The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-23

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nodern--historic memories-but no town in
England has such public and commercial edi-
fees as Liverpool Those Of London do not
compare with them. They are vast, enduring,
magnificent. And when you consider that
here is no capital, no seat Of government,
simply commercial seaport, and that the
town has been built by individual merchants
or by the same men as members of corpora
ton. it is really wonderful. The line Of docks
and shippinp. the Exchange and its surround
inc editices. st. Georges Hall, Browns Free
Public Library and Museum, are each and all
worth coming to see-assuredly worth stop
ping to look at, when you have crossed the
Atlantic; for you may straVel over Europe and
see nothing like them.
The public spirit which has built those monu-
ments of commercial enterprise and prosperi-
ty has done many other things, perhaps even
more admirable The corporation baths, sup
piled with fresh and salt water, in different
parts of the town, give swimming 1ig ana otner r
these are so large that public swimming
matches are held in them. Liverpool has the
most famous gymnasium in England, with pub
lie exhibitions three evenings week It's
principal theatres are 80 good, and the audi
ences 80 appreciative, that it has been for sew
eral wears the practice to bring out new pieces
here before producing them in the metropolis.
The reading room of the Merchants Ex-
change is one of the finest In the world,
and the free library given to the town
by Sir William Brown, one OF It's great
and such an Institution as does not cxist in
london. The museum, which occupies nearly
the whole OF the large building, also given to
the town by the same munlncent ]Oenefactor,
ranks next to the British Museum In It's extent
and completeness, and is much better accom-
can city of half million population, when will
New York itself, have such library and such
| a museum do not forget the Astor Library
nor the Cooper Institute; but the Astor Libra
nv is not for the masses of the people, and
have never seen deceptjnuseum IN America.
There are fragments hefe and there, but free,
public museum, open to the whole people, is,
believe, something yet to be begun in our
country.
ST. Georges Hall stands in an open space in
| the centre of LiverpOol-an edifice In the
Corinthian style, 465 feet in length. with hun
dreds of Corinthian columns OF the most
exquisite proportions, and the whole edifice is
one of great beauty. It is 30 beautiful in its
symmetry that 1t does not seem large. You
can only see Its real size by contrast with
some other building. Near 1t on one side is
church, Georgian Gothic, of ordinary dimen-
sions about the size of an average New York
church. 1t is so lost, so utterly dwarfed by St.
Georges Hall, that it looks like a toy church.
The Illusion is complete. The houses on the
Hudson, at the foot ofthe Palisades, from the
deck of q steamer look like bird cages The gran
teur of St. Georges Hall produces the same
effect 4he building contains the law courts,
q concert hall rs feet square and 40 feet
high, an immense hall for public meetings
lG3 feet long, Is feet inches wide, and 81 feet
inches high This room contains one of the
largest organs in the world, which Is played
upon twice week for the public, by Mr.. Best,
the corporation organist. Besides these great
halls there are in the edi1ce, as guide book
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| for the convenience Of parties engaged in any.
thing that may be going forward" These VIII
afford excellent accommodation to the various
| sections of the British AssocS ion, which is
to meet here next year, under the presidence
of that most distinguished descendant OF the
| chimpanzee by natural selection, Professor
Huxley; naturally selected by the Darwinlans
as, considering ''man's place in nature the
| fit:est to preside over Its deliberations. hope
Professor Agassiz, who claims less distin-
| p1,ished descent, will find 1t convenient to be
present on that occasion.
Liverpool Is more like New York, more Anne
| rican in its manners and customs, than any
| European town. There must be al all times
some neutrality-suspicious. might say thous-
| ands-of Americans along the docks and gath
cred about the centres of business. You see
everywhere American faces, and hear the va
ried American accent ranging from Bangor to
Galveston Yesterday on Change swarthy
Southerner lounged up to an English mer-
chant or cotton broker. Look here" said
he "don't you know anybody that's got some
New Orleans papers? ?" "Yes, have got
any quantity Of them" We'll, by! III
come up to your office and see Them"
There was not much in that shoTs a,laihogue ,iahg
with the least claim to be cOpsidered gentle
man, who would have compelled me 10 use
dash In reporting such conversation. Eng
| lishmen above the lowest class no more swear
than spit. 1t is very rare indeed that a well
dressed Englishman is seen IN the least lntoxl-
Gated. have some hope that tne 10 iower 81 glasses M
will soon initiate their betters In the latter re-
spect, as they have in a great degree In the
| former. And wish that Americans who come
| to Europe, go on Change, and mlngle else
where in European society, would devote
month or two before they start TO as mnch spit
ting and swearing as would ast them tlii tneV
| get home again to the land Oh tne Tree, Wnere
| no one has any objections.
The Americanism in Liverpool is generally
q matter of prde-but it Is IN some Things
matter of modification. Out OF regard 10 our
national habits, the public resorts Of Liverpool
are furnished with spittoons, which are never
seen in other English towns, and American
visitors to the Liverpool bathing village of
New Brighton have compelled the authorities
to place all over their elegant promenade pier
the following notlce-thc like of which have
not seen before in Europe "Gentlemen are
requested not to spit on the moor OF tne PRONE
nade.n And visitors are obliged to have this
staring them in the face at every turn-or
worse. And Mrs. Trolope is gone, and MIR.
Sumner is still making speeches about the
Alabama
There are other contrasts, but they are COM
parativey slight and unimportant; me Eng
fishman is always brushed and com6ed, and MS
boots shine, and he has the general air OF nav
ing lust stepped ont Of bandbox. IL an
American is drawn in Punch, his nationality
consists not more in his long nose and neck,
than his slouching and frowzy appearance.
There Is q museum of Greek statues, wax fig
ures, &C., in Liverpool, which includes kings,
queens, murderers, rev0lutlonists, philoso-
phers. bandts-some hundreds Of attractive
personages; but noticed that even In the cave
of horrors, with long lines OF murderers pin
ioned for the callows-this saves hands-every
wig was we'll brushed. The pirates and ban
dts have long black hair, but lt Is smooth
and glossy. There are only three person
aces who look as if they never saw comb;
these are the late President Lincoln, on the
left of st. John the Baptist, and Generals Grant
and Lee on his right. AS wilkes Booth is
down stairs among the murderers, his hair is
as smooth and glossy as the best OF them. By
ron finds himself, thanks to Mrs. Stowe, once
more an object of interest. He walked up one
morning and found himself Qn)lamous. In
way-works it does not matter much. Two
shilling editions OF the Byron controversy are
out. by the editors of two London weeklies,
and the St. Giles Press has its catchpennies Tor
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