I was placed on the Liverpool Borough Bench of Magistrates in 1873; on the Lancashire County Bench in 1882; on the Cheshire County Bench in 1900; and was made a Deputy-Lieutenant for Lancashire in 1902.
In 1900 Mr. Aspinall Tobin, on behalf of the Lancashire County Bench, invited me to be nominated as the deputy-chairman of Quarter Sessions. Lord Derby had retired from the chair, and Mr. Hugh Perkins had taken his place, therefore a deputy-chairman was wanted.
In accepting this invitation, I decided if elected to this important position to devote myself to the study of the criminal law, and to qualify myself as a magistrate, as far as a layman could do so. My spare time for several years was spent in reading the law of evidence and criminal law, and I also learnt a great deal from my chairman, who was a very painstaking magistrate, and who very kindly gave me much good advice. Mr. Perkins retired in 1894 and I was appointed chairman, and became the only lay chairman in Lancashire,the other three chairmen being all Queen's counsel. I was also elected chairman of the County Bench and of the Licensing Justices.
We had eight sessions in our court in each year, and this with the licensing work kept us very busy on several occasions. The sessions in those days lasted seven and eight days, and once even ten days.
The appeals from the decisions of the City Justices on licensing questions were very numerous; at one sessions we heard thirty-eight appeals, and as in most cases they involved the loss of the license these appeals were fought with great vigour, and Queen's counsel were generally engaged in their conduct.
Lord Mersey and the Honourable Justices Walton, Pickford, and Horridge, practised at our Quarter Sessions. I was gratified to receive a letter from one of these learned judges saying that what he knew of the rules of evidence had been mainly acquired in our court. Quarter sessions may be termed the nursery of the Bar. Young men get their first briefs, called "soups," at quarter sessions, and are naturally anxious to air their knowledge of the law, but many have to learn that the theory and the practice of the law are not quite the same, and that the application of the theory can only be obtained by practical experience in court, and this more particularly applies to the rules of evidence.
In addition to the judges named many eminent King's counsel have made their first start at our Quarter Sessions. I can recall the names of Messrs. McConnell, K.C., Steel, K.C., Collingwood Hope, K.C., W. F. Taylor, K.C., Alfred Tobin, K.C., and F. E. Smith, K.C., M.P.
For fifteen years we had no deputy-chairman of Quarter Sessions, which made my position somewhat arduous, as I could not absent myself from my post. In the end my old friend, Mr. W. Scott Barrett, the chairman of the County Council, was appointed my deputy, and a better selection could not have been made.
No part of my judicial work gave me more anxiety than the licensing appeals. One naturally felt great sympathy with the City Justices in their desire to reduce the drinking facilities which had been the cause of so much misery and wretchedness in Liverpool, but at the same time the scales of justice had to be held evenly. Whatever our decisions were, we felt they would meet with severe criticism; but this did not deter us from doing what we considered to be our duty, though we knew that our decisions might involve in many cases serious pecuniary loss and hardship. I am happy to think that our conduct of this very difficult business gave satisfaction, both to the public and to the licensees.
My experience on the bench has not been fruitful in incidents, although one day when sittingat Petty Sessions in the city a lame woman was charged with breaking a window by throwing her crutch through it. The police evidently apprehended that she might use her crutch as a weapon while standing for her trial in the dock, for she had a bad character, and they carefully surrounded her; but she was too clever for them, and managed to hurl her crutch with great force at the Bench. Fortunately, it fell short and dropped harmlessly upon the clerk's chair, which was happily vacant.
At Petty Sessions in 1889 Mr. Scott Barrett sat with me to hear the charge against Mrs. Maybrick for the murder of her husband by administering arsenic. The enquiry lasted two days and we committed her for trial on the capital charge, feeling no doubt as to our duty, though of course we heard only the evidence for the Crown. It afterwards became acause celèbre. Mrs. Maybrick was condemned to death, but the sentence was commuted to penal servitude. She had many influential friends, and the agitation to obtain her release was continued with great activity for many years.
In connection with my duties as chairman of the County Bench, I also acted as chairman of the Visiting Justices of the Jail at Walton. We visited every month, inspected the prison, heard any complaints which the prisoners had to make,sanctioned any extraordinary punishments, and distributed the funds subscribed to assist prisoners upon their discharge. During the ten years of my chairmanship, great reforms were introduced by the Prison Commissioners. The "treadmill" was abolished; the "cat o' nine tails," which originally was composed of nine strings of hard whipcord, each string having nine knots, was robbed of its terror, each string now being made of soft string without any knots, until, as a warder said to me, "I cannot even warm them up with it." Although these changes are all in the right direction, I cannot but think they have gone too far, as among the 1,200 prisoners at Walton there are many very rough characters, very difficult of control. Walton is now a great industrial reformatory, with prison discipline and prison diet. The governor told me he never saw the prisoners work with so much energy as when engaged breaking up the "treadmill"; every prisoner on entrance had to do a month on the "treadmill," whatever his sentence might be, and there is no doubt it was a severe punishment. The only severe punishment now left is solitary confinement, which is a terrible ordeal, and its abolition is now under the consideration of the prison authorities.
I must tell one good story. Mr. Platt, the head of the great engineering firm at Oldham, was the High Sheriff, and was inspecting the jail, and saw on the "treadmill" one of his workmen; heexclaimed, "Thomas, I am sorry to see you here." Thomas replied, wiping the beads of perspiration off his brow, "Aye, Master Sam, if they had this 'ere machine in Holdham they would work it by steam, wouldn't they?"
One day, when visiting the firewood factory, in which we gave temporary employment to discharged prisoners, we directed that about a dozen men should be sent away to seek work, as they had been too long in the factory. The following week there was an outbreak of burglaries in Bootle, and the whole crowd were back again in jail.
The shrievalty of the County Palatine has always been esteemed the blue riband of shrievalties. Unlike his compeers elsewhere, the Lancashire sheriff is specially nominated by the King, whilst the office has always been maintained in circumstances of considerable splendour, and entails upon the sheriff the arduous duty of attending eleven assizes in the year, occupying on an average 130 days. The hospitalities attached to the office are also considerable, for the sheriff has to give a dinner to the grand jury and members of the bar at each assize.
Much deference has to be paid to the Judges of Assize, and many points of old-world courtesy and etiquette have to be observed, which add to the interest attaching to the office; and therecan be little doubt that the sheriff's turn-out—a coach-and-four, with trumpeters and javelin men in their handsome liveries of dark blue and old gold—serves to impart dignity to the administration of the law, and to impress the multitude with its majesty and power.
The High Sheriff is the representative of the King, and takes precedence of everyone in the county, except the Judges of Assize and the Lord Lieutenant.
I was nominated to the office in 1893, and again in 1896, but, there being no one to take my place at Quarter Sessions, I asked to be excused. It was, however, a position which appealed to me—it seemed to me to be the coping-stone to my long devotion to judicial work—and when I was again nominated in 1908, I accepted, and was duly "pricked" by the King.
I appointed the Rev. Canon Armour, D.D., as my chaplain, and my son Miles as the under-sheriff.
The Shire-reve, or high sheriff, was in the old Saxon days a position of great authority and power. He not only was the criminal judge of his shire, but also collected the King's exchequer, and the office was one which brought considerable profit to the holder. All this has been changed, the judicial functions and the collection of the King's revenue have long since been transferred to others; but theoretically the sheriff has considerable powers left in his hands—the power of arrest and the charge ofthe jails in the county, while the empanelling of juries and all legal processes of every kind are made in his name. He is also the returning officer at all elections; this in Lancashire involves considerable work, as the sheriff is responsible for parliamentary elections in twenty-three divisions, but fortunately for him, the detail work is discharged by the under-sheriff or acting under-sheriff, of whom in Lancashire there are three.
At the Lancaster Assizes in June, 1909, we had an interesting and picturesque ceremony. We drove up in the State carriage to the castle, and were received there by the Constable of the Castle, Mr. Dawson, supported by his two retainers, who were dressed in their costume of the fourteenth century. We proceeded into the Shire Hall, and the Constable requested me to hang my coat-of-arms on the walls with those of my predecessors since 1188. Having done so the trumpeters sounded a fanfare, and afterwards played "A fine old English gentleman." I then made a short speech, and the Constable, with similar ceremony, proceeded to place on the walls the shields of six of his predecessors as Constables. The Constables go back to the time of John of Gaunt. The shields of the Sheriffs and Constables are grouped under the shields of the various monarchs under whom they served, and make a very brave and interesting show. The Shire Hall was filled with spectators, and the function was quite mediæval and interesting in character.
In July, 1909, His Majesty King Edward visited Lancashire to present the colours to the newly-created Territorial Army. This was a special compliment to Lancashire, which had very nobly responded to the call made upon her and had raised a force of 36,000 men. The King and Queen stayed at Knowsley. In the park 15,000 Territorials were reviewed; and on the day following their Majesties proceeded to Worsley Park, where a further 12,000 were reviewed. The high sheriff being a civil officer, I had nothing to do with these functions as they were military, but we were invited to lunch at Knowsley and were then presented to the King and Queen, and afterwards at lunch we had the seats of honour, as it appears that when the King is present the high sheriff takes precedence even of the lord lieutenant. It was an interesting function, and in spite of indifferent weather passed off well.
One of the pleasantest incidents of the shrievalty is the number of distinguished and interesting people one meets. Upon the grand jury we altogether summoned 250 of the leading men of the county, and at our banquets we entertained, in addition to the grand jury, all the official world of the county and many others. During my year I had not only the honour of meeting our late King Edward, but King George, who, as Prince of Wales, was on a visit to Knowsley. I had some years ago the honour of escorting King George and the Queen over the Overhead Railway, when I was surprised and gratified with his interestin commerce, and the knowledge he displayed of the trade of the port; and in the somewhat lengthy conversation his Majesty honoured me with last year at Knowsley, I was still further impressed with his knowledge of Liverpool and his interest in the construction and movements of our great Atlantic liners. His Majesty struck me as being very "human" in his thoughts and sympathies, and ardent in his wish to be in touch with the activities which make for the advance and progress of the country; and I therefore look forward to a reign that will not only be distinguished and brilliant, but in which our King will be found to recognise and encourage by his interest the efforts of his subjects in all that makes for the advancement of the country and the well-being of his subjects.
Ramleh, East Front
"Ramleh," East Front.
The judges at our Spring Assizes this year were Lord Coleridge and Mr. Justice Hamilton. They spent the week-end with us at Bromborough. At the Winter Assizes in November we had Mr. Justice Ridley and Mr. Justice Bray. These Assizes will be memorable as having introduced what will be practically continuous sittings in Liverpool and Manchester of the civil judge.
I have been much interested in sitting on the bench during the progress of trials at Assizes. It is an education, and one cannot but be impressed with the great care the judges exercise, and with their patience and solicitude for the prisoner.
Having already described the pretty suburbs of Bootle, Seaforth and Litherland, lying to the north of Liverpool, and the little seaside resort, Waterloo, as they were in the 'forties and 'fifties, we will now proceed further afield. Two miles to the north-west of Waterloo the quaint old-fashioned village of Crosby stood, with its thatched black and white cottages and its old church built of red brick with its square tower. Between Crosby and the seashore there were no houses. Immediately to the north of Waterloo, Squire Houghton had built a large house (Sandheys) surrounded by quite a park, but to the north of this there was only a long stretch of sandhills until Hightown Lighthouse was reached. About 1860 Mr. Arnold Baruchson built a large house on the sea front, which for some years was the only house on the shore, and was the beginning of Blundellsands. Other large houses followed, lining both sides of Burbo Bank Road. The splendid air and magnificent marine views quickly made Blundellsands an attractive place, but it had no roads, only sandylanes, and the only approach was the circuitous one through Crosby. Its little iron church nestled in the sand dunes. Altogether it was a very quiet, secluded place. We took up our residence at "Ramleh" in 1871. Shortly afterwards an American friend expressed his surprise that people who could afford to live in the fine houses he saw scattered about should be content to worship God in a "tin" church, as he termed it. This made me think. I called upon the clergyman, the Rev. B. S. Derbyshire, and put the matter before him, and offered, if he would accompany me, to go round and try to raise money to build a permanent church. Our first effort was not very successful, we received promises of only £1,450; but by dint of begging, bazaars, etc., we eventually got together sufficient money to build St. Nicholas' church, of which Mr. Derbyshire was appointed the first incumbent. Before the iron church was erected a service was held every Sunday by the Rev. S. C. Armour (now Canon Armour) in a schoolroom at Brighton-le-Sands, to which he attracted large congregations by his excellent preaching.
In the slight allusion made to Blundellsands—my home from 1871 to 1898—I have scarcely done justice to its attractions. Probably no place in the United Kingdom possesses a finer marine prospect. Its wide expanse of sea, with its background of the Welsh mountains, Snowdon standing in the far distance, and in the near foreground the constant parade of great merchant ships and steamers, whichpass and repass all the day long, make a picture which for beauty and varying interest it is difficult to surpass.
The Earl of Northbrook, when First Lord of the Admiralty, stayed with us at "Ramleh," and remarked that when he looked out of his bedroom window in the morning he was amazed at the lovely view expanded before him, and could not resist getting up, although it was only seven o'clock, and taking a walk along the terrace in front of the house. At breakfast he told us he knew of no marine view so charming except the Bay of Naples. Of course, it is not possible to compare the two places; each has its points of attractiveness.
"Ramleh" was a fine, commodious house, on the sea front. We bought it partly built; its completion and the various additions we made gave us much pleasure and delight, and we were greatly attached to it.
We had in Crosby an old school, endowed some three hundred years ago by a Crosby boy who made his fortune in London, a part of which he handed to the Merchant Taylors' Company for educational purposes in the village in which he was born.
The school was established, the old schoolhouse erected, and it was carried on with varying, but no great success, for over two hundred years. At one time when the Merchant Taylors came down to inspect it, they found it had been closed for some years, whilst the head-master was living at Sefton quietly drawing his salary. Within my recollection the scholars numbered only fifteen to twenty, and the head-master frequently adjourned the school in the afternoon to go rat-hunting. But when Canon Armour was appointed head-master, he at once sought to bring about a change and extend the area of the school's usefulness. The city property belonging to the school had meantime greatly increased in value, and the opportunity appeared favourable to make the school a great middle-class institution. In this I was in hearty accord with Canon Armour. We called meetings of the inhabitants to promote a petition to the Charity Commissioners in favour of our project. The Vicar of Crosby offered very strong opposition on the ground that we were robbing the poor man of his school. In the end we were successful, the present schools were built at a cost of £37,000, and were soon filled with 250 pupils, and under Canon Armour's able guidance quickly took a leading position for scholarship, and became celebrated for the success attained by the pupils at Oxford and Cambridge. Canon Armour made this school his life's work, and right well he did it.
Bromborough Hall became our residence in 1898. It is a very old house built in 1617, but enlarged several times since, with the result that the exterior, though quaint, is not pleasing—partly Georgian and partly an old English homestead; it cannot be said to have been built in any style of architecture. Fortunately, the entire south front is wreathed with wisteria, jasmine and clematis, and this makes it harmonise with the charming old Dutch garden which stretches out before it. The interior is rambling, but possesses some interesting features. The hall has a stone staircase which winds round the walls as in old Georgian houses. It also has a capacious lounge, a minstrel gallery, and a quaint old oak chimney-piece. It opens out into an alcove which forms a very pleasant resort in summer; and beyond again is the Dutch garden, which is bright and gay in spring with tulips and in summer with begonias and roses. We have a ghost, which however we have never seen, and a priest's room with a cupboard carved in stone for the chalice and patten. The charms of Bromborough Hall are the gardens, which cover about thirteen acres and contain probably the most extensive lawns and the largest trees in Wirral. The outlook from the grounds across the river Mersey is extensive and very lovely. The park is beautifully planted with copsesand groups of trees, and being 500 acres in extent, it forms a very attractive feature. We have a walk three miles in length which passes through the woods down to the river, then along the river bank above the red sandstone cliffs, which at this point margin the river, and back through the woods, which form our boundary on the south.
Bromborough Hall, Garden Front
Bromborough Hall, Garden Front.
Although the present house dates back only to 1617, a Bromborough Hall has existed since the year 1100; this former hall probably stood in the park, as there are clear indications of a moated grange having existed there. The present house was built by a Bridgeman, who became chancellor of the diocese, one of his sons becoming Bishop of Chester, when for a time the hall was the bishop's palace. Another son was made Lord Bradford. The hall afterwards passed into the hands of the Mainwaring family, who for 150 years were the squire rectors of the parish. The family is now represented by Mr. E. Kynaston Mainwaring, of Oteley Park, Salop.
Bromborough was an active village in very remote days. There is strong evidence that the battle of Brunaburg was fought in its neighbourhood—this battle was the "Waterloo" of Anglo-Saxon times, and secured the Saxon ascendancy in England. The story goes that the Danes were encamped at Bromborough, and were joined by the five Irish kings; and that Athelstan, hearing of this, marched out from Chester, gave them battle, and utterly defeated them.The Queen of Mercia afterwards erected a monastery in Bromborough as a thank-offering for this victory. This monastery stood for 200 years, but was destroyed in the times of the Normans. The old Saxon church remained, and was pulled down only in 1822. The Runic stone decorations still exist in the gardens of the rectory, and from these archæologists say the church must have been built about A.D. 800. The two large fields which adjoin Bromborough Park and run down to the sea are known as the "Wargraves," and Bishop Stubbs, the great historian, stated it to be his opinion that this was the site of the famous battle celebrated in verse by Cædmon.
Bromborough was for centuries the chief market town in the Wirral; the village cross around which the market was held still exists, also the manor house in which Charles I. stayed after his defeat near Chester in 1645.
The Old Dutch Garden
The Old Dutch Garden.
The Liverpool dock estate margins the Lancashire shore of the Mersey for six miles, and the offices of the shipowners and merchants, who have their business with the docks, are about the centre. In old days the difficulty of getting to and from the various docks was greatly increased by the crowded state of the adjacent streets. 'Buses ran along the dock lines of rails, but having frequently to pull up for traffic they proved a very slow mode of conveyance, but notwithstanding this they carried 2,500,000 passengers each year. The trade of the port was consequently greatly hindered by the want of rapid communication, and the expenses of the port were increased by the difficulty of moving large bodies of men about. Crews were delayed in getting to their ships, and stevedores and master-porters lost the greater part of the day in going from dock to dock.
Under such circumstances much pressure was brought to bear upon the Dock Board to constructa railway along the line of docks. In the end they obtained Parliamentary powers, but for years they hesitated to proceed with the work.
Some of us thought the Dock Board was unduly timid, and we felt that the trade of the port was being seriously hampered. We approached the Dock Board and offered to find the capital to construct the railway. The Dock Board agreed to our proposals, subject to terms, and Parliament approved of the transfer of these powers to me as representing the directors of the proposed new Overhead Railway. In 1889 we issued a prospectus, the first directors being myself (chairman), Richard Hobson, Harold Brocklebank, George Robertson, Edward Lawrence, and James Barrow. Our capital was subscribed for twice over.
We were fortunate in making our contracts for the ironwork, which we purchased at the lowest price ever known. Our first intention was to work the line with steam locomotives, but during the course of its construction we very seriously thought out the question of electric traction. There was much to deter us from adopting the new motive power. It had not been tried on a large scale; there were unknown risks and dangers, and the cost of the electric equipment would involve an additional outlay of £100,000. Nevertheless we eventually decided to adopt electric traction, laying down as a fundamental principle that everything should be of the best, and that we would try as fewexperiments as possible. We were fortunate in having Sir Douglas Fox and Mr. Francis Fox as our engineers, and Mr. Cottrell as their local representative.
We had many difficulties. The Dock Board, very foolishly I think, refused to allow us to make our structure strong enough to carry goods traffic. The Corporation declined to allow us to carry our line along the foot of St. Nicholas' Churchyard and through the Back Goree, and so avoid our unsightly structure crossing St. Nicholas' Place and destroying one of the most beautiful sites and vistas in Liverpool. I have often been upbraided in the Council for this; but nobody could have done more than I did to avoid it, and the entire responsibility lies at the door of the Health Committee, of which Mr. Hawley was at that time the chairman.
Neither the Dock Board nor the Corporation was sympathetic to our undertaking. The former called upon us to re-make the entire line of dock railway at a cost of £60,000, and the Health Committee, for the privilege of moving one of our columns a few inches outside our Parliamentary limits, required us to re-pave Wapping at a cost of £8,000.
Early in 1893 the railway was completed and ready for opening, and the Marquis of Salisbury,then Prime Minister, kindly undertook to perform the opening ceremony. The opening was fixed for the 3rd February. Lord Salisbury arrived from London the night before, and came direct to my house at Blundellsands. We had a large house party to meet him, including the first Earl of Lathom, Sir William Cooper, Mr. Walter Long, Lord Kelvin, and a number of electrical experts.
The National Telephone Company kindly connected the dinner table with the various theatres in Manchester and in London, and at ten o'clock each guest took a little receiver from under the cloth and enjoyed listening to the various performances at the theatres, where the pantomimes were still running. The Telephone Company had laid special direct wires from my house to the trunk wires from Liverpool, so that the telephonic communications were very clear and distinct.
On a side table was placed a special instrument for Lord Salisbury, which was connected directly with the House of Commons. He went to it, and, taking up the receiver, spoke to Mr. Sydney Herbert, who gave him a report on the progress of the debate on the address. Lord Salisbury was both surprised and delighted, and said: "I can hear someone talking about Uganda." It was the first time the House of Commons was ever connected by telephone.
The next morning we drove down to the generating station of the Overhead, escorted bymounted police. Lord Salisbury started the engines and then rode in a special train from one end of the line to the other, and afterwards we adjourned to the Town Hall for luncheon. He was apparently delighted with the function, and said it was a great pleasure to him to meet scientific men. He was very well up in the details of electric traction, and minutely examined every part of our machinery. A few days after he wrote expressing the pleasure the visit had given him. He said:—"I thank you heartily for a very interesting evening and day at the end of last week. I hate political functions, but this was a very different occasion; it was one of the most interesting twenty-four hours I have passed." Thus was opened the first full-gauged electric railway in the world, and I am glad to think that electrically it has been an unqualified success and has proved a great benefit to the trade of the port. The railway carried in 1908, 9,500,000 passengers.
It also promised to be a good property for our shareholders. Our dividend gradually increased; we had paid 5 per cent. and were well within sight of 6 per cent., when the whole circumstances of our dock traffic were changed by the Corporation introducing electricity into the working of their tramway system and extending their lines so as to parallel the Overhead Railway. We also suffered from the introduction of the telephone and from the substitution of steamers for sailing ships, and of largesteamers for small steamers, all tending to reduce the number of men employed about the docks.
Still I hope and believe there is a future for our little railway, but it is heartbreaking work to run a railway which does not earn a dividend.
We have had many important people to visit our railway, affording as it does an excellent view of the docks, and we have always arranged a special train for their conveyance. Among others whom I have had the honour of escorting over the line are the present King and Queen when Prince and Princess of Wales. Our most amusing and difficult visitor was the Shahzada of Afghanistan. He had no idea of the value of time, and when we arrived at the end of our journey he called for his doctor and then for his apothecary, and it was useless my trying to impress upon his A.D.C. that the whole traffic of the line was being stopped while his Highness took a pill.
I was elected a director of the Bank of Liverpool in 1888, and became the chairman in 1898. It was during my chairmanship that the old bank in Water Street was pulled down and the new bank built, which I had the privilege of opening. I also initiated and conducted the negotiation for the purchase of Wakefield Crewdsons Bank in Kendal.
I was elected a member of the board of directors of the Cunard Company in 1888, and found the work of looking after a great and progressive steamship company to be extremely interesting. For two years I was the deputy-chairman. I resigned this position as it required almost continual attendance at the Cunard offices, which I could not, with all my other engagements, possibly give.
To have been identified with the most forward policy in the shipping world has always been a source of great pride and pleasure to me.
A few years after I joined the board we built the "Lucania" and "Campania," steamers of 13,000 tons and 27,000 horse-power with a speed of 22 knots. They were in size and in speed a long way ahead of any steamer afloat, and created very general and great interest.
At the Jubilee naval review in 1897, held in the Solent, a small steamer made her appearance. She was little more than a big launch, and was called the "Turbinia"; she was propelled by a steam turbine and attained an extraordinary speed. We little thought when we saw this boat rushing about at a great speed that she would create a revolution in the mode of using steam for high-speed vessels.
In 1905 the Germans placed in the Atlantic trade several vessels which steamed 23 and 23½ knots,which secured for them the blue riband of the Atlantic. About the same time the White Star fleet and other Atlantic lines were bought by an American combine, and it appeared as if the whole Atlantic trade was destined to pass into the hands of the Germans and Americans. The country was much excited at the prospect, and pressure was brought upon the Government to assist the Cunard Company, and thus to preserve to the country the "premier" line of Atlantic steamers. The Government offered to lend the Cunard Company the money necessary to build two steamers of 24½ knots speed, and to grant to them a subsidy of £150,000 per annum. These terms being accepted the Cunard Company had then to determine the style both of boat and engines which would best fulfil the conditions of the contract.
Engines indicating 60,000 and 70,000 horse-power were considered necessary for a vessel to attain the guaranteed speed, and this power with reciprocating engines would involve shafting of dangerous size; hence it was decided to appoint a committee of experts to make enquiry as to the working of the "Parsons'" turbines in some channel steamers which were already fitted with this new form of engine. After a prolonged consideration the committee reported in favour of turbine engines. Meantime, experimental models of hull forms had been made and tested in the tanks belonging to the Government, to ascertain the lines which would givethe necessary displacement, and be the most easily propelled. It was eventually decided to build ships of 780 feet in length by 86 feet beam, having a gross register of 34,000 tons, with turbine engines indicating 70,000 horse-power.
The order for one of these ships, the "Lusitania," was placed on the Clyde with Messrs. John Brown and Co., for the other, the "Mauretania," with Messrs. Swan, Hunter and Co., at Newcastle.
The planning of the cabins and the furnishing and decorating of these steamers gave us much thought, as we were anxious they should be a distinct advance on anything yet produced. These ships have fully realised all our expectations, the "Mauretania" having completed four round trips across the Atlantic at an average speed of over 25 knots. On one voyage she averaged over 26 knots on a consumption of 1,000 tons of coal per day, and on another voyage she made an average speed out and home of 25.75 knots.
The "Britannia," the first ship of the Cunard Company, built in 1840, was only 1,139 tons, with a speed of 8½ knots.
An amusing incident occurred in connection with the building of the "Campania." On her engine trial she vibrated excessively, even dangerously, breaking some stanchions and deckplating. It was decided to ask Lord Kelvin, then Sir William Thomson, to investigate the cause of the vibration, and I was deputed to attend him upon the necessary trials on the Clyde. After several days' trials Sir William announced that the vibration would all disappear if the ship was loaded down. Three thousand tons of coal were put on board, and a large party of guests were invited for the trial trip. It was arranged that the ship should upon this trip start at a slow speed, at which there was no vibration, and when the guests were seated at lunch the directors were to quietly come on deck and the ship be put at full speed. This was no sooner done than she began to shake from stem to stern so violently that the whole of the guests streamed on deck enquiring what was the matter, and the speed of the ship had to be reduced. The vibration was afterwards cured by following the suggestion of our old Scotch engineer and altering the pitch of the screws, so that their revolutions did not synchronise with the vibratory period of the ship.
Some few years after this event I was invited to dine one Sunday evening at Balliol College, Oxford. After dinner I was taken into an adjoining room to wine by the president, Professor Cairns, well known as a great philosophical thinker and writer. On passing out of the dining hall a friend whispered to me, "I am sorry for you; the president never utters a word to his guest." We sat at a small tablevis-à-vis. I tried to draw the president intoconversation on several subjects, but failed lamentably. Eventually I asked him if he knew Lord Kelvin. He at once said he was an old friend; whereupon I told him the story of my experience on the "Campania." He became quite excited and interested. On my leaving the room my friend, who was a don on the classical side, again came up to me, and asked what we had been talking about. I answered "Vibration." He replied, "What is that? I never saw the president so interested and so excited before."
In connection with the building of the "Campania," I have a pleasing recollection of a visit to Castle Wemyss, on the Clyde, the residence of the then chairman of the Cunard Company, Mr. John Burns. Mr. Burns took me to call upon his father, Sir George Burns, who resided at Wemyss House. He was then a very old man, over 90 years of age, and as he lay upon his bed he looked very picturesque, with his handsome aquiline features and his snow-white locks resting upon the pillow. He told me with evident pride of the early days of the Cunard Company, of which he was one of the founders, the others being Mr. Cunard of Halifax, Mr. Charles MacIver of Liverpool, and his brother Mr. David MacIver; and he narratedhis recollections of the old sailing brigs which used to convey the mails to Halifax, before the days of steamships. Sir George died soon after my visit, and was succeeded in his baronetcy by his son, Mr. John Burns, who at the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen, in 1897, was created a Peer (Lord Inverclyde). He died in 1901, and was succeeded by his son George, who died in 1905, after holding the title only a few years, and was succeeded by his brother James, the present Peer. The second Lord Inverclyde, who was also chairman of the Cunard Company, was a man of conspicuous ability, with a big grasp of affairs. It was he who carried through the agreement with the Government, which resulted in the building of the "Mauretania" and "Lusitania." During these negotiations he displayed so much energy, tact, and knowledge of shipping, that had he lived he was marked out for high position in the Government. It has been my privilege during the twenty-two years I have been a director of the Cunard Company, to serve under five chairmen—the first Lord Inverclyde, Mr. Jardine, the second Lord Inverclyde, Mr. Watson, and Mr. Booth.
Sir George Burns' reference to the making of the Cunard Company brings to my mind the story told by my father-in-law, William Miles Moss, of the beginnings of the Mediterranean steamship trade,which has made for Liverpool people so many great fortunes. He said that his firm, James Moss and Co., Vianna Chapple and Co., and John Bibby and Sons, were engaged in the Mediterranean trade, which they conducted with sailing schooners and brigs. In 1848 he thought the time had arrived to replace these by steamers, and his firm chartered a paddle steamer, which traded to the Isle of Man, for an experimental voyage to the Mediterranean. She made a most successful voyage to Genoa, Leghorn, etc., and he was so encouraged that he made a contract to build a screw steamer for the Egyptian trade to cost £21,000. Mr. Moss invited the heads of the firms I have named to dinner at his house, in Lower Breck Road, and told them what he had done, and asked them to take shares in his new venture, and then passed a paper round the table that they might write down the interest they were willing to take. It was returned to him with only £12,000 subscribed. He said, "I told them they were a shabby lot, and that I would take the balance." This was the first steamer built to trade between Liverpool and Alexandria.
Mr. Moss was a very shrewd, long-sighted man, and for years was the moving spirit in the Mediterranean steamship trade, being largely interested in Bibby's as well as being the principal owner of the fleet of James Moss and Co. He was for many years a member of the Dock Board, in which he was followed by his son and his grandson.
The "making" of the White Star Line must always remain an interesting incident in the history of our commerce. In the 'sixties the Atlantic trade was in the hands of the Cunard, the Inman, the National, and the Guion Companies. At this time the Bibby line of Mediterranean steamers had been most successful. One of the principal owners in these steamers was Mr. Schwabe, whose nephew, Mr. Wolff, had just started in business as a shipbuilder in Belfast, in partnership with Mr. Harland. Mr. T. H. Ismay had recently formed a partnership with Mr. William Imrie, and had taken over the business of the White Star Line, then engaged in owning sailing ships employed in the Australian trade. The story at the time was that during a game of billiards at Mr. Schwabe's house, in West Derby, Mr. Schwabe proposed to Mr. Imrie that his firm should start another line of steamers to New York, adopting as their type the models which had proved so very profitable in the Mediterranean trade, and offered if they were built by Messrs. Harland and Wolff to find the greater part of the capital. The scheme thus inaugurated quickly took shape. Mr. G. H. Fletcher associated himself with the project, and the first White Star steamer, the "Oceanic," was built, followed quickly by the "Celtic," "Baltic," "Germanic," and "Britannic." The steamers werethe first vessels constructed with their cabin accommodation amidships, where there is the least motion and vibration. This proved a very attractive feature. Mr. Ismay also took a personal interest in studying the comfort of the travellers by his line, which quickly became very popular. Mr. Ismay lived to see the début of his masterpiece, the "Oceanic," the second of this name, but had passed away in 1899 before the White Star Line became a part of the great American steamship combine.
Mr. Ismay was a remarkable man. He was of a very retiring disposition, but had great strength of character, with an aptitude for organisation, he was able to select good men to assist him, and to obtain from them the best of their work. Mr. Ismay was one of the ablest men of my time. He declined all honours, and found his pleasure in surrounding himself with beautiful pictures andobjets d'artin his home at Dawpool, and he was not unmindful of others, for he founded the Seamen's Pension Fund, to which he was a large contributor.
To commemorate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887, and Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, grand reviews of the fleet took place at Spithead. Mr. Ismay invited a large party of his Liverpool friends on board the "Teutonic" on both ofthe occasions to see the reviews. At Spithead the "Teutonic" was joined by a large and very distinguished company from London, comprising many of Her Majesty's Ministers, the leaders of the opposition, and men renowned in literature, science and art. At the first review the German Emperor and the Prince of Wales came on board, and spent some time inspecting the ship, and especially her armament. Other Atlantic liners had on board the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. These reviews were very successful, the great array of battleships being imposing and impressive, although we could not avoid remarking their small size compared with the "Teutonic," "Campania," and other liners present.
The "Teutonic's" trips will be for long remembered for the munificent manner in which Mr. Ismay entertained his guests, and the perfection of all the arrangements.
The late Sir Alfred Jones is another of our great shipowners whose career conveys many striking lessons. Enthusiastic about everything he put his hand to, intense in his application to work, and resourceful in finding out the ways and means to success, he had one fault not uncommon in forceful men—he had not the power of delegation. He would do everything himself, and the strainwas more than even his robust nature could stand. On my asking him a few weeks before he died why he did not take a partner, he replied: "I will do so when I can find a man as intense as myself."
As indicating his resourcefulness, when he found bananas were not selling freely in Liverpool, he brought down a number of hawkers from London with their barrows and peddled his fruit about the streets. On my suggesting to him that he would make nothing of Jamaica, on account of the lazy habits of the negro, he replied: "I will change all that. I will send out a lot of Scotchmen."
When he travelled to London he was always accompanied by two clerks, to whom he dictated lettersen route. Every moment of his time was filled up, he told me: "My work is done on a time table. A certain hour each day I devote to my steamers, another to my oil-mills, another to my hotels, and so on."
Sir Alfred Jones' name will, however, ever dwell with us as the founder and most active supporter of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, which has destroyed the ravages of yellow fever and made the malarial and waste places of the world habitable.
In my young days eloquent preachers were still much in the fashion, and attracted large congregations, but the building of churches and appointing to them preachers of eminence as a financial speculation had happily ceased. The church in Liverpool was largely recruited from Ireland, and we had certainly many able men, who were not only eloquent but whose discourses were also very lengthy. The hearing of sermons was not merely an act of devotion but a form of religious entertainment and enjoyment, and a short discourse would not have been appreciated. I remember one very eloquent divine, to whose church it was impossible to obtain admission unless you were at the door a quarter of an hour before the service commenced, being when advanced in years removed to another church. He continued to preach the same sermons with much of his old fire and vigour, but he emptied the church, for people would no longer tolerate fifty minutes every Sunday of the old fashioned controversial discourse. We had in those days many eminent divines, Dr. Lowe at St. Jude's, Dr. Taylorat St. Silas', Dr. Falloon at St. Bride's, and Mr. Ewbank at Everton, and most eloquent of all, Dr. MacNeile at St. Paul's, Prince's Park. He was a great power, both in the pulpit and the platform, and in the press. Clergy and laity, rich and poor, were stirred by his eloquent appeals. I never heard him preach, but his speeches to the boys at the Collegiate on our prize days still linger in my memory as marvels of eloquence. His presence was very dignified, and he was stately in manner. He had a profusion of snow-white hair, which added impressiveness and solemnity to his handsome appearance. He wielded a giant's strength in debate, and some thought he used his power without mercy. He died in 1879 at the age of 83.
In the 'seventies Dr. Forest, who afterwards became Dean of Worcester, Mr. Lefroy, afterwards Dean of Norwich, and the Rev. Nevison Loraine, were among our most prominent and eloquent divines; nor must I forget the Rev. John MacNaught, of St. Chrysostom's, our first broad churchman, earnest, eloquent, and courageous, but looked upon with much misgiving and some suspicion.
The Bishops of Chester were unable to devote much of their time to the Liverpool portion of their diocese. The result was that the leaders of the evangelical party became little autocrats in their way. Under these conditions church life became dormant, and the church narrow and formal, and wanting in spirituality. Her liturgy and thedevotional part of her services were sacrificed, and made secondary to preaching. This was the state of things in 1880, when the see of Liverpool was founded.
Two great influences were, however, quietly operating in the church. The school of the Oxford tract writers gave prominence to the sacramental system and corporate powers of the church, which enlisted a new class of energies in her service, and the publication ofEssays and Reviews, although they gave a temporary shock to church people, was productive of good, by broadening the theological outlook, and inviting that higher criticism which quickened more interest in the truths of the Bible, and deepened the reverence for the wider conception of the love of God.
Dr. Ryle, our first Bishop, was a recognised leader of the evangelical party, and a prolific writer of church tracts. He was an able preacher, a good platform speaker after the old-fashioned pattern, and had a very imposing and apostolic presence.
Dr. Ryle's work as our first Bishop was a difficult and arduous one. He tried to be fair and just to all parties in the church, but he was urged by some of his evangelical followers to take action in restraint of the high church practices which prevailed in some churches, and to give his episcopal sanction to the prosecution of the Rev. J. Bell-Cox. He consented with reluctance. The Bishop at this time frequently came to my house and I know how unhappy he was at this juncture;not that he in any way sympathised with the practices sought to be checked—they were most repugnant to him—but he appreciated the self-sacrificing work of the high church clergy, and thought that other and gentler means and methods might be adopted to bring about the desired result.
In his later years his Lordship's ecclesiastical views became broader and more liberal. In face of many difficulties he did an excellent and most successful work in building churches and schools. Beneath an apparently haughty manner he had a big and kind heart, and those who were privileged to know him best loved him most.
I am sometimes asked are church people as good and zealous as in the days gone by. I think they are more so. They are more devout, more earnest, more spiritual. They may be less emotional and do not crowd the churches to hear sermons, but they are to be found in their hundreds at the Lord's Supper. The church, which was formerly locked up all week, is now open for daily prayer. The Holy Communion, which was only administered on the first Sunday in the month, is now administered every Sunday, and frequently twice in the day. Strong language and swearing are less frequently heard, and there is in life a diffusion of light and sweetness, which can only come from the influence of holy things and the power of love which has taken a stronger possession of our thoughts and actions.
The church is broader, has a wider mission, and it stands upon a higher pinnacle in men's minds. We recognise that men are differently moulded in temperament and thought, that a national church must within limits provide the means of worship suitable to all; and that while the simple conventicle may to some present the most suitable temple of God, others are happier if their prayers are winged to His Throne amid beautiful surroundings and to the sound of choral music.
The nonconformists have always been active in Liverpool, and have had many able ministers. The most influential of these churches has always been the Unitarian. I remember Dr. Martineau only as a name, but the Rev. Charles Beard I knew and greatly esteemed. He was a power for good in Liverpool, and much of the uplifting and purifying of Liverpool in the 'seventies was due to his influence. He had powerful supporters amongst his congregation in Renshaw Street Chapel: the Holts, the Rathbones, Gairs, Mellys, Gaskells, Thornleys, etc.
It has often been said that our University had its birth in Renshaw Street Chapel. It certainly found there its warmest and most active supporters.
Hugh Stowell Brown was another bright light among the nonconformists, a robust and rugged preacher, who did not neglect his opportunities of advocating higher ideals of civic life and duty. The Rev. C. M. Birrell, of Pembroke Chapel, was stately in figure and highly cultured; he wonthe respect and esteem of all Christian communities. The Rev. Charles Garrett was a power in Liverpool and the country, as the great apostle of temperance.
In the Roman Catholic church there is one remarkable outstanding figure, Monsignor Nugent, or as he preferred to be known, Father Nugent: priest, philanthropist, and friend of all, but particularly of the outcast boy and fallen woman. I could write pages of this worthy priest's great goodness, his big heart, his wide and tender sympathies, and his work among the wreckage of society. His memory will linger with us as an incentive to all that is noble, all that is loving and tender.
We must not forget the many laymen who have helped forward church work in Liverpool: Charles Langton, Charles Grayson, Christopher Bushell, Hamilton Gilmour, Charles Groves, the builder of churches; Clarke Aspinall, who spent all his leisure in assisting the clergy in their church and temperance work; and the Earle family. Among the nonconformists we had W. P. Lockart, a merchant and an ex-cricketer, who took up evangelistic work in Toxteth Park, and exercised a wide and great influence among young men. I have elsewhere mentioned the Rev. Dr. Lundie, and his influence upon the temperance movement; and I must not omit Alexander Balfour, Samuel Smith, and Thomas Mathieson, all prominent and most active lay nonconformists.
To the active efforts of our clergy we owe much of the improvement in the social condition of our working classes. Their exertions on behalf of temperance are worthy of all praise; in training the young in habits of self-control and self-respect, they are saving the child and making the man who is to control the future destinies of the empire.
The see of Liverpool was founded in 1880. There was little difficulty in raising the endowment fund, thanks to the personal exertions of Mr. Torr, M.P., and Mr. Arthur Forwood, but the selection of a bishop was a matter for grave thought. Liverpool contained many low churchmen and many Orangemen, and it was also recognised that the high churchmen had done most excellent work. The views of the evangelical party, however, prevailed, and Lord Sandon and Mr. Whitley were instructed to use every influence with Lord Beaconsfield to secure the appointment of an evangelical churchman. In this they were successful. Lord Beaconsfield appointed Dr. Ryle, whom he had but recently created a Dean, as the first Bishop of Liverpool.
The proposal to erect a cathedral was first made in 1887. A committee was formed; a site on the west side of St. George's Hall—where St. John's Church stood—was selected, and a design bySir William Emerson was approved by Mr. Ewan Christian, the architectural assessor. I was appointed one of the treasurers to the fund, and at once began an active canvass for donations. There was, however, a great lack of enthusiasm; many objected to the site chosen, and the Bishop did not help the cause, for though he was in a way anxious that a cathedral should be built, he freely expressed his opinion, both in public and in private, that additional churches and mission halls would be more useful. We received promises of only £41,000, and then we had to allow the scheme to drop, for it was quite impossible to make further headway. I think the Bishop was disappointed. He was an earnest, good man, and during his episcopate great progress was made in church building in the diocese, but in his heart I do not think he was ever enthusiastic in favour of the cathedral scheme.
No further steps were taken towards the erection of a cathedral during the episcopate of Dr. Ryle. When his successor, Dr. Chavasse, had been consecrated bishop the scheme took shape again, and shortly after he had been installed at his suggestion a small committee was formed to formulate a proposal. The Bishop was good enough to ask me to become the treasurer. I had so ignominiously failed in my first attempt to collect money that I declined, but his lordship was very pressing, and after thinking the matter well over I said I would make an attempt to start a fund,provided no site was selected and no general committee formed until we had received sufficient promises to make the scheme a success; and I added that if my conditions were accepted I would give up all other work for six weeks and devote myself to working up a cathedral fund. I made those conditions because I found on my previous effort the selection of a site and a design was a serious hindrance, as they afforded reasons and excuses for not giving. The Bishop agreed to this proposal. I wrote six or eight begging letters every night and followed them by a call on the day following, and I wrote a series of articles in the daily press, and managed to arouse a considerable amount of interest and enthusiasm in our scheme. We started our list with a handsome donation of £10,000 each from Lord Derby, Sir Alfred Jones, and others. Canvassing was hard work, but Liverpool people were very good and very generous. In my daily rounds I met with much kindness, but with some disappointments. Only one man, whose father made his millions in Liverpool as a steamship owner, was rude and unpleasant, but even he in the end relieved his conscience by sending in a small donation. At the close of six weeks' work I was able to announce to the Bishop's Committee that we had promises amounting to £168,000. We did not, however, stop at this. The ball was rolling and must be kept rolling, and before we called a halt we had promises in meal or malt amounting to £325,000. In thisamount are included special donations for windows, organ, etc.
The Earle and Langton families most liberally gave £25,000 towards the cost of the Lady Chapel, and ladies of old Liverpool families were most generous in their contributions.
This success would have been impossible of achievement if it had not been for the wonderful influence of the Bishop. Everyone recognised his saintly character, his arduous work, and the statesmanlike manner in which he ruled over his diocese. Perhaps the Bishop's strongest point in dealing with men is his power of "enthusing" others. He always looks upwards, and in the darkest days is full of brightness and words of encouragement.
The next step was the selection of a site, and this aroused considerable discussion. There were many advocates for what was known as the London Road site, at the junction of that thoroughfare and Pembroke Place, a very commanding position; but as the cost of the site alone would have been £150,000 it was placed on one side. The sites of St. Peter's and St. Luke's were considered and pronounced too small. Eventually St. James' Mount was decided upon as being central and commanding, and having picturesque surroundings. The fourteen acres comprising the Mount were purchased from the Corporation for £20,000.
It was decided to advertise for designs and give premiums for the two best, and Mr. NormanShaw, R.A., and Mr. Bodley, R.A., were appointed assessors.
Many designs were sent in and exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery. From these the assessors selected the design of Mr. Gilbert Scott, a young man of only 19, a grandson of the great Gothic architect, Sir Gilbert Scott, R.A. It was a design which did not commend itself entirely to the committee, and Mr. Scott being a Roman Catholic it was feared some objection might be taken, and the committee very wisely decided to link Mr. Bodley, R.A., with Mr. Scott as joint architects—a very happy combination, for while we secured the genius of Mr. Scott, we also secured the ripe experience and exquisite taste of Mr. Bodley.
We elected the Earl of Derby as our president, and I was made the chairman of the executive committee, a position of much honour and of absorbing interest, but involving considerable responsibility. We were fortunate in having on the committee Mr. Arthur Earle, who has rendered yeoman service both in collecting funds and finding donors of the windows. We have also received great assistance from Mr. Robert Gladstone, the deputy-chairman, and Mr. F. M. Radcliffe.
We had some difficulty with our foundations, as part of the Mount was made-ground, and the rock when we reached it was very friable. The consequence was that on the east side we had to go down forty, and even fifty feet before we obtained a satisfactoryfoundation. The foundations for the Choir, Lady Chapel, Vestries, and Chapter House cost £40,000.
It was decided to invite the King and Queen to lay the foundation-stone, as it was the only cathedral likely to be built in this century. The King graciously consented, and fixed the afternoon of July 19th, 1904, for the ceremony, the arrangement being that he was to come down from London in the morning, lunch with the Lord Mayor at the Town Hall, and afterwards lay the foundation-stone; and on the conclusion of the ceremony embark upon the royal yacht in the river to proceed to Cardiff,en routeto open the waterworks constructed in South Wales for the supply of Birmingham. The arrangements for the foundation-stone laying required much thought, as my experience has taught me that "functions" are successful only if every detail is well thought out beforehand.
Around the foundation-stone a huge amphitheatre of wood was constructed capable of seating 7,000 persons, and in the centre we erected an ornamental dais upon which the King and Queen were received and where they stood during the religious service; and in front of the dais, about thirty feet away, the foundation-stone stood ready for lifting and laying. We also formed a choir of1,000 voices to take the musical part of the service, led by the band of the Coldstream Guards.
The day was beautifully fine and the city splendidly decorated, quite a royal day. Lord Derby and the High Sheriff met their Majesties on their arrival at Lime Street Station, when presentations were made to their Majesties. The King was in the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet; Lord Derby appeared as Lord-Lieutenant, and uniforms and court dress were worn by the guests. Their Majesties proceeded from the station to the Town Hall, where a very select company was assembled. After luncheon the King knighted the Lord Mayor, who became Sir Robert Hampson. At Lord Derby's request I proceeded to the site to receive their Majesties on their arrival, and afterwards had the honour of presenting the architects and the members of the committee.
The service was conducted by the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of Liverpool and Chester. It was grand and majestic, worthy of the occasion. Most of the bishops of the northern province were present in their robes, and also about 300 of the clergy. At the conclusion of the service the King expressed to me his great satisfaction, and the Queen did the same, adding that the music was beautifully rendered. Everything passed off well, but during the service heavy banks of clouds began to gather, and the royal party had scarcely left the site when the rain fell.