Liverpool.
Traveling-bag in hand, which contained my entire wardrobe, I now went In
search of an hotel. The "Angel Hotel" was soon pointed out to me, and on
entering it, I learned that several of my fellow-passengers had already
taken rooms there. It is entirely under the control of ladies, being
managed by a proprietress and female clerks. The house is an excellent
one, and the accommodations are first-class. It bears a very appropriate
name. After partaking of a hardy supper, I walked out to "take a look at
Europe!" At 6:45 p.m., I entered St. Peter's Church, and was conducted to
a pew. Here, as elsewhere in Europe, the young and the old of both sexes
occupy the same seat together. One of the little boys of the family
occupying the same pew with me, gave me a hymn-book. A part of the
exercises consisted in chanting psalms. The eagle lectant and the Bible
characters represented in the stained glass of the windows, soon enlisted
my attention, but the meaning of having two birds perched upon a high
stand in the middle of the church, I could not unfold, nor was there any
one about that could tell me. The next day I saw the same bird beside a
noble female form in the museum. "What bird is that?" said I to a
by-stander. "That figure," said he, "is the emblem of Liverpool, and the
bird is the _liver_, which abounded down in the pools, and after which the
place was first named."
St. Luke's was visited after service. The chorister seemed much pleased to
meet an American, and showed me every mark of attention. When asked
whether all the churches of Liverpool had their chancels in the _east_
ends, he answered in the affirmative. I afterwards found this to be true
all over Europe. The dead are buried everywhere so as to face the rising
sun.
Around St. John's the memorial slabs lie flat upon the graves. IHS, with a
cross over the H, is engraved upon the tombstones of the Catholics. These
same letters IHS equivalent to JES or JESUS, are to be seen, in almost
every church and chapel in all Christian Europe. Upon goblets,
chrismatories and crosses in the churches they are generally written in
gold; while myriads of crosses on headstones in the graveyards bear the
same mystical letters. Various other interpretations are given to them by
different writers, but every explanation except the one above given, seems
far-fetched and of doubtful origin, to say the least.
In summer, the sun sets after 8:00 o'clock in the latitude of Liverpool. I
saw some twilight after 10:00 o'clock. The early dawn becomes visible
before 2:00 o'clock in the morning, and he who wants to see the sun rise,
must content himself with a short night. The Exchange is one of the most
elegant buildings of its class in Europe. St. George's Hall contains the
largest organ in England. In front of it are the Colossal Lions and the
_Equestion Statue_ of _Prince Albert. Britania_ (England's crest) which
surmounts the dome of the Town Hall, and the Wellington Statue, both face
_south_.
I had expected to see people dressed differently in Liverpool from what is
customary in America. In this and a dozen other anticipations I was
utterly disappointed. Thus I was surprised at every step, because I was
not surprised.
It was a scource of great grief to me that I could not indulge in
refreshments on Sunday evening. A passenger after landing, is much like a
patient after the fever has left him, he is hungry all the time. I had
some American silver in my pocket, which I repeatedly offered to exchange
for cakes, fruits and refreshments, at the numerous stores and stands
which I passed, but no one was willing to invest in my stock of change.
Thus I had to suffer both from hunger and thirst, because I did not have
the right kind of money. On Monday I drew my check in English currency,
and bought a suitable purse; but I was very awkward for a few days at
counting money. England has the oddest and most irregular money table that
I found from there to Egypt, except those of Holland and Germany. Many of
the coins are old and purseworn, so that it is impossible to decipher
either the image or the superscription (Matt. XXII. 20), consequently the
value must he guessed by their size.
I spent a great part of the day in the Museum. It contains a large and
well classified collection of natural history, of objects of ancient and
medieval art, of ancient manuscripts, of coins, of pictures, sculpture,
&c. Saw the horns of a South African ox, each of which was about four feet
long and five or six inches thick.
The Wonderful Clock of Jacob Lovelace.
In the second story of the building stands a magnificent clock, weighing
half a ton. Its case is about five feet long by three feet wide, and ten
feet high. Upon its face are seven hands. It is a very old and complicated
machine, and near it in a frame I found the following description: "It is
a the work of Jacob Lovelace, of Exeter, ornamented with Oriental figures
and finely executed paintings, guilted by fretworks." The movements are
1st--A moving Panorama descriptive of Day and Night, Day is beautifully
represented by Apollo in his Car, drawn by four spirited coursers,
accompanied by the twelve hours, and Diana in her Car, drawn by stags
attended by twelve hours, represents Night. 2nd--Two Guilt Figures in
Roman costume who turn their heads and salute with their swords as the
Panorama revolves; and also move in the same manner while the bells are
ringing. 3rd--A Perpectual Almanac showing the day of the month on a
semi-circular plate, the Index returning to the first day of the month on
the close of each month, without alteration even in leap years, regulated
only once in 130 years. 4th--A Circle, the Index of which shows the day of
the week with its appropriate planet. 5th--A Perpetual Almanac showing the
days of the Month Weekly and the Equation of time. 6th--A Circle showing
the leap year, the Index revolving once in four years. 7th--A Time Piece
that strikes the hours and chimes the quarters, on the face of which the
whole of the twenty-four hours (twelve day and twelve night) are shown and
regulated; within this circle the sun is seen in his course, with the time
of rising and setting by an Horison receding or advancing as the days
lengthen and shorten, and under is seen the moon showing her different
quarters, phases, age, &c. 8th--Two female figures, one on each side of
the Dial Plate, representing Fame and Terpsichore, who move in time when
the organ plays. 9th--A Movement regulating the Clock as a repeater to
strike or be silent. 10th--Saturn, the God of Time, who beats in movement
while the organ plays. 11th--A circle of the face shows the names of eight
celebrated tunes played by the organ in the interior of the cabinet every
four hours. 12th--A Belfry with six ringers, who ring a merry peal _ad
libitum_; the interior of this part of the cabinet is ornamented with
beautiful paintings, representing some of the principal ancient Buildings
of the city of Exeter. 13th--Connected with the organ there is a Bird
Organ, which plays when required. This unrivaled piece of mechanism was
perfectly cleaned and repaired by _W. Frost_, of Exeter, a self-taught
artist. Jacob Lovelace, the maker, ended his days in great poverty in
Exeter, at the age of sixty years, having been thirty-four years in
completing it. This museum also contains glass of the Roman period--A.D.
100-500. The best specimens are a little greenish, but quite clear. One of
the Egyptian mummies is wrapped up by a bandage of cloth, that was woven
3,000 years ago. It is still in a good state of preservation.
Tuesday, July 6th. The Sultan of Zanzibar, who was on a tour of
inspection, started from the North-western Hotel at about 10:00 o'clock to
drive out to the docks. He was accompanied by two natives from his own
country, and the mayor and thirteen British cavaliers. The appearance, in
Liverpool, of this South African dignitary, created a considerable
sensation.