The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-09-19

Liverpool to enable him to pay ms
way at Cardiff, and requests me to
write you for II. ! am
Yours Respectfully,
n. HAWTHORNE,
ByH. j. Wilding.
The next letter is dated August l3,
and has Hawthorne's neat autograph
appended. The entire series comprises
reference to such details Of consulate
duty as the hunting up OF estrayedl
Americans, the Identification OF dead
sailors and the sealing Of their effects,
tho trial Of masters or seaman for mis-
demeanors, and the like. Among them
all, but one recalls a historic fact or an
incident of national concern. This one
Is dated September l, 1854. 1t is an ap-
plication TO the bishop OF Chester, in
behalf OF a Kentuckian named A. j.
Barry who had come from America to
secure the remains OF his father, for the
removal Of tho body OF General Jack,
sons former postmaster-generat and
Kentucky's Chief justice, Hon. William
Taylor Barry, who had died in Liver.
pool, and was inferred in st. James
cemetery in August, 1888, while en-
route to Madrid to represent the United
States MS Minister toSpain.
The musty old record book had q
wondrous fascination. pored overi 1t
for hours, unconscious OF the temporar.
ily great who called, the certiiication of
invoices, or the interposition OF the
governmental arm in behalf OF the ever
coatless, always innocent and eternally
unfortunate American sailor. One fea-
ture OF all these letters was impressive.
Their breyity and straightforwardness
we're remarkable. There was no pro-
lixity, no prolEer OF opinion, no asser-
ton OF their authors personality. They
marched straight to their objective
point and stopped short there, And
vet there was thread OF the mellowest
humor through them oil, with here and
there hard and hideous facts unpreten-
tiously marshalled, all the sterner for
their gentle phnsing.
OF course there was tradition at our
Liverpool consulate that the veritable
consular offices occupied by Hawthorne
had been located somewhere in Liver
pool. Official caution would would not
permit decided expression OF opinion
as to where that somewhere was. No
Liverpool business men knew. The
antiquarians have not recorded it. Lit
orators and journalists have forgotten,
ifthey ever knew. You cannot find it
in any Of the Hawthorne biographies.
But this vague tradition pointed to the
old Washington Buildings" venera.
BILE pile, the lower story Of the riverward
side of which forms huge Moorish
piazza, giving the name "Gorce PiaZza"
10 trailic.deafening portion of Liver
POOLS chief shipping thoronghfare.
To this crumbling relic OF Liverpoors
old commercial days lhastencd with
many misgivings. | CROPPED through
antique Railways, wainscotted with ma
hogany and black with age; and climb
cd curious old staircases, foot-worn foot
deep in grooves, dangerous with sudden
,sNrns and half landings, and decorated
with strangely carved ornaments and
slender, twisted balustrades. Huge
Knockers were set in low. wide doors
Narrow, barred transoms let slivers OF
light through above them. These dis
closed many quaint metal relief or in
taglio of rude design, set with unintelli-
gable purpose, in corners, above doors,
upon beams, or in the yellow and crack
cd ceilings. Wonderful old stuccoes
still cling in unexpected angles and
spaces; and huge brackets, like those
supporting hesignp ostsof ancient inns,
or for lamps and cumbrous chandeliers
Of later, though still ancient time,
projected here and there as tokens OF
the structures hale old age. Thus up,
up, up, scrambled, making hest
tant inquiries in bare, bleak offices,
where the Oldest men / eversaw seemed
but wraiths, ghostily pantomimic OF
humans and affairs in some far, forgot
ten time; away in the attic to the care
takers grinning wife; and then, with
no clue to what / sought, down again
through the labyrinth OF halls and over
the ruinous stairways TO the roaring OF
the florries" in the street below. Halt
ing in bitter disappointment on the
| first landing door l had not previ-
ously seen stood open. Some vagrant
impulse babe me enter. found within
it one desk, two chairs and n bluff,
hearty, weather-beaten Englishman,
tile sole furnishings. But also saw
over the ancient fireplace an almost
elIaced symbol OF my own loved land.
which had escaped all other eyes for
thirty-fve years. To mo something
like a sudden glory enveloped lonely
desk. chairs, weather-beaten English
man and ancient fireplace; for stood
where Nathaniel Hawthorne had strug-
gled with official life in England for
four mortal years.
EDGAR l.. wAKBMAN. +