a guard. He is armed with a blunderbuss, or more commonly with pistols, which are fixed in holsters, connected with the top of the coach. To the duty of defending the coach he is rare- ly called ; for, since the practice of travelling with a guard has become general in England, the stage coach- es are seldom attacked. Besides guarding the coach, he is expected to open and shut the door, and aid in case of accident, so that the coachman is never called upon to leave his seat, and the passengers are not often exposed to the danger of having the horses take fright without any one to command the reins. Our custom in America is very bati on this point, for the driver frequently leaves his seat, and the horses are rarely tied. The English guard sits on a seat, elevated nearly as liigh as the top of the coach. It is usually fixed on a large boot or box, extending down to the frame work on which the carriage is supported. A similar boot is fixed beneath the coachman's seat, and in these two the baggage is stowed, and as the whole is commonly on springs the parcels escape with little injury. Some part of the baggage is usually carried on the roof. In this way, travellers in English stages avoid the very troublesome lumber of baggage in the inside of the coach by which we are so much annoyed in American stages. In the older carriages, however, the coach- man's and guard's seat is fixed upon the frame work, without any intervention of springs, and thus not only 82 A JOURNAL OF TBAVELS IN they, but the baggage in the boots are constantly wor- ried and chafed. The accommodations for travelling are now wonderfully great in England, but they are of comparatively recent origin. As I become more fami- liar with them I may resume the subject. The guard and coachman as well as the servants at hotels expect their regular douceur. The rate is about one shilling to each for every 20 or 25 miles ; it is not necessary to exceed this if the distance be 30 miles. For every 8, 10, or 15 miles the sum of sixpence is usually given. This tax is inevitable, and Americans, from ignorance of the country, and fear of being thought mean, usually pay more liberally than the Hatives. In our passage across a corner of Cheshire, we rode through Disley and some other inconsiderable villages, built principally of a rude leaden coloured stone, but having a neat and comfortable appearance. We travelled over a mountainous country, along side of a canal, which we followed for several miles ; — boats, drawn by horses, were passing on the canal, and in one place, we saw it cross a river on arches. Hills, of great height and extent, were all around ns, and Derbyshire with its mountains was immedi- ately on our left. A few groves, planted by the pre- sent generation, and a few fine pastures appeared, here and there, on the hills, but, they were generally very rude and barren, covered, for the most part, with a kind of brown heath, so thick and dark, that they ap- peared as if the fire had passed over them ;- — you can conceive of nothing more desolate than the aspect of these hills for miles. It is to be presumed that Dr. Johnson never travelled here, or he would not hav^ ENGLAND, HOLLAND, AND SCOTLAND. 83 discovered so much spleen at the nakedness of th^ Scottish mountains. The valleys among these hills were, with few excep- tions, fertile, and, in many places, the heights