Butte record., 1855-01-27
From Barnum's forthcoming Autobiography.
A DAY WITH ALBERT SMITH.

A DAY WITH ALBERT SMITH
While In London, friend Albert Smith
who is jolly companion, as well as a
witty and sensible author, promised that
when I reached Birmingham. he would
come and spend day with me in ''sisht
seeing" including visit TO the house
in viii ch Shakespeare was born.
Early one morning, in the motnh of
September, 1914, the sun rose in un-
usual splendor for that country, finding
my friend Smith and myself on the box
seat Of N English mail-coach, whirling
at the rate of twelve miles an hour over
the magnificent road leading fron Bir-
mingham to Stratford The distance is
thirty miles. At little village four
miles before reaching S;ratiord, we
found that the genius of the bard of
Avon had travelled thus far, for we no
ticcd sign over miserable barber's
shop, Shakespeare hair dressing good
slave for p.nny." In twenty minutes
more we were set down at the door of
Red Horse Ho'el in Stratford. The
coachman and guard were each paid
half a crown as their perquisites.
While breakfast was pr pairing, we
called for a guide-5ook to The town, and
the waiter brought book, saying that
We should find in it the best desc iption
extant Of the birth and burial place of
Shakespeare. | was not little proud to
find this volume to be no other than the
" Sketch Book" of our illustrious coun-
tryman, Washington Irving and in
glancing over his humorous description
of the place, l discovered that he had
stopped at the same hot,l where we
were then awaiting breakfast.
After examining the Shaspeare House,
as well as the tomb and the church in
which all that Is mortal Of the great
poet rests we o dered p,st-chase for
Warwick Castle While the horses were
being halness d, stage-coach STONED
at the hotel, and two gentlemen alighted
One was sedate, scnsible-lookine man :;
th2 other an. addle-headed fop. The
former was mild ard unassuming in his
manners the latter was all talk, w.tnout
sen C or meaaing-in fact, regular
Charles Chatierbox. He evidently had
a high opini of himself, and was deter
mined that all within hearing should un-
derstand that he was somebody. Pres
entity the sedate gentleman said;
Edward. this is Stratford. Let US
90 and see the house where Shakespeare
was BORN
"Who the devil is Shakespeare -
asked the sensible young gentleman.
Our post-chase was at the door; We
leaped into It and were of, leaving the
"nice young man" TO enjoy a visit to
the birthplace of an individual of whom
he had never before heard. The dis
tancc to Warwick is fourteen miles
We went to the Castle, and approaching
the door of the great Hall. were inform
ed by we'll dressed porter that the Earl
Of Warwick and family were absent, and
that he was permitted to show the apart
ment to vi itors He introduced us sue
cessful'y into the '.Red Drawing Room, :"
the g Cedar Drawing ROOM" the " Gilt
Room" the Estate Bed-Room," ''La-
day Warwick's Boudair," the " Com
pass Room," the Chapel" and the
" Great Dining Room" As we passed
out of the Castle, the polite porter
touched his head (hc of course had no
hat on it, in style which spoke palmer
than words, half crown each, if YOU
please, gentleme n" We responded to
the call. and were then placed in the
charge of another guide, who took US
to the top of GUYS Tower" at the
bottom of which he touched his hat
shilling's worth and placing ourselves
in charge of third conductor, an old
man of seventy, We proceeded to the
Green House to see the Warwick Vase.
The old gentleman mounted a rostrum
at the side of the Vase, and commenced
a set speech, which we began to fear was
interminable; so tossing him the usual
fee, We left him in the middle Of his
oration.
Passing through the poiter's lodge on
our way out, under the impression that
we had seen all that was interesting, the
old porter informed US that the most Gu
rious things connected with the Castle
yvare IN ho saeD in his lodua Eaal;nc,