The record-union., 1891-09-19

to no one, turning not to the right or the
left, looking almost sad in his absorption,
but who suddenly reappeared with his
joyous tiny brOod-the most boyish man
that ever strolled long miles with chill
dren on this endless, level, golden beach,
or played hide-and-seek with them
among the outlying dreary dunes of
sand.
No one here had ever known him per-
sonally. The nearest, was one venerable
pensioner, an old-time myrmidon Of the
law, who had aided in bringing to justice
two STRIPPING burglars that had ransacbed
the hawthorne apartments, and, being
disturbed, had gotten away with few ar
ticles Of no great value, including Haw-
thorne's boots and top-coat said pen
sioner regarding the novelist as ''proper
sofb' for his evident secret desire that the
depredators should escape punishment.
But all of these kindly old voices had a
broken bar or two to sing for the man
whose mere retired few months presence
had left more responsive chords than
could all of some great and vigorous
mems lives.
This and much else made me impatient
to arrive at the American Consulate, at 26
Chapel street, Liverpool. Here, l sur
missed, would be found veritable store
of reminiscence. From this one could
reach out in all directions and gather,
feast and enjoy.
1t is a very fine and stately place, our
Liverpool Consulate, as BELTS the agency
OF our Government in one of the greatest
of foreign ports. 1t has in profusion plate
glass, ground glass and stained glass,
nickel furnishing. brass knobs, soft-toned
silver call-bells, fine old furniture, wise
faces, frilled shirts, gray hairs and an
unctious cathedral air of cautious and
trained repose about it. One instinctively
removes his hat and clears his throat
well before attempting penetrative efforts,
and speaks in low tone of voice and
steps softly, on being ushered into the
wide, high, pleasant private apartments
OF our Consul. He is glad, too, he has
done all this, when he has met that Off
cial, for no Difference is too great when a
real gentleman is at the objective end
of it.
The transcendent Iuster of Hawthorne's
personal Identification with the Liverpool
Consulate, must be sought either in books
or outside of Liverpool in the hearts OF
men. Consul sherman is sure he adj
mireS the genius of Hawthorne as much
as anybody. Sometime when he is not
too busy he is going to- look up something
about the man. After ones shock this
interest and enthusiasm are gratifying.
MOncure d. Conway, when preparing
his pleasant and wonderfully analytic
book, Hawthorne" just published in
lll0 ILuS1lSu NIGdG w IlICTS' series. mao
written to the Consulate for Hawthorne
"reminiscences, which Conway, like my
self, had innocently believed must be
positively exuding from every official
pore Of the place. Now ] had come along
glowing with expectancy regarding this
very same Hawthorne matter From a
business standpoint it was quite remark
able. Indeed the matter must really be
looked into
YOu Ivollld have tO trayal in IuoDIy for
eign countries to find more kindly or
courteous Consul than this one at Liver
pool, but our Consulate here, which, in
the paltriest recognition Of the glorious
distinction conferred upon it through its
occupancy by the greatest romancist
America ever produced, should remain a
Yeritable Hawthorne shrine, is absolutely
barren OF single memento from appre-
| ciative or loving hand. One little ''Otfice
record-book," containing copies of the
most ordinary routine business letters.
and signed more often by ''Vilding, Vice
Consul" than by the novelist, comprises
every yestige to be found within the
American Consulate regarding Nathaniel
Hawthorne.
On page 1877 of this faded old book, and
Immediately following the last official
letter, dated July y, 1858, by his prede-
ceSsOr, the Hon. Thomas l.. Crittenden OF
Kentucky, is found the first official letter
by Hawthorne. He had arrived at Liv-
erpool, on the steamer Niagara from Hal
flax, July 18th. The exact date of his
taking possession Of the office is not ac-
cessible, either at the consulate or in any
of his biographies. This letter, addressed
| to Colonel Thomas Aspinwall, then Uni
ted States Consul at London, and dated
Liverpool, August, 1855" is as fol-
lows:
DEAR SIR: 1 have been applied to by a man
named Hector Frazier for means to enable
hiIn 10 reach Cardiff 10 reioin his vessel the
| -. V. Given" He states that he has two
sums of flO and E3 in your hands belonging
10 hlm, and wants to receive the former sum
| a. ~ Liverpool TO enable him to pay his way al
CaraIn, and requests me TO write for it,
am, yours respectfully,
n. HAWTHORNE,
By II. J. Wildlng.
The next letter is dated August 18th.
and has Hawthorne's neat autograph ap-
pended. The entire series comprises ref
erence to such details of consulate duty as
the hunting up of estrayed Americans.
the identification of dead sailors and the
sealing or disposal of their effects, the
trial of masters or seamen for demeanors
and the like. Among them all but one
recalls historic fact or an incident of ma
tional concern. This one is dated Sep
tember /, 1854. 1t is an application to the
Bishop of Chester, in behaifofa Kentuck
IfhAi AAttIASA ~ -. 4OdIl y WHO udu come
from America to secure the remains OF
his father, for the removal of the body OF
General JackSon's former Postmaster
General and Kentucky's Chief Justice.
Hon. William Taylor Barry, who had
died in Liverpool, and was inferred in
81. James cemetery, in August, 1885,
Whlle en- route to Madrid to represent the
United States as Minister to Spain.
The musty old record book had won
drous fascination. l pored over it for
hours, unconscious of the temporarily
great who called, the certification of in
voices, or the interposition of the Govern
mental arm in behalf of the ever coatless.
always innocent and eternally unfortu-
nate American sailor. One feature of all
these letters was impressive. Their brev-
ity and straightforwardnes were re-
markable. There was no prolixity, no
proffer of opinion, no assertion of their
authors personality. They marched
straight to their objective point and
stopped short there. And yet there was
thread of the mellowest humor through
them all, with here and there hard and
hideous facts unpretentiously marshalled,
all the sterner for their gentle phrasing.
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 not permit
a decided expression of opinion as to
where that somewhere was. No Liver
pool business men knew. The ANTIGUA
rlans have not yet recorded it. Lifera-
tors and journalists have forgotten if they
ever knew. You cannot find it in any of
the Hawthorne biographies. But this
vague tradition pointed to the old Wash
ington Buildings" venerable pile. the
lower story of the riverward side of
which forms huge Moorish piazza, Civ
ing the name "Gorce Piazza" to a traffic
deafening portion of LiverpooPs chief
shipping thoroughfare.
To this crumbling relic of Liverpoops
old commercial days l FASTENED with
many misglyings. ] groped thrnnrh an