_My Daughters' Weddings--Departure for England for the Honeymoon--The
Voyage--Letter to the Rev. Mr. Carroll--The City of Liverpool--England,
Wales, Scotland, Ireland--Return Home to America--Benefits of Travel._
This chapter will introduce the kind reader to my life and times in the
eventful year 1876--eventful in the history of my own family, because my
two dear daughters had now almost reached their twentieth year, were,
therefore, come to the age when the fair sex turn their hearts to the
thoughts of love, courtship and marriage; and, in short, my dear
children were engaged to be married in the month of May, in the spring
of the year 1876. The bridegrooms were both Christian, industrious and
highly-respectable young men, and such as we knew would promote the
happiness of the two dear girls as well as their own. All four
candidates for matrimony were well matched in every way, having been
brought up in schools and colleges where the most select members of the
Anglo-Saxon race themselves have received their polish. Indeed, freedom
and all the advantages that flow from a brilliant education, have
polished our young men and maidens, until now they are as smooth as a
mirror, and you can see your face in that mirror as well as the best
looking-glass! Thus these young people had been trained and polished
till training and polishing could not be carried much further; because
they had had all the advantages that money and talent could give; they
shone in the best society, and no company of refined young Christian
people was considered perfect unless they were invited, enhancing the
happiness of all by their presence. But the best thing of all was the
pure, unadulterated Christianity that grew and flourished like the green
bay-tree in every heart. My own dear husband and I were most profoundly
thankful to see our dear children so well inclined by grace and training
to every good thought and deed; and no less so to see, in their
prospective husbands men who could encourage such dispositions instead
of being obstacles in their way, like so many others.
The main points being secured, we gave our willing consent to the
marriage and it was thought best to have them both together. Accordingly
the double wedding came off the first Wednesday night of the merry month
of May, and the A. M. E. Church on Vine street was packed to its utmost
capacity. All the particulars of dress, bonnets, bouquets, etc., with
all the latest improvements down to the eventful year, 1876, were duly
noted by the reporter who was present, and who wrote a flourishing
account of the weddings, which came out in the paper next morning. After
the ceremony at the church was over, we all adjourned to our own house,
where a reception was held and continued until a late hour. As my two
dear girls (as I always call them) stood before the altar, I could not
but reflect what their fate might have been had it not been for the
Providence of God, and for the fact that their parents managed to get
away from slavery, and gave them a good Christian education in a free
State of the North. Verily, the present generation of colored men and
maidens have something to be thankful for to that good Lord who sent the
war, destroyed slavery, and opened the doors for them to enter in, and
enjoy all the privileges that the white race possesses.
It is quite unnecessary for me to say that marriage is one of the
greatest events in human life, and that their marriage gave each one of
these four young people the most abundant joy. To still further enhance
the happiness of the young people it was decided that they should spend
their honeymoon upon the ocean, and in the British Isles, where some of
our ancestors had come from; and my husband and myself decided to go
with them for company, and have a good time generally. So all
preparations were made for our departure to pay this delightful visit to
John Bull and his Island, which made all feel as gay as birds.
Thursday morning came on apace--the day after their marriage--and we
were all in a great bustle and high excitement over our departure for
Old England, as it is called. Our trunks were packed, and all things
made ready for the journey and voyage before us. We understood that dear
mother and her devoted husband, Mr. Sutherland, were not going with us;
at least they had said nothing about doing so to the rest of us--I dare
say they intended to take us by surprise. And it was a surprise, indeed!
Because when we were almost ready to walk down the street to the railway
station, who came in smiling all over, but Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland! We
were so much surprised that we all set up a loud shout of joy; and the
more especially as they seemed to enjoy the fun as much as any of us. It
was a lively time that followed the next ten minutes, and we held quite
a jubilee on the subject. The minister of the church and his good lady
had come up to see us off, and a few other friends of the "inner circle"
of our acquaintances; and all things being now ready, we walked down the
street to the railway station, where we found all bustle and confusion.
But at last we secured our tickets, took a tender leave of our dear
friends on the platform, and having taken our seats we steamed away for
New York, where we were to take the boat for Liverpool, England. We shed
no tears on this occasion, because we all had to come back again in a
few months. There was nothing but delightful novelty and unexpected joy
before us, and therefore there was nothing for any of us to cry about
upon the present occasion.
The following letter which I wrote after our landing at Liverpool will
explain itself to the reader:
"LIVERPOOL, ENG., May, 1876.
"Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Carroll,
"My Dear Friends:--I am quite delighted to inform you that we have
crossed the broad Atlantic in perfect safety, and yesterday we landed at
the great seaport of Liverpool, where nothing seems to be talked about
but shipping and ships. We are all in splendid health and gay spirits,
and it is quite a pleasing change for us to be in a land where color is
unknown. We all send our best love to you both, to all your family, and
to our dear church on Vine street, where we hope to find ourselves again
in a few months, among the dear brothers and sisters there.
"We had quite a pleasant journey on the train all the way to New York,
where we arrived on scheduled time, and found our way to the private
hotel, where all things were in readiness for our reception. We spent a
portion of two days in walking about, and enjoying the sights of the
city, but the time rapidly rolled around for our embarkation, and we
went on board the 'Sarmatian,' which is truly a splendid liner--indeed,
one of the finest boats on the North Atlantic. The 'Sarmatian' is a
British vessel, and strange as it may appear so soon, the feeling was so
sweet and home-like upon this foreign ship that I could not but notice
it. Officers and sailors who have been reared in a land where prejudice
is unknown, are in no way interested about such paltry things as the
color of the skin. Seated upon this noble British ship, I felt even now
as if I were already in England!
"Indeed, we would all have quite forgotten that there was any such thing
as prejudice in any part of the world had we not been reminded of it on
board by the presence of a few Americans. But even they, on board a
British ship, were obliged to keep their personal feelings well covered
up; and here I may say, when we are abroad and traveling the wide, wide
world, you meet with nobody who objects to the color of your skin, but
somebody from some port of the United States! But even American
prejudice must die out, for all wickedness is subject to change, and God
Himself alone changeth never.
[Illustration: _FRED'K DOUGLASS, ROCHESTER, N. Y._]
"In glorious May weather, and in the presence of a tremendous concourse
of people, who had come down to the water's edge to see us off, we
backed out into the North river at New York. The immense mixed multitude
standing on the pier had sent up one tremendous cheer after another,
waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and gave us a general grand
hurrahing time. We replied in like manner as we came slowly away at
first, accompanied by two or three tug-boats, that ventured out some
distance to grace our departure. No doubt the passengers on board of
them had friends and relatives on the Sarmatian.
"We settled down at once, and made ourselves at home in good earnest. We
were quite at home in our sweet, cozy little cabins, and the officers
and attendants were all that could be desired. We walked about the deck,
sat down to read or talk, and became acquainted with some of the most
delightful people on the face of the earth--most of them on errands of
pleasure, like ourselves. All were in high spirits, and anxious to visit
different parts of Europe--the British Isles, Germany, etc.
"We carried on much the same at sea as we do home on shore. I spent most
of my own time in conversation with our own party and other passengers,
with reading new books, and with watching the play of the wild waves of
the deep. Some slept a great deal of the voyage away, and others were
busy courting, and that continually. I am informed that an immense
number of marriages result from crossing the ocean every year. They get
acquainted on shipboard, and marry after they come to land. The very
seamen seem to be smitten by Cupid with a great love for the fair sex.
'Jack Tar' finds many a fair sweetheart on shipboard. Here at Liverpool
you can soon see 10,000 of them walking about. A stranger in this mighty
'Modern Tyre' would be led to fancy that there was nothing in the world
but sailors, ships and shipping. And who need wonder at it in the first
port of the whole world, with that 'Great Landing Stage' at the entrance
to the Mersey--upwards of twenty miles of dock along the right bank of
the river, and ten thousand masts (10,000) hailing from every continent,
and all the islands of the Ocean!
"When you come to sea blessed with splendid health, and strength, and
vigorous life, with high-beating hope, and all things before your
imagination of the seven colors of the rainbow; when 'all hearts are
light, all eyes are bright, and nature's face is gay'--then, indeed, you
are going to have a first-class time upon the rolling deep in the merry
month of May. Life on the ocean wave has really ten times more charms
than I am able to define. You must come to sea yourself to experience
it, for it is indeed far too much for my pen.
"The sea! the sea! The broad, blue sea! What a glorious thing it is to
look away as far as ever the eye can reach, and behold nothing but the
big, blue waves of the North Atlantic heaving up and down, while our
bold and plucky steamboat rushes fearlessly over those watery hills, and
the bright and beautiful sun pours his warm rays down upon the rolling
deep, and a fascinating and bewitching feeling floods upon your own
heart, and there begets a feeling of enthusiasm that no language can
describe!
"The porpoise is a lively fish, often seen from the deck of an Atlantic
steamboat, and we saw plenty of them rushing through the waves like
winged lightning. It was indeed a fine sight; but the best companions we
had all the way to the British Isles were the bold, brave sea-gulls,
that left the coast of America with us, and came all the way to
Liverpool. The sea-gull acts more like a human being than anything else
to which I can describe him; cavorting about all over the main, and then
coming down almost to the deck itself, to let you know that he is there,
and trying to make you feel at home on the ocean.
"There seemed to be no end of sweet, peaceful enjoyment; the weather
continued so fine all the way across the sea, our health was so good,
and we had such pleasant companions on all sides around, and nothing
happened to the ship to mar the general joy. It was, indeed, a downright
holiday, most thoroughly enjoyed by us all.
"The Sabbath-day came around, and there were two church services in the
Grand Saloon. We all went both times, which proved, as I thought at the
time, the greatest treat in our whole life. The singing, the prayers,
the sermons, and everything else combined to form a novelty that I am
again quite at a loss to explain.
"And yet there were many on board who never went to a church service at
sea, although it was the very joy of our lives, and a treat that turned
our gallant ship into a floating heaven on the deep. It is just the same
on shore. There are people who live next door to the church who never
enter its portals once in their lives.
"We spent a good deal of time watching for vessels on the ocean, and saw
plenty of them. We passed quite close to several, and spoke to a few.
Some of them came so near that we saw everything on deck, and that was
something when far from home.
"What a glorious sight it was to behold the red, red sun rising out of
the waves in the East every morning, like a great, big, round, red
cheese, and again to watch him at night going down in all his glory in
the West, like a red and fiery wheel, flooding all the main with the
splendor of his glory, as he sank down into his water bed! We used to
stand on the open deck, and watch the 'glorious god of day' sink, sink,
sinking, till at last he quite disappeared from view. Then the
fair-faced silver moon, fair Luna, Queen of Night, arose in the East,
and flooded all the ocean with her silver shining that was laid so
entrancingly upon the rolling waves, whilst the thousand stars came out
in ones, and twos, and hundreds, and bestudded all the skies. Thus again
we would gather out upon the deck at night, and watch the starry
heavens, and the moon, and listen to the wild waves of the North
Atlantic rolling away, far and near; and when night came on, we found
ourselves pretty well worn out after another long and busy day. But we
slept well, as indeed we well might, for the good Lord and the sailors
were ever taking good care of us all and the brave Sarmatian was
battling her rapid way cross the North Atlantic.
"As I used to stand and muse upon the deck, it often occurred to my mind
how all the ancestors of the colored race in America had been borne over
the waves of the self-same North Atlantic over which we were now
sailing, though farther to the South. Over these waves, also, the great
Fred. Douglass had passed several times on his journeys to and from the
British Isles; for he is one of the great pillars of history, and has
filled the whole world with his fame. His renown is bright all over the
earth!
"Thus time passed on, day and night, and we all enjoyed ourselves to the
top of our bent; at the grand piano in the saloon, watching the play of
the wild waves of the rolling deep, etc., etc. The excitement in every
bosom began to rise as we drew near to the land, and when the old head
of Kinsale rose from the main in the southwest of Ireland, there was
truly a most tremendous flurry in every heart. And as the Sarmatian
passed rapidly along, one lofty, frowning headland after another rose
from the waves, reminding one of grand lofty church steeples placed at
intervals here and there; then the bold, precipitous coasts ran far away
back into some estuary or firth, at the head of which a river came
pouring down from the interior of the land. A heavy summer shower of
rain came up all of a sudden, after which the sun burst out with
indescribable splendor, and a mighty rainbow stood over the entire
convex of heaven, with its great feet like elephant's legs, deep down in
the ocean. Our American sea-gulls came bravely on, and in Irish waters
were met by Irish sea-gulls, and countless wild sea-mews.
"The excitement that began when we passed the Old Head at Kinsale did
not subside. It went on, grew and increased hour after hour, as we
called at Queenstown, and then moved on to Liverpool. Nothing was now
thought of nor talked about but John Bull and his Island--Britannia, the
Pride of the Ocean, the home of the brave and the free! We noticed that
we were no longer upon the big, blue waves of the North Atlantic, but
ploughing our rapid way across the shallower green seas of the British
Isles--quite a pleasant change in its way, after so much blue, because
nature's green is a beautiful color.
"It was time for us to go to bed, as we approached St. George's Channel,
that divides Ireland from Wales; but we were all up and fresh, and
bright as buttons in the morning, when Holyhead, the Isle of Anglesea,
and the bold mountains of North Wales arose almost perpendicular out of
the Irish Sea, and dipped their feet, deep, deep into the waves.
"The excitement on board now among us all was simply dreadful! We were
so near home, and yet not quite there! Hundreds of ships in all
directions were moving about over all the sea; and no wonder, because we
were close to the doors of one of the most famous queen seaports that
this world has ever seen. At last we came up in front of the City of
Liverpool, and having a tremendous traffic in full view, and here we had
to lie till two o'clock in the afternoon, when the tide would be full,
and we could cross the bar of the Mersey. We crossed the bar in due
time, and got into that famous river, came up to the Great Landing Stage
where we landed in great excitement, for here at last was John Bull and
his Island!
"Having landed and passed the custom-house officers, we procured cabs
and drove to our appointed quarters in the city, where we received a
most hearty welcome upon our arrival, and were ushered into our rooms,
and we never felt more thoroughly at home in our lives. The good people
seemed determined to make us feel all right, and to make a good
impression on the Americans. The English tea time, 5 P. M., drew nigh,
and we had toast and tea, with jams, etc., in the regular English
fashion. It was delightful to have all things so nice in a foreign way.
The fire was also delightful in the open grate, and that also looked
most cheerful. Pictures of Queen Victoria and the royal family hung from
the walls, and battle scenes by land and sea, and landscape pictures
powerfully reminded us that we were now under the British flag, and in
another part of the world.
"After tea, we walked out to view the city, the river, the mighty
traffic of this modern Tyre, and 10,000 seamen talking far more
languages than we knew anything about. Thus several days and nights
passed away, and we found the people one of the most delightful in the
world--frank, free, open-hearted and generous and hospitable to a fault.
I am told that there is not a heartier people on the face of the earth
than the half million inhabitants of Liverpool, and so far as my
experience goes that is quite true. We accepted several invitations, and
had glorious times among these people; we ran the whole town and saw
many places of great interest and beauty. But from fifteen to twenty
miles of dock, the busy river and the Great Landing Stage almost took
our breath away. It is worth crossing the Atlantic to see the far-famed
city of Liverpool!
"Everybody saw and knew that we had a wedding party along with us, and,
indeed, my two daughters and their husbands were just like so many birds
set free, when once they got ashore. Like the spirited singing birds of
the British Isles, there was no end to their hilarity; and it was
delightful to see them. Our entire party were very favorably impressed
with all that we both heard and saw, and everybody was so very polite to
us, and agreeable in all their ways. We now began to make excursions to
see some of the fine sights of 'Old England,' and some of the grand
castles and palaces of fame and renown. What seemed to impress us all
most was the smooth, lawn-like appearance of the whole fair-faced
country, which is the most polished upon the face of the earth.
Beautiful England, indeed, reminds me of a well-cultivated garden, and
it looks like a great garden, and nothing else. The houses and grounds
of some of the nobility are flung open for the inspection of foreign
visitors, and truly they are a delight to behold, with all their flower
gardens, conservatories of plants, playing fountains, and other
attractions too numerous to mention. Go where we might, nothing seemed
more gratifying to our feelings than the polite attention and fine
manners of all those with whom we came in contact. The sights and scenes
round about us, and so much to charm the senses in a foreign land, in
the delightful month of May, delighted us to the core, and made us think
of the Garden of Eden, and the fabled, golden regions of the blessed.
The stately homes of England--how beautiful they stand!--amidst the
tall, ancestral trees, o'er all the pleasant land! Such is England, that
has been polished for 1,000 years, till polishing can do no more!
"All the world has heard of 'Beautiful Wales,' and we determined to pass
a few weeks among her enchanting scenery. We visited the Vale of
Llangollen, the Vale of Clwyd, the Vale of Conway, saw Bettws-y-Coed,
the Pass of Llanberis, and, indeed, the best things in all North Wales,
including lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and glorious romance without end.
The warm-hearted, impulsive Welsh people almost carried us all off our
feet with their unbounded enthusiasm, and the tremendous warmth of their
welcome. They are the greatest singers in the world. Indeed, all Wales
is one sea of song, and they sing well, and they even dearly love to
sing. They are a God-fearing race, and we never heard a Welshman
swear--no, not even once. Here was something for our young people to
learn, for it was so sweet to hear the name of the Lord mentioned only
in terms of praise. Wales always reminded our entire party of the
'Delectable Mountains' of the Pilgrim's Progress, for the Welsh
mountains were delightful to us.
"After we got through with all we cared about seeing in 'Beautiful
Wales,' and among its warm-hearted people, we next moved away to the
North to become somewhat acquainted with what is truly called 'Bonnie
Scotland.' We passed around the highlands and the islands of that
romantic country, and beheld the famous lakes and the lofty mountains,
her deep waterfalls and historic straits and glens. We visited the land
of Burns, in the South, or Lowlands, saw Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the
home of Sir Walter Scott, on the Lower Tweed. Of a truth, Scotland is a
beautiful, enchanting and enchanted land, and her warm-hearted,
enthusiastic people stamp their impress on the hearts of all those who
visit them, for all coming time.
We found the whole of the British Isles overrun with tourists in the
summer time; but few failed to see Scotland, which has filled the whole
world with its fame. There is something so peculiarly romantic about the
'Scotch Borders,' that our heads were almost turned, and where all the
land seemed to be enchanted ground. Sweet Moffat and its grand
surroundings can never be forgotten, nor the impression that they made
on all our hearts. We also descended the beautiful Esk river, from
Langholm, till we came to headwaters upon Eskdalemoor, where the
intelligent and hospitable people are mostly shepherds, and, like all
the rest of the Scotch, most exemplary in their attendance at church.
The parish minister is the Rev. John C. Dick, and we were royally
entertained by him to tea at the manse, and we had a good time
generally.
"After leaving Scotland, we made our way over to Ireland, saw Belfast,
Dublin, Cork, the Lakes of Killarney, and, indeed, the best of all that
was to be seen in the Emerald Isle. I don't know whether a people can be
too enthusiastic and warm-hearted, but if they can, these are the Irish
at home.
"My good friend and brother, I began this long letter upon landing at
Liverpool, in May. It is now September, 1876. We have all come back to
Liverpool--to our first quarters here. We have had a glorious time
roving over the British Isles these four eventful months. We intend to
embark to-morrow on the 'Scotia' for New York. I intend to keep a
journal on our voyage, and yourself and lady shall have a reading of it
at once. We are all quite well, and, indeed, the trans-Atlantic trip has
had the most salutary influence upon the health of our entire party. My
next greatest desire is to return home to Buffalo, and we all hope to
visit the British Isles at some future day, if God our lives shall
spare. With our united love to yourself, lady and all other friends, I
am yours in all Christian affection.
"BEULAH LINCOLN."