The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-10-01
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE.
EDGAR WAKEMAN PURsUEs HIS SEARCH
FOR "REMINISCENCES.
He Furnishes Up the Consulate Coat of Arms
In Drayman's Squalid Office and
Traces Up Hawthorne's Old
Haunts and Habits.
LONDON, Eng, Sept. Is, 1891.

"
to, "E pluribus unum," streaming
from it's regal beak, whetherit be well
or lily painted, upon the escutcheons
adoring the office doors or inner
apartments of our consular represen-
tatives in foreign lands.
The one discovered in the old Wash
ington buildings, Liverpool and which
disclosed the very apartment where
Nathaniel Hawthorne had been our
consul from August, 1858, to Septem-
Der, 1857-of which was at once able
to make proof-was the most welcome
one my own eyes had beheld. 1t had
been painted upon tin or zinc, and
nailed securely to the long, narrow
panel, which it lad been made to e.
actly cover, between the old fashioned
fireplace and the tiny projection of a
mantel above. Succeeding coats of
paint upon the woodwork of the room
had blended it's edges with the fire.
place frame, and half century of
English coal smoke had all but OBJ
scured its rich Vandyke tints.
With the weather-beaten English
mans CHEEKY permission, my hand
kerchief and some petroleum, readily
secured in one of the ship supply
stores on the GOree Piazza below, +
soon had the fine escuGcheon glowing
in its original beauty and significance.
Then it was delight to sit there, or
wander back and forth between this
room and the adjoining one, which 1
found had been the outer and business
office of the consulate, and, with a
loving fancy, bring back into their
accustomed places the surroundings,
occupants and belongings of these
two little old rooms.
In Hawtherne's time Washington
buildings-Which is a single huge
building fronting the river to the
south, Brunswick street on the west
and the Back Goree on the Rorth-was
one of the structural lions of Liverpool.
Beneath its great Moorish riverward
piazza scores of merchants did q
mighty business in ship chandlery.
The offices above belonged to the cot
ton kings and the great ship owners
and shipping merchants of Liverpool.
Every room in the vast hive swarmed
with head men and clerks, and roared
with blatant and profitable rivalry.
Opposite the piazza were forests of
masts, busy wharves and a thorough
fare packed night and day, under
fiaring cressets in fogs and by might,
with "lorries" drawn by Immense
Welsh and Lancashire horses, tandem,
with their wonderful loads of the
WORLDS produce.
Around Brunswick street and the
Back Goree swept and crowded the
tremendous activities of she then
greatest port of the world, Here and
there and al about Were quaint old
inns, famous coffee houses and Won
drous snug:geries, where, ins5till earlier
time, the DID slave traders met; and
aapd wher lai er tie shipmb sters came,
Ihe q ehai Ger parties" for cs,rgoes were
executor OVER rum ana J1rams, and
representing almost inealculable val
ues, were settled. Facing all this on
Brunswick street, apd extending
around Ahelongth of the two rooms on
Back Goree,: and on whaG the English
call the "firsj floor" that one first
above Ihe shop or basement floor,
reached BYE unique, almost perpen-
dicular, stair case of mahogany steps,
balustrsdes and wainsGoting, from
Brunswick street, was located the
American consulate of Eawthorne's
time, the finest suite of offices in the
great seaport city.
FolloHing;the slender, twisted bal
ustrades you}eOme to the outer office.
Its door is atSthe street end of the mar
row hall. This is "No. /, Washing
ton Buildings" 1t was where Wild
ing, vice consul, with his one clerk
and Office messenger, enacted the part
sof sort of invincible breakwater to
all the tides of wandering and unfor-
1unate fiot sam and jetsam which set
in upon the kind hearted Consul Haw-
tnorne. 1t is now occupied by one
desk set on dangerously high and
spindle legs, one boy, who squints ter
rfbly as he whistles worse, and a Sc
we're man in chin whiskers, a quicker
~6fcstern but hesitant decision in his
lips, and clothes that strongly SAVIOR
of the stable, whose office sign pre-
supposes it's owner to be one "James
Winstanley, Team Owner
Dig lulhluS lCllOW6, WlUn TdS ping
stufy voices, with coats slung over
theii arms and feTocious but harmless
whips-for Liverpool lorrymen never
strike their horses, more honor to
theml-doze and lounge within. There
are two huge but diminutive paned
windows overlooking Brunswick
street. Two more admit the light
from Back Goree. All of them were
made double, to exclude the deafening
clatter of the once busy locality: In
one corner, across the angle, is little
iron fireplace with fantastic ornamen--
tation. The narrowest little mantel
in all the world is above this, higher
than ones head. Next to this, set
into the thick wall, is safe like a
Dutch oven, and it's iron door is as
wondrous in bolts, hinges, fit and
tiniah as the door Of frontier cow
shed. Really curious old appoint
ments are these, and they were made
to remain.
Between this outer Office and the |
rear apartment was, and is, little
oovarad antrV-a hOX LARGE enough to |