National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-06
A HISTORIC ENGLISH TOWN,
COAST CITIES AND EARLY AMERICAN
C0LONIlATI0N.
City of the British Empire Natives
Taugh Local History by an Amerl-
can-How the Slave Trade Affected
business.

BRISTOL, ENdLAND, Jan. 22.-ThC ancient
associations Of the old English seaport
towns with the early history of America
give them great interest in our eyes, nor do
we often regard them in a light other than as
connected with some special and prominent
incident. Falmouth is recalled to us by the
story Of Bartholomew Gosnold's expedition
TO Cape Cod. We know Southampton as
the port whence departed in 1920 two YES
sells, schooner sized, throngcd with people
resOute to face the winter Atlantic. We
remember Plymouth as the haven into
which these vessels were driven-the one
wreck, the other almost unseaworthy. We
know that the Specdwell never left the
haTbor, but that her consort, the Maynowcr,
carried safely to Plymouth Rock the
founders OF Massachusetts,. We associate
Bristol with many Of the historic western
oil to see the mainland OF America, sailed
from this port. Martin Froblsher came
back here with his live spoils from his fruit
less search for the northwest passage. The
great founder Of Pennsylvania lived here
for time, where his co.religionists, the
Quakcrs, were many. An American who
goes into these communities impressed with
their age, history, and misty traditions eX-
tending back to dark and gloomy Druidism,
will shortly find, II he be Industrious, that
he is far more acquainted with the antique
ties Of the town than are the great majority
Of the:inhabltants.
"Do YOU know said once to q Bristol
friend, "that we stand on the actual spot
where six successive nations of men fought
and toiled and slept and fought again
These ancient mounds around us are all
that remains Of the ancient Briton, Tura-
man man, savage, cannibal probably
That depression marks his burrow, his
earth home, Of which In time the BelgH
robbed him, only TO surrender II In after
centuries to the Roman. He, far too
luxurious to live in a hole, built him a
house; but lie was glad to intrench himself
within the ancient fortified dwelling place.
When he moved the Saxon came, and then
the Dane, and lastly the Norman"
My friend looked at me with lacklustcr
eye, and feebly muttered "Lorm
And yet the Bristol Of to-day should slim
ulate inquiry into its past, for 1t is curious
commingling Of old and new. Its narrow
streets, winding as a maze, with their an
cient, overlapping houses cheek by iowl
with elaborate modern buildings, have an
archaic flavor. The original town walls,
now long since disappeared, inclosed onlya
few acres, and Of those few not one square
yard was unnecessarily wasted in streets,
which are therefore far too narrow for arch
itectural effects. We thread our way, in
and out; through streets apparently alb
ruptly ending, but which, at the last mo-
ment, cut backward nearly parallel with
themselves through streets apparently
never ending-nor do they, for they de-
scribe circle through lanes where the
houses, each story projecting, nearly touch
at the garnet through fOotways pierced
tortuously through the lower floors of con-
tiguous houses. and leading from street
to street. And the churches; they are
everywhere-in the most extraordinary
places now hcmmed in and hidden by
houses; now elevated above them In unique
ways.
K main street of the city ends at the
only remaining ancient gate, the rest hav-
ing one by one yielded to the pressure for
room. Over that gate Is erected a church,
and as you pass through the gloomy arch
way beneath, noting the rusty hooks that
once bore the vanished porteullls, you hear
from overhead the organ tones commln-
| Cling In gentle cadence with the city's hum
| But If churches and spires and towers seem
numerous now, what should we have
| thought had we viewed the city 400 years
ago. On Its crencllated walls were twenty
| three strong towers, besides nine over the
| principal gates; the adjacert Bristol castle,
| now gone entirely, but at that time equal
almost in strength and dimensions to the
| Tower Of London, protected its embatted
walls by seven towers. There were nine
teen parish churches, each with spires, some
of which exceeded 200 feet In height.
Surely were the souls of the 1000 Bristol
ians well cared for, for beside the parish
churches, the approaches to the city on
every side were occupied by religious
bodies, whose possessions are still indi-
Gated by the nomenclature of the Bristol
NJ. Iii.
dictines, Carmelites, secular priests,
Knights Tcmplar held the city's throat,
owning all the land around, and by menace
and whcedling they levied fat toll on the
city's landward trade
What a stir 1t kicked up among these
shaveling monks when, In 1884, Latimer
came to Bristol.
Bishop Ilolyman, Mary's appointee, com
| planned that the magistrates came seldom
| to the sermon at the cathedral, $50 that
| the dean and chapter used to go to their
| bones in procession, with the cross carried
before them, to fetch them thence II is
| presumed that the "wiggingn the NUM-
| cipality got on this occasion had due effect,
for since that time they are regular church
| goers.
There is an antique and richly ornamented
church here that was bought by the city OF
| Henry VIII. 1t Is called the "Mayor's
| Chapel and is visited by that officer occa-
| sionally In state, accompanied by the alder
| man and town council. The state carriage
| comes out at this and other times-a heavily
| gllded coach, driven by the conventionally
| rubicund coachman, habted in yellow, silk
| faced livery, with knee breeches, buckle
| shoes, and shovel hat. The coach, driver,
| and footman, who stands behind and eX-
| hibits his enormous calves to an admiring
| world, are picture from Dick Wilmington.
| His worship the mayor, In full court suit of
| black velvet, with lace ruffs, black silk
stockings, and gold chain of Office, precedes,
while the aldermen follow In their ample
| red and furfaced robes of offices.
The Office of these latter dates from
far-sceing Edward Ill, who, in 1874,
brought over some Flemish weayers,
some of whom settled in Bristol. These
turbulent and heady citizens of Client,
| Bugcs, and Liege found themselves in Bris-
| tol among as sturdy a lot as they had left
behind them, and the introduction Of their
"customs, liberties, and laws allowed by
the astute Edward, added new and curious
features to the melange Of Roman, Saxon
and Norman institutions existing, The
weayers, so important was their trade now
become, We're allowed to choose four calder
men," who should "supervise the mysteries
Of their craft,n which was really the staple
trade of the town and district. The yer
dant Cotswold and Mendip hills swarmed
with sheep. Every monastery and abbey Ii
all the lovely wales of Somerset Gloucester
and Wits was a vast fold; and so many Of
these religious institutions were there thai
1t was n common expression to denote GER
tainty to say that q fact was n sure 'as God
is in Gloucester The Cistcrcian monk,
at Tintcn on the Wye had alone over 3,OOi
sheep.
All these came to Bristol. 1t was the cap
ital Of the west, second alone to London
aud destined to hold that proud position
through centuries up to within $50 years
when then the eXigencles Of trade drew III
staple to the north and its ships to Liver
pool Among its manufactures at this tint
was a striped long mapped wooden cloth 70
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