Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-09-29
MAILMAN WANDERINGS
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE IN ENG.
LAND-l.

inEs," which Once Housed Cotton
Kings and Our Consuiate-SuPerb Pen
Pictures Of ~avthorn surroundings
Omee- and Haunts a Hawthorne
Corner"-RecoIIections.
Copyright. 1891. by Edgar l. Wakeman.l
LONDON, Sept bit always thrills the
heart Of an American traveller TO see the
blazon Of a soaring eagle with cur national
motto, "E pluribus unum," streaming from
its regal beak. whether it be well or lily
painted. upon the escutcheons adjoining
the Office doors or inner apartments of our
consular Representatives in foreign lands.
The one discovered in the old Washing
ton buildings Liverpool. and which dis
close the very apartment where Nathaniel
Hawthorne had been our consul from
August, 1853. to September. ls57-of which
! was at once able TO max proof-was the
most welcome one my own eyes had ever
beheld. IL had been painted upon tin OF
zinc, and nailed securely 10 the long, mar
row PANEL. which it had been made TO ex-
actly cover, between the old fashioned fire
place and the tiny projection Of a mantel
above. Succeeding coats of paint upon the
woodwork Of the room had blended its
edges with the fireplace frame, and half a
century Of English coal smoke had all but
obscured its rich vandyke tints.
! soon had the fine escutcheon glow.
ing in its original beauty and significance
Then il was a delight 20 sit there, or wan
der back and forth between this room snd
the adjoining one, which / found had been
the outer and business Office Of the consu-
late, and bring back into their accustomed
places, with a loving fancy, the surround
ings, occupants aud belongings Of these
two little old rooms
In H~awthorne's time Washington build
ings-whicn Is "a single huge building
fronting the river TO the south, Brunswick
street on the west and the Back Goree on
the north-was one Of the structural lions
Of Liverpool Beneath its great Moorish
riverward piazza scores Of merchants did a
mighty business IN ship chandlery. The
offices above belonged 10 the cotton kings
and the great ~shipowners n shipping
merchants Of Liverpool Every room In
the vast hive swarmcd with head men and
clerks. and roared with blatant and profit
able rivalry. Opposite the piazza were for
ests Of masts, busy wharvss and a thor
oughfare packed night and day. under
haring cressets IN fogs and by night, 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 the then greatest port Of the
world. Here and there and all about were
quaint old inns. famous coffee houses and
wondrous snuggeries, where, in a still ear
lier time, the old slave traders met; and
where later the shipmasters came, the
charter parties" for cargOes were exc
cuted over rum or jorams, and innumer-
able affairs Of sea and land. representing
almost incalculable values. were settled.
Facing all this on Brunswick street, and
extending around the length Of the two
rooms on Back Goree, and on what the
English call the first floor" that one first
above the shop OF basement floor, reached
by a unique, almost perpendicular, stair
case Of mahogany steps, balustrades and
wainscoting. from Brunswick street, was
located the American consulate Of Haw.
thorne's time, then the finest suite Of Of
fees in the great seaport city.
Following the slender, twisted balus.
trades, you come TO the outer Office. Its
door is at the street end OF the narrow hall
This is mo I Washington buildings" Il
was where Wilding. vice consul, with his
one clerk and Office messenger, enacted the
part OF a sort Of invincible breakwater to
all the tides Of wandering and unfortunate
hotsam and jetsam which set in upon the
hearted Consul Hawthorne. II is now
occupied by one desk set on dangerously
high aud spindle legs, one boy who squints
as he whistles worse. and a severe
man in chin whiskers. a pucker Of stern
but hesitant decision IN his lips, and clothes
strongly SAVIOR Of the stable, whose
ofhce sign presupposes its owner 10 be one
James Winstanley. Team Owner"
Big, hulking fellows, with rasping,
stuffy voices. with coats slung over their
and ferOciOus but harmless whips
Tor Liverpool lorrymen never strike their
horses, more honor TO theml-dozs and
OUNCE within. There are Two huge but
iiminutive paned Windows overlooking
brunswick street. Two mute admit the
light from Back Goree. All ~ them were
made double, TO exclude the deafening
'latter OF the once busy locality. In one
,orner, across the angle. Is "a little iron
with fantastic ornamentation.
The narrowest little mantel in all the
world Is above this, higher thar ones head.
Next 10 this, set into the thick wall. is a
afe like a Dutch oven, and its iron door is
IS %wondrous in bolts, hinges, ft and finish
IS the door Of a frontier cowshed. Really
olu appointments are these. and
hey were made 10 remain.
Between this outer Office and the rear
partment was, and is, a little covered en-
box large enough to hide and hold a
lalf dozen sopcoats, hats aud mackin-
oshes. From this a small door opened into
iawthOrne's private Office, or, rather,
pened into another little box Of an entry
nth two doors. One Of these opened into
iawtbOrne's room, and the other gave'
TO and from the hallway. :
II too closely pressed by forlo.n stran- ,
ers, o-bstreperous sailors, oficiOus cap :
aims, or more unbearable lion hunters, he p.
emily opened his door to the little closet, :
onned his hat and coal noiselessly and :
i~sappaared through the side door into the !
allway, from lei making his exit into )
lack Goree through a narrow and unfrs .
uented side entrance When the coast .
ocams clear Wflding always knew his /.
lsasenger would ind him, either wander :
g and musing in old St. Nicholas church :
ard, conveniently near, or In q certain !
Aker's shop. reached through one OF two :
arrow back streets. "whsre there wa . i.
inch counter ~ which one could stand :
I'd eat excsllent bread and butter and =
,aana - and whar. eka Id IuIfa. .,s~ks \