The Lady Chapel, Liverpool Cathedral
The Lady Chapel, Liverpool Cathedral.
The consecration of the Lady Chapel took place on Wednesday, 29th June, 1910, St. Peter's Day, and was a most imposing and impressive ceremony. The Lord Bishop conducted the service, the Archbishop of York preached the sermon, and they were supported by the Archbishop of Dublin and twenty-four other bishops, all wearing their convocation robes. There was a large assembly, the difficulty being to accommodate all who wished for seats.
The Bishops' procession was formed in the vestries, and was composed of the Chapter and Clergy, the Cathedral Choir, the Bishops and their Chaplains, the Bishop of the Diocese, and the Archbishop of York. The procession marched round the chapel through the street to the door of the Lady Chapel, the choir singing an appropriate anthem. Arriving at the door, after the recital of some prayers, the Bishop knocked, demanding admission. Upon entering the church, the Earl of Derby, the president, in his chancellor's robes, and attended by Mr. Arthur Earle, Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Radcliffe, Sir Robert Hampson, and myself, as the chairman, advanced and handed the Bishop a request that he would consecrate the chapel, and also a deed conveying the chapel and its site to the Bishop and the Chapter. Theprocession then proceeded to their places in the choir, and the service commenced, the musical part being beautifully rendered by the choir, Mr. Burstall presiding at the organ. The service was interesting and quaint, especially the blessing by the different bishops of the various votive offerings. The Archbishop preached a most eloquent sermon, taking as his text: Habakkuk 2nd chapter, 20th verse, "The Lord is in his holy temple: let the whole earth keep silence." The consecration was followed by a luncheon at the Town Hall. An octave of special services was held in the chapel in the following week, at which several bishops preached.
This is not the place to describe the architectural features of the Lady Chapel, but it seems to have won the admiration of all by its charming proportions, its chaste but rich beauty, and its quiet, devotional feeling.
The gifts to the chapel by the Earle and Langton families were both numerous and costly; and of the total cost of the chapel, about £70,000, these families generously contributed nearly one-half. Their offerings were supplemented by those of other friends, so that the chapel when opened was complete in every detail, and with every accessory.
To the Dowager Countess of Derby and her committee of lady workers, with Miss Stolterfoht as secretary, we are indebted for the beautiful embroideries which do so much for the adornment and enrichment of the choir.
We launched this first and great instalment of the cathedral "in humble thankfulness to Almighty God that He has prospered our handiwork, and pray that in this holy and beautiful house prayer and praise may be ever offered unto Him; that He will assist with His blessing our effort to complete the cathedral for His Glory; that He will endue with wisdom the heads that guide, preserve from evil the hands that work, provide the silver and gold, and carry to a glorious completion the building thus begun."
In 1902 the Lord Bishop was good enough to nominate me as a member of Convocation. We met at York once each year, when the clergy held their meetings within the precincts of the cathedral, and the laymen in a temperance hall. Our debates were purely academical and bore no fruit, and no notice was taken of us by the Archbishop or the cathedral authorities. If the clergy and laity were to meet together, Convocation would have a reality and a value, for if nothing should come of their public discussions they would at least get to know each other, and an interchange of ideas could not be otherwise than advantageous to both. Under the rule of Archbishop Lang I have no doubt Convocation will become a very valuable institution.
The opportunity was afforded me to take part in several meetings of the Church Congress. At some I read papers and at others I was a special speaker. The most interesting congress was the one held in Exeter in 1894, when I was the guest of Bishop Bickersteth, at the Palace. The other guests at the Palace were Dr. Temple, then Bishop of London; Dr. Wordsworth, Bishop of Salisbury; Dr. Gott, Bishop of Truro; and Lord Cross.
We were all much interested with the rugged intellectual power of the Bishop of London. His epigrammatic utterances interjected into our after-dinner talk were full of wisdom, and often bubbled over with quiet, quaint humour. Many stories were told of the Bishop when he was the Bishop of Exeter; of the kindness which was concealed under his brusque, outspoken manner, and his remarkable influence for good. He delivered at Exeter a striking and very forcible address upon temperance. His eyesight was already very defective and Mrs. Temple had to lead him about. To the surprise of everybody he not only became Archbishop of Canterbury, but will also be remembered as one of our great archbishops.
When in New York I had the opportunity of visiting their cathedral, the construction of whichhad been recently commenced. The clerk of the works took me into a room to show me the model of the cathedral, and he also showed me a list of cathedrals with their principal dimensions. At the foot of the list came the New York cathedral, the largest of all. I said to him, "You have forgotten one cathedral, the Liverpool cathedral." He replied, "So I have; where will it come?" I told him to put it at the bottom. He looked at me for a few moments in evident surprise, and said, "Is it to be larger than New York?" and on my answering "Yes" he replied, "Oh, we will make that all right; we will add another bay to our nave." I thought this was truly American, a determination not to be beaten.
In no department of Liverpool life has more distinct progress been made than in its social regeneration. Liverpool was always liberal and generous in her charities, but there was an absence of enlightenment in her municipal administration, and an utter failure to realise the social degradation in which so many of her people lived; her streets in the 'sixties were not fit places for respectable people after dark, while the neighbourhood of the Sailors' Home at all times of the day was a place to be avoided. Liverpool was known as the "black spot" on the Mersey, and well earned that title.
It is difficult to make people sober or moral by act of parliament, and the Liverpool people did not wait for Parliament, but aroused and set in motion a strong public opinion, which demanded radical social changes. The town had been flooded with licensed public-houses at a time when Mr. J. R. Jeffery, Mr. Robertson Gladstone, and other justices advocated the free license system, and the increasedcompetition in the sale of drink had led to many evils. The justices thought that by extending licences they would do away with what was called the "gin palace," as it would no longer be worth the publican's while to invest large sums of money to make his house attractive and alluring. The multiplicity of licences, however, increased intemperance to such an extent that in 1874 things were so bad that theTimescommented on the dreadful moral condition of Liverpool, and its unparalleled death-rate, as indicating that "the leading inhabitants were negligent of their duties as citizens." The public conscience was aroused, and a band of very earnest temperance men, headed by Mr. Alexander Balfour, the Rev. Dr. Lundie, and Mr. Sam. Smith began a crusade against the licensing justices and the Watch Committee, whom they considered to be sympathetic with the drink "trade," and a Vigilance Committee was formed. The struggle was a long and fierce one, but great reforms have taken place. The streets of Liverpool have been purified, and the temptations to drink have been largely reduced. The name of Alexander Balfour will ever stand out prominently as the chief of this movement, in the days when strong men were wanted to lead, and in these latter days Sir Thomas Hughes is entitled to much credit for the firm and consistent manner he has ruled over the licensing bench.
Liverpool now breathes freely, and is no longer "the black spot" on the Mersey.
Throughout this long and angry controversy the Conservative party occupied a difficult position. Many of its most active supporters were connected with what is termed the "trade," they were endeavouring to conduct a very difficult business respectably, and in conformity with the licensing laws, they have also been called upon to make large sacrifices. The Conservative party were always sympathetic with the "trade," and felt that the measures meted out to them were unduly harsh, but have always recognised that something heroic must be done to win back the city's good name. It is regrettable that a great and much-needed social reform should have become so much mixed up with party politics, but under the circumstances it was perhaps unavoidable.
The reforms which have taken place owe much of their success to our press.Porcupinein the 'seventies, under the editorship of Hugh Shimmin, was their active and strong advocate; and more recently theDaily Postunder the direction of Sir Edward Russell, has also done good service, and sad to say, both editors had to appear in the law court to vindicate their actions.
While this movement to exercise increased supervision over public-houses and to diminish their number was in progress, the City Council was actively engaged in the problem of not merely demolishing insanitary property, but of replacing the rookeries thus destroyed by suitable and welldesigned houses. This new policy began in 1885, when the group of dwellings known as Victoria Square was erected. This good work has proceeded rapidly, and the Corporation has already expended considerably over £1,000,000 in this direction.
Perhaps no one obtains such a full insight into the charitable and philanthropic work of the city as the Lord Mayor. He is called upon to preside over annual meetings of some ninety of our charities, and is brought into close contact with the many smaller societies, doing what they can for bettering and brightening the lives of the people. Whatever may have been the shortcomings of Liverpool in other respects, her people have always liberally supported her charities, and these have been far-reaching and generous in the benefits they have conferred upon the community.
In the wide realm of philanthropy Liverpool has had many active workers, for the most part unknown to fame, who plod away day after day in our slums, with no prospect of reward, save the satisfaction of doing something to ameliorate and brighten the lives of others. Recently a short paragraph in a newspaper told us of the death of a clergyman who had a distinguished university career, and who for twenty-four years lived and worked unknown in the by-ways of Liverpool, attached to no church, but doing what he could to uplift those around about him—and there are many such. Among our workers in the good cause ofphilanthropy we have had Mr. Edward Whitley, M.P., Mr. Clarke Aspinall, Mr. Christopher Bushell, Mr. William Rathbone, M.P., Mr. William Crosfield, Mr. Charles Langton, Canon Major Lester, and Monsignor Nugent.
Mr. William Rathbone was not only an ideal local member of Parliament, but for more than half a century he was foremost in every good work in Liverpool. As a member of the Select Vestry he made the poor laws a special subject of study. In the founding of our University, and the District Nursing Association (the first in the country) Mr. Rathbone rendered a great service.
Mr. Christopher Bushell was another leader of men; tall and dignified in appearance and a good speaker, he was active in the cause of philanthropy in support of the church and of education.
Nor must we forget the many ladies who have devoted their energies to charitable and philanthropic work. Miss Calder has accomplished great things for the school of cookery, and we have Miss Melly and Miss Rathbone working for the Kyrle Society. The late Countess of Lathom was ever ready with her handsome and distinguished presence and eloquent voice to help forward every good work. Only a few months before she met with her sad and tragic death she said to me, "When I am gone you must write as my epitaph, 'She opened bazaars.'" Liverpool has had few friends more devoted or more capable than the late Lady Lathom.
On the death of Mr. Alfred Turner in 1896, I was made president of the Seamen's Orphanage. The detail work of the institution is carried on by the chairman of the committee. The first chairman was Mr. Robert Allan, whose devotion to the interests of the institution was beyond all praise. On his retirement his place was filled by Mr. J. H. Beazley, one of the sons of the founder, the late James Beazley. No institution in the city of Liverpool is doing a better or a nobler work. We can all realise how much our safety, and how greatly our prosperity as a nation, depend upon our sailors, yet we scarcely appreciate how little chance a sailor has of saving money for a rainy day, and how entirely dependent his widow and family generally are upon public support.
The institution is worked upon right lines; a high moral and religious tone is inculcated, and the children are brought up to be good Christian boys and girls and to take a pride in their school. I do not know anything more refreshing than to visit the school, with its hundreds of bright, joyous children,all so glad to make you welcome with their cheery "Good morning, sir!"
Our anniversary Sunday is a red-letter day in the institution, the sermon being preached by a bishop. After the service an inspection of the institution is made. It has been my privilege to entertain the bishops during their visit, and we have had staying with us the Bishops of Carlisle, Hereford, Bangor, Sodor and Man, Manchester, and the Archbishop of York.
The advent of the motor vehicle, driven by an internal combustion engine, was remarkable for its suddenness and its rapid development.
The motor was only in the experimental stage in 1896, yet four years later several thousand were on the roads, and this number increased in another five years to 60,000. That vehicles should be driven along the public highways at thirty and forty, and even fifty miles an hour, was subversive of all ideas of what was prudent and safe, and when these vehicles set up clouds of dust in their progress, there was a public outcry. This was fully justified, for the speed at which motors were driven was undoubtedly excessive. On the other hand, the public did not realise the complete control which the drivers could exercise, even at high speeds.
The Government, in response to the popular demand in 1905, appointed a Royal Commission on Motors, of which I was nominated a member. Viscount Selby was appointed the chairman, and the other members were the Marquis of Winchester, Sir Edward Henry, Chief of the Metropolitan Police, Sir David Harrel, K.C.B., and Mr. Munroe, C.B., of the Local Government Board.
We held about fifty sittings, extending over a year, and examined over sixty witnesses, representing the Highway Authorities, the various motor clubs and manufacturers, and a large number of persons who were opposed to the use of motors on the high roads, unless limited to a low rate of speed.
The enquiry was interesting and instructive. It brought out the fact that much as many people object to motors, they one and all agreed that they had come to stay. It was also proved that since railways had withdrawn the heavy traffic from the highways, the roads had been allowed to fall into poor condition, and to this could be attributed some part of the complaints as to dust. I was personally in favour of limiting the speed to twenty-five miles an hour in the open and ten miles through towns and villages; but as all the other members of the Commission felt that in the open country we should rely upon the powers of the present Highway Act, which makes it a serious offence to drive at a speed causing danger to the public, and were in favour of a no-speed limit,except through villages, I gave way so that our report might be a unanimous report. We made a long list of recommendations for the better regulation of motor traffic. I am glad to say our report was well received, and although no bill has been introduced to give legal force to its recommendations, they are being very generally acted upon.
I have often since regretted that I did not press my recommendation restricting the speed in the open to twenty-five miles an hour, as I feel it would have largely solved the speed question. The powers under the Highway Act would still have remained, compelling motorists to drive at all times with due regard to public safety.
I was brought into such frequent contact with the late Lord Derby, in connection with my duties as chairman of Quarter Sessions, that I should like to add a few words of appreciation of his lordship's great kindness and consideration. I must, however, in order to make my story quite clear, preface my remarks by a reference to the late Earl of Sefton, who was the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire for so many years. Lord Sefton in his appointments to the bench, took an infinite amount of trouble to select good men, and men who when appointed would do their work. He was good enough frequently to consult me, and I certainly did my best to support him in his choice of suitable men for the office of magistrate, which I hold to be a position of importance and responsibility.
It is not generally recognised that magistrates are endowed with very great power over the liberties of the people, and they ought therefore to be selected with great care. Two magistrates sitting at Petty Sessions have in a sense more power than a judge sitting at an Assize. They not onlydetermine the guilt of the prisoner, but can and do impose considerable terms of imprisonment. At the Assizes the jury decide if the prisoner is guilty, the judge only awards the punishment.
Lord Sefton unfortunately made a mistake in some of his appointments to the Salford Division. He was, however, entirely free from blame. Erroneous information was given to him, and he made, quite unawares, some political appointments. He added to the bench the names of several Conservative politicians, which gave great offence to the Liberal Government then in power. Mr. Bryce, then Chancellor of the Duchy, wished to rectify the mistake by insisting upon Lord Sefton appointing a number of active Liberals. This he declined to do, and it led to a deadlock. Lord Sefton threatened to resign, and would have done so had we not been able to build a bridge over which both he and the Chancellor were able to retire without loss of dignity. I was much helped in these negotiations by my friend, the late Mr. Robert D. Holt.
Upon Lord Sefton's death Lord Derby was appointed the Lord Lieutenant. Naturally a timid man, he was very anxious to avoid the mistake made by his predecessor, and for several years he created no new magistrates in some Petty Sessional Divisions, and the administration of justice was rendered most difficult through the lack of justices.
I was at this time frequently at Knowsley, and spent hours in going over lists of names withhis lordship, and always came away with a promise that some appointments should be made forthwith, but still he hesitated. It was quite impossible to feel disappointed. Lord Derby was always so courteous and kind, and one could not help feeling that his hesitation arose from his extreme conscientiousness and high sense of duty, and also one could not fail to recognise that his task was delicate and difficult.
When the Liberal Government came into office in 1905, they set about to adjust the inequality between the political parties as represented on the bench, and the Lord Chancellor practically made all the appointments, the Lord Lieutenant merely confirming. Under this arrangement the bench in Lancashire has been greatly increased, but I doubt if its status has been maintained.
Lord and Lady Derby from time to time extended great kindness to us, Lady Derby frequently inviting us to dine and sleep at Knowsley, to meet her distinguished guests. In this way we had the opportunity of meeting the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Lord Chancellor (Lord Halsbury), the Prime Minister (Mr. Balfour), and others. The hospitality of Knowsley is proverbial, Lord and Lady Derby were ideal host and hostess, and we have paid no pleasanter visits than those to Knowsley.
When Lord Derby was elected Lord Mayor of Liverpool I was asked to act as his deputy, as itwas not expected that his lordship would do more than the formal and official work. For some time I called at the Town Hall every morning to see if I could be of any service, but I quickly discovered that Lord Derby was not going to discharge his duties in a perfunctory manner, and my services were required very little. I remember on one of my visits his lordship telling me his horse was the favourite for the Oaks, which was to be run on the day following. I begged him to go up to see the race, but he replied his first duty was at the Town Hall.
The race was run, and Lord Derby's horse won. I often narrated this episode as a proof of his lordship's devotion to his duties, and once in his presence, when he intervened and said: "Do not give me too much credit; I must confess the temptation to see my horse win was too strong for me. I went up by the midnight train, and returned by the first train after the race."
Lord Derby proved a most excellent Lord Mayor, and the debates in the Council were never before—and have never since been—conducted with so much decorum and dignity. The hospitality of the Town Hall was maintained on a splendid scale. Lady Derby took a keen personal interest in all the arrangements, and her own charming personality contributed greatly to the popularity and success of his lordship's year of office, which I have also reason to believe he greatly enjoyed.
It may be interesting to narrate how Lord Derby became Lord Mayor. I had heard it stated that his brother and predecessor in the title had often expressed his wish that the old tradition of the family might be revived, and that he might be asked to become Mayor of Liverpool; and bearing this in mind I ventured one day to mention the subject to Lord Stanley. I found it not only interested him greatly, but he said he was sure his father would appreciate the honour, provided it was the unanimous wish of the Council. I mentioned the matter to our leader in the Council, and an early opportunity was availed of to elect Lord Derby as the first Lord Mayor of the extended Liverpool.
By the death of Lord Derby, Liverpool sustained a grievous loss. He had filled many great public positions—Governor-General of Canada, Secretary of State for War—but in no position did he do more useful work than in the management of his own vast estates, and in furthering good work of every description round and about Liverpool. He fully realised that great responsibility attached to his position, and he devoted himself to the discharge of his many duties in the county and in Liverpool with an assiduity and earnestness which won the admiration of all, while all were fascinated by his great courtesy and old-world charm of manner.
Lord Derby took a deep and active interest in the building of the cathedral, always making apoint of attending our meetings when in Liverpool, and his encouragement and wise words of advice were most helpful.
In June, 1907, I received a letter from Sir Edward Grey, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, asking me if I could entertain at Bromborough Hall the Prince Fushimi of Japan, a royal prince, who was visiting England on a special mission from the Emperor. I replied that, while I should be delighted to do all I could to extend hospitality to the Prince, I could only place ten bedrooms at his disposal. Sir Edward Grey replied that as the suite comprised twenty-two he had asked Lord Derby to invite the Prince to Knowsley, but would be glad if I would make the necessary arrangements for his visit to Liverpool. This was followed by a letter from Lord Derby asking me to send to his comptroller a list of the guests I thought he ought to invite, intimating that he could put up thirty and dine forty all told. I made out a purely official list, and arranged for the Lord Mayor to give the Prince a luncheon at the Town Hall, and for the Dock Board to take him in their tender for a sail on the river, and afterwards to proceed to Knowsley.
The suite in attendance on the Prince was most distinguished, including the Grand Chamberlain to the Emperor, the Admiral who had been Ministerof Marine during the Russo-Japanese war, the General who commanded the cavalry during the war, and many other men of eminence. They mostly spoke English, and were very interesting. They were charmed with the park at Knowsley, and were familiar with the history of many of the great personages whose portraits were displayed upon the walls of the Knowsley dining-room. They asked innumerable questions, and among other things wanted a plan of Knowsley. The only plan Lord Derby could produce was a plan made to show the drainage system. Strange to say, they were delighted with it.
The following morning, shortly before leaving, the Prince came downstairs, preceded by two of his suite, bearing a beautiful cabinet, which he placed at Lady Derby's feet, a present from the Emperor. Lady Derby was much gratified, and said she was more than repaid for all the trouble she had taken in opening the house and bringing all the servants, carriages, and horses from London, adding, "They are such perfect gentlemen."
Knowsley was in the hands of the painters, and, being in the middle of the London season, it was not an easy thing to arrange to entertain the Prince; but as the King had expressed a wish that Lord Derby should be his host, it had to be done. Liverpool had a good friend in the late Lord Derby, and no one will ever know the trouble he took to entertain royal and distinguished visitors toLiverpool, oftentimes at considerable personal inconvenience.
During the war between Russia and Japan, it was for long a question if the fleet of Japan would be strong enough to meet the Russian fleet. At the close of the war it came out for the first time that the most powerful ship in the Japanese fleet had in the early days of the war been blown up by a mine, with the loss of 800 lives. I ventured to ask the Minister of Marine how they managed to keep the secret so well. He simply replied, "Our people are very patriotic." I also asked the general who was in command of the cavalry how it was that their great strategical movements did not leak out. He answered with a twinkle in his eye, "The newspaper gentlemen were very pleasant, and we managed to interest and amuse them elsewhere."
One of the most remarkable developments of modern times has been the increase in the facilities for foreign travel, with the consequence that travelling has become the pastime of the many, and not the privilege of the few. In the 'sixties and 'seventies travelling was difficult. In the first place, a passport had to be obtained, with the visé of the ambassador of every country through which it was intended to pass. It usually took ten days to procure this, and there also had to be faced the difficulties of the Customs at the various frontiers, the absence of through train services, and the general halo of suspicion with which foreigners were regarded on the continent, and which led frequently to unpleasantness. In 1860, on my way to Trieste, I was detained at Turin, and at the hotel I met Mr. Ed. Lear, R.A., the author of theBook of Nonsense, who was on his way to paint a picture in Italy. Mr. Lear made a few pen-and-ink sketches for me. When I arrived at the Austrian frontier at Verona, these were found in my baggage, and I was detained for twelve hours while enquiries were made about me by telegraph. Anothertime, I was staying at the little Portuguese town of Elvas, and walked across the frontier to see Badajos, the scene of the memorable siege during the Peninsular war. On entering the town, I was asked for my passport, which I produced, but as it had no Spanish visé I was placed in charge of a gendarme, who with a drawn sword marched me across the frontier back into Portugal. These little incidents serve to illustrate the suspicion which surrounded travellers on the continent.
In addition to my voyage round the world, already described, I paid annual visits to the Southern States of America, in connection with my firm's cotton business, and I also spent some time in Portugal and the West Indies.
In no department of travel has more progress been made than in ocean travel. I crossed the Atlantic in 1861 in the "City of Washington," of the Inman Line, and returned in the Cunard steamer "Niagara," the voyage each way lasting twelve days, and they were twelve days of great discomfort. The sleeping accommodation was below the saloon; the cabins were lit by oil lamps, which were put out at eleven o'clock at night; the air was foul and stifling; and there was an entire absence of ventilation.
In the saloon, above the dining-tables, trays filled with wine-glasses swung from side to side with every roll of the ship; the saloon was lit by candles, which spurted grease and smelt abominably. There was no smoking room provided, and we sat in the"fiddlee" upon coils of rope, while the sea washed to and fro, or else we tried to get under the lee of the funnel. What a change has taken place, and how greatly the electric light has contributed to the comfort of travellers by sea!
The most interesting journey I ever made was in 1871, when with my father and the late Dr. Grimsdale and Mr. Ryley I visited the Franco-Prussian battlefields. The war was not ended and the German army was still surrounding Paris, which made travelling difficult, but we met with great civility from the Prussian officers, and visited the battlefields of Saarbrück, where the Prince Imperial received his baptism of fire, Wörth, Hagenau, Weissenburg, Gravelotte, where we found men still burying the horses slain in the battle, Mars-le-Tour, Metz, and finally Sedan. We gathered many trophies, but were not allowed to bring them away. Wherever the Prussians made a stand and were slaughtered in their hundreds, as at Gravelotte, we found pieces of small German Bibles, and we were told that every German soldier, from the Emperor William downwards, carried a Bible in his haversack.
The year after I retired from business, in 1891, I visited Costa Rica with my eldest daughter,to inspect the railway in which we were much interested. The country from Port Limon, which lies on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, bathed in a tropical sun, to San José, the capital, is most picturesque and remarkable for its deep ravines, its rapid rivers, and its wealth of vegetation. On leaving Port Limon we passed through long and deep valleys filled with palms and every species of tropical plants, which made us exclaim that we might be in the Kew conservatories. We gradually worked our way up 5,000 feet to the plateau upon which San José is situated, and the scenery hereabouts reminded us of an undulating English landscape, such as we have in Kent or Surrey.
The railway was then in its infancy, and in a very rickety condition; it was said that the man who travelled by it for the first time was a hero, and if he travelled a second time he was a fool. But reconstruction was already in progress.
We were much interested in the banana cultivation, as it supplied cargoes for our steamers sailing between Port Limon and New York, a trade which has since developed into gigantic dimensions. We had all the anxiety of finding the capital necessary to finance both the banana industry and the railway, and like most pioneers we did not secure the reward; it went to an American company, who reaped where we had sown. My daughter and I had a charming trip to Cartago, and ascended the volcanoof Iritzu, 13,000 feet, and from the summit had a view of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. We made also a trip to the Pacific coast on horseback; it was a long journey, and in order to escape the heat of the sun we travelled chiefly by night. We passed innumerable waggons drawn by bullocks and laden with coffee for shipment from the Pacific coast. It required some vigilance on our part to prevent our horses being struck by the long horns of the bullocks as we passed by. We had eventually to leave the high road and strike through the bush, the Indians going before cutting down with theirmachettesthe vines and tree branches which blocked the path. We returned only a few days later, yet such is the rapid growth of tropical vegetation that the Indians had again to clear the track. We stayed the second night at the village of Esperanto, and early next day reached the Trinidad gold mines, situated on the mountain side looking down on the Pacific coast. I shall never forget the view which stretched out before us. There was the Pacific Ocean lying opalescent in the bright beams of the morning sun, and studded with little blue islands, looking like so many blue beads upon a silvered mirror.
On our way out from Jamaica to Limon we spent two days at Colon. The works on the Panama Canal were in active operation. We went a little way up and saw enough to convince me that the French would never make the canal. The waste ofmoney was prodigious. We saw a train of trucks loaded with cases side-tracked into the bush and completely grown over. The sickness was also terrible. Every day a funeral train came down to Colon from the works with bodies for interment, and grave spaces in the cemetery were so scarce that they were let at a rental of so much a month. Now, thanks to the researches of the Liverpool Tropical School of Medicine, these pestiferous swamps have been rendered innocuous.
I made a voyage to Jamaica in 1864, the year of the rebellion, and had the pleasure of staying with Governor Eyre. The rebellion at one time assumed a very grave aspect, and the governor got into serious trouble, because, to save the situation, he shot several of the rebel ringleaders, after a trial by drumhead court-martial. I fully believed from what I knew of the circumstances that he was justified in doing so, and his action prevented a serious outbreak, but he was made the scapegoat.
I have visited Jamaica several times, and until I had seen Ceylon, considered it the most beautiful island in the world.
In 1892, when on a visit to America with my daughter, I was asked to proceed to Mexico,to endeavour to induce the Mexican Government to give their National Bonds in exchange for the bonds of the Mexican Southern Railway. These had been guaranteed by the several Mexican States through which the railway passed, but there had been default in the interest payments, and the bonds were in consequence greatly depreciated in value, the $100 bond selling in London for $25. I thought it was a hopeless mission, but decided to go. We proceeded from New York through Arkansas and Texas. It took us thirty-six hours in the train to cross Texas, travelling all the while; this will give some idea of the great size of this state.
On our way we saw in the newspapers that an insurrection had broken out in Mexico, headed by Gusman. The New York papers had long detailed accounts. This induced me to break our journey at Laredo, which is situated on the frontier of Mexico, as I did not wish to expose my daughter to any danger. On my arrival at the hotel at Laredo, I sent for the landlord and asked him where the rebellion was. He replied, "Right here, sir, in this hotel." I could not understand what he meant, and desired him to explain himself. "Well," he said, "I will tell you how it was. Some reports reached the north that a civil war had broken out, and one day fourteen newspaper reporters arrived. They came to this hotel and sent for me, and demanded how they could get to the seat of the war, and where Gusman, the leader of the rebels, was to be found.I told them there was no rebellion, and that I had seen Gusman in Laredo a few days before, selling cattle. They were not, however, satisfied, and said that they had come down to write up a civil war, and a civil war there must be. They stayed in this hotel ten days, sending to the north every day long accounts of the progress of hostilities, and then they returned home." I thought this was one of the best stories of the methods of American journalists that I had ever heard, and as I knew it to be true, I repeated it to President Diaz a few days later, on my arrival at the city of Mexico. The old President was much amused, and said it reminded him of the story of a tiger. He received news that the people of a certain village were being destroyed by a tiger, and dared not venture out for fear of the animal, so he sent down a company of soldiers; they found it was quite true that the villagers were scared to death, but there was no tiger. A puma is called in Mexico a tiger.
When I told the President the object of my mission to Mexico he laughed, and exclaimed, "Did I think he was going to give me his good money for my bad money?" In my heart I thought he had very aptly described the situation, but I replied that I hoped to convince him that the good credit of Mexico was in jeopardy by my railway bonds being in default, and if the Government would step into the breach it would place the credit of Mexico in a high position in the London money market. I,however, made very little impression upon him. I was asking for Mexican bonds worth £900,000 for my railway bonds worth at the outside £250,000. I had several interviews, but met with very little encouragement. I, however, got to know the President, and he became very friendly and pleasant to me. On one of my visits he told me of his birthplace, Oaxaca, situated about 200 miles south of the city of Mexico; he was evidently very proud of it. He spoke of the beauty of the situation, the richness of the country, both in the fertility of its soil and mineral resources, and the industry of the Indian population.
I thought it would not be a bad idea to run down and see Oaxaca. I was doing no good in Mexico, and I should also be able to see something of the Mexican Southern Railway, which ran about half the way to a place called Tehuacan. We proceeded by train to Puebla, where I left my daughter, and then down the long broad valley of Tehuacan. Every few miles we came to a magnificent church, which formerly had been the centre of a village or town, for during the Spanish occupation this valley contained a population of 1,000,000, and was very fertile and rich. We saw now and again the aqueducts and tunnels which had conveyed water through the valley for irrigation.
At Tehuacan we passed through several fine cañons; here we took horses, as the railway was not completed beyond this point, and rode through avery delightful country. The first night we slept at an Indian village, or tried to sleep, but were disturbed by the barking of dogs. Every house appeared to possess a dog, which made it its business to howl and make the night hideous. The village was quite tidy, the houses mostly built of bamboo and thatched with dried palm leaves. The Indians themselves, in their wide-brimmed hats and white calico clothes, often wearing woollen ponchos, were picturesque and interesting.
On our arrival at Oaxaca we put up at the hotel, which was far from inviting, and then called upon the governor and the archbishop, the latter an Irishman with a decided brogue; he is a very rich and powerful man, and practically rules over his diocese, both in temporal as well as in spiritual affairs.
Oaxaca was a charming little town, prettily situated in a valley; in the centre of the town is a public garden and bandstand. One of the secrets of President Diaz's popularity is his sympathy with the love of music so general among the Indians, and he has wisely provided every little town with its orchestra.
We were much interested in the market, and saw the country people bring in with their produce little nuggets of gold, which they had washed out of the gravel beds on their farms.
The Indians in these parts consist of two clans or tribes, the "Black" and the "White Hats";the "Black Hats" were a troublesome people to control, but so far as I could see, the Indians are an industrious and well-conducted people.
On my return to the city of Mexico, the President was greatly surprised and delighted when I told him where I had been. He was much interested and asked me many questions, and from this moment my mission appeared to make headway; I had made the President my friend. A bill was introduced into the Legislature authorising the issue of Mexican bonds in exchange for my railway bonds. Although it met with some opposition, the President was all-powerful, and it passed the Legislature, and in six weeks I received the new Mexican government bonds for £1,000,000. I can well remember the smile of the chief clerk in the Treasury when he handed me the bonds. I asked him why he laughed; he said such a rapid thing had never been done in Mexico before, and he could not quite see why they should have hurried in this way; nor could I, save that my daily presence at the Treasury acted as a gentle stimulus.
We returned home via El Paso and Denver. The directors of the Mexican Southern Railway were greatly delighted at my success, and presented me with a cheque for £1,000. I look back upon this journey with much pleasure, not only from recollections of a very beautiful and fascinating country and people, but having enjoyed the friendship of two very remarkable men—President Diaz andSignor Don Limantour, the present finance minister in Mexico. One day in course of conversation with the President, I mentioned my great admiration for Signor Don Limantour, and I added that he had been educated at Stonyhurst, in England, which I considered a great advantage to him. It was, therefore, very gratifying to me to learn shortly after I had reached England that he had been made finance minister, with the understanding that he would succeed Diaz as President. In the hands of two such capable men the future of Mexico is assured.
President Diaz is a man of great commonsense and of strong will. To consolidate his rule in the early years of his presidency he was obliged to be severe. The country was infested with banditti, who put a stop to all commerce and travel. Diaz, when he caught the banditti, made them into rural guards, on the principle of setting a thief to catch a thief, and by this means he quickly restored law and order. Even when I was in the country gibbets were still to be seen, some having hanging to them the remains of their former victims. For some years after I returned President Diaz occasionally corresponded with me, and I kept him informed of the condition of things in Europe, and in particular of the position of Mexican finance in London.
In company with Lord Claud Hamilton I again visited America in 1905. We sailed from Liverpool in the "Ivernia." When we arrived at Boston Lord Claud received a letter from the president of the New York Central Railway placing at his disposal a private car which would be attached to any train we required, and in which we were free to go to any part of the United States. This was a personal compliment to Lord Claud as chairman of the Great Eastern Railway.
We found the car contained a dining saloon, four state rooms, and at one end was a smoking room and observatory in which we could sit and view the scenery.
There was an excellentchefand a very attentive steward; and in this car we travelled and lived for three weeks, being most sumptuously entertained. We picked up two friends, so we had a very pleasant party of four. We visited Niagara, Chicago, St. Louis (to see the Exhibition), Washington, and other placesen route. At St. Louis we were received by the president of the Exhibition, Mr. Francis, who drove us round the grounds in a Western prairie coach, painted yellow, and drawn by six white horses. It was a curious experience. The coach was fully laden, and as we rushed around the corners it lurched and heeledover in a truly alarming manner. We felt for the time as if we were part of a Wild West circus troupe.
The Exhibition was very well worth seeing. Of all the great exhibitions it was quite one of the best. The illuminations in the evening were on a magnificent scale.
During our railway progress we were surprised at the number of wrecks of trains we passed; seventeen in all. Many had been accompanied by loss of life, but little or no allusion was made to them in the newspapers. We began to feel anxious for our own safety, and we were congratulating ourselves upon our escape from all trouble, when, nearing New York on our way from Washington, suddenly we saw our locomotive sail away in front of us, and looking back saw the remainder of the train standing half-a-mile behind us. The couplings had broken, but the automatic brakes, fortunately, brought us to a standstill.
When we arrived at any important place at which we intended to make a stay, we placed the private car on a siding while we took up our quarters at an hotel or a country club. These country clubs are charming institutions in America, and the members are most generous in extending their hospitality to travellers.
When at Washington President Roosevelt kindly invited us to dine at the White House. We were unable to accept this invitation, and he then asked us to lunch. With the exception of GeneralChaffee, we were alone with the President. The White House has a very English homelike aspect. It is a large Georgian house furnished and decorated in Adams style, and resembles an English gentleman's country residence.
President Roosevelt is a thick-set man of medium height, very vivacious and active, both mentally and physically. He had all the energy and strenuous activity, while his Chief Secretary of State, Mr. Hay, had the wisdom and discretion, and the two made a strong combination. When Mr. Hay died this salutary restraint was removed, and President Roosevelt tried to carry out reforms with a rush. Though his intentions were excellent the rough and hasty methods he adopted plunged the country into a disastrous and far-reaching financial disaster.
At lunch the President told me that he had that morning been reading Macaulay for the third or fourth time, and was anxious to know when Tories in England ceased to be called Tories. I replied, "It was after Macaulay's time; about the 'sixties." He then told me that he had been to see the Jiu-jitsu clan of Japanese perform with their grips; they had 300 grips, and being fond of athletics he had learned thirty of them. After lunch, while I was standing near the fire, the President rushed at me and said, "Let me try a few of the grips on you," and before I could answer he had my right arm over his shoulder, and I had to follow bodily. He did not hurt me, and relinquished his grip when he found he wasmy master. He then took hold of my legs below the knees and threw me over his shoulder, and finally, taking hold of my hands, placed me on my back. The easy way in which he caught me and prevented my falling was a proof of his great muscular strength. He attacked Lord Claud Hamilton in a similar fashion, but Lord Claud shrank from the contest. I think this was a proof of the extreme human character of the President. He will live as one of America's greatest Presidents, and I suppose there are not many men who can say they have wrestled with this great uncrowned king of America.
Of our winter travels in the Mediterranean, our visits to Egypt, Greece, Algiers, Norway, etc., I need not say much, the ground is now so familiar to most people.
We had one little experience, to which I look back with much interest. Staying at Biskra, on the borders of the Sahara, we formed a camp and went four or five days' sojourn into the desert, quite a unique and pleasant tour. We were joined by two American ladies, and our camp consisted of eleven men and about a dozen mules, and four or five camels. We had an excellent native dragoman, whoturned out to be a very good cook. The camels carried the tents and bedding, and the kitchen utensils, while we rode the mules. As we marched out of Biskra we formed quite an important cavalcade and all the people in the hotel turned out to see us. After marching about ten miles we halted for lunch, and it was surprising how soon Achmed had a ragout ready for us. We afterwards marched about fifteen miles, and pitched our camp just outside an oasis, and not very far from an encampment of Bedouins.
The days were very hot, but the nights quite cold. Our beds were spread on the ground in the tents, and we required all our blankets and rugs to keep the cold out. An armed Arab slept on the ground outside the door of each tent. The desert at this season of the year—the spring—was covered, more or less, with short grass and an abundance of wild flowers. In many places we had to pass over large areas of sand dunes, which were very trying, and to cross the dried-up beds of rivers. These rivers come down from the mountains when the snows melt and rush along in mighty torrents, scooping out water courses, until they finally lose themselves in the burning sands of the desert. As we got away from the mountains, the desert began to look more and more like the ocean, with its clean-cut horizon all round, the hummocks of sand reminding one of Atlantic seas. The clear blue sky and the translucent atmosphere imparted an enchanting aspect to the scene; indeed, it became fascinating, and I canquite enter into the spirit of the Bedouin, who sees in the wastes of his Sahara so much to love and to attract him.
The intense sense of loneliness is a new experience for an Englishman, and awakens within him strange emotions, giving him new views of his environment and throwing new lights upon the future. The starlight nights were lovely, and on one night we were able to play bridge by starlight up to midnight.
We passed through several oases, which usually consist of a village surrounded by two or three thousand date-palm trees, the houses being built of mud and thatched with palm leaves. Palms constitute the riches of this country, and a man's wealth is computed by the number of date-palm trees or camels he possesses.
The Bedouin tribes we came across seemed a well-behaved, peaceable people. They move about with their flocks of sheep and goats. At night their flocks are tethered about their tents, and by day they wander in search of pasture. The men beguile their time while watching their flocks by doing embroideries, and also in making garments. They lead the simple life.
All lovers of a garden will take great delight in the Count's garden at Biskra, rendered famousby the beautiful poetic description given of it by Mr. Hichens in his novel theGarden of Allah.
The garden is situated just outside Biskra, on the banks of the river Benevent. It was laid out fifty years ago by the Count Landon, who lavished his money upon it to make this the most perfect tropical garden in the world. Every species of palm tree, every plant known in the tropics, finds here a home. On the south side it is bordered by the river, with terraces overlooking the desert wastes of the Sahara beyond; running streams of water intersect the garden and afford the means of the constant irrigation which is necessary. The borders and walks are wonderfully kept by an army of Arab gardeners, so vigilant in their attention that it is almost impossible for a falling leaf to reach the ground before it is caught and removed; thus everything is tidy and orderly.
It was in this garden Domini met the Count Anteoni and listened to his reasons for finding his happiness in its leafy solitudes: "I come here to think; this is my special thinking place." It was to him an ideal place for finding out interior truth. The Arabs of the Sahara sing, "No one but God and I knows what is in my heart," and so the vast solitudes of the desert in their terrible stillness, overwhelming distances, and awe-inspiring silence, make men think and think. The Arabs say in truth that "No man can be an atheist in the desert."
We enter the garden through a large gateway, flanked on one side by a two-storied Moorish dwelling-house which contains the sleeping apartments of the Count. We cross a large court-yard margined by hedgerows, towering up twenty feet or more, deeply cut to form a shade for the benches underneath. At the far end of the quadrangle is the salon, the walls of which are covered with bougainvillea of a deep violet colour. On the far side the salon looks out upon a broad avenue of date-palms, fringed with hedgerows of dark red hibiscus and scarlet geranium. A few yards beyond is the Arab divan, embowered by purple bougainvillea. Huge date-palms lift their heads above all and afford a welcome shade from the direct rays of the sun; but its rays glint through and light up the orange trees, with their red golden fruit, which stand on the far side, and throw a yellow shimmering tint over the feathery foliage of the bamboos which fill in the space between the palms.
Everywhere overhead the date-palms and the cocoanut-palms meet and form a series of leafy arcades, throwing a canopy over the undergrowth, protecting it from the scorching rays of the sun. This undergrowth consists of hedgerows of bamboos, hibiscus, and alamanders, intersected by avenues of date and cocoanut-palms, alcoves in shady corners, pergolas shrouded with creepers leading out of mysterious paths and by-ways, groves of phœnix-palms and bananas, thickets of scarlet geraniums,and large clearings filled with fan-palms. Everywhere is the music of running water rippling as it flows through its tortuous channels, distributing life and luxuriance in its path.
It is difficult to enumerate all the trees which give so much charm to the garden, but I must not forget the acacias, gums, indiarubber trees, eucalyptus, and many varieties of mimosa.
The garden is thrown open to the public upon a small payment, and forms one of the great attractions of Biskra. It is difficult to conceive a more wonderful contrast than that between the luxuriant tropical vegetation of the Count's garden and the arid, sandy wastes of the Sahara with which it is surrounded, and out of which indeed it has been created. It was amusing to run across in out-of-the-way nooks and corners so many people diligently reading, and it was always the same book, theGarden of Allah.
There is probably no country so fascinating to the traveller as Egypt. It is not merely that it is Oriental and picturesque, but it is a Bible land and the seat of the early dawn of civilisation. Its explorers have made discoveries out of which they have been enabled to build up the history of an ancient and most remarkable people; and while the traveller beholds in wonder the gigantic proportionsof pyramid, pylon and temple, he is fascinated by the story which recent discoveries have woven around them. One cannot visit Egypt without becoming an Egyptologist in a small way. My two visits to Assouan gave me a very good grasp of the centuries of history rolled up within the Nile valley, and enabled me to deliver on my return several lectures in the Picton Lecture Hall in connection with our course of free lectures.
Things have been changed very much in Egypt. The lovely island of Philæ, with its Ptolemean temple, is submerged, and the valley of the Nile has changed its character by the raising of its waters. Cairo has become the pilgrimage of the fashionable, and much of what was primitive and interesting has been improved away, but still the Egypt of history remains, and will remain, to charm and fascinate with its spell of romance—its reverence for the dead and the grandeur of its religious rites and ceremonies.
India awakens within us such a sense of vastness and distance, and so strongly appeals to our imagination, that one is much tempted to write at length that others may enter into our enjoyment of a country and a people so great, so picturesque, and so remarkable. It was this feeling which prompted me, while in India, to write a series ofletters to theLiverpool Daily Post. These letters are too long to be reproduced here, and I must, therefore, confine myself to a brief résumé of our impressions of India. The first thing which almost staggers the imagination is the extent of our Indian Empire.