344

THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

Letters from Europe.

 

BY D. W. BARTLETT.

 

Panis, Avaust 30, 1850.

zaAR Cutprex,— When I last
wrote to you, I had just landed

at Liverpool, I believe, from my
fourney across the wide Atlantic.

I stayed in Liverpool only a day and night,

for I am not fond of large cities like it,
that are not filled with beautiful things,

but whose whole life is one of trade. It
is a very useful city; for it is a great port

for all parts oj the world. It rains in
Liverpool almost all the time. It is said
by observers to rain three days out of four,
on the average, all the year round.

As soon as we landed, I got a taste of
the famous English gooseberries. The
ship anchored out in the middle of the
stream, and a steamer came to take us
ashore. Some officers took charge of all
our baggage, and we lay at the wharf or
quay for some time, before it could be
got out. So we all waited to see to it.
In the meantime I jumped ashore, where
I found an old woman selling English
gooseberries. They were very large—
much larger than I ever saw in America,
and very delicious. So I bought a lot of
them, and put them in my handkerchief,
the old woman saying “God bless you,”
and took them down to the ladies of our
ship, who were sitting in the hot sun, and
quite exhausted. We all were obliged
to have our trunks examined at the cus-
tom-house. All our baggage was put in
a place surrounded by a wooden fence,
and the officers were inside. As soon as
they touched a trunk, they called out the
owner’s name, and he came inside. Pres-
ently I heard my own name, and entered,

 

I unlocked my trunk, and said, “There is
the Bible my mother gave me: when I
landed before at Liverpool I paid duty
upon it; I am willing to pay again |”
“Never mind,” replied the officer, who
was a fine fellow. I had a large lot of
maple sugar, which I was taking over to
some English friends as presents, but he
passed that also, and indeed was very civil
to me.

We were very glad, I assure you, once
more to walk the solid streets; and it
seemed at night very delicious to sleep
upon a bed! If any of you ever cross
the Atlantic, you will know how one feels
after a long voyage, to get upon land
among the birds, and trees, and flowers !

The next morning we took a cab to
the railroad terminus, and took cars for
London. At first we entered a long, and
perfectly dark tunnel, under the surface
of the earth. It is nearly three miles
long, and runs under houses, and streets,
and fields. It is a dismal passage; but
we were soon out of it, and among the
wheat-fields of old England. The country
was very beautiful—full of large old trees
and hedges ; and the lots were full of cows
and sheep, grazing contentedly. There
were a great many birds in the air, yet
not of so brilliant colors as the birds in
America, but they sang sweeter. On and
on we went, until after a while we stopped
for refreshments. I looked at the engine
and tender at this stopping-place, and
saw that coal is not used on the English
railways, but something made out of coal
called “coke,” a substance much purer
than coal, and which burns better. Pretty