Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-07-08
Correspondence Of the Ironton Register.
LETTER FROM LONDON.
An Irontonian Abroad.
LoNpoN. June Is, 1869.

| ISe always Hduu,S hC iihO SPcSeci un
| til it is performed. Of our trip across
the Great Waters, l need not speak as
it was, in no respect that | am aware
of, distinguished from ordinary voy-
ages. It was remarkably pleasant, an
old voyager said, and made without ac-
cident. While two Of the ladies of my
company were sick most of the time,
the other, myself, and the children,
were troubled but little, and not at all
after the first day. We arrived in Liv-
erpool on the second Saturday after our
departure from New York, and took
quarters at the Queens Hotel, in that
city. Here we found that we were in
deed in new country, among strange
people, with strange manners, customs
and habits. The manner of hotel keep
ing is entirely different from ours.
You pay certain sum for your rooms,
SO much day for attendance, SO much
for each item of food or drink, and
while the charges may seem reason
able, when you come to pay your bills
you find that you have had much in
ferior accommodations, while in the ag-
gregate you have more to pay than you
do with far superior accommodations
in our own country.
The people look differently. They
have a ruddier, healthier appearance,
fuller-faced, generally clean sbaven,
and wear most outlandish looking stove
pipe hats-nothing like as stylish as
our friend Richards used to get up at
home. We were stared at. and laugh
ed at, particularly in that rebel-loving
city, Liverpool, to such an extent that
one would think the people there neser
travelled any. On Sunday we went to
the Baptist Church of Rev. Hugh Sto-
vel Brown. The pulpit was filled by
the Rev. Baptist Noel, who preached
an ordinary sermon in an ordinary man
ner, no better than we often hear at
home The remainder of the day we
spent in sightseeing.
The ladies of Liverpool, and indeed
in all England, so far as l can see, do
not dress as richly or stylishly as our
American ladies, and are certainly be-
hind New York in fashions, DC, those
followed here being old in America.
On Monday, we went to the ancient
and loyal city of Chester This is in
some respects most remarkable place,
When first built, l do not know, but the
wall which surrounds a portion of it,
and which is in a good state of preser
walton, is said to have been built by
the Romans in the year 81, A. D. 1t
is irregular in form and about three
miles in circumference. 1t varies in
height, at some places being over twen-
ty feet, at others, not more than breast
high, and upon the top there is a flag
stone pavement, recently laid L pre-
sumo, upon which two can walk abreast.
At one of the highest parts of the wall
is tower, rising twenty or thirty feet
above, perhaps fifteen or twenty feet in
diameter in which, undoubtedly the SOL
diers protected themselves from the
tempests, and on which they observed
the movements of any enemy, who
might be in their neighborhood. Upon
this tower King Charles the Ist stood
on the 24th of Sept. 1915, and witness
ed the defeat of his army upon the
moor, four miles distant. Chester is
noted for its venerable Cathedral,
which stands in part upon the site of a
Roman temple, dedicated to Apollo.
Portions of this Cathedral yet well pre-
served, are said to be over 1000 years
old, and certainly if appearances prove
anything, are not less aged than that.
The walls indicate great age, are built
of stone, and look as though they had
been through terrible fires. The floor
is of hagstone in the main room, while
in other parts it is of mosaic and of
modern origin. It has number of
chancels and naves and is built to rep
resent the PROSTATE form of man with
arms extended at right angles. 1t was
the church of the dissolved abbey of st.
Verbough, and is built with reference
to being inhabited by monks and nuns.
Up in the sides thirty feet from the
floor, are alcoves in the walls, in which
the nuns were compelled to stand, 81
lent and motionless, until permitted by
their ruler Or the word of their supe-
rior, to retire; while in the chancel be-
low, the monks went through their spir-
itual exercises, seated upon hard
boards, or kneellng upon the stone
pavement. The seats of the monks
were very narrow and placed upon
hinges, which required constant effort
to keep upon them; and consequently
when any of them should fall asleep, or
become inattentive, he would be precip-
itated upon the floor beneath; and thus,
being discovered in his remissness to
duty, would no doubt be punished in
such way, as would most effectually
prevent him from again displaying any
such inattention Beneath the church
is spacious cellar, strongly built, and
looks more like fortress than dwell
ing house for nuns. This is said to
navy UCCu VIC Wluc CtlldI VI ILLS NtllOT-
able saint. And here he kept his good
cheer which made the path to Heaven
rosy bed to him, however hard and
thorny it was to the poor monks who
did his bidding. 1t had subterraneous
approaches, which he or his tried ser
wants kept the keys of. While have
no doubt, the old fellow did keep his
wines and liquors in some portion of
this cellar, am also satisfied that 9TH
er portions were used as dungeons in
which to confne, and perhaps torture,
some of his company, or others, under
ban of the church, who, exercising the
reason God gave them, dared to doubt
some of the dogmas of that church,
which requires faith and repudiates
reason.
One street ofthis city is very ancient.
It'is round and crooked, and the
houses are the quaintest and queerest
that | have ever seen. | can not de-