The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-09
EUROPEAN GOSSIP.
English Customs and Manners Hotels
the Streets.

June Sd, says:
Upon landing at Liverpool was ta-
ken aback at the following adventure,
which have since seen Is thoroughly
English. The smaller articles of the
party which | Joined having been eX-
amined, we took them in our hands and
prepared to walk to the hotel, leaving
the trunks to follow, but ut the dool
were stopped with, "sixpence apiece, il
you please, gentlemen" Thinking il
was mere pleasantly, we all smiled IA
gentlemen do when foolishly astonished,
and saying aha! aha pleasant joke, y
prepared to pass on; but no, it was fact,
and no joke at all. After keeping eigh-
ty people herded like so many cattle in
a wharf-shed while their luggage was
being examined, they had the impu-
dence to charge them sixpence apiece
for the privilege of being so occupied.
had noticed in coming up the river that
the ships appeared to be all walking up
town, and were on level with many of
the houses, and on landing, this was ac-
counted for by the fact that they are
foated into the docks at high water and
locked up, so that the receding river
leaves them above its level.
APPEARANCE OF LIVERPOOL.
The docks themselves have been so
often described, that I merely mention
them as five and a half miles in length,
built of solid masonry, with continued
locks and gateways for the passage of
vessels. In the evening they give the
latter an appearance of being put to bed.
1t was about nine o'clock in the evening
as we walked to the hotel-the time at
which these old, blackened English
towns are best seen. The tall churches,
grim with smoke and age, the over
grown monsters of architecture, huge
and awful, looking as if they might
crush the earth itself with vastness, the
vistas of stone arches, through which
looked more grim-faced buildings, the
little lanes, where the houses have tum-
bled together, as if drowsy over ser.
mon; all these, and at such time, were
so new, so strange and fascinating, thai
even the sedate portion Of our company
went into small raptures, while the
younger portion arrived at the hote
with mouths wide open, and eyes al
most out of their heads.
THE HOTELS.
Invent to a secOnd-class one, and knew
| nothing of the Adelphi or Washington
| House, but mine always impressed me
|. with awe, and never entered it with
out feeling as if was going to church.
| Everything is in perfect order and quiet
ness. The lowest tones of voice we al
ways used, and ladies attend at the Of
flee. The coffee-room is still wonder
to me, for wherever go it is the same
This one was finely carpeted, hung with
pictures and drapery curtains, furnished
with arm-chairs, sofas, and three tables
In one corner stood two devout individu
ais, with white neck-ties and brOadclotl
suits, looking like penitent sinners. On'
of them Immediately began to hop to
wards me on tip-toe with his hands UNI
der his coat tails, giving him the ap
pearance of a very solemn bird. He
received my order, motioned me to ta
BILE, and very quietly proceeded to full
fl it. Let us suppose it Is q lamb chop
I sit down at one of the tables, and pre-
sently it appears in covered dish. One
by one the side dishes are brought in,
and one by one the covers are removed
without so much as q tinkle. In the
centre of white napkin, garnished
with mint, lies the little crisped chop;
three potatoes are arranged like pyra-
mid on each side, and there is q mould
of SQUASH on the other. The butter il
earnfshed with mint and brought on the
table in moulds, while the water is IL
bottles, the lower part Of which are fro
zen, and which are used instead of ice.
pitchers.
THE WATERS.
Pastry is rarely used, the English
| taking cheese and porter instead, which
is supposed to aid digestion. Every
waiter wears broadcloth suit, with q
white necktie, and always approaches
| you as if he were about to whisper some
| fearful secret. 1t is the same in Ireland,
and is positively distressing. You feel
awed in the presence of so magnificent
an individual. You invest him with
all manner of secret mystery, and half
| suspect that he has heard some report
about you which he will spread and
ruin your reputation. If he would only
make a noise, or break something or
| fall down stairs but no, he is always
| impassive, except when you give him
| penny, and he touches his HAIR
THE SCENE ON THE STREETS,
The English stores (which they al
vays call shops) seemed to be entirely
corr nosed of windows. With a few ex-
centions. they were not larger than
oood-sized drawing-room, and the whole
sssortment of goods seem to be stored In
their large window easements.
THESE often make as fine display as
those of the largest house in Boston,
when the space behindthem isnot twen-
tv feet square. Nine out of ten have
the prices attached to the goods, to save,
as a shop-keeper told me, the trouble OF
continually answering questions, and as
the English shopkeeper is often surly,
and seems not to care fig whether he
sells or not, the plan is equally agreea-
BILE to the buyer.
The ladies of Liverpool all wear enor-
nous crinoline, so very large that il
gives them an unwieldy, swollen APP.
pearance; this increases as the scale de.
sends, and as the lower class wear the
dress Topped up, it amounts, in many
cases, 30 gross indecency. For the ben
tit Of American ladies, will state that
during my four days. stay in and about
Liverpool, in which time I met all class
es of people, did not see one beautiful
face. The complexion, even among la
dies of the higher class, is nearly always
red and coarse, while the feet are uni
versally large and very broad. The Ia
dies of our party grew pale and fragile IN
their presence, too much so, no uoupu,
for the English girl is the picture Vi
health.
EVERYBODY LICENSED;
Everybody seems licensed. Ing naun
men wear huge brass badges on tne,l n,s
containing their names and NUMBERS