AN ENGLISH INN.—GOVERNOR AND BISHOP.—SIGNAL HILL.
WEDNESDAY, _June 22, 1859_.—We are at Warrington’s, a genuine English
inn, with nice rooms and a home-like quiet, where the finest salmon,
with other luxuries, can be had at moderate prices. Every thing is
English but ourselves. I feel that the Yankee in me is about as
prominent as the bowsprit of the Great Republic, the queen ship of the
metropolis of yankeedom, the renowned port from which we sailed, and
through the scholarly air of which my thoughts wing their flight home.
Among other qualities foremost at this moment, (and for which I discover
the Bull family is certainly pre-eminent,) is appetite, the measure of
which, at table, is time, not quantity. My chief solicitude at
breakfast, dinner, tea and supper, is not so much about _what_ I am to
eat, as about _how_ I shall eat, so as not to distinguish myself. C——,
who is looked upon as one of the immortals, and I, in his wake, perhaps
as his private chaplain, may be regarded as representative people from
the States. We would, therefore, avoid signalizing ourselves at the
trencher. The method adopted on these frequent occasions, is to be on
hand early, to expend small energy in useless conversation, and to
retire modestly, though late, from the entertainment. It is surprising
how well we acquit ourselves without exciting admiration. I am hopeful
that the impression in the house is, that we are small eaters and
talkers, persons slightly diffident, who eat chiefly in order to live,
and prosper on our voyage. Under this cover, it is wonderful what an
amount of spoil we bear away, over which merriment applauds in the
privacy of our rooms.
When the gray morning light stole at the same time into my chamber and
my dreams, it was raining heavily, a seasonable hindrance to early
excursions, affording ample time to arrange those plans which we are now
carrying out. In company with Mr. Newman, our consul, to whom we are
indebted for unremitting attentions and hospitalities, we first called
on the Bishop of Newfoundland.
The visitation of his large diocese, which embraces both the island and
Labrador, together with the distant isle of Bermuda, has given him a
thorough knowledge of the shores and ices of these northern seas. An
hour’s conversation, illustrated with maps and drawings, seems to have
put us in possession of nearly all the facts necessary in order to a
pleasant and successful expedition. At the close of our interview,
during which the Bishop informed us that he was just setting off upon an
extensive coast visitation, he very kindly invited us to join his party
for the summer, and take our passage in the Hawk, his “Church Ship.” It
was a most tempting offer, and would have been accepted with delight had
the voyage been shorter. There was no certainty of the vessel’s return
before September, a time too long for my purposes. To be left in any
port, in those out-of-the-way waters, with the expectation of a chance
return, was not to be thought of. We declined the generous offer of the
Bishop, but with real regret. To have made the tour of Newfoundland and
Labrador, with a Christian gentleman and scholar so accomplished, would
have been a privilege indeed. From the house of the Bishop, a neat
residence near his cathedral, we climbed the hill upon which stands the
palace of the Governor, Sir Alexander Bannerman, commanding a fine
prospect of the town and harbor, the ocean and adjacent country. As we
passed up the broad avenue, shaded by the poplar, birch and fir, instead
of those patricians of the wood, the maple, oak and elm; the flag,
waving in the cool sea-breeze, and the brown-coated soldier, pacing to
and fro, reminded one of the presence of English power. His Excellency,
a stately and venerable man, to whom we had come purposely to pay our
respects, received us in a spacious room with antique furniture. During
the conversation, he expressed much pleasure that a painter of
distinction had come to visit the scenery of Newfoundland, and kindly
offered such assistance as would facilitate sketching in the
neighborhood. A soldier should watch for icebergs, on Signal Hill, a
lofty peak that overlooks the sea; a boat should be at his command, the
moment one was needed. Upon leaving, he gave us for perusal Sir Richard
Bonnycastle’s Newfoundland. From the western front of the house, we
overlooked a broad vale, dotted with farmhouses, and, in its June dress
of grass and dandelions, quite New-England-like. We continued our walk
to Quidy Viddy, a pretty lake, and returned in time to call upon Mr.
Ambrose Shea, Speaker of the Assembly, to whom C—— had letters of
introduction.
After dinner we set off for Signal Hill, the grand observatory of the
country, both by nature and art. Before we were half-way up, we found
that June was June, even in Newfoundland. But there is something in a
mountain ramble that pays for all warmth and fatigue. Little rills
rattled by, paths wound among rocky notches and grassy chasms, and led
out to dizzy “over-looks” and “short-offs.” The town with its thousand
smokes sat in a kind of amphitheatre, and seemed to enjoy the spectacle
of sails and colors in the harbor. Below us were the fishing-flakes, a
kind of thousand-legged shelves, made of poles, and covered with spruce
boughs, for drying fish, the local term for cod, and placed like
terraces or large steps one above another on the rocky slopes. We struck
into a fine military road, and passed spacious stone barracks, soldiers
and soldiers’ families, goats and little gardens.
From the observatory, situated on the craggy pinnacle, both the rugged
interior and the expanse of ocean were before us. Far off at sea a cloud
of canvas was shining in the afternoon sun, a kind of golden white,
while down the northern coast, distant several miles, was an iceberg. It
was glittering in the sunshine like a mighty crystal. The work and play
of to-morrow were resolved upon immediately, and we descended at our
leisure, plucking the wild flowers among the moss and herbage, and
gazing quietly at the hues and features of the extended prospect.