Litchfield enquirer., 1855-09-06


 ..-..........-. train, first class. We were locked into little apartment in the car. just large enough for four persons; which, besides ourselves, was occupied by two gentlemen, whom we soon had occasion to believe belonged to that class of personages called the Eng fish aris,ocracy." A certain reserve and hauteur of manner plainly indicated that they were entirely indisposed to make the acquaintance of strangers, without first hav- ing gone through the formality of an !" in- troduction." Cur questions were answered only by monosyllables. and we were soon content to make our observations to each other, while our fellow travellers, themselves strangers, sat in blank silence-no one be- ing present to introduce them. At length having ascertained or guessed from our con- versation that we were Americans, their fri- gid stoicism gradually gave way, and they became in turn the questioners; and before they left us, they were sociahle, gen,lemanly and cordial. They manifested the most hearty good-feeling towards our country, and seemed to be proud of her as an off- shoot of Old England.
 Soon after leaving the town, the fog be- gan to disperse, and one of the most beauti- Of English landscapes was presented to our view. Now for the first time we began to realize that we were indeed in the fa,her- Iand-a region which had so long been as- sociated in our minds as the theater of wars so ancient that their history is mingled with fable-the home of heroes, anl poets, and saees, the story of whose lives is blended with the ideal characters of heather mytho- logy. What throng of bewildering asso- citations crowded upon us as we endeavored to feel that the very fields over which we were passing had been excessively culti- vated by the Roman, the Saxon, and the Gaul-,hst the castles and abbeys whose ruins crown the distant hill-tops, had echo ed to the mirth and revelry of kings and cour,iers-she gay, the beautiful, and the proud-whose voices were hushad in Death thousand years ago. Spread out before us and on either hand, the country seemed like map of varied colors, yet ever chang ing like the. scenes of panorama. Luxu- rious hedges bounded every field; here and there stood the magnificent mansion of some proud .lord of the manor," in the midst of beautiful domain made up of forests and parks, and lawns, and ornamented with winding gravel-walks, flower gardens, foun- tains and statuary.
 As we proceeded on towards Manchester the face of the country assumed gradual change. The farms are less thoroughly cultivated, the hills wear rougher aspect, while the tall chimneys rising from the valleys, and the frequent clusters of modern brick nements, soon give the surest evil dence that we are in the midst of a manu- featuring country. The railway enters Manchester on level with the roofs of the houses. A large part of the town presents to the eye of stranger very mean ape pearance. The buildings are ancient, con- traeted and dingy the streets are narrow, crooked, dirty. and constantly thronged with squalid and beggarly looking class of peo- pie; while the atmosphere seems impregna- ted with the clouds of dense smoke which constantly rises from the thousand msnufac. tories of the place. The modern parts of the town, was assured, are much more at. tractive, and contains several public and private edifces which would be no dis- grace to London itself An immense amt of business is carried on here. and an easy communication is had with all parts of the Kingdom by means of canals and railroads. I, has increased rapidly in population with- in the last fifty years, and is now estima- ted to contain nearly half million of Peo' pie. .sa
 On the great thofoaehfafe north-westerly towards Halifax, we pass sIccession of manufactories and manufacturing villages, not unlike many that may be met with in various parts of New England, except that the buildings are almost ihsaiiably built of brick of stone, with slate or tiled roofs, The roofs of the farm-houses gre more gen- eraIiy tha.ched with straw, and the farms of the interior do not present that appearance of thorough cultivation and richness of soil which characterized those in the vicinity Of Liverpool. At Todmarden and Eastwood, the country becomes exceedingly rough and broken; deep ravines and gullies wind in every direction; and forests grow on the steep and rugged hill-sides. Here, for the l frs. lime, | saw the fields divided by the diIapida.ed stone walls and rsil-isness sim ilar,o many in our own vicinity. The dweli- ings wore an air of poverty and un'hf''s; and the whole face of the country was un- inviting and barren of interest. Passing