Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-05-31
Correspondence % the Spy.
JonrnpI of Traveller in Europe.

we left London to-day, for that purpose; and
will give very brief description of some things
we saw during the journey
Ortord-We were much interested in visiting
some of the University buildings, &C., in this
celebrated literary city. There are some twenty
hive college buildings, most OF them very large
edhees, and all are substantially built of stone
Usually there are about six thousand students
and others, connected with the different colleges
here; but, as it is vacation now, we saw but few
OF them. The grounds connected with the col.
ieges are extensive, and kept in beautiful or
der. Some of the college buildings are very an
Gent, and they all have a venerable appearance
indeed, the whole city has an ancient look; many
OF the buildings in it being several hundred years
old The elms, oaks, horse chestnuts, lindens,
&c, in the college grounds, are mostly very old,
and enormously large. measured one of the
chestnuts, and found its circumference to be
twenty-five feet Oxford is sixty-three miles, by
railway, from London, and we were carried over
the road in two hours-fare 1915,
HorceSter.-We found Worcester to be quiet
old city, of about thirty thousand inhabitants
1t is compactly built, and, nearly all its buildings
being of red brick, it is very unlike, in appear
ance, its namesake in Massachusetts Worcester
Is about one hundred and twenty five miles from
London, and the same distance from Liverpool.
The city lies partly in a valley, on each side of
the river Severn, which is here naygable for
small sloops. There are many beautiful hills in
the vicinity, very similar to those near our own
city, from which fine views of the city and sur
rounding country are had. The Cathedral is a
very large edifce, and is built of red sand stone
as are many of the public buildings here-and all
are rather ordinary looking. Worcesteris an an
cient city, and was formerly surrounded by a high
wall; but little of it, however, now remains 1t
seems like rather dull place for business, and
there is not much lively stir in the streets, which
are pretty wide, and we'll paved with round
stones.
Worcester is noted for its large business in the
manufacture of porcelain and china, and the ware
made here is celebrated for its fine quality and
beautiful finish; fully equalling any that is made
in the famous French factories. We visited one
of the establishments here that of Chamberlain
& Co.. and were shown through the whole of
their extensive works, and saw the whole process
of making the beautiful and delicate china ware.
1t was interesting to witness the 1apidity and
dexterity with which the workmen fashioned the
raw and dOugh-like material into handsome cups,
dishes, &c. The ware is first nodded into its de-
sired shape by hand, and is then turned in lathes
to give it perfectly round and even surface
The molding of the dough, shaping the cup,
turning 1t in the lathe, making the handle, put
ting it on, painting, gliding, &c. &C., are all done
by different workmen, and each piece. or article,
of the best gilded and painted china ware, passes
through the hands of about eighty persons, in the
process of its manufacture, before it is complet-
ed. We saw very handsome dinner sets, of about
eight hundred pieces, yalned as high as fifteen
hundred dollars; every piece of which was beau
tfully figured and painted, each different from all
the rest.
The " Star and Garter Hotel, where we lodged
in Worcester is large and pretty good house,
but very dear one, as are most OF the English
hotels, the prices being full one half more
than is charged in American hotels of the same
class.
! The English hotels are conducted on an entire
| ly different plan from American hotels But few
of them register the arrivals, as is customary in
the United States, and the name and residence of
the traveller is unknown to the keeper of the
house. There is generally large public room,
called the coffee room," where single gentle
men usually take their meals separately, at small
tables, at such times as they wish; and there is
no other public eating room. Families, and
ladies, generally have their meals in their own
rooms; and, as it is not common to have public
| parlors families, or parties, intimately acquainted
with each other, might be in the same house for
some time, without knowing that their friends were
lodging under the same roof with Them This
| custom of exclusiveness at the hotels, is often
very inconvenient and annoying to the traveller,
and especially so to the social Yankee We miss
the reading rooms, as they never have such an
apartment in the English hotels As newspapers
are very dear here, comparatively few are seen,
and an American newspapers hardly to be found
any where.
We spent short time at the renowned KeniI-
'oOrtb Castle immortalized by Sir Walter Scott
| 1t is indeed noble pile of magnificent ruins. and
must have been princely residence, in its palmy
days, about five hundred years ago The ruins
are covered with moss and shrubs; and very
large ivy hangs in festoons all over the walls the
trunk of some of it measuring above three feet in
circumference!
There have been showers almost every day
since we have been in England, and it is a yery
common occurrence to rain here. 1t never pours
| down, as it often does with us, but comes with
gentle drzzle, and usually very sudden, so thatit
is hardly safe to &c far without an umbrella even
| If there is no appearance of wet weather. So
much moist weather makes the fields of grass
J look as beautifully green and luxuriant as can
well be imagined. And such handsome lawns as
they have here! They are indeed natures bean.
tiful carpet in the very highest perfection The
fine, short grass is so soft and velvety, that one
can hardly resist the temptation to walk, or even
recline, upon it. The grass on the best kent
lawns is usually cut about ouce a week, and a
heavy roller is passed over them pretty often, to
keep the ground smooth and even.
Having SO much wet weather as they ALWAYS do
in England, makes it very difficult for the farmers
to secure their hay, dry, and in good order. We
have seen hundreds of tons of it, by the roadside,
spoiled, by being wet so longi and the wheat,
oats, &C., are often damaged in the same way. 1t
is said to be rare occurrence, to get through
with harvesting, without the crops getting more
| or less wet.
Manchester is very large city, and is celebrat.
ed for its extensive manufacturing business. II
has been said, that, within few years. there were
more cotton goods manufactured in this single
city, than were made in the whole of the United
States. Some Of the establishments, acre. arc
| vorv lar0e and furn out IN ;,,,,,,..,..