■RECOLLECTIONS
OF A BUSY LIFE
SIR WILLIAM B. FOR.WOOD
/,.
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
RECOLLECTIONS
OF A
BUSY LIFE.
RECOLLECTIONS
OF A BUSY LIFE
BEING THE
REMINISCENCES
OF A
LIVERPOOL MERCHANT
1840 — igio.
BY
SIR WILLIAM B. FORWOOD
D.L. J.P.
ILLUSTRATED WITH SEVENTEEN PLATES
" Wor/; for some good, be it ever so slowly ;
' ' Cherish sonie floiver, be it ever so lowly ;
" Labour ! True labour is noble and holy.^'
LIVERPOOL :
HENRY YOUNG & SONS
1910.
DA
To MY Children
AND
Grandchildren.
1
PREFACE.
Many of the following pages were written for
private circulation. Influential friends have, however,
urged me to publish them, as they may appeal to a
wider circle of readers. I have consented, with diffidence,
but have availed myself of the opportunity to add some
chapters upon local affairs, which I trust may be of public
interest, and recall pleasing memories of bygone times.
W. B. F.
Bromrorough Hall,
December 15/, 1910.
A FOREWORD.
There are but few men whose lives are worthy to be
written for general publication, but there are many who have
accumulated recollections and experiences which must be
interesting and instructive to those of their own kith and kin, and
it is for these I am about to jot down a few reminiscences of a life
which has been largely spent in public work — in helping to build up
the fortunes of a great seaport, in the local government of an
important Municipality, and in the administration of Justice.
Should these pages fall into the hands of friends I am sure they
will be read with kindly and sympathetic feelings, and strangers
will, I hope, accord to them the consideration and indulgence due
to a narrative written only for private publication.
Life is said to be short, but when I look back upon the
events which have crowded into mine I seem to have lived a long
time, and one cannot but reflect that if the prospect had always
looked as long as the retrospect, how much more patience and
deliberation might have been thrown into the ordering of one's
affairs, and how entirely this might have altered the course of
events and changed the goal of one's endeavours. It is perhaps a
merciful and wise ordinance that no man can reckon beyond the
day that is before him, and therefore each day should be so lived
as to be typical of our life ; f(;r it is the only portion of time of
which we may truly say it is our own, and at our own disposal for
good or for evil.
IX
As each life, therefore, has its ambitions — small or great —
its conquests, its trials, and its failures, so each day has to bear its
own burden of trials and anxieties ; and as the daily life is lived,
and the daily task accomplished, so will our life's work be
fulfilled ; but how few there are who can look back and say their
lives have been a success, and that they have accomplished all they
should or all they might have done.
A great philosopher and thinker, who passed away only
recently, stated, on the Jubilee of his Professorship, when his
contemporaries were saying that future generations would proclaim
him as having accomplished greater things than Sir Isaac Newton,
that *' his life had not been a success, that he had given his time
and his mental powers to the solution of practical problems of
everyday life rather than to the claims of the higher philosophy ; "
and so, in our more humble spheres each of us must
feel that we have neglected opportunities, and perhaps the
opportunities which we most regret having neglected are those by
which we could have done good to our fellow-men, and not those
which made for the satisfying of our ambition.
There can be no isolation more dreary than the isolation of
an old age, cut off by the lack of training and habit from sympathy
with humanity, alone in its selfishness, untouched by the joy of
feeUng and caring for others. But even short of this isolation of a
selfish old age, there must come to all of us a feeling of
disappointment that our part in helping forward the well-being of
others has not been larger and more fruitful :
" Frail is the web the tired worker weaves
Left incomplete :
Fair was life's promise, scanty are its sheaves ;
What are its laurels, but a few sere leaves
Withering beneath our feet."
I will, however, cease to moralise, and will conclude with
this thought which, I think, forms an appropriate i)reface to an
autobiography.
How much greater would be the sum total of human
happiness if men would accept as their guide the experience of
those who had gone before ! How many disasters might be avoided !
How many successful careers might be shaped and built up ! But
I suppose as long as men are as they are they will refuse to
accept the experience of others, but will make their own, and
through blunders and mistakes a certain proportion will arrive
at success, but a larger proportion will struggle on, on the ragged
edge and under the cold shade of adversity until the end of
their days.
W. B. F.
Bromborough Hall,
Cheshire,
January 2\sty 19 lo.
XI
CONTENTS.
A FOREWORD. page
CHAPTER L— EARLY YEARS i
My Father
Edge Hill
Everton
Bootle
Seaforth
The "Great Britain," s.s 7
Wrecks on the Seaforth shore ... ... ... 8
Walton ... ... ... ... ... ... 10
Aigburth ... ... ... ... ... ... 10
The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone 12
His last speech ... ... ... ... 13
1848 — Waterloo and Southport Railway: Opening ... 15
Edge Lane ... ... ... ... ... ... 16
Early School-days ... ... ... ... ... 17
Home Life ... ... ... ... ... ... 21
Wavertree Park ... ... ... ... ... 23
CHAPTER IL— VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD ... 25
1857— Sail in the "Red Jacket" 25
Australia ... ... ... ... ... ... 26
West Coast of South America ... ... ... 27
Easterly gales in the Channel ... ... ... 28
xiii
PAGE
CHAPTER III. LIVERPOOL
..
... 31
Liverpool in 1860-1870
... 32
The Town
. .
... 33
The Docks
.•• 35
The Dock Board
. .
... 37
Election...
, ,
. ... 38
Birkenhead
, ,
••• 39
Bootle
41
The Exchange
42
Cotton Brokers
..
... 44
Commerce
, .
... 47
Shipowners
... 48
Merchants
... 49
The American War of 1861-1865
. . .
... 51
Blockade Running
.:.
••• 53
The Southern Bazaar
..
••• 55
The Volunteer Movement ...
••• 55
Intellectual Life
..
... 57
Society
••
... 60
CHAPTER IV. BUSINESS LIFE
... 64
My Father's Office
... 64
Financial Panics, 185 7- 1866
... 6s
1861— Wrecked in the "Great Eastern"
... 67
1 86 1 — Arrested in New York
... 69
Leech, Harrison and Forwood
... 71
My brother Arthur
••
... 72
CHAPTER V. PUBLIC LIFE, 1867 .
... 78
1868 — President Philomathie Society
... 78
Professor Huxley ...
...
... 78
1868— Elected to the Town Council : E
arly Expe
iriences 79
Chamber of Commerce :
1870 — Elected Vice-President
... 80
187 1-1874— President of the Chamber
... 80
1 878-1881 — Elected President
f the
re-constituted Chamber by the vote
s of the
subscribers to the Exchai
ige N
ewi
; Room 80
XIV
1870 — Fellow Royal Statistical Society
1872 — President of the American Chamber of Commerce
1873 — Chairman of the Joint Committee of the Northern
Towns on Railway Rates
1877 — President United Cotton Association, the precursor
of the Cotton Association
1877 — President of the International Cotton Convention...
1880 — Mayor of Liverpool ...
Visit of General Sir Frederick Roberts
Visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales
The Opening of the North Docks ...
Fenian Scare
1903 — Lord Mayor...
CHAPTER VL~THE FENIAN TROUBLES
1882 — Attempt to blow up the Town Hall
Infernal Machines ...
The Pensioner's cork leg
Thanks of the Home Secretary
CHAPTER VIL— THE TOWN COUNCIL
The Town Hall — Its Hospitality ...
Work in the City Council ...
1868-1882 — Watch Committee ...
Burning of the Landing Stage
1 870-1 884 — Water Committee : The Vyrnwy Scheme,
Hawes Water
1874-1886 — Parliamentary Committee...
Chairman
E.\tension of the Boundaries
The Manchester Ship Canal
The Dock Board and the Bridgwater Canal
1887 — Corporation Leaseholds : Chairman of Special
Committee to enquire into
Report
1908 — Estate Committee: Chairman ...
page.
80
81
81
82
83
83
83
84
84
85
87
88
88
90
91
92
93
97
100
100
lOI
102
102
106
106
io6
107
108
109
1 10
1 10
XV
PAGE.
CHAPTER VIII.— LIBRARY, MUSEUM AND ARTS
COMMITTEE 112
1889 — Chairman ... ... ... ... ... ... 114
1908 — Extension of Free Libraries ... ... ... 114
Mr. Carnegie ... ... ... ... ... 115
The Museum Extended ... ... ... ... 116
The Art Galleries 117
Among the Studios ... ... ... ... ... 118
Lord Leighton ... ... ... ... ... 118
Mr. Greiffenhagen ... ... ... ... 119
Sir John Millais ... ... ... ... 120
Sir Hubert Herkomer ... ... ... ... 121
Sir John Gilbert ... ... ... ... 122
Mr. Whistler ... ... ... ... ... 123
1908 — Retired from the Committee ... ... ... 123
Mr. R. D. Holt 128
CHAPTER IX.— KNIGHTHOOD AND FREEDOM
OF LIVERPOOL 130
1883 — Knighthood: At Windsor Castle ... 130
Honorary Freedom of City of Liverpool ... 131
CHAPTER X.— POLITICAL WORK 141
Party politics in Liverpool ... ... ... ... 141
Conservative Whip ... ... ... ... ... 142
1865— S. R. Graves, M.P 143
1873— John Torr, M.P 143
1868 — Viscount Sandon, M.P. . . ... ... ... 144
1880— Edward Whitley, M.P 144
Mr. Rathbone, M.P. 145
1868 — Election, SouthAVcst Lancashire: Mr. Gladstone
and Mr. R. A, Cross ... ... ... ... 145
1869 — Chairman Waterloo Polling District ... ... 146
1880 — Chairman of the Southport Division ... ... 146
xvi
PAGE.
The Hon. George A. Curzon ... ... ... 146
Mr. Curzon Member for Southporl ... ... ... 147
Lord Curzon's work as the Viceroy of India ... 149
Duties of a Chairman of a Division ... ... 151
Free Trade and Protection... ... ... ... 152
CHAPTER XL— JUDICIAL WORK 154
1873 — Placed on Liverpool Bench... ... ... ... 154
1882 — Placed on Lancashire County Bench ... ... 154
1900 — Placed on Cheshire County Bench... ... ... 154
1890 — Deputy-Chairman of Quarter Sessions, West Derby
Hundred ... ... ... ... ... 154
1894 — Chairman of Quarter Sessions ... ... ... 154
1894 — Chairman of the County Bench ... ... ... 155
1894 — Chairman of the Licensing Justices ... ... 155
Chairman of the Visiting Justices, Walton Jail ... 157
1902 — Appointed a Deputy- Lieutenant for Lancashire ... 154
1909 — High Sheriff for Lancashire ... ... ... 159
Interesting Ceremony at Lancaster Castle... ... 161
The King and Queen at Knowsley ... ... 162
CHAPTER XIL—
BLUNDELLSANDS, BROMBOROUGH & CROSBY
Blundellsands ... ... ... ... ... 164
Crosby Grammar School ... ... ... ... 166
Brumborough ... ... ... ... ... 168
CHAPTER XIIL— DIRECTORSHIPS 171
1889 — Chairman Overhead Railway ... ... ... 172
1893 — Opening by the Marquis of Salisbury,
Prime Minister ... ... ... ... 173
1898 — Chairman of the Bank of Liverpool 176
1888 — Director of the Cunard Company ... ... ... 177
Some incidents ... ... ... ►.. 179
Castle Wemyss ... ... ... «. ... ii>i
xvii
i888-
Making of the Cunard Company ...
Liverpool and Mediterranean Trade
White Star Line
Mr. T. H. Ismay
Sir Alfred Jones, K.C.M.G.
-Director Employers' Liability Assurance Company
CHAPTER XIV.— THE CHURCHES ...
The Church, i860— 1870
Dr. McNeile
Dr. Ryle, first Bishop of Liverpool
Nonconformists
The Building of a Cathedral...
Early History ...
Chairman of Executive Committee
Foundation-stone laid by the King
Consecration of the Lady Chapel
Convocation...
Church Congress
New York Cathedral
CHAPTER XV.— PHILANTHROPY, CHARITABLE
AND SOCIAL WORK
Crusade against intemperance
Workmen's dwellings
Local workers
CHAPTER XVL— THE SEAMEN'S ORPHANAGE, Etc
1905— Royal Commission on Motors
CHAPTER XVIL— THE EARL OF DERBY..
Appointments to the County Bench
Prince Fushimi of Japan
CHAPTER XVIII.— TRAVELS
Improvements in Modern Travel ...
187 1 — Franco-Prussian Battlefields ... ,.
PAGE
. 181
. 182
. 184
• 185
. 186
. 188
. 188
. 189
. 190
. 192
. 194
• 194
. 198
. 199
201
. 203
. 204
204
206
. 207
. 208
209
211
. 212
. 215
• 215
220
• 223
. 223
. 225
XVlll
1 89 1 — Costa Rica ...
Jamaica
1892 — Mexico
Conversion of Mexican Southern Railway Bonds
President Diaz
J 905 — America: Tour with Lord Claud Hamilton
President Roosevelt...
1906 — The Desert of Sahara
The Count's Garden, Biskra
Egypt
1907 — India: Impressions of
1 906 — Lord Clive : The result of a Motor Tour . . ,
CHAPTER XIX.— RECREATIONS
Yachting
1874 — Obtained Certificate from the Board of Trade as
Master Mariner...
Windermere : Happy Days ...
History of the Royal Windermere Yacht Club
Yacht Racing Association ...
One of the Founders ...
Member of the Council
Chairman of the Committee of Measurement
Royal Canoe Club ...
1879 — Rear-Commodore Royal Mersey Yacht Club
Gardening
Orchids
CHAPTER XX.— OBITER DICTA
Success in Life
Observation ... ... ... ... ...
Imagination ...
Integrity
PAGE
-• 225
... 228
... 228
229
... 230
••• 235
... 236
... 238
... 240
... 243
... 244
... 250
... 253
••• 253
••• 255
... 256
••• 257
... 258
... 258
... 258
... 258
... 258
... 257
... 259
260
... 261
... 263
... 266
... 267
267
xtx
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Liverpool, 1836
Frontispiece.
Shaw's Brow
Facing
page 34
Dock Offices
»
,, 37
The Old Liverpool Exchange
)j
» 42
The Town Hall
j>
., 93
Laying Foundation Stone, Vyrnwy
p
„ 102
Free Libraries ...
j>
„ 112
" Ramleh," East Front
?i
„ 162
Bromborough Hall, Garden Front
J)
„ 168
The Old Dutch Garden
>>
,. 170
The Lady Chapel, Liverpool Cathedral
j>
„ 201
Fatehpur Sikri ...
»>
M 244
Benares ...
>>
„ 245
The Himalayas ...
j>
„ 248
The Taj Mahal
»
» 249
Yachting on Windermere
)>
„ 256
Portrait ...
)>
„ 261
XXI
CHAPTER L
EARLY YEARS.
A Great City — its people and its institutions,
as seen by a contemporary presents incidents that
do not specially appeal to the historian, who is more
concerned with the larger features and events which
mark its growth; but those incidents may serve as
sidelights upon the movements and the spirit of the
times, and woven round the outlines of a life which
has been threaded in the weft of its activities, may
afford a background to bring into more prominent
relief and give juster proportion to the characters
and the actions of the men who have built up its
prosperity.
My story will therefore be of the men and
the incidents of my time, which I think may
perhaps possess more than a passing interest, and
I hope serve to awaken pleasant memories.
As I do not intend to write a record of my
family life, which with its abounding happiness —
some great sorrows — successes and disappointments
— must be a sacred thing, I shall only make such
references to my family, or to those friends still
happily with us, as may be necessary to my
narrative.
2 Recollections of a Busy Life.
My great-grandfather, who was born at
Plymouth, was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy
and served on board the " Foudroyant." He was
killed in action, and his widow, in recognition of his
courage, was awarded a Post Captain's pension.
She had one son, my grandfather, George Forwood,
who came to Liverpool, where in 1812 he joined
Mr. John Moss as partner in the Otterspool Oil
Works (Mr. Moss was the father of the late
Sir Thomas Moss, Bart.). My grandfather appears
to have been a man of considerable ability.
Mr. Hughes, in his History of Liverpool Bankers,
describes him as "an exceedingly able man,
possessing some public spirit." His published letters
and pamphlets on economic subjects show that he
took much interest in the pressing questions of the
day, and was very active in promoting the repeal of the
Corn Laws and in the amendment of the Poor Laws.
My father, the late Thomas Brittain
Forwood, was born in Russell Street in 1810, and
was educated at Dr. Prior's school in Pembroke
Place ; he received what was known as a good classical
education, and up to the close of his life his
knowledge of Latin was fresh and accurate, and he
could quote freely and aptly from Latin authors.
He was gifted with a love for mechanics,
and he claimed to have made a locomotive when
a boy, using as cylinders two surgical syringes.
He entered the office of Leech, Harrison
and Co. in 1824, when he was 14 years of age,
Early Years. 3
became a partner at the age of 27, and retired
in 1862, when he purchased the estate of Thornton
Manor, in Cheshire ; here he resided for the
remainder of his hfe. My father was endowed
with a quick and bright intelhgence, and was a
most excellent correspondent in days when letter
writing was a fine art. He had a love and
capacity for hard work.
He was too much absorbed in his own
business to take an active part in public life,
but he was for a time a vice-president of
the Chamber of Commerce, and took a leading
part in the effort to obtain a reduction in the
railway charges levied upon Liverpool traffic.
He was for tv\^enty-two years a member of the
Mersey Dock Board, and chairman of the Traffic
Committee. After he retired from business he
became a magistrate for the county of Cheshire,
and greatly interested himself in the restoration
of Chester cathedral.
He died at his London house, in Regent's
Park, December i8th, 1884, and was buried at
Thornton Hough, Cheshire. My mother was a
daughter of William Bower, the founder of the
firm of William Bower and Sons, cotton brokers.
My grandmother, Mrs. Bower, was left a widow
when quite young, but must have been a woman of
much ability, for during the minority of her eldest
son, for several years she carried on the business,
going down to the office every day. In this she was
4 Recollections of a Busy Life.
actively assisted by the late Mr. Geo. Holt, the
founder of the firm of Geo. Holt and Co., with the
result that when her son came of age the business
was one of the largest and most prosperous on the
Cotton Exchange. I often heard her speak with
gratitude of the noble self-sacrifice of Mr. Holt
during all these years.
I was born at Edge Hill, Liverpool, in 1840
— it gives some perspective to this date when we
remember that the year 1839 witnessed the first
publication of Bradshaw's Railway Guide, and the
inauguration of the penny post. It was the year
after the accession and marriage of Queen Victoria,
and one of the last of the dark years of the fiscal
policy of Protection in England ; so that I may
claim that m^^ seventy years have witnessed a
material progress on every side, which has been
simply marvellous, and has eclipsed in the brilliancy
of achievement any former period in the history of
our country. The use of the steam-engine has been
increased and extended until it has become the
handmaiden of every industrial occupation ; and
following in its train we have seen the development
of the spinning jenny, and the blast furnace. And
to-day we see that steam is being dethroned from
its high position by the electrical dynamo and the
hydraulic ram, and the turbine is taking the place
of the reciprocating engine. The internal combustion
engine has been invented, and the motor-car is
rapidly superseding the horse-drawn vehicle ; while
Early Years. 5
the biplane and monoplane have given a reality to
aviation which never entered the most visionary
dreams of a few years ago.
My father's house at Edge Hill overlooked
the grounds of Mount Vernon Hall and the gardens
of the vicarage ; to the east were open fields, with a
few large villas dotted about. Fashionable Liverpool
still dwelt in the large Georgian houses fringing
Everton Hill, which looked down upon one of the
loveliest views imaginable. In the foreground were
the trees and woods which ran along what is now
Netherfield Road ; beyond these the river flowed ;
in the distance the Wirral peninsula stretched out,
backed by the Welsh hills. But the town of
Liverpool was pushing its way up to Everton, and
San Domingo Road was ceasing to be fashionable ;
while Aigburth, Prince's Park, and Edge Lane were
rapidly becoming the most popular suburbs of the
fast-rising seaport.
Soon after I was born my father removed
to Marsh Lane, Bootle, and there were few more
charming spots at that time. I remember the grand
trees which encircled Bootle Hall and overarched
Marsh Lane ; here dwelt in sylvan retreats the
Mathers, the Birches, and the Tyrers. The trees
extended down to the sea-shore, where Miller's
Castle stood sentinel — a modern building remarkable
for its keep and battlemented walls. About half a
mile nearer Liverpool there was a row of large
houses, known as Fort Terrace ; here one of my
6 Recollections of a Busy Life.
uncles lived. The garden ran down to the sea-shore,
and we as boys passed out of the garden to bathe. The
Canada dock is built on the site of Fort Terrace.
My father removed again, further out, to
Seaforth, to a large house on the Crosby Road,
facing an open space known as "Potter's Field," which
was bounded on the further side by the shore. I was
sent to school at Mrs. Carter's, a celebrated dame's
school, where many 3^oung Liverpool boys were
educated. Mr. Arthur Earle was one of my class-
mates. Seaforth was a ver}^ prettily v/ooded village,
fine elm trees margining the highway right up to
the canal at Litherland. The village at that time
contained two other important schools, Miss
Davenport's and the Rev. Mr. Rawson's. Mr. Rawson
was Vicar of the Parish. Mr. Gladstone, Lord Cross,
and Dean Stanley were educated at Mr. Rawson's.
Mr. Rawson was very fond of telling the story of
Mr. Gladstone, when a boy, spending his holiday
afternoons lying before the fire reading Virgil ;
even in those days he had formed great expectations
of his pupil's future career. Seaforth vicarage stood
between the church and the railway, and was
surrounded by large gardens. Litherland was also
a charming rural village, containing many grand old
elm trees, and several large houses. Waterloo was
a rising seaside place, very fashionable in the
summer ; here Liverpool merchants occupied
cottages, for in those times a cottage at the seaside
was the usual method of spending the summer :
Early Years. 7
fishings in Norway, moors in Scotland, and tours
all over the world not then being in vogue.
Our home at Seaforth commanded a very-
beautiful marine view. I remember seeing the
" Great Britain " sail, and the same night she was
stranded on the coast of Ireland. For years the
" Great Britain " was regarded as one of the wonders
of the world. She was considered to be such a
leviathan that people said she would never pay, and
I believe she never did ; her tonnage was under 4,000
tons. She remained the largest ship afloat for many
years. The ''Great Britain " went ashore in Dundrum
Bay on the 22nd September, 1846, and was refloated
and towed to Liverpool, August 25th, 1847. She
remained for some time in the North Atlantic trade,
was afterwards engaged in the Australian trade, and
subsequently was converted into a four-masted
sailing ship. Her final use was as a coal hulk at
the Falkland Islands.
I also saw the Glasgow steamer "Orion" sail
on her fatal voyage. She was stranded on the Mull of
Galloway, and many lives were lost ; this was in 1850.
Very frequently after the prevalence of
easterly winds, the entire channel between the Rock
Light and the Crosby Lightship was crowded with
ships, large and small, working their way out to
sea — a lovely sight. I have frequently counted
over 300 sail in sight at one time.
On the Bootle shore, somewhere about where
the Hornby dock is situated, there stood two high
8 Recollections of a Busy Life.
landmarks — very conspicuous objects marking the
fairway through the Rock Channel, then very much
used ; they linger in my memor}^ associated with
many pleasant donkey rides around them. Bootle
church in those daj/s had two towers, and the old
church was quite as ugly as the one now existing.
The Dock Committee built the sea wall of the
Canada dock some time before the docks were
constructed. I remember about the year 1848 seeing
seven ships wrecked against this sea wall ; they had
dragged their anchors and were driven ashore by a
north-west gale. Wrecks on the Bootle and
Seaforth shores were quite common occurrences.
The farmers in the district fenced their fields with
timber from ships stranded on the shore, and the
villagers were not above pilfering their cargoes. The
barque " Dickey Sam " with a cargo of tobacco from
Virginia was stranded on the Seaforth sands in 1848,
and an onslaught was made on her cargo by the
villagers ; and to protect it, my father organised a
body of young men to stand guard over it — not an
easy matter, as the hogsheads of tobacco were
strewn along the beach for several miles. His
efforts were rewarded by the underwriters presenting
to him a silver salver with an appropriate inscription.
Access to Seaforth and Waterloo from
Liverpool was afforded by a four-horse 'bus, which
ran in the morning and evening ; express boats also
sailed along the canal in summer, starting from
the bridge at Litherland. It was a pretty walk
Early Years. g
through the fields to Litherland, and a charming sail
along the canal to the wharf in Great Howard Street.
Riding on horseback on the sea-shore was a
very favourite pastime. Many business men rode
into town, keeping to the shore as far as Sandhills
Station.
On the road to Liverpool, and midway
between Bootle and Liverpool, surrounded by fields,
were the ruined walls of Bank Hall, which for 500
years had been the residence of the Moores, one of
the most celebrated Liverpool families ; they were
large owners of property, and for that long period
were closely identified with the public life of the
little town.
The Hall had been pulled down and the
materials used for the erection of the large stone
farm buildings and an important farm-house. In
my boyhood days the barns and farm-house still
remained, and also the ancient garden wall, flanked
with high stone gate-posts and surmounted by large
carved stone urns, such as were common in the
early Georgian period. A deep and wide ditch
ran along the front of the wall, which was part of
the old moat. The Ashcrofts were the tenants of the
farm, and I can remember making hay in a field
which would be about the site of the present Bankhall
railway station. Further along again, in Great
Howard Street, stood the jail, commonly called
the French prison, many French prisoners of war
having been confined there during the Peninsular war.
10 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Near Sandhills Station there stood a large
house, surrounded by trees, the residence of John
Shaw Leigh, one of the founders of the present
Liverpool. I remember being taken to see the ice-
house in the grounds, which formed a sort of cave.
Walton was a very pretty village, and remained so
until a comparatively recent date; its lanes were
shaded by stately trees, amid which there nestled
the charming old thatched cottages which formed
the village. The church, the mother church of
Liverpool, was a landmark for miles, and amid its
rustic and rural surroundings was picturesque and
romantic. Near at hand were Skirving's nursery
gardens, quite celebrated in their time.
The southern end of the town preserved
its suburban aspect for a much longer period.
Aigburth Road and its great elm trees remained
untouched by the builder of cottages until quite
recent times. Prince's Road was made in 1843, and
was margined on either side by fields, which for long
years remained in a more or less ragged condition,
some of the land being occupied by squatters, living
in wooden tenements such as we are familiar with
when property lies derelict, past cultivation, but not
yet ripe for the builder.
Aigburth Road and St. Michael's Hamlet
retained their charming and picturesque features
until such a recent period that I need not dwell
upon them. Few towns had more attractive
and beautiful suburbs ; now the tramways have
Early Years. 1 1
encouraged the building of small property in every
direction, and suburban Liverpool is almost
destroyed. The area available for residences has
always been limited to the east and south, owing
to the proximity of St. Helens, Wigan, Widnes,
and Garston. It would have been a wise policy
if our City Fathers had set apart a sanctuary for
better-class houses, from which tramways were
excluded, and thus avoid driving so many large
ratepayers to the Cheshire side to find a home.
My sketch of Seaforth and its neighbourhood
would not be complete unless I say a word about
several rather celebrated houses which existed in
the district. One was Seaforth Hall, long known
as " Muspratt's folly." Mr. Muspratt, who built the
house, and who lived and at the age of 96 died in it,
had the prescience to see that the sandhills, which
he bought for a nominal price, would some day
become a part of Liverpool, and he had also the
enterprise to erect one of the finest houses about
Liverpool. Another important house was Seafield,
near Waterloo, the residence of Dr. Hicks ; it was
surrounded by a large park. This has since been
laid out and built over, and is now known as Waterloo
Park. The third interesting house was Seaforth
House, the residence of Sir John Gladstone,
and where his famous son spent his young
days. In the 'seventies Mr. Robertson Gladstone,
the brother of the Premier, had a scheme to
modernise the old family house, which his brother,
12 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Mr. W. E. Gladstone, who owned the property,
allowed him to carry out. Mr. Robertson Gladstone
was my colleague on the Watch Committee, and he
invited me to go out with him to see the alterations
he was making, which I found comprised the
construction of a large circular saloon in the centre
of the house. This was a very fine apartment, but
it ruined the rest of the house, making all the other
rooms small and ill-shaped. The house never
found a tenant, and some years after, when
Mr. W. E. Gladstone sold his Seaforth estate, it
was pulled down.
When Mr. Robert Holt was Lord Mayor,
in 1893, Mr. W. E. Gladstone visited Liverpool
to receive the Freedom of the City. He sent
for me to the Town Hall, and said he
understood I was the chairman of the Overhead
Railway, and he wanted to know where we
had placed our station at Seaforth. I told him
it was on the south side of the old Rimrose
Brook, and gave him some further particulars.
He at once replied, " I remember as a boy catching
what we called * snigs ' in the Rimrose Brook, and
from what you tell me your station is on the north
side, and as a boy I played cricket in the adjoining
field, from whence in the far, far distance we could
see the smoke of Liverpool." From enquiries I have
made I find Mr. Gladstone's memory as to the
position of the brook was more accurate than my
own. It was a considerable stream and the
Early Years. 13
cobble-paved highway of Crosby Road was
carried over it by a high white stone bridge.
Before leaving the Town Hall Mr. Gladstone
asked me if I knew Seaforth House. On my
saying yes, he replied, " What a mess my brother
Robertson made of it ! " — alluding to the incident
already mentioned.
Perhaps I may here interpose another
recollection of Liverpool's great son. When
the late Lord Derby was Lord Mayor 1 was
deputed to assist him when my services were
required. One day he sent for me and showed me
a letter he had received from Mr. Gladstone
expressing his wish to address a Liverpool
Town's meeting on the Bulgarian Atrocities.
Mr. Gladstone, in a magazine article, had recently
used strong language in reference to the Sultan
of Turkey, caUing him an assassin. Lord Derby
considered it would not be proper for such language
to be used at a Town's meeting, but he added,
" Mr. Gladstone was above everything a gentleman,
and if he received his promise that he would avoid
strong language he would be quite satisfied and
would take the chair." Mr. Gladstone at once
assented. The meeting was held in Hengler's
Circus. It was crowded from floor to ceiling.
Mr. Gladstone arrived with Mrs. Gladstone, and
after a few introductory remarks by the Lord
Mayor, Mr. Gladstone rose to speak. Walking
with the aid of a stick to the front of the platform,
14 Recollections of a Busy Life.
placing his stick upon the table, he clutched hold
of the rails and " let himself go," and for an hour
and a quarter he poured out a perfect torrent of
eloquence which held the audience spellbound. It
was a great oration, remarkable not so much for
what he said, as for the marvellous restraint he
was evidently exercising to avoid expressing himself
in the forcible language which he considered the
circumstances demanded. He was much exhausted
after this great effort ; Mrs. Gladstone had, however,
some egg-flip ready, which seemed to revive him.
This was Mr. Gladstone's last great speech ; it was
fitting it should be delivered in his native city.
There was another house at Seaforth which
I must also mention, Barkeley House, the residence
of Mr. Smith, commonly known as "Square-the-Circle
Smith," from the fact of his claiming to have
solved this problem. Mr. Smith was the father of
Mr. James Barkeley Smith, who for many years did
good work in the City Council. A sketch of the
Seaforth of those days would not be complete without
a reference to Rector Rothwell of Sefton, reputed to
be one of the most beautiful readers in the Church ; he
drove down to the shore in his yellow gig, winter and
summer, and bathed in the sea. Another grand old
man was Archdeacon Jones, who succeeded his son
as the Incumbent of Christ Church, Waterloo, and
who died at the age of 96. I look back upon his
memory with reverence, for he was a charming
man ; his presence was dignified, his features refined,
Early Years. 15
almost classical, and he was endowed with a soft,
silvery voice, and, both as a reader and preacher, he
was greatly appreciated. I must mention a touching
little incident. About two years before he died
he broke his leg. I called with my wife to see him ;
before leaving he begged us to kneel down and he
gave us his blessing, expressed in simple but beautiful
language, and spoken with deep feelings of love
and kindness.
I must now revert to my story. The railway
from Waterloo to Southport was opened in July,
1848; it was called the ** Shrimpers' Line," and it was
thought it would never pay, as there was apparently
no traffic. I remember, as a small boy, seeing the
first train start from Waterloo ; the occasion was a
visit made by the directors to inspect the bridge
over the river Alt, and my father was one of the
party. The train consisted of two first-class coaches,
and it was drawn by three grey horses, driven by a
man seated on the top of the first coach. Some time
after I saw the first locomotives brought from
Liverpool. The Crosby Road was good enough, but
the roads leading from the main Crosby Road to
Waterloo were simply sandy lanes, and along these
the heavy lorries, which carried the locomotives, had
to be hauled. It Vv^as a work of great difficulty, as
the wheels of the lorries sank up to their axles in the
deep sand.
The railway was opened from Waterloo to
Southport for some years before it was extended
i6 Recollections of a Busy Life.
to Liverpool. To-day this line is probably the most
profitable part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire
system.
In 1849 my father bought a house in Edge
Lane, then a very charming and attractive suburb.
After passing Marmaduke Street, Edge Hill, there
were no houses in Edge Lane on the south side
until Rake Lane was reached. Here were the
residences of Sir John Bent, Mr. George Holt, and
others. The north side of Edge Lane, from the
Botanic Gardens up to Laurel Road, was fringed
with villas, surrounded by large gardens containing
many fine trees, and the houses in this part were
large and handsome ; many of them still remain.
Among those who then resided in Edge Lane were
James Ryley, William Holt, F. A. Clint, Simon
Crosfield, Mr. Lowndes, and Dashper Glynn.
Mr. Heywood lived in Edge Lane Hall, then
considered a house of much importance, surrounded
as it was by a pretty park.
The principal events which dwell in m}^
memory as having taken place at this time
are the Fancy Fair held in the Prince's Park,
in aid of our local charities, a very brilliant
affair ; and the opening of the great exhibition of
185 1 in Hyde Park. It was a matter of grave
consideration with my parents if I was of sufficient
age to appreciate the exhibition, but in the end I
was allowed to go to London ; and I can only say,
for the benefit of all youngsters of 10 and 11 years,
Early Years. 17
that 1 greatly enjoyed that magnificent display, and
it produced a lasting impression upon my mind. I
recall at this day every detail. The wonderful show
of machinery impressed me most, but the weaving
of cloth and the various industrial processes were all
of absorbing interest to my youthful mind, so much
so that on one day I lost my party, and had to find
my way back to our lodgings. Fortunately, half-a-
crown had been placed in my pocket for this
contingency, and with the help of a friendly police-
man I had no difficulty.
The building of the church of St. John the
Divine, at Fairfield, greatly interested me, and during
my hoHdays I was taken up to the top of the tower to
lay the first stone of the steeple. When the church
was consecrated in 1854, Bishop Graham, of Chester,
lunched at the '* Hollies," my father being the
chairman of the Building Committee.
After spending two years at a dame's school
at Kensington, I was sent to the upper school of
the Liverpool Collegiate. I was placed in the
preparatory school, under the Rev. Mr. Hiley. From
the preparatory school I proceeded to the sixth class.
My career was by no means distinguished ; four
times a day I walked up and down from Edge Lane
to school. My companions were Tom and Hugh
Glynn ; they, like myself, made but little headway.
Dr. T. Glynn is now one of the leaders of our
medical profession, and a short time ago I asked
him how it was that we as boys were so stupid. He
B
i8 Recollections of a Busy Life.
replied that our walk of eight miles a day exhausted
all our physical and mental energies, and we were
left good for nothing ; and I might add we had in
those days little or no relaxation in the shape of
games. There was a little cricket in the summer,
but this was the only game ever played, so that our
school-days were days of unrelieved mental and
physical work, which entirely overtaxed our strength.
The Rev. J. S. Howson, the principal of the Collegiate,
was very much beloved by the boys. I was a very
small boy, but not too small for the principal to
notice and address to him a few kindly words ; in after
life, when he became Dean of Chester, he did not
forget me. His sympathy and love for boys and
his power of entering into their feelings made him
a very popular head-master.
At the age of 14 1 was sent to Dr. Heldenmier's
school at Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, where the
Pestalozzian system of education was carried on. It
was a celebrated school ; many Liverpool boys were
there with me, the Muspratts, Hornbys, Langtons,
etc., and though we worked hard we had plenty of
relaxation in the workshop and the playing fields,
besides long walks in the lovely parks that surround
Worksop, and which are known as the Dukeries.
During these walks we were encouraged to botanise,
collect birds' eggs, etc., and the love of nature which
was in this way inculcated has been one of the
delights of my life. The noble owners of these parks
were most kind to the boys. We were frequently
Early Years. 19
invited to Clumber, the residence of the Duke of
Newcastle, who was Minister of War. The Crimean
war was then being waged, and we considered the
duke a very great person ; and a few words of kindly
approbation he spoke to me are among the sunny
memories of my school days. The Duke of Portland,
who was suffering from some painful malady, which
caused him to hide himself from the world, was also
always glad to see the boys, and to show us the great
subterranean galleries he was constructing at
Welbeck ; but our greatest delights were skating on
the lake at Clumber in winter, and our excursions to
Roch Abbey and to Sherwood Forest in the summer.
The delight of those days will never fade from my
memory. We used to return loaded with treasures,
birds' eggs, butterflies, fossils, and specimens of
wild flowers. In the autumn Sir Thomas White
always gave us a day's outing, beating up game for
him ; this we also greatly enjoyed ; and how we
devoured the bread and cheese and small beer which
the keepers provided us for lunch !
We were taken by the directors of the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
to the opening of the new docks at Grimsby. The
directors had a special train which stopped to pick
up the boys at Worksop. Charles Dickens was of
the party. On the return journey, I was in his
carriage ; he gave me a large cigar to smoke — the
first, and the last cigar I ever smoked, for the effect
was disastrous.
20 Recollections of a Busy Life.
My school days at Worksop were happy days.
We spent much time in studying the natural sciences;
we became proficient in joinery and mechanics ; and
there was a nice gentlemanly tone in the school. My
great friend was George Pim, of Brenanstown House,
Kingstown, Ireland. We never lost sight of each other.
He entered the office of Leech, Harrison and Forwood,
and became a partner with us in Bombay, and after-
wards in New York ; he died there in 1877, at the
age of 34. A fine, handsome, bright fellow ; to me he
was more than a brother, and his like I shall never
see again. The friend of my boyhood, of my young
manhood, my constant companion ; he was a good
fellow.
Richard Cobden's only son was at Worksop,
a bright, handsome boy. His father doted upon
him, and often came down to visit him, when he took
some of the boys out to dine with him at the " Red
Lion "; he was a very pleasant, genial man, fond of
suggesting practical jokes, which we played off on
our schoolmates on our return to school. Poor Dick
Cobden was too full of animal spirits ever to settle
down to serious school work. He had great talent,
but no power of application. He died soon after
leaving Worksop.
When at Worksop I distinguished myself in
mathematics, and my master was very anxious I
should proceed to Cambridge, but my father had other
views, and thought a university training would spoil
me for a business career. I have ever regretted it.
Early Years. 21
Every young man who shows any aptitude should have
the opportunity of proceeding to a university, but in
those days the number of university graduates was
small, and the advantage of an advanced education
was not generally recognised. Life was more
circumscribed and limited, and a level of education
which suited our forefathers, and had made them
prosperous men, was considered sufficient : more
might be unsettling. The only thing to be aimed
at and secured was the power and capacity to make
a living ; if other educational accomplishments
followed, all well and good, but they were considered
of very secondary importance.
Our home life was quiet and uninteresting,
very happy in its way because we knew no other.
Our greatest dissipations were evening parties, with
a round game of cards ; dinner parties were rare, and
balls events which came only very occasionally.
Sundays were sadly dull days ; all newspapers
were carefully put away, and as children we
had to learn the collect and gospel. Our
only dissipation was a short walk in the
afternoon. Oh ! those deadly dull Sundays ; how
they come up before me in all their depressing
surroundings ; but religion was then a gloomy
business. Our parsons taught us Sunday after
Sunday that God was a God of vengeance, wielding
the most terrible punishment of everlasting fire, and
only the few could be saved from his wrath. How
all this is now happily changed ! The God of my
22 Recollections of a Busy Life.
youth was endowed with all the attributes of awe-
inspiring terror, which we to-day associate with the
evil one. It is a wonder that people were as
virtuous as they were : there was nothing to hope
for, and men might reasonably have concluded to
make the best of the present world, as heaven was
impossible of attainment. In my own case,
partaking of the Holy Communion was fraught, I
was taught, with so much risk, that for years after
I was confirmed I dare not partake of the Sacrament.
What a revolution in feeling and sentiment ! How
much brighter and more reasonable views now
obtain ! God is to us the God of Love. We look
around us and see that all nature proclaims His love,
and the more fully we recognise that love is the
governing principle of His universe, the nearer
we realise and act up to the ideal of a Christian life.
Love and sympathy have been brought back to the
world, and we see their influence wrought out in the
drawing together of the classes, in the wider and
more generous distribution of the good things of life,
and in the recognition that heaven is not so
far from any of us. We see that as the tree
falls so will it lie ; that in this life we are
moulding the life of our future, and that our
heaven will be but the complement of our earthly
life, made richer and fuller, freed from care and
sin, and overarched by the eternal presence of
God, whose love will permeate the whole eternal
firmament.
Early Years. 23
Charles Kingsley was one of the apostles of
this new revelation, which brought hope back to the
world, and filled all men with vigour to work under the
encouragement which the God of Love held out to us.
It has broadened and deepened the channels of
human sympathy and uplifted us to a higher level
of life and duty.
During my school days I spent several of
my summer holidays in Scotland with my mother,
who was a patient of Professor Simpson in Edinburgh,
and usually resided two or three months in that
city. One summer holiday I stayed with old
John Woods, at Greenock. He was the father of
shipbuilding on the Clyde. He was then building
a wooden steamer for my father to trade between
Lisbon and Oporto. Another summer holiday
I spent with Mr. Cox, shipbuilder, of Bideford,
in Devon, who was building the sailing ship
" Bucton Castle," of 1,100 tons, for my father's firm.
The knowledge of shipbuilding I obtained during
these visits has been of incalculable value to me in
after life. Another of my summer vacations was
occupied in obtaining signatures to a monster petition
to the Liverpool corporation praying them to buy
the land surrounding the Botanic Gardens, and lay
it out as a public park. I stood at the Edge Lane
gate of the Botanic Gardens with my petition for
several weeks, and I obtained so many signatures
that the petition was heavier than two men could
carry.
^4 Recollections of a Busy Life.
I am glad to think it was successful, and the
Wavertree Park has contributed greatly to the
pleasure and enjoyment of the people of Liverpool,
and has been the means of preserving to us the
Botanic Gardens. I think it was one of the most
useful things I ever accomplished.
CHAPTER 11.
VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.
Leaving school I entered the office of
SaHsbury, Turner and Earle, one of the oldest and
leading brokerage houses in the town. The partners
were Mr. Alderman John H. Turner (remarkable for
the smallness of his stature), Mr. Horace Turner, and
Mr. Henry Grey. My senior apprentice was the late
Colonel Morrison. I had not been very long in this
office when I contracted a very severe cold, the result
of being out all night on Ben Lomond. I had gone
up with my father and a party of friends to see
the sunset ; on the way down I lost my way, and
finding myself with darkness coming on, in very boggy
land, I sat down on a rock to await daylight. Heavy
rain fell and I was soaked through, which resulted in
a cold that took such a strong hold of me that the
doctor ordered me a sea voyage, and on the
20th November, 1857, I set sail on board the clipper
ship " Red Jacket," for Melbourne. The gold fever
was at its height, and the passenger trade with
Australia was ver}^ active. Our ship was crowded
with passengers ; she was the crack chpper of the
day, and carried a double crew, that she might be
enabled to carry sail until the last moment.
26 Recollections of a Busy Life.
We had a very pleasant passage and beat the
record, making Port Phillip Heads in sixty-three
days.
I visited the gold fields at Ballarat, making
the journey from Geelong by stage-coach, drawn by
six horses, the roads being mere tracks cut through
the bush. I descended several of the mines ; at this
time the alluvial deposits had been worked out, and
most of the mines were being worked at a considerable
depth. At Melbourne I stayed with Mr. Strickland,
at a charming villa on the banks of the Yarra-Yarra.
Leaving Melbourne, I took a steamer for Sydney,
where my father had many business friends, and had
a very good time yachting in the bay and riding up
country. I managed to lose myself in the bush,
and for a whole day was a solitary wanderer, not
knowing where I was. It was a period of strange
sensations and of much anxiety. Eventually, late in
the evening I came across a shepherd, who gave me
the best of his simple fare and guided me to the
nearest village.
From Australia I sailed in a small barque,
the " Queen of the Avon,'' for Valparaiso ; she was
only 360 tons register, and I was the only passenger.
The voyage across to Valparaiso was eventful.
We had bad weather throughout, and a heavy cyclone
which did us great damage about the decks. We
were hove to for two days with a tarpaulin in the
mizzen rigging. We sailed right through the storm
centre, where we had no wind, but a terrific and very
Voyage Round the World. 27
confused sea, and here we saw hundreds of sea-birds
of all kinds. At Valparaiso we obtained a charter to
load cocoa at Guayaquil. We had a lovely cruise up
the coast, and the sail up the river to Guayaquil was
heavenly ; we had the panorama of the Andes on
our right, with the richly verdured island of Puna
on the other hand ; flocks of flamingoes were wading
in the shallow sea channels, and pelicans were busy
fishing along the margins of the sandbanks. At
Guayaquil we had some good crocodile shooting, not
the easiest game to bag. These reptiles had to be
stalked in the most approved fashion ; although they
lay seemingly basking and asleep in the sun, with
their great mouths wide open, their ears were very
much on the alert, and it was most difficult to come
within shot. We succeeded better from a boat than
from the land, for by allowing the boat to drift with
the tide we were able to get within easy shot without
being heard.
I visited Bodegas and some of the Indian
villages at the foot of the Andes. The whole
country was very interesting, and very rich in
tropical birds and flowers. There were too many
snakes to make travelling quite comfortable, but in
time we found they all did their best to get away
from us, and we gained more confidence.
I had a little adventure in Guayaquil which
might have been very unpleasant. There was a
revolution, and the government troops had only just
regained possession of the city ; I had the misfortune
28 Recollections of a Busy Life.
to walk unwittingly through a barricade, which
consisted of some half-dozen ragged black soldiers,
who quite failed to suggest to me a military outpost.
I was at once arrested and taken to the jail. Here I
remained for some hours surrounded by the most
horrible looking ruffians, and was in mortal dread of
the time when I should be locked up with them in
one of the foul dens which led off the court-yard.
I was fortunately set free through the kind
intervention of an American who had been a
witness of my capture and incarceration.
At Guayaquil we loaded a cargo of cocoa
and sailed for Falmouth for orders. We arrived off
this port in November, 1859, after an uneventful
voyage of no days. We tacked the ship off the
Manacle Rocks, at the entrance to the harbour ;
the wind flew round to the east, and we were driven
out again into the chops of the channel ; it was
twenty-four days before we again saw Falmouth.
We fought our way against a succession of easterly
gales, sometimes driven out as far west as the
Fastnet. The fleet of ships kept out by the long
continued easterly winds was very large, and the
Admiralty was obliged to dispatch relief ships
with stores for their succour.
No one who has not experienced an easterly
gale in the Channel can form any idea of the toil of
a constant fight against a succession of heavy gales,
cold and bleak with sleet and snow. Sometimes the
wind would decrease and we were able to make some
Voyage Round the World. 29
headway, and perhaps work our way within sight of
the Scilly Islands, raising our hopes of an early
arrival at our port, then another gale would spring
up and drive us back again to the west of Ireland,
and the same thing was repeated over and over again.
The Channel was full of ships detained by adverse
gales, and the home markets were disorganised by
the lack of supplies of raw produce. All this is now
a thing of the past, steamers are independent of head
winds, and winter easterly gales no longer strike
terror into the hearts of shipowners and merchants.
Whilst on this voyage, to relieve the
monotony of the daily routine of sea life, I taught
myself navigation, took my trick at the wheel, and
had my place aloft when reefing next to the
weather earing, where I worked with an old man-
of-war's man named Amos. Amos was a noble
specimen of the old-fashioned British sailor. He
was the king of the fo'castle, and while he was on
hand no swearing or bad language was heard. The
knowledge I then obtained of navigation and seaman-
ship has been most valuable to me through life. It
was a great opportunity, which I was wise enough to
avail myself of. During the whole time I was on board
this ship — nearly eight months — I never missed taking
my trick at the wheel, or going aloft to reef. I well
remember laying out on the fore yardarm, off Cape
Horn, for two hours, while we got a close reef tied.
We had to take up belaying pins to knock the frozen
snow and ice off the sail before we could do anything,
30 Recollections of a Biisy Life.
and the ship was labouring so heavily in the seaway
that our task was most difficult. In navigation
I became so proficient that I could work lunars with
ease, and after the passage home of no days without
seeing land I placed the position of the ship within
three miles of her true position, near the Wolf
Rock, Land's End, the old captain being ten to
twelve miles out in his longitude. I remember
feeling very proud of my good landfall. I told the
old skipper that I thought we should see land at
noon. He smiled and replied that we should not
make it before three o'clock. I went aloft on to the
fore yard-arm at one o'clock, and had not been there
many minutes when I shouted " Land Ho ! " I saw
the sea breaking over the Wolf Rock.
CHAPTER III.
LIVERPOOL.
Liverpool occupies the unique position of
having filled two important places in the history
of England. There was, firstly, the little town
clustered round about its castle, and holding a charter
from King John dated 1207, its estuary affording a
safe haven for the trifling commerce passing between
England and its sister island, Ireland. Thus
situated it had to bear its part in the political
movements and the foreign and civil wars which
for long years harassed and distressed the country
and checked its progress. Although the six
centuries which intervened between 1200 and 1800
are filled with many incidents which clothe this
portion of the history of Liverpool with much
that is picturesque and romantic, at the close of
the eighteenth century we still find Liverpool a small
if not insignificant place, with a population in 1790
of only 55,000, while the tonnage of her shipping
was only 49,541 tons.
This may be said to close the history of
" old " Liverpool. With the dawn of the nineteenth
century a new Liverpool sprang into existence.
32 Recollections of a Busy Life.
The opening of the American trade, the peace of
1814, and the introduction of steamships, gave an
enormous impetus to the growth of the trade of
the port and laid the foundations of that vast and
world-wide commerce which has made the name
of Liverpool synonymous with the greatest
achievements in commerce and in science. The
building of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway,
the mother of railways, the docks, and the bridging
of the Atlantic by what is practically a steam ferry,
will ever stand out as epoch making.
Thus in little over a hundred years
Liverpool has grown from a small town into a
great city, the city of to-day.
Liverpool in i860- 1870.
My story must, however, begin with the
'sixties, when I commenced my business career.
The growth of the city and its commerce has since
been fully commensurate with the growth of the
country. In the fifty years which have intervened
the Empire has doubled its area and population, and
the United Kingdom has trebled its trade. The
population of Liverpool, including the newly added
areas, has during the same period increased from
433,000 to 750,000, and the tonnage of our shipping
from 4,977,272 tons to nearly 17,000,000 tons.
She conducts one-third of the export trade and
one-third of the import trade of the United Kingdom,
Liverpool. 33
and she owns one-third of the shipping of the
kingdom, and one-seventh of that of the world.
It has been a privilege to have been engaged in the
commerce of the port during this remarkable
expansion, and to have been associated with the
conduct of public affairs during this period of
growth and development in the city. Very much
of this has been due to the enterprise and
enlightenment of her own people. Liverpool
shipowners have been in the vanguard of steamship
enterprise, which has contributed so greatly to her
prosperity ; her merchants have built up her great
trade in cotton and grain, and her citizens have not
been slow to promote every sanitary improvement
which made for the health and well-being of her
people.
During the past fifty years the town has
been re-sewered, the streets paved with an impervious
pavement, and a new water supply has been
introduced. The city has been encircled by a series of
public parks and recreation grounds, baths and
washhouses have been established, free libraries have
been opened in the various suburban centres of
population, cellar dwellings have been abolished, and
rookeries in the shape of courts and tenement houses
have been done away with, and in their place clean
and comfortable working-men's cottages and flats have
been substituted. The curse of drink has been
effectively checked by the closing of twenty-five per
cent, of the public-houses. To quote from Professor
c
34 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Ramsay Muir's interesting History of Liverpool :
** Thus, on all sides and in many further modes the
city government has, during the last thirty years
especially, undertaken a responsibility for the health
and happiness of its citizens unlike anything that its
whole previous history has shown, and if any full
account were to be given of what the city as a whole
now endeavours to do for its citizens much ought
also to be said of the extraordinary active works of
charity and religion which have been carried on
during these years."
The Liverpool of to-day is a city very
different from the Liverpool of the 'sixties and
'seventies, indeed it is difficult to recognise them as
being one and the same ; the streets remain, but
they are widened and improved, and their inferior
and often squalid surroundings have disappeared ;
and if our modern architecture is not always of the
best, our new buildings at least impart dignity and
importance. Shaw's Brow, with its rows of inferior,
dingy shops, a low public-house at the corner of each
street, has given way to William Brown Street,
adorned on one side by our Museum, Libraries, Art
Gallery, and Sessions House, and the other by
St. George's Hall and St. John's Gardens. The
rookeries which clustered round Stanley Street, and
were occupied by dealers in old clothes and second-
hand furniture, have been replaced by Victoria
Street, which is margined by banks and public
buildings. The terrible slums which surrounded
H
•Si
Liverpool. 35
the Sailors' Home and Custom House, veritable
dens of iniquity, have disappeared.
The dirty ill-paved town is now the best
paved and the best scavenged town in the United
Kingdom. With the growth of the town and the
extension of tramways, residential Liverpool has
been pushed further out until it can get no further,
and it is now finding its way into Cheshire. No
private dwelling-house of any importance has been
erected on the Liverpool side for many years. The
charming suburb of Aigburth has long since been
destroyed, but the greatest change has taken place in
the docks. The old docks have had to be remodelled
to give sufficient depth of water and quay space for
the larger vessels now employed, and special docks
have had to be constructed for the Atlantic steamship
trade. In the 'sixties the Prince's dock was filled
with sailing ships trading to India and the West
Coast of South America. They discharged on the
west side and loaded on the east side. It was quite
a common thing for a sailing vessel to occupy four
and five weeks loading her outward cargo. On the
waUs of the docks and on the rigging of the ships,
posters were displayed notifying that the well-known
clipper ship , Ai at Lloyd's, would sail for
Calcutta or Bombay, and giving the agent's
name, etc.
At the south end of the Prince's dock was
the George's basin, a tidal basin through which
ships going into the Prince's or George's dock
36 Recollections of a Busy Life.
entered. I remember seeing one of Brocklebank's
Calcutta ships, the " Martaban," enter this basin
under sail ; it was done very smartly, and the way in
which the canvas was taken in and the sails clewed
up and furled, was a lesson in seamanship. The
George's dock was dedicated to schooners, mostly
fruiterers from Lisbon or the Azores, and during the
herring season fishing boats used to discharge in
one corner, the fish girls going down planks to get on
board to buy their fish. The Mariners' church, an
old hulk in which Divine Service was held every
Sunday, occupied another corner.
The Albert dock was filled with East India-
men discharging their cargoes of sugar, jute, and
linseed, and tea clippers from China ; they loaded
their outward cargoes in the Salthouse dock, which
adjoined ; further south again, the King's and Queen's
docks were occupied by small foreign vessels, trading
to the continental ports. The old New York liners,
sailing ships, loaded in the Bramley Moore dock ;
and the docks further north, the Canada being the
most northerly, were filled with steamers trading to
the Mediterranean, and the Cunard and Inman lines
of steamers.
To-day one may hunt from one end of the
docks to the other without finding a dozen sailing
ships larger than a schooner. With the exit of the
sailing ship much of the romance has been taken
out of the life of Liverpool. It was a joy to walk
round the docks and admire the smart rig and ship-
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Liverpool. 37
shape appearance of the old saiHng vessel. The
owner and captain, and, indeed, all connected with
her, became attached to their ship and took a pride
in all her doings. In those days the river Mersey
was a glorious sight with probably half a dozen or
more Indiamen lying to an anchor, being towed in
or out, or sailing in under their own canvas.
The river Mersey, at all times beautiful with
its wonderful alternations of light and its brisk
flowing waters, has never been so beautiful since the
old sailing ship days, when at the top of high water
the outward bound fleet proceeded to sea, and the
entire river from the Pier Head to the Rock Light
was filled with shipping of all sizes working their way
out to sea, tacking and cross tacking, the clipper
with her taut spars and snow-white canvas, and the
small coaster with her tanned sails all went to make
up a picture of wonderful colour and infinite beauty.
The Dock Board.
There is no branch of the public service
of which Liverpool people are more proud than the
administration of the Mersey Docks and Harbour
Board. The members of the Board have always
been recruited from our leading merchants, ship-
owners, and brokers, and they have been fortunate
in selecting as their chairmen men of exceptional
ability. I can recollect Charles Turner, M.P.,
Robert Rankin,Winiam Langton, Ralph Brocklebank,
38 Recollections of a Busy Life.
T. D. Hornby, Alfred Holt, John Brancker ; and the
Board is to-day presided over by Mr. Robert
Gladstone, who worthily maintains the best traditions
of his office.
Of late years the members have been elected
without any contests, but it was not always so.
In the 'seventies there were severe contests, which
arose not upon questions of personal fitness, but
were prompted by trade rivalries. It had become
the fashion for the various trades to nominate
members who would look after the particular interests
of their trade. Jealousy was aroused if one trade
obtained larger representation than others. The
interests of the steamship owners were opposed to
those of the sailing-ship owner. The one wanted
allotted berths to secure dispatch, the other quay
space free and unappropriated. Cotton men wanted
special facilities for cotton, and the timber people
yard space for the storage of timber and deals. Each
trade had its associations, and in addition there
was a ratepayers' association, which sought to break
up this system of trade delegation by electing
independent men. The payment of £10 in dock
dues gave a vote. So faggot votes were easily
and extensively manufactured. Shipowners and
merchants qualified every clerk in their employ.
The nomination of members took place on the ist
January, and the election on the day following. The
elections were hotly contested, but always in a
gentlemanly way, and with much good humour.
Liverpool. 3^
It required skill to fill up the voting papers so as to
secure a majority for any particular candidate.
Among those who busied themselves over
these elections I remember William Johnston,
Robert Coltart, Worsley Battersby, Edmund Taylor,
Arthur Forwood, G. B. Thomson, George Cunliffe,
and James Barnes.
The ratepayers' association accomplished
much good by the election of some men of
independence. My particular desire at this time was
to try and induce the Board to fund their debt. It
was felt that such a large floating debt was not only
cumbrous and inconvenient, but in times of financial
stress, or with a cycle of years of bad trade, might
be a source of danger. I urged the funding of the
debt on the nomination days, and also through the
press and Chamber of Commerce. It met with
the strong opposition of the Board, led by
Mr. Brocklebank, but in course of time after the
Corporation had taken the lead, the Dock Board
wisely funded a portion of their debt.
The gradual increase of steamers, the passing
of the saihng vessel, and the large share of the trade
of the port being now conducted by " liners," have
to a very large extent done away with trade rivalries ;
hence the little interest now taken in the Dock Board
elections.
The present generation scarcely know that the
docks were up to 1857 administered by a Committee
of the Corporation. In my young days Liverpool
40 Recollections of a Busy Life.
people were very sore and angry at the action of
Parliament in foisting upon them the Birkenhead
docks. These docks had been constructed by
a private company, and were insolvent and
a hopeless failure. Birkenhead had, however,
powerful influence in Parliament, and stoutly opposed
any extension of the Liverpool docks, contending
that the Birkenhead docks had not had fair play, and
could accommodate the surplus trade of Liverpool.
In the end, in 1857, Liverpool was obliged to buy
them for £1,143,000, and within a very few years
had to expend upon them £3,859,041. This outlay
has ever since been a serious burden upon Liverpool.
Nor did the hostile action of Parliament stop here.
The town dues were taken from Liverpool, and
commuted for a payment of £1,500,000. The
management of the dock estate was placed in the
hands of the trustees, who are, except three, elected
by the dock ratepayers.
In olden time the Dock Board had an annual
excursion to inspect the lightships, to which they
invited the whole of the Council. They were
pleasant days, and it was supposed that the Mayor
for the coming year was selected on these occasions.
These excursions contributed to a good feeling
between the Dock Board and the Corporation,
which is so essential if we are to preserve the
prosperity of the port. I sometimes think that
our City Fathers apparently forget that our docks
and our commerce are the life-blood of Liverpool.
Liverpool. 41
Mr. John Bramley Moore's great work on
the Dock Board was completed before my day, but
he continued his interest in Liverpool to the last,
and was present at the opening of the North Dock
system in 1882, where I saw him. He used to tell
how indefatigably he worked to secure the extension
of the docks in a northerly direction, how he asked
Lord Derby to present the Bootle shore to the Dock
Board, urging that it would be greatly to the gain of
the Derby family. Lord Derby replied that it would
be very difficult to convince him of that, and that he
had already refused £go,ooo for it. Mr. Bramley
Moore then offered if Lord Derby would transfer his
foreshore rights the Dock Committee would raise all
the back land by using it for the deposit of their
spoil, which would, he thought, be an adequate
compensation. The deal was closed on this basis,
the Dock Committee secured two miles of river
frontage, and the Derby family the site of the most
important part of Bootle, and now forming one of
the most valuable of their estates.
One of the first docks constructed on this
newly-acquired land was the Bramley Moore, so
named after the chairman.
No one can fail to acknowledge the
enterprise and wisdom which have characterised
the administration of the dock estate. Municipal
work follows the demand of the people, and seldom
goes ahead of it ; but the provision of docks must
anticipate the demand likely to be experienced. In
42 Recollections of a Busy Life.
all this the Dock Board has acted with boldness and
with prudence, under circumstances of much
embarassment. The construction of the Manchester
Ship Canal presented a problem of considerable
difficulty, but the Dock Board adopted the
courageous but wise policy of looking to Liverpool
and Liverpool trade only, and the facilities they
have provided for the changed conditions of trade
have done not a little to conserve the commerce
of the port.
The Liverpool Exchange.
A great change has taken place in the
Liverpool Exchange. In the early 'sixties the old
Exchange buildings were still in existence. The
building which surrounded Nelson's monument was
classic in design, with high columns surmounted by
Ionic capitals and a heavy cornice. The newsroom
was in the east wing, with windows overlooking
on the one side Exchange Street East, and on the
other the " flags." The room had two rows of
lofty pillars supporting the ceiling ; and there was
ample room in the various bays not only for news-
paper stands, but for chairs and tables, and it had
very much more the appearance of a reading-room
in a club than its elaborate, but less comfortable
successor. On the western and northern side of
the Exchange were offices with warehouses over-
head. The Borough Bridewell stood in High Street,
Liverpool. 43
its site being now covered by Brown's Buildings, and
the Sessions House occupied part of the site upon
which the newsroom now stands. In the 'sixties
high 'change was in the afternoon between four and
five o'clock, but much business was also transacted
during the morning. No merchant or broker
considered that he could commence the work of the
day until he had read the news on the " pillars " in
the newsroom. Instead of the work on the Exchange
being done by clerks, it was transacted by the
principals, who considered it only respectful to
appear in a tall hat and frock coat. Although in
those days there may have been a little too much
formality in dress, in these there is sadly too
little, and with the disappearance of the tall hat and
frock coat one has also to regret the abandonment
of those courtly manners and that respectful
consideration which gave a charm to commercial
intercourse, and was not confined to the Exchange
and the office, but was reflected in the home and in
private life.
Merchant shipbrokers and general produce
brokers transacted their business in the newsroom,
while the cotton brokers, braving all weathers,
were to be found on the " flags."
The present newsroom was opened in 1867,
and shortly afterwards the Mayor, Mr. Edward
Whitley, gave a ball in honour of Prince Arthur and
the Prince and Princess Christian, the ballroom in the
Town Hall being connected with the newsroom by
44 Recollections of a Busy Life.
a long corridor constructed of wood. Dancing took
place in both rooms.
Upon several occasions after a heavy fall
of snow, fights with snowballs were waged on the
" flags," until, becoming serious, the police were
obliged to interfere and put a stop to them. A
playful seasonable exchange of snowballs degenerated
into a combat with the rougher element which
frequented the " flags."
I still recall many of the habitues of the
Exchange from i860 to 1870, men who well
represented the varied interests of the great port.
While frock coats and tall hats were the rule, many
still wore evening dress coats, and not a few white
cravats. There was old Miles Barton, a picturesque
figure, with his genial smile, and his hat drawn
over his eyes ; Isaac Cook, the Quaker, in strictest
of raiment ; Harold Littledale, the friend of
Birkenhead, and the critic of the Dock Board ;
Michael Belcher, the opulent and prosperous cotton
broker ; the two Macraes, the principal buyers of
cotton for the trade ; Tom Bold, the active Tory
political tactician, who in olden days knew the
value of every freeman's vote ; H. T. Wilson, the
founder of the White Star Line and the Napoleon
of the Tory party ; Edmund Thomson, the pioneer
of steamers to the Brazils, who, like most
pioneers, was unsuccessful ; John Newall, the "king"
of the cotton market, who had an enormous
clientele of very wealthy men ; C. K. Prioleau, the
Liverpool. 45
representative of the Confederate Government,
who was also the great blockade runner. Mrs.
Prioleau was considered to be the most beautiful
woman in Liverpool. Mr. Prioleau built the house
in Abercromby Square which the Bishop now occupies
as his palace. R. L. Bolton, a very successful and
bold operator in cotton, though in appearance
the most shy and timid of men was another well-
known figure ; he rarely made his appearance until
late in the day, being credited with a love of turning
night into day. James Cox, the opulent bachelor,
doyen of the nitrate trade, held his court always
well attended in one corner of the room.
I well remember J. Aspinall Tobin, tall of stature,
distinguished in appearance, fluent of speech, a
welcome speaker on every Tory platform ; John
Donnison, famous for his little dinners and excellent
port ; Sam Gath, the tallest man on the Exchange ;
Joseph Leather, the forceful partner in Marriotts, a
leading nonconformist, who built and lived at
Cleveley, Allerton ; Maurice Williams, the writer of a
cotton circular, and a reputed oracle on cotton — he
lived at Allerton Priory, afterwards bought and
rebuilt by Mr. John Grant Morris ; Thomas Haigh,
the courtly and stately chief of Haigh and Co., cotton
brokers ; Edwin Haigh, his son, and the most
vivacious and talkative of men, popular with
all ; Lloyd Rayner and his brother Edward, the
largest brokers in general produce ; S. Bigland, plain
and honest of speech ; the two Reynolds, skilled
46 Recollections of a Busy Life.
in Sea Island and Egyptian cotton ; John
Joynson and his brother Moses ; John Bigham,
portly and prosperous ; and not far away,
his son, John C. Bigham, who was destined
soon to leave the ** room " and become the able
Queen's Counsel, the learned President of the
Admiralty and Divorce Court, and afterwards a
peer of the realm (Lord Mersey), and whose brilliant
career was doubtless largely due to his early business
training ; Studley Martin, the active secretary to
the Cotton Brokers' Association, buzzing about
like a busy bee, collecting opinions as to the amount
of business doing in cotton ; Thos. Bouch, the
dignified representative of the old firm of Waterhouse
and Sons ; Edgar Musgrove, an ideal broker, ever
present and ever active. Nor must I forget the noble
band of shipbrokers who collected the cargoes for
ships loading outwards : Robert Ashley, Louis
Mors, W. J. Tomlinson, J. B. Walmsley, John
McDiarmid, Robert Vining, Dashper Glynn, Tom
Moss, G. Warren, S. B. Guion, all of whom, with
many others, represented vigorous interests which
in those days made the trade of Liverpool.
Outside the Exchange, but yet very necessary
to the success of its business, were the lawyers and
insurance brokers and average adjusters. Amongst
lawyers Mr. Bateson and Mr. Squarey enjoyed the
largest commercial practice ; R. N. Dale was the
leading underwriter ; and Mr. L. R. Baily was not
only very prominent as an average adjuster, but as an
Liverpool. 47
arbitrator he afterwards became one of the members
for Liverpool . In those days, before the estabhshment
of the system of trade arbitrations, there was
abundant employment for lawyers and professional
arbitrators.
A sketch of the Liverpool Cotton Exchange
would not be complete without a reference being
made to the dealings of Maurice Ranger, and
others, who in the 'seventies on several occasions
tried to corner the market by buying " futures "
for delivery in a given month, and then obtaining
such a control of the spot market as would prevent
the sellers fulfilling their contracts. Mr. Ranger's
operations were on a gigantic scale, but there was
always a " nigger on the fence." The unexpected
happened, and I do not think he ever fully succeeded
in these enterprises. He had many imitators, who
were equally unsuccessful. Mr. Joseph B. Morgan
did a useful work for the cotton trade, by establishing
the cotton bank to facilitate clearances in future
contracts.
The removal of the Cotton Exchange to
the new premises has taken place since my active
business days, and the whole course and methods of
the trade have changed.
Commerce.
In the 'sixties, sailing-ships filled the
Liverpool docks, and fully one-half of them flew the
48 Recollections of a Busy Life.
American flag. The great trades of Liverpool were
those carried on with America, AustraUa, Calcutta,
and the West Coast. The cHpper ships belonging to
James Baines and Co., and H. T. Wilson and Co., were
renowned for their fast passages to Melbourne,
while the East India and West Coast ships of
James Beazley and Co., Imrie and Tomlinson,
McDiarmid and Greenshields, and the Brocklebanks
were justly celebrated for their smartness and
sea-going qualities. Charles Maclver ruled over the
destinies of the Cunard Company, and this line then
paid one-third of the Liverpool dock dues.
Mr. Maclver was a man of resolute purpose, and a
power in Liverpool ; in the early volunteer days he
raised a regiment of field artillery, 1,000 strong,
which he commanded. Many stories are told of
his stern love of discipline. A captain of one of the
Mediterranean steamers asked his permission as
a special favour to be allowed to take his wife a
voyage with him. Mr. Maclver whilst granting the
request, remarked that it was contrary to the
regulations of the Cunard Company. The captain,
upon proceeding to join his ship with his wife, to his
surprise found another captain in command, and a
letter from Mr. Maclver enclosing a return passenger
ticket for himself and his wife. William Inman was
building up the fortunes of the Inman Line, and was
the first to study and profit by the Irish emigration
trade. The Bibbys and James Moss and Co. practically
controlled the Mediterranean trade. The " tramp "
Liverpool. 49
steamer was then unknown, and outside the main
Hues of steamers there were few vessels ; but
the Allans were forcing their way to the front, and
Mr. Ismay was establishing the White Star Line,
which revolutionised Atlantic travel. Mr. Alfred
Holt was doing pioneer work in the West India
trade, with some small steamers with single engines.
These he sold and went into the China trade, in
which he has built up a great concern.
The Harrisons were sailing ship owners,
but they had also a line of small steamers trading
to Charente. They afterwards started steamers
to the Brazils and to Calcutta. Looking back, they
appear to have been most unsuitable vessels, but
freights were high, and to Messrs. T. and J. Harrison
belongs the credit of quickly finding out the most
suitable steamer for long voyages, and always
keeping their fleets well up to date.
We must not forget to mention the
merchants of Liverpool, for in those days the
business of a merchant was very different from that
of to-day. He had to take long and far-sighted
views, as there was no such thing as hedging or
covering by a sale of futures ; his business required
enterprise and the exercise of care and good
judgment. Among our most active merchants we
had T. and J. Brocklebank; Finlay, Campbell and
Co. ; Baring Brothers ; Brown, Shipley and Co. ;
Malcolmson and Co. ; Charles Saunders ; Sandbach,
Tinne and Co. ; Wm. Moon and Co. ; Ogilvy,
50 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Gillanders and Co. ; T. and W. Earle and Co. ;
J. K. Gilliat; J. H. Schroeder and Co.; Rankin,
Gilmour and Co., and others.
In the 'sixties Liverpool had two great
trades. The entrepot trade, the produce of the
world, centred in Liverpool, and was from thence
distributed to the various ports on the continent.
The opening of the Suez Canal, and the establishment
of foreign lines of steamers, have largely destroyed
this trade, and produce now finds its way direct
to Genoa, Antwerp, and Hamburg. The other great
trade was in American produce. For this Liverpool
offered the largest and best market. This trade
is unfortunately seriously threatened. The increase
in the population of America is now making large
demands upon her productions, and reducing the
quantities available for export.
Liverpool was also a considerable manu-
facturing centre. It was the principal place for rice-
milling and sugar-refining, while shipbuilding and
the making of locomotives and marine engines
contributed largely to her prosperity.
One cannot review the past trade of Liver-
pool and its present economic surroundings, without
feeling some anxiety for the future. Not only have
the trades which so long made Liverpool their
headquarters been to some extent diverted, but
the efforts of rival ports (in many cases railway
ports or ports which have little or no concern as
to the payment of interest on the money employed
Liverpool. 51
in their construction) are directed to the capture of
our trade ; in this they are still being actively assisted
by the railway companies, who grant to them
preferential rates of carriage. There can be little
doubt that our merchants and shipowners will find
new avenues for their enterprise, and new trades
will take the place of those partially lost ; but
Liverpool has in front of her a fight to obtain the
just advantage of her geographical position, and it is
a fight in which the city must bear its part.
The city will also have to adopt a more
enlightened policy, and encourage manufacturing
industries. This can only be done by reductions in
the city rates, and also in the charges for water.
The loss would only be nominal ; we should be
recouped by an increased volume of trade, and by
our people obtaining steady occupation instead of
the present casual employment.
The American War.
The great war between the Northern and
Southern States of America, which was waged
from 1861 to 1865, had a far-reaching influence upon
Liverpool.
Prior to this date American shipping filled
our docks, and 82 per cent, of our cotton imports
were derived from the Southern States.
The election of Lincoln as President of the
United States, and the rejection of the democratic
52 Recollections of a Busy Life.
candidate precipitated a crisis which had been
long pending.
Slavery was a southern institution, and
although it was conducted in the most humane
manner, and many of the worst features of the
system were absent, the principle of slavery
was abhorrent to a large section of the northern
people, and the south feared that with the election
of Lincoln this section would become all-powerful.
South Carolina was the first state to assert her
sovereign right to secede from the union. Other
states followed slowly and with hesitating steps, and
by the end of 1861 the north and south were engaged
in mortal combat. The southern states were ill
equipped for the struggle, they had no war material
and were dependent for clothing and many of the
necessities of life upon the northern manufacturers.
The policy of the north was, therefore,
to establish a blockade of the south, both by land
and by sea, which caused prices of many commodi-
ties to rapidly advance in the south, and cotton,
their main export, to quickly decline in value.
The English people sympathised with the
south, as the weaker power, and also having been
actively associated with them in trade. The
arrest of the southern envoys Mason and Slidell
upon the British mail steamer " Trent," by the
federal commander, did not improve the relationship
between Great Britain and the Government at
Washington, and created ill feeling against the north.
Liverpool. 53
Under these circumstances Liverpool mer-
chants fitted out many costly expeditions to
run the blockade and to carry arms and munitions
of war into the southern ports. The modus operandi
was to send out a depot ship to Nassau or Bermuda
and employ in connection with this swift steamers
to run the blockade and bring back cargoes of cotton.
The profits of the trade were great, but the risk
was also very considerable.
The trade at best was a very questionable one ;
it was justified on the ground that a blockade cannot
be recognised unless effectual. The United States
started with a blockading fleet of 150 vessels, but
at the end of the war they had 750 vessels employed
in this service. The blockade runner had to rely
entirely upon her speed, as to fire a gun in her own
defence would at once have constituted her a
piratical vessel. The fastest steamers were bought
and built for the purpose. They usually made
the American coast many miles from the port and
then under the cover of darkness they stole along
the shore until they came to the blockading fleet,
when they made a dash for the harbour. It was
exciting work, and appealed to many adventurous
spirits, and the prize if successful was great. I think
all this had a demoralising influence upon Liverpool's
commercial life, and the intense spirit of speculation
created by the cotton famine was also very injurious.
Fortunes were made and lost in a single day. Prices
of cotton, while peace and war hung in the balance,
54 Recollections of a Busy Life.
fluctuated violently, and when war was seen to be
inevitable, they advanced with fearful rapidity.
A shilling per lb. was soon reached. The mills
went upon short time. By the summer of 1862
cotton was quoted at 2s 6d per lb. The speculative
fever became universal ; men made fortunes by a
single deal. When the recoil came after the war
most of these fortunes were lost again. Legitimate
trade had been sacrificed to speculation. Mansions
luxuriously furnished, picture galleries, horses, and
carriages had to be sold, and in not a few instances,
their owners, having lost both their legitimate business
and their habits of industry, were reduced to penury
and want, and were never able to recover themselves.
The results of the war were far-reaching. The
spirit of speculation was rampant for many years,
with disastrous results ; it was only when a system
of weekly and bi-weekly settlements was introduced
that speculation was brought within legitimate
limits.
A Nemesis seemed to follow this violent
outburst of speculation, and but few houses actively
engaged in it survived very long.
Liverpool was also active in assisting the
south to build and fit out vessels of war to prey
upon American commerce. The " Alabama " was
built at Birkenhead ; she sailed away to a remote
island and there took on board her armament. She
and her sister ship, the " Shenandoah," did immense
damage to American shipping, for which England
Liverpool. 55
had in the end to pay, as by the Geneva arbitration
she was held responsible for allowing the
" Alabama " to be built and escape.
American shipping has never recovered from
this blow, but it is only fair to say that the cost
of shipbuilding in America, by reason of her
prohibitive tariffs, has mainly prevented her
resuming her former position on the ocean.
The Southern Bazaar.
Near the close of the war a huge bazaar
was held in St. George's Hall, in aid of the southern
prisoners of war. It was designated the Southern
Bazaar, and the stalls were called after the various
states, and were presided over by the leading ladies
of the town, assisted by many of the nobihty and
society people. It was a brilliant success, money
was plentiful, and men and women vied with each
other in scattering it about. Upwards of £30,000
was realised in the three days.
The Volunteer Movement.
No account of the doings in Liverpool in
the 'sixties would be complete that did not describe
the beginnings of the great volunteer movement,
which was destined to occupy so much public
attention, and to form such an important portion
of our national defence. Liverpool can certainly
56 Recollections of a Busy Life.
claim to have initiated the movement. Mr. Bousfield
endeavoured to revive this branch of the service in
1853. A few years later he formed a drill club, a very
modest beginning, consisting of only 100 men, wearing
as their uniform a cap and shell jacket. Captain
Bousfield endeavoured several times to obtain
recognition by the Government, but failed ; and he
had to encounter a considerable amount of chaff
and ridicule. The public had but little sympathy
with the young men who " played at being soldiers."
Captain Bousfield was not discouraged, he loved
soldiering and was an enthusiast, and his opportunity
was soon to arrive. In 1859 the Emperor Napoleon
III. became very threatening in his words and ways,
and it was apprehended that he might attempt
to invade our shores. Captain Bousfield quickly
obtained the support of the Government for his
volunteers, and the ist Lancashire Volunteer
Regiment was formed. The movement made
rapid headway, until we had enrolled in the country
upwards of 300,000 men. Colonel Bousfield soon
obtained the command of a battalion, and in i860
was presented with a sword of honour and a purse
of £1.800. Liverpool furnished her full quota
of volunteers. Colonel Brown commanded a
regiment of artillery : Colonel Tilney the 5th
Lancashire, a crack regiment ; Colonel MacCorquodale
the Press Guards; Colonel Bourne, with Major
Melly and Captain Hornby (afterwards Colonel
H. H. Hornby), the ist Lancashire Artillery ;
Liverpool. 57
Colonel Maclver commanded 1,000 of his own
men ; and among other active volunteers at this
time we remember Colonel Steble, Colonel
Macfie, Colonel Morrison, Colonel Clay, and many
others.
We had also a squadron of cavalry, called the
Liverpool Light Horse, Captain Stone in command.
I joined the squadron in 1859, and greatly fancied
myself mounted on one of my father's carriage
horses. We exercised in some fields behind
Prospect Vale, Fairfield.
I remember the ist Lancashire being
encamped on the sandhills between Waterloo and
Blundellsands. It was the first time any volunteers
had been under canvas, and the camp was visited
by crowds of people.
Intellectual Life.
Liverpool has been always too much absorbed
in her commerce to take any prominent position
in the world of literature and education, until
recent years, when we have atoned in some degree
ior our remissness in the past, by the founding
of our University. Professor Ramsay Muir, in
a recent speech, however, claims that we had a
Renaissance in Liverpool in the early years of
the 19th century, when a group of thinkers,
scholars, and writers, finding its centre in
58 Recollections of a Busy Life.
William Roscoe, gave to Liverpool a position and
a name in the literary world, and she became a
real seat of literary activity. To that remarkable
man, William Roscoe, we owe the Athenaeum, the
Literary and Philosophical Society, and the Roscoe
collection of pictures now in the Walker Art Gallery.
This intellectual effort quickly lost its vitality, and
for long years the Literary and Philosophical Society,
and the Philomathic Society, struggled alone to
keep burning the light of higher culture and Uterary
activity.
Elementary education was almost entirely
in the hands of the Church ; middle class education
depended upon the Liverpool Collegiate, the
Mechanic's Institute, afterwards the Liverpool
Institute, and the Royal Institution.
The fashion of sending boys to our great
public schools did not set in until the 'seventies.
Such was the condition of intellectual life
when, in 1880, the Liverpool University College
was established, mainly through the efforts of the
late Earl of Derby, William Rathbone, Christopher
Bushell, E. K. Muspratt, David Jardine, Sir Edward
Lawrence, Robert Gladstone, Mr. Muspratt, Sir John
Brunner, John Rankin, and WiUiam Johnston.
The first Principal, Dr. Rendall, rendered excellent
service in these early struggling years, which were
happily followed by still greater and even more
successful efforts under Vice-Chancellor Dale,
resulting in the granting of a Royal Charter in
Liverpool. 59
1903, and the founding of a University. The Earl of
Derby became Chancellor, and Dr. Dale Vice-
Chancellor. The University has been nobly and
generously supported by Liverpool men ; indeed
a reference to the calendar fills me with surprise
that so much could have been accomplished within
such a brief period. Its work is making itself felt
in the general uplifting of the level of education,
while the presence in Liverpool of such a distinguished
body of professors has had considerable influence
in giving a higher and more intellectual tone to
society, and in opening up new avenues for thought
and activity.
We must not omit to record the excellent
work done by the School Board. When first
established in 1873, the election of members provoked
much sectarian animosity, but in the course of
time, through the exertions of Mr. Christopher
Bushell and Mr. Sam Rathbone, this hindrance
to its success was overcome, and the excellence
of its organisation was generally recognised. Its
functions have, during the past few years, been
transferred to the City Council.
One of the results of the School Board was
the founding of the Council of Education, which
provided, in the shape of scholarships, the means by
which boys could advance from the elementary school
to the higher grade schools and the universities.
Mr. Sam Rathbone, Mr. Gilmour, and Mr. Bushell
were very active in promoting this association.
6o Recollections of a Busy Life.
Society in Liverpool.
Society was much more exclusive forty or
fifty years ago than it is to-day. The old Liverpool
families were looked up to with much respect.
The American war considerably disturbed
Liverpool society, and brought to the front many
new people. Liverpool became more cosmopolitan
and democratic, but there was no serious departure
from the old-world courtesy of manner and decorum
in dress until the 'eighties, when it gradually became
fashionable to be less exacting in dress, and the
customs of society grew less conventional.
In the 'sixties people of wealth and position
surrounded themselves with certain attributes of
power and wealth, which gave to the populace some
indication of their rank and their social status, and
in manners they were reserved and dignified.
Their homes were in the country or in the
fashionable suburbs of the city, and their importance
was measured by the extent of their broad acres. A
house in London, in which they dwelt for three or
four months of the year, was the luxury only of the
older famihes, or of those of great wealth; the
fashion of having a flat in London, with a week-end
cottage in the country, was not known — this has
followed the more democratic tendencies of our
times. The bringing of people together in our
railway trains, in steamers, in hotel lounges, and
foreign travel, have had a distinctly levelling influence.
In the 'sixties some old county families still made
Liverpool. 6i
their annual pilgrimage to visit their friends in the
family coach, and the circle of their acquaintances
was limited and exclusive. The family carriage
with the rumble at the back was a dignified and
well-turned-out equipage. The dress carriage, with
powdered footmen, was commonly seen in Hyde
Park, and was de rigeur at Court drawing rooms,
then held in the afternoon ; the array of carriages at
these functions made a splendid show.
Motors may have the charm of convenience
and speed, but can never replace the smart
appearance of the well-turned-out carriage-and-pair.
The 'sixties were the days of crinoline and
poke bonnets, and although the wearing of crinoline
was much ridiculed, ladies' dress in those days was
much more becoming and graceful than many of our
more recent fashions, and girls have never looked
more fascinating than when they wore their pretty
little bonnets; but perhaps I may be called old-
fashioned ; as we grow older our view points change.
We had many old maids in those days — we have
none now — and the old ladies with their hair worn
in dainty curls surmounted by a lace cap were
picturesque, and looked their part.
The Wellington rooms, which were opened
in 1814, were regarded as the centre of fashionable
society.
These rooms, which are only used five times
in each year, are unique in their exquisite proportions
and their charming Adams' decorations unspoiled
62 Recollections of a Busy Life.
by the modern painter and decorator. The floor
of the large ballroom is celebrated for its spring,
being, it is stated, suspended by chains.
Admission to the rooms was carefully
safeguarded, its members belonging almost
exclusively to the families of position and
standing. The balls were conducted on the strictest
lines of propriety, carefully enforced by vigilant
stewards, who would not admit of any rough
dancing ; and such a thing as kitchen lancers would
not have been tolerated. Six or seven balls were
given each year. The first before Christmas was
often called the dirty-frock ball, as new frocks were
reserved for the debutantes' ball, the first ball of
the season. No supper was given, only very light
and indifferent refreshments. The attendance
gradually fell away, and it was felt that the time
had arrived when something should be done to
revive their interest. Accordingly, about 1890, during
my presidency, the supper room was enlarged,
electric light was introduced, and a supper with
champagne provided, and in order to meet the
extra expense the balls were cut down to five.
These changes were very successful in increasing
the attendance. There were great misgivings as to
the introduction of the electric light, and its effect
upon the complexions of the ladies. The old form
of illumination by wax candles suffused a very soft
light, but the candles were unreliable and often
did damage to ladies' dresses.
Liverpool. 63
In the 'sixties the only out-door games
played were cricket and croquet. One of the most
striking developments of modern days is the time
now devoted to games, especially to golf and lawn
tennis. In the 'sixties the facilities for getting
about were very limited. The public conveyances
consisted of a few four-horse 'buses, which started
from Castle Street. To-day the bicycle and the motor-
car bridge over distances with rapidity and little
fatigue, and make us familiar with the beauties
of our country, which was in old days impossible,
while the electric tram carries the working man to
his game at football or to his cottage in the suburbs.
All this is a great gain, adding new interests to life,
and is also very conducive to health and happiness.
The conditions of Hfe during the past fifty
years in every grade of society have greatly improved;
they are brighter, healthier and happier.
There has been a decrease in the consumption
of alcohol, less intemperance, and a striking
diminution in crime and pauperism. With an
increase of over fifty per cent, in the population
there is less crime.
While the necessaries of life have not
increased in cost, wages are from twenty-five to fifty
per cent, higher, and the working classes no longer
live in damp cellars or in dark courts and alleys, but
have at their disposal cheerful, sanitary, and
convenient homes.
CHAPTER IV.
BUSINESS LIFE.
On my return home from Australia and
South America I entered my father's office. It was
noted for hard work and late hours. The principals
seldom left for home before seven and eight in the
evening, and on Friday nights, when we wrote our
cotton circular, and despatched our American mail,
it was usually eleven o'clock before we were able to
get away, and many of the juniors had to work all
night. In those days everything was done by
correspondence, and mail letters often ran to a
great length, frequently ten and twelve pages ; and
unfortunately the principals wasted much of their
time in the middle of the day. The morning's work
always commenced with reading the letters aloud by
the head clerk, and afterwards the principals gave
i^'otructions as to replies to be sent, and laid out the
/ork for the day.
In those times the business of a merchant's
office was much more laborious, and the risks they
ran were greater and longer than they are to-day,
when we have the assistance of telegraphic
communication with all the world. We often refer
Business Life. 65
to the good old days, but they were days of much
anxiety and hard work, and I doubt if the profits
were as large ; the risks were certainly much greater,
and added to this there was a constant recurrence of
panics. We had a money panic almost every ten
years, 1847, 1857, 1866, of the severity of which we
to-day can form very little idea. It was not merely
that the bank rate advanced to eight, nine, and even
ten per cent., but it was impossible to get money at
any price. Bank bills were not discountable, and all
kinds of produce became unsaleable. In addition
to these great panics we had frequent small panics
of a very alarming character. I well remember the
panics of 1857 ^^^ ^^^^ '> the intense anxiety and the
impossibility of converting either bills or produce
into cash.
The main cause of all these troubles was
that the banks kept too small reserves, and the
provisions of the Bank Charter Act of Sir Robert
Peel were too rigid. The object of the Act was to
secure the convertibility of the bank note into gold,
and it would no doubt have worked well had sufficient
reserves been kept, but practically the only reserve
of gold was in the Bank of England, and this was
frequently allowed to fall as low as five or six million
in notes. All other institutions, both banks and
discount houses, depended upon this reserve, and
employed their entire resources, relying upon
discounting with the Bank of England in an
emergency. This emergency arose about every- ten
66 Recollections of a Busy Life.
years. The Bank of England was unable to meet the
demand — a panic took place, and the bank had to
apply to the Government to suspend the Bank Act,
and allow it to issue bank notes in excess of the
amount allowed by the Act. All this took time, the
suspense was terrible, and many banks and honest
traders were cruell}^ ruined. Immediately the Act
was suspended the panic disappeared as if by magic,
and traders began to breathe freely again.
Happily far larger reserves are now held
by all banks, and banking business is also conducted
on more prudent lines, and trade generally is worked
on a sounder basis ; payment by bills is now the
exception ; margins and frequent settlements on our
produce exchanges prevent undue speculation, and
the system of arbitration now universal has put a stop
to the constant litigation which was a frequent cause
of contention and trouble and loss of valuable time.
I was admitted a partner in my father's firm
on the ist January, 1862. The previous year had been
a very successful one. My brother Arthur had visited
America, and believing that war between the North
and South was inevitable, had bought cotton very
heavily, upon which the firm realised handsome
profits. But it was at the expense of my father's
health ; the anxiety was too much for him, and this,
coupled with my mother's death on the ist August,
1861, so prostrated him, that he was ordered to take
a sea voyage, and it was arranged that I should
accompany him.
Business Life. 67
Voyage in the " Great Eastern."
On the 7th September, 1861, we embarked
on board the steamer "Great Eastern," for New
York, the Liverpool dock walls being lined with people
to see the great ship start. She was far and away
the largest vessel built up to that time, being 679
feet long, 83 feet beam, 48 feet deep, with a tonnage
of 18,915 ; she was propelled by two sets of engines,
paddle and screw. It was a memorable voyage.
Three days out we encountered a heavy gale,
which carried away our boats, then our paddle
wheels. Finally our rudder broke, and the huge
ship fell helplessly into the trough of the sea.
Here we remained for three days, rolling so heavily
that everything moveable broke adrift, the saloon
was wrecked, and all the deck fittings broke loose.
Two swans and a cow were precipitated into the
saloon through the broken skyhghts. The cables
broke adrift, and swaying to and fro burst through
the plating on one side of the ship. The captain lost
all control of his crew, and the condition of things was
rendered still more alarming by the men breaking
into the storerooms and becoming intoxicated.
Some of the passengers were enrolled as guards ;
we wore a white handkerchief tied round our arms,
and patrolled the ship in watches for so many hours
each day.
My father was badly cut in the face and
head by being thrown into a mirror in the saloon,
68 Recollections of a Busy Life,
during a heavy lurch. I never knew a ship to roll so
heavily, and her rolls to windward were not only
remarkable but very dangerous, as the seas broke
over her, shaking her from stem to stern, the noise
reverberating through the vessel like thunder. We
remained in this alarming condition three days,
when chains were fixed to our rudder head and we
were able with our screw-engines to get back to
Queenstown. My father returned home, not caring
to venture to sea again, but I embarked on board the
" City of Washington," of the Inman Line, and after
a sixteen-day passage arrived in New York.
An amusing incident occurred during the
height of the storm we experienced in the " Great
Eastern." We were rolling heavily, the condition of
the great ship was serious and much alarm was
naturally felt. At this juncture a small brig appeared
in sight under close-reefed sails. As she rode over
the big seas like a bird without taking any water on
board, we could not help contrasting her seaworthiness
with the condition of our giant ship, which lay like
a log at the mercy of the waves. The brig seeing our
position bore down upon us and came within hailing
distance. My father instructed Captain Walker, of the
" Great Eastern," to enquire if she would stand by us,
and to offer her master £ioo per day if he would do so,
but no answer came. The little vessel sailed round us
again and again, and the next time she came within
hailing distance my father authorised Captain Walker
to say he would charter the ship, or if necessary buy
Business Life. 69
her, so anxious was he that she should not leave us.
She continued to remain near us all day, and then the
weather moderating she sailed away on her voyage.
Two years afterwards the captain of the brig called
at the ofhce, saying he had been told by a passenger
that Mr. Forwood had offered him £100 per day for
standing by the " Great Eastern," and claiming £200,
two days' charter money. I need not say he was not
paid, but I think my father made him a present.
Arrested in New York in 1861.
On my arrival in New York I was arrested,
searched, and confined in the Metropolitan Police
Station while communications passed with Washing-
ton. On my demanding to be informed of the reason
of my detention, the Chief of Police told me that an
Englishman had been hanged by President Jackson
for less than I had done ; this was not very cheerful,
and he added he expected orders to send me to Fort
Lafayette — the place where political prisoners were
detained — but he declined to give any reason. I was
however released the following day, but kept under
the surveillance of the police, which became so
intolerable that I went to Canada, and returned
home through New Brunswick to Halifax. The
journey from Quebec over the frozen lake
Temiscuata, through Fredericton to St. John's, was
made on sleighs. I slept one night in the hut of a
trapper, another at a log hut on a portage where I
70 Recollections of a Busy Life.
was detained for a day by a snowstorm. An amusing
incident happened on this journey. At Grand Falls I
was called upon by the Mayor, who wished, he said,
to show me some attention and prove his loyalty to
the old country, as he understood I was an envoy going
from the Southern States to England. I told him he
was mistaken, but he would not accept my denial, and
insisted on driving me part of the way in his own
magnificently appointed sleigh, and giving me a
supper at a place called Tobique. At Halifax
another incident befel me. The hotel in which I
stayed was burnt down in the night. I escaped
with my luggage, but none too soon, for the hotel
was only a wooden erection and the fire very quickly
destroyed it.
On our arrival home at Queenstown, we heard
with great sorrow of the death of the Prince Albert,
and of the probability of war between England and
America, arising out of the "Trent " affair. I received
a communication from the War Office, requesting me
to send full notes of my journey across New Brunswick,
giving approximately the size of the villages and farm
buildings I observed, as it was proposed to march
10,000 British troops up by this route to protect
Canada.
The reason of my arrest in New York was,
I learned, that the authorities believed that I was
conveying despatches and money and intended to
cross the military lines and enter the Southern States.
My father's firm being largely engaged in business with
Business Life. 71
the South, there was some foundation for this
impression. I should add that I received through
Secretary Seward an expression of President Lincoln's
regret that I should have been subjected to arrest,
and an intimation that if I visited Washington he
would be glad to see me, but I was then in Canada
and did not care to return to the United States.
Political feeling ran very high in New York.
I was passing one afternoon the St. Nicholas Hotel,
Broadway, when I heard someone call out " Sesesh "
(which meant a Southerner), and a man fell, shot
down almost at my feet.
Leech, Harrison and Forwood.
The business of the firm of Leech, Harrison
and Forwood was mainly that of commission
merchants, and receiving cotton and other produce
for sale on consignment. It was an old firm with
the best of credit, and a good reputation. The
business was large but very safe, and we never
speculated. I was very proud of the old concern.
The business was founded in 1785 by Mr. Leech,
who took into partnership Mr. James Harrison,
whom I remember as a cadaverous looking old
gentleman with a wooden leg, and as he always
wore a white cravat his nickname of " Death's
Head and a Mop Stick " was not inappropriate. He
retired about 1850.
^2 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Shortly after I was admitted a partner
my father's health became indifferent, and at his
wish we bought him out of the firm and took
over the business. We decided to also become
steamship owners, and by arrangement with a firm
in Hartlepool we became the managing owners
of several steamers, which we put into the West
Indian trade in opposition to Mr. Alfred Holt. We
had not been very long in the trade before the
principal shippers, Imrie and Tomlinson and Alex.
Duranty and Co., also formed a line of steamers, and
it seemed at the moment as if we must be crushed
out of the trade, the opposition was so formidable ;
but with the dogged determination so characteristic
of my brother Arthur we persevered, and in the end
forced both our competitors to join us. We then
formed a large company, the West Indian and
Pacific Co., which was an amalgamation of the three
concerns, my firm retaining the management. The
business rapidly grew and separate offices had to be
taken. For nine years my brother devoted his time
to the management of the steamship company,
leaving me to work our own business. It was a
heavy responsibility for one so young. Our capital
was small, and our business in cotton and in making
advances upon shipping property very active, but we
were well supported by our bankers, Leyland and
Bullins. I was a neighbour of Mr. Geo. Arkle, the
managing partner, and shall be ever grateful for
the confidence he reposed in us. I remember his
Business Life. 73
sending for me in 1866, telling me that we were
face to face with a panic, and as he wanted us to
feel comfortable we must cheque upon the bank and
take up all our acceptances against shipping
property. The system of banking was then very
much a matter of confidence. During the whole of
my business career we never gave our bankers any
security. Mr. Arkle perhaps carried this principle
too far. I remember his refusing to open an account
for a man who was introduced to my firm by highly
respectable people in America, and who had brought
with him a draft on Barings for £80,000 as his capital,
Mr. Arkle requiring that my brother and I should
ask him to open the account as a guarantee to him
that we were satisfied as to the man's character,
to which he attached more value than to his capital.
About the year 1870 we admitted my brother Brittain
into partnership. Prior to this we opened a house
in Bombay, which was managed by my old school
friend, G. F. Pim, who was afterwards joined by my
brother George.
We retained the management of the West
Indian and Pacific Co. for nine years. The company
had prospered under our care, the shares were at a
premium, and the directors were willing to renew
our agreement ; but they wanted my brother Arthur
to promise to devote less of his time to politics ; this
he was unwilling to do, and so our connection ceased.
It was an unfortunate thing for the firm, but luckily
we sold out our shares at a substantial premium, and
74 Recollections of a Busy Life.
formed a new company, the Atlas Company, to run
steamers between New York and the West Indies,
ray brother still devoting his time to the Atlas
Company's interests, and I attending to the general
business. At this I worked very hard, from early
morning to late in the evening, taking only a
fortnight's holiday each year. The business of the
firm prospered greatly. At first our principal business
was receiving consignments of cotton, but these led
to such large reclamations, which were seldom paid
by the consignors, that we were on the alert to find
some other way of working our cotton trade, and a
visit I made to Mobile to collect reclamations
revealed to me a secret which for years gave us large
profits. I stayed in Mobile with a Mr. Maury, and
found that he was the holder of a very large stock of
cotton, against which he sold cotton for future
delivery, which always commanded a substantial
premium in New York. When the time for dehvery
came round, he tendered the cotton he had bought ; in
this way he made a certain and a handsome profit
over and above the holding expenses. What was
possible in New Orleans was, I thought, possible in
Liverpool, and on my return home we commenced
this cotton banking business. It was very profitable,
and for some time we had it all to ourselves.
When we started the Atlas Line in New
York, we opened a house under the title of Pim,
Forwood and Co., Mr. Pim leaving Bombay for New
York, my brother George at the same time opening a
Business Life. 75
house for us in New Orleans. George Pirn died in
1878, and my brother George moved from New
Orleans to New York. Here he remained until 1885,
when he entered the Liverpool firm, and my brother
Brittain took his place in New York ; Brittain retired
in 1885.
Looking back over my business career, it was
a period of strenuous hard work, but of much
happiness and great prosperity. It was always a
matter of regret to us that we had not more of the
active co-operation of my brother Arthur, Vv^ho was a
man of singular ability and remarkable power of
organisation. Unfortunately for the firm, from a
very early period in our partnership he devoted most
of his time to politics, which led to his eventually
becoming a member of the House of Commons, and
in a very short period Secretary to the Admiralty.
In this office, which he held for six years, he did most
excellent work. To use the words of the then First
Lord of the Admiralty — Lord George Hamilton — he
made it possible to build a ship of war in twelve
months when it had previously taken four and five
years. The fusion of the Conservative and Unionist
parties prevented m}^ brother's advance to Cabinet
rank. He was one of the ablest men I ever knew, but
he had not the faculty of delegating his work ; this
and his overmastering determination to carry out
everything to which he put his hand, entailed upon
him an amount of personal work and thought which
few men could have borne, and which in the end
76 Recollections of a Busy Life.
proved even more than he could support without loss
of nervous power. I was his partner for twenty-five
years and we never had a serious difference of any
kind. He was a candidate for the representation of
Liverpool in Parliament in 1882, but was defeated
by Mr. Samuel Smith. He afterwards was elected
member for the Ormskirk division, which he
represented at the time of his death in 1898. He
was made a Privy Councillor and afterwards created
a baronet.
Liverpool owes much to him, for in every
position which he filled, as Chairman of the Finance
Committee and of the Health Committee, and as a
Member of Parliament, he did a great work for the
city. In politics he was facile pvinceps, a born leader
of men ; he built up the Conservative party in
Lancashire, and kept it together in face of many
difficulties.
It was impossible that a man with such a
strong individuality and determination could avoid
making some enemies. He always tried to reach his
goal by the nearest road, even if in doing so
he had to tread upon susceptibilities which might
have been conciliated, but withal he was one
of the ablest men Liverpool has produced in recent
years ; he had at heart the good of his native
city, and no sacrifice of time or thought was too
much if he could only benefit Liverpool or promote
the welfare of the Conservative party. His statue,
erected by public subscription, stands in St. John's
Business Life. 77
Gardens, and each year on the anniversary of his
death a wreath of laurels is placed at its foot by
the Constitutional Association — "Though dead, his
spirit still lives."
In 189O I retired from business at the age of
50. I was tired with the fag and toil of twenty-five
years' strenuous work, but it was a mistake to retire.
The regular calls of one's own affairs are less trying
than the irregular demands of public work. Punch's
advice to those about to marry, " Don't," is equally
applicable to those about to retire from business.
CHAPTER V.
PUBLIC LIFE.
My public life began in 1867, when I was 27
years of age. I then joined the Council of the
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. In the following
year (1868) I was elected the President of the
Liverpool Philomathic Society, a position I was
very proud of. The Society at that time possessed
many excellent speakers ; we had among others
Charles Clark, John Patterson, and James Spence.
During the year I was President, Professor
Huxley came down and delivered his famous address
on " Protoplasm : or the beginnings of life," and this
started a discussion upon the evolution of life, which
has continued to this day. Professor Huxley was
my guest at Seaforth and was a very delightful man.
We had also a visit from Professor Huggins, now the
revered President of the Royal Society. He greatly
charmed us with his spectroscope, which he had just
invented. I had an observatory at the top of my house
at Seaforth, with a fair-sized astronomical telescope.
The professor gave us some very interesting little
lectures upon his discoveries of the composition of
the various stars and planets.
Public Life. 79
In November of the same year I was invited
to offer myself as a candidate for the Town Council
to represent Pitt Street Ward, in succession to
Mr. S. R. Graves, M.P. My opponent was Mr. Steel,
whom I defeated, polling 189 votes against his 135
votes. I represented Pitt Street for nine years, and
every election cost me £150. I do not know what
became of the money, but Pitt Street was a very
strange constituency.
Looking back it seems to me that the
Town Council was composed of Goliaths in those
days, men of large minds, and that our debates were
conducted with a staid decorum and order which
have long since disappeared. WiUiam Earle, J. J.
Stitt, Charles Turner, M.P., F. A. Clint, Edward
Whitley, J. R. Jeffery, are names which come back
to me as prodigies of eloquence. I remember
venturing to make a modest speech shortly after
I was elected, and one of the seniors touching me
on the shoulder and saying, ** Young man, leave
speaking to your elders "; but they did queer things
in those good old days. Many of the aldermen were
rarely seen ; they only put in an appearance on the
9th November to record their vote on the election of
the Mayor.
I was early placed on a deputation to London.
I think there were six or seven deputations in London
at one time, each attended by a deputy town clerk.
We stayed at the Burlington Hotel, and had seats
'provided for us in the theatre and opera, and
8o Recollections of a Busy Life.
carriages to drive in the parks. It was said that
the bill at the Burlington Hotel, at the end of
that Parliamentary session, was ** as thick as a
family Bible."
Chamber of Commerce.
In 1870 I was elected Vice-President of the
Chamber of Commerce, becoming the President in
1 87 1, and was also made a Fellow of the Royal
Statistical Society of London. My work at the
chamber was very pleasant and congenial, and
together with the late Mr. Lamport, Mr. Philip
Rathbone, and Mr. John Patterson, we did a good
deal in moulding the commercial legislation of that
time, the Merchant Shipping Bill and the Bankruptcy
Bill being drafted by our Commercial Law
Committee.
In 1878 the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce
was reconstituted, the old chamber having got into
bad repute through becoming too political. The
election of the president of the re-organised chamber
was left to the vote of the three thousand subscribers
to the Exchange News Room. Eight names were
submitted, and I was elected president for the
second time. During the following three years
excellent work was done by the chamber, it became
very influential with the Government and took rank
as the first chamber in the country. We declined
all invitations to be associated with other chambers,
Public Life. 8i
deeming that Liverpool was sufficiently strong and
powerful to stand alone, and in this I think we acted
wisely.
American Chamber of Commerce.
The American Chamber of Commerce existed
for the purpose of safeguarding the interests of the
American trade, and was supported by dues levied
on every bale of cotton imported into Liverpool. In
its day it did great and useful work, and accumulated
quite a large capital, which it spent in giving very
gorgeous banquets to the American Ministers and
distinguished strangers. I became president of this
chamber in 1872, and during my term of office we
entertained General Skenk, the new American
Minister, and others.
Joint Committee on Railway Rates.
In 1873 an attempt was made by the London
and North-Western Railway to amalgamate with the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. This aroused
great indignation. Liverpool was already suffering
severely from the high railway charges levied upon
her commerce, and it was feared that the proposed
amalgamation would increase these charges. Meetings
were held, and in the end all the towns in Lancashire
and Yorkshire were invited to join with Liverpool in
opposing the scheme in Parliament. I was elected
F
82 Recollections of a Busy Life.
the chairman of this Joint Committee, and we
inaugurated an active ParHamentary campaign. We
induced Parhament to remit the bill to a joint
Committee of Lords and Commons. The bill was
thrown out, and our suggestion that a railway
tribunal to try cases of unfair charges should be
formed was accepted, and is now known as the
Railway Commission ; but by a strange irony of fate,
it has become too expensive to be used by the users
of the railways, and is now mainly occupied in settling
differences between railway companies themselves.
The United Cotton Association.
In 1877 there was some friction between the
various cotton interests, brokers, and merchants,
and an association — entitled ** The United Cotton
Association " — was formed to endeavour to bring all
the branches of the trade together and to remodel
the rules, and I was elected chairman. Up to this
time the Brokers' Association ruled the market, and
as many brokers had become also merchants it was
felt that some re-arrangement of the relative positions
of brokers and merchants was necessary The position
of chairman was one of considerable delicacy, as a
very unpleasant feeling had grown up between
merchants and brokers, and there existed consider-
able friction; however, in the end we managed to
compose these difficulties and to lay the foundation
of the Cotton Association which now rules the trade.
Public Life. 83
International Cotton Convention.
An International Cotton Convention was
held in Liverpool, also in 1877 ; it was composed of
delegates from all the cotton exchanges of America
and those on the Continent. I was appointed the
president ; our meetings extended over ten days and
were interspersed with excursions and entertainments.
The convention was productive of much advantage
to the trade, in ensuring a better supervision of the
packing, weighing and shipment of cotton from
America, and I think the measures taken practically
put an end to the system of false packing which had
become so injurious to the cotton business.
Mayor of Liverpool.
In 1880 I was elected Mayor of Liverpool,
an honour which I very greatly esteemed. It was an
eventful year, for many distinguished strangers visited
Liverpool. General Sir Frederick Roberts came as
the hero of the hour after his wonderful march from
Cabul to Candahar. He was entertained at a
banquet, and an At Home at the Town Hall, and he
with Lady Roberts stayed with us for three days at
Blundellsands.
Among other visitors we entertained
were Lord Lytton, then Governor-General of
India ; and King Kallikahua, the King of the
Sandwich Islands. His Majesty was very dignified,
84 Recollections of a Busy Life.
and accepted quite as a matter of course the royal
salutes fired by the guard ship in the river as we
passed by in the Dock Board tender. At the
banquet in the evening I was warned by his equerry
that I must try and prevent His Majesty imbibing
too freely. It was not an easy thing to do, but to
the surprise of my guests I stopped the wine and
ordered cigars ; this had the desired effect. I beheve
this was the first time smoking was allowed at a
Town Hall banquet. r n f
The King had with him a big box lull ot
Palais Royal decorations which he showed me, but
with which, fortunately, he did not offer to decorate
me.
Visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Our heaviest function at the Town Hall was
the reception and entertainment of the Prince and
Princess of Wales on the occasion of the opening of
the new north docks.
The Prince and Princess stayed with Lord
Sefton at Croxteth, and their children, the three
Princesses, stayed at Knowsley, Lord Sefton's
children having the measles.
The day of the Royal Visit was lovely. We
met the Prince and Princess at the city boundary,
Newsham Park, proceeding thither in the mayor's
carriage, drawn by four horses with postillions and
out-riders. After presenting the Princess with a
: Public Life. 85
bouquet we followed to the landing stage, where the
royal party embarked on the river for the new
docks. The course of the royal yacht was kept by
our large Atlantic liners, and by several battleships.
The Princess christened the new Alexandra dock and
then we adjourned to a lunch in one of the large sheds,
and after lunch the Prince and Princess entered the
mayor's carriage and drove to the Town Hall, where
an address was presented to them.
The Fenians had been very active in
Liverpool, and during the evening at Croxteth I was
told by the aide-de-camp that the Prince had received
several threatening letters, to which his Royal
Highness paid no attention, but he would be glad to
know if every precaution had been taken for the
Prince's safety. Although I was able to assure him
that every precaution would be taken, this intimation
made me feel anxious and I drove from Croxteth to
the police station in Liverpool to consult with the
superintendents as to what more could be done. We
were compelled to drive the Prince and Princess for
two miles through that portion of the town inhabited
by the Irish ; we therefore decided to quicken the pace
of the carriage procession, and to instruct the out-
riders to ride close in to the wheels of the
royal carriage. These precautions were however
fortunately not necessary, for right along Scotland
Road the Prince and Princess had the heartiest
reception, and when we turned out of Byrom Street
into Dale Street it was with a sense of relief that I
86 Recollections of a Busy Life.
turned to the Prince and said, " Sir, you have passed
through the portion of Liverpool in which 200,000
Irish people reside." He replied, " I have not heard
a * boo ' or a groan ; it has been simply splendid."
We had taken some trouble to obtain a very
pretty jewelled bouquet-holder for the Princess, and
it was sent to the florist who was making the bouquet.
In the morning he brought it to the Adelphi Hotel,
broken in two. I showed it to Admiral Sir Astley
Cooper, who was one of the suite. He said,
" Whatever you do, have it repaired." Every
shop was shut, the day being a general holiday.
The boots at the hotel at last thought of a
working plumber, and to his hands the repairs were
entrusted. All he could do was to solder the
handle to the bouquet-holder, and he did this
in such a clumsy fashion that great " blobs " of solder
protruded themselves all round ; but it held together
and the bouquet was duly presented by the Mayoress.
During the drive from the dock the Princess, showing
me the holder, exclaimed how lovely it was ; alas !
my eyes could only see the " blobs " of solder ! At
Croxteth that evening, while the presents were being
exhibited to the guests, the holder broke in two, and
the story had to be told.
The three young princesses were entertained
all day at the Town Hall by my daughters. Princess
Maud managed to evade the vigilant eyes of Miss
Knollys, and unattended made her way into Castle
Street amid the crowd.
Public Life. 87
Lord Mayor.
For six weeks in 1903 I again occupied the
civic chair. In January of that year the Lord Mayor,
Mr. Watson Rutherford, was anxious to become a
candidate for Parhament, a vacancy having arisen in
the West Derby Ward. As Lord Mayor he could
not act as his own returning officer, and it became
necessary that he should resign his office for a time.
Both political parties in the Council were good
enough to invite me to accept the position, and thus
I became Lord Mayor for the brief period I have
mentioned. Mr. Rutherford, on retiring, informed me
that he had already spent all the allowance, and all
he could offer me were a few cigars. The duration
of my reign was too short to admit of much
entertaining, but I welcomed the opportunity of
showing hospitahty to many of my old colleagues
and friends.
CHAPTER VI.
THE FENIAN TROUBLES.
My year of office as Mayor was made very
anxious by the aggressive tactics of the Fenian
agitators. A bomb was placed at the side door of
the Town Hall, and exploded, breaking in the door,
destroying the ceiling and window of the mayor's
dressing-room and doing considerable damage to the
furniture. The bomb consisted of a piece of iron gas
piping about 3 inches in diameter and 18 inches long,
filled with explosives and iron nails. The miscreants,
after lighting the fuse, ran away ; but the Town Hall
was watched by a double cordon of police ; the first
took up the chase, the second joined in, and the two
men eventually jumped into a canal boat filled with
manure, and were then secured. They were tried, and
sentenced to fourteen years' penal servitude. They were
two Irish stokers, mere tools in the hands of an Irish-
American, who had planned the blowing up of all our
public buildings, but managed to get away. An
attempt was also made on the Custom House, but
failed.
The Home Secretary, Sir William Harcourt,
was much exercised by the position of things in
The Fenian Troubles. 89
Liverpool, and telegraphed to me enquiring how
many troops were available in Liverpool. 1 replied
fifty, of whom twenty-five were raw recruits. Next
morning the General in command at York called at the
Town Hall, and stated that he had been instructed to
send 2,000 infantry, and two squadrons of cavalry,
and wished me to arrange for their accommodation.
He startled me by adding, " I should like to send you
a Gatling gun ; they are grand things for clearing the
streets." I felt this was getting serious. I assured
him that we did not apprehend any grave trouble, or
disturbances, and if it was known that I had
consented to a Gatling gun being sent for the purpose
he mentioned, I should make myself most unpopular,
and that I hoped that the troops would be sent down
gradually so as not to cause alarm. We arranged to
place some of the troops at Rupert Lane, and some
in volunteer drillsheds, but several hundred had to
be quartered in the guard ship on the Mersey. All
this was carried out so quietly that no notice of it
appeared in the newspapers. We were congratulating
ourselves upon the success of our scheme, when I
received a note from Lord Chief Justice Coleridge,
then presiding at the assizes, requiring my presence
at St. George's Hall. I immediately obeyed the
summons, and was ushered into the judge's private
room. The Chief Justice at once stated that he
was informed that a large number of troops had
been brought into the town, without his sanction as
the Judge of Assize. In vain I pleaded my ignorance
90 Recollections of a Busy Life,
that his Lordship's permission was necessary, that
the troops had not been requisitioned by me, but had
been sent by orders of the Home Secretary. His
Lordship was much annoyed and said I ought to
have known that a Judge of Assize was the Queen's
representative, and no troops could be moved during
an assize without the judge's sanction. His anger
was however short-Hved ; he came to dine with me at
the Town Hall the same evening, and made a capital
speech, as he always did, and the morning's episode
was not again mentioned.
Things in Liverpool continued very unsettled
and anxious, and to add to the difficulty a strike
began. We were obliged to show the troops ; the
cavalry paraded the line of docks for two or three
days, producing an excellent effect.
The Home Secretary was very anxious,
and wrote to me long letters. The chief constable,
Major Greig, was away ill, and this threw much
responsibility upon the mayor. We were able to
collect much information, which led to the arrest of
many notable Fenians, and we stopped the importation
of several consignments of infernal machines. An
amusing incident occurred in connection with one of
these. We were informed that a consignment of thirty-
one barrels of cement was coming from New York by a
Cunard steamer, each barrel containing an infernal
machine. We placed a plain clothes officer in the
Cunard office to arrest whoever might claim the
cement, which, however, no one did, and we took
The Fenian Troubles. gi
charge of the casks as they were landed. Several
casks were sent up to the police office and were there
opened and the machines taken out. I was asked to
go down to see the machines, and found them lying on
a table in the detective office, several police
officers being gathered round. I lifted the cover of
one ; a rolled spill of paper was inserted in the clock
work ; this I withdrew, and immediately the works
started in motion, and with equal rapidity the police
vanished from the room. I simply placed my hand
on the works and stopped them, and invited the
police to return. On unrolling the spill of paper I
found it to be one of O'Donovan Rossa's billheads ; he
was at that time the leader of the Fenian brotherhood
in America.
The machines were neatly made ; on the top
were the clock works, which could be regulated to
explode at a given time the six dynamite cartridges
enclosed in the chamber below.
Having taken all the machines out of the
casks of cement, the difficulty arose what to do with
them, and eventually we chartered a tug and threw
them overboard in one of the sea channels.
An amusing incident occurred showing how
excited public feeling was at the time. I was sitting
one morning at the table in the Mayor's parlour in
the Town Hall, when I heard a crash of broken glass,
and a large, black, ugly-looking object fell on the
floor opposite to me. I rang the bell and the hall
porter came in ; I said, "What is that ? " "A bomb ! "
92 Recollections of a Busy Life.
he exclaimed, and immediately darted out of the room,
but he had no sooner done so than he returned with
a policeman, who exclaimed, "Don't be alarmed, sir,
it's only an old pensioner's cork leg." A crowd had
collected in the street outside, in the centre of which
was the old pensioner, who was violently expostulating.
On ordering the police to bring him inside, he said he
was very sorry if he had done wrong, but he was so
angry at the many holes in the street pavements, in
which he caught his wooden leg, that he had adopted
this rather alarming method of bringing his complaint
under the notice of the Mayor and the authorities.
The cork leg. both in form and colour, much
resembled a bomb made out of a gas pipe, of which we
had seen several at the Town Hall.
At the end of my year of office I received
the thanks of the Home Secretary, Sir William
Harcourt, for my assistance and, at his request,
I pursued enquiries in America which had an
important bearing in checking the Fenian movement
at that time.
'Liverpool Town Halt.,
chaptp:r VII.
THE TOWN COUNCIL.
The council chamber in the Town Hall has
of late years undergone many alterations. In my
early experience it occupied only part of the
present site, and at the eastern end we had
a luncheon room. It was a shabby chamber,
badly heated and ventilated ; the Mayor's chair
was placed on a raised dais at the western end, and
the members of the Council sat at long mahogany
tables running lengthwise. It was a comfortless
room, and very cold in winter.
The Council met at eleven in the morning,
adjourned for lunch at one o'clock, and usually
completed its labours by four or five o'clock in the
afternoon. But we had periods when party feeling
ran high, and obstructive tactics were adopted.
At such times we not infrequently sat until ten
o'clock at night. Most of these battles took place
upon licensing questions in which the late Mr. Alex.
Balfour, Mr. Simpson, of landing stage fame, and
Mr. McDougal took a leading part.
It was the practice to deliver long and well
considered speeches. Some of these were excellent,
94 Recollections of a Busy Life.
many very dreary. The present conversational
debates would not have been tolerated. We had some
very able speakers, of whom I think the most powerful
was Mr. Robertson Gladstone, the elder brother
of the late Premier. He seldom spoke, but when
he did he gave utterance to a perfect torrent of
eloquence which seemed to bear everything before
it. He was a remarkable man in many ways, very
tall of stature, and broad in proportion, he wore a
low-crowned hat and used to drive down in a small
four-wheeled dogcart. He delighted to give any
old woman a lift, and every Saturday morning he
visited the St. John's market, and took infinite
pleasure in bargaining with the market folk. Mr. J. J.
Stitt was also a very fluent and effective speaker,
perhaps too much after the debating society style.
Mr. J. R. Jeffery was a good speaker, so was Mr.
William Earle. One of the most useful men in the
Council was Mr. Weightman, who had been the
Surveyor to the Corporation, and became a most
efficient Chairman of the Finance Committee. One
of the most laborious members was Mr. Charles
Bowring, the father of Sir William Bowring, Bart.
Mr. Bowring was for years Chairman of the Health
Committee. He had a big and difficult work to
do, but he did it well, and was always courteous
and considerate. Mr. Beloe was at that time Chairman
of the Water Committee, and was largely responsible
for the Rivington water scheme. I think Mr. Sam
Rathbone was one of the most cultured and able men
The Town Council. 95
we ever had in the Council. He spoke with knowledge
and much elegance, and everything he said was
refined and elevating. Mr. John Yates — " honest
John Yates " — was a frequent speaker, and always
with effect. Mr. Barkeley Smith was our best and
most ready debater, Mr. Clarke Aspinall our most
humorous speaker.
The first important debate which took place
in the Council after I entered it was on the proposal
to purchase land from Lord Sefton for the purpose
of making Sefton Park. It was a prolonged discussion
and the decision arrived at shows that the Council
in those days was long sighted and able to take
large views and do big things. Not only was
power taken to purchase land for Sefton Park
but also to make Newsham and Stanley Parks,
costing in all ^^670,000 ; and this movement to provide
open spaces has continued to this day, and has
been supplemented by private munificence, until
Liverpool is surrounded by a belt of parks and open
spaces containing upwards of 1,000 acres, and in
addition many churchyards have been turned into
gardens, and small greens have been provided in
various parts.
I have often been asked if the work of the
city was as well done with a Council of 64 as it is
now with a Council of 134. I think the smaller
Council took a more personal interest in the work.
The Committees were smaller and better attended,
and the Council more thoroughly discussed the
96 Recollections of a Busy Life.
subjects brought before them. With the larger
Council and larger Committees more work and
more responsibility falls upon the chairman and
the permanent officials. I fear the larger and more
democratic Council scarcely appreciates this fact,
also they fail to see that if you want good permanent
officials you must pay them adequately. We have
fortunately to-day an excellent staff who do their
work well with a full sense of their responsibility.
One peculiarity of the larger Council is the
time given to the discussion of small matters, and
the little consideration given to large questions of
policy and finance. This I attribute to the fact
that the Council contains many representatives
who have not been accustomed to deal with large
affairs, and who refrain from discussing what they
do not fully understand. In this respect I think
the present Council shows to some disadvantage.
An immense work has been done municipally
during this period in re-modelling and re-making
Liverpool. In the 'sixties the streets of Liverpool
were narrow and irregular, the paving and scavenging
work was imperfectly done, the system of sewerage
was antiquated, and the homes in which her working
people had to live were squalid and insanitary ;
cellar dwellings were very general. To change all
this demanded a great effort and a large expenditure
of money, but in the 'seventies and 'eighties we
had men in the Council capable of taking large
views.
The Town Council,
97
Although the improvement of Liverpool
has been so remarkable, it is difficult to say
to whom it is mainly due ; there have been so
many active public-spirited men who have given
the best of their time and thought to the
promotion of municipal undertakings. Liverpool
has been fortunate in possessing so many sons who
have taken an active interest in her welfare, and
have done their work quietly and unobtrusively.
The re-making of Liverpool has been accomplished
in the quiet deliberation of the committee room,
and not in the council chamber.
The Town Hall — Its Hospitality.
The hospitalities of the Town Hall were in
my early years limited to dinners, and most of these
took place in the small dining room, which will only
accommodate about forty guests. When the fleet
visited Liverpool the Mayor gave a ball, but these
occasions were rare. To Dowager Lady Forwood,
who was Mayoress in 1877, the credit belongs of
introducing the afternoon receptions, which have
proved so great an attraction. The Town Hall and
its suite of reception rooms are unique, and although
built over 100 years ago, are sufficiently commodious
for the social requirements of to-day. The late
King, when Prince of Wales, on his visit to Liverpool
in 1881, remarked to me that next to those in the
98 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Winter Palace in St. Petersburg he considered them
the best proportioned rooms in Europe.
The Lord Mayor receives an allowance of
£2,000, and is in addition provided with carriages
and horses. In olden time this allowance was
ample, but it is no longer so, and it is impossible
to maintain the old traditional hospitality of the
Town Hall unless the Lord Mayor expends a further
£2,000 out of his own pocket, and many Lord Mayors
have considerably exceeded this sum. It has often
been urged that the allowance should be increased.
I doubt if this is desirable. The invitations to Town
Hall functions might be more strictly limited to
representative people, or the entertainments might, as
in Manchester, be placed in the hands of a Committee,
but it must not be forgotten that more is expected of
the Lord Mayor in Liverpool than in other places.
He is not only the head of the municipality, but of
all charitable and philanthropic work. The initiation
of every undertaking, national as well as local,
emanates from the Town Hall. All this throws upon
the Lord Mayor duties which directly and indirectly
involve the dispensing of hospitality, and I do not
think the citizens would wish it should be otherwise.
Although Mr. Alderman Livingston was
always supposed to have a candidate ready for
the office of Mayor, and loved to be known as
the "Mayor maker," the finding of a candidate
for the office has not been always easy. I
remember in 1868 we had some difficulty. The
The Town Council. qq
caucus decided to invite Mr. Alderman Dover
to accept the office. I was deputed to obtain
Mr. Dover's consent. I found him at the Angel
Hotel smoking a long churchwarden clay pipe ;
when I told him m}^ mission he smiled and replied
that his acceptance was impossible, and one of the
reasons he gave was that if his wife once got into
the gilded coach she would never get out of it
again. However, after much persuasion he accepted
the office, and made a very good and a very original
Mayor. In those days we had a series of recognised
toasts at all the Town Hall banquets :
" The Queen,"
" The Prince and Princess of Wales, and the
other Members of the Royal Family,"
" The Bishop and Clergy,
and Ministers of other denominations,"
" The Army and Navy and Auxiliary Forces,"
and very frequently
" The good old town and the trade thereof."
This was a very serious list, as it involved two
or three speakers being called upon to reply
for the church and the army. Mr. Dover
prepared three speeches for each toast, which he
carefully wrote out and gave to the butler,
with instructions to take a careful note of those
present, and to hand him the speech which he
considered had not been heard before by his guests.
So the butler, after casting his eye over the tables,
100 Recollections of a Busy Life.
would hand a manuscript to the Mayor, saying
" I think, your Worship, No. 2, * Royal Family,' will
do this evening." At the close of his mayoralty he
offered to sell his speeches to his successor, and he
handed to the charities a cheque for £500, which
he had saved out of his allowance as Mayor.
Work in the City Council.
On entering the Council in 1868 I was
placed upon the Watch Committee, and remained on
that committee for fifteen years. The work was of a
very routine character ; we had, however, an
excellent chairman in Mr. F. A. Clint, and I have
never forgotten the lessons I received from him in the
management of a committee, and how to get the
proceedings of a committee passed by the Council.
** Never start a hare " was his motto, " you never
know how it will run, and the amount of discussion
it may provoke." Another lesson which he taught me
was always to take the Council into your confidence.
*' Tell them everything, and if you make a mistake
own up to it ; " and there can be no doubt that there
is great wisdom in adopting this course. Deliberative
assemblies are naturally critical and suspicious : but
treat them with confidence and they will return it ;
once deceive them, or keep back what they are
entitled to know, and your task thereafter becomes
very difficult.
The Town Council. loi
Mr. Alderman Livingston was the deputy-
chairman, and was quite a character in his way. In
personal appearance he resembled Mr. Pickwick, and
his ways were essentially Pickwickian. In the selection
of Mayors he was always very much in evidence, and
he was before everything a Tory of Tories. Politics
were his delight, and even when quite an old man he
did not shirk attending the November ward meetings,
where his oracular and often amusing speeches were
greatly enjoyed by the electors.
At one period during the agitation against
licensees of public-houses, the Watch Committee
was composed of all the members of the Council
with Mr. S. B. Guion as chairman ; and the committee
met in the Council Chamber, but a committee of this
size was too unwieldy for administrative business,
and the arrangement did not last long.
The Burning of the Landing Stage.
The original George's Landing Stage was
replaced by a new one in 1874, and this was connected
with the floating bridge and the Prince's stage, the
whole forming one floating stage, 2,200 feet in length.
On the 28th July, a few days after the completion
of this work, I was attending the Watch Committee
when word reached us that the landing stage was on
fire. We could scarcely believe the report, as it
was about the last thing we thought likely to be
burnt. We hurried down to find the report only too
102 Recollections of a Busy Life.
true ; huge volumes of dense black smoke enveloped
all the approaches. The fire, commencing at the
foot of the northern bridge leading to the George's
stage, spread with great rapidity. The fire engines
were brought on the stage and immense volumes
of water were poured upon the burning deck, but
the woodwork was so heavily impregnated with tar
that the flames were irresistible. We worked all
afternoon and all night, and in the end only succeeded
in saving the centre of the stage at the foot of the
floating bridge, for a length of about 150 feet. And
this was only done by cutting a wide gap at either
end, over which the fire could not leap. It was very
arduous, trying work, as the fumes from the tar and
creosoted timber were very nauseating. The portion
salved was very valuable in preserving a place for
the Birkenhead boats. The other ferries had to
land and embark their passengers from temporary
platforms and the adjacent dock walls.
The Water Committee.
In the 'seventies I joined the Water
Committee, at a time when further supplies of water
for Liverpool had become a pressing necessity. We
had opened the Beloe " dry dock " at Rivington (so
called because many people believed when this
reservoir was being made it would never be filled),
and it was felt that no further supply could be
• The Town Council. 103
obtained from this source ; nor could we rely upon
any further local supply from the red sandstone,
although Mr. Alderman Bennett made long speeches
in his endeavour to prove that the supply from the
red sandstone was far from being exhausted.
When it was decided to seek for a new
watershed our attention was first directed to the
moors round about Bleasdale, some ten miles north
of Preston, but the prospective supply was not
sufficiently large. We then turned our attention to
Hawes Water, in Cumberland, the property of Lord
Lonsdale, and appointed a deputation to inspect
this lake. We dined and stayed all night at
Lowther Castle, and drove to the lake next morning.
We came away much impressed with the quality of
the water and the cleanness of the watershed, as there
were no peat mosses or boggy lands to discolour the
water.
Mr. Deacon, our young water engineer, had
however a more ambitious scheme in view ; he
proposed to impound the head waters of the Severn
in the valley of the Vyrnwy. The battle of the
watersheds, Hawes Water versus the Vyrnwy, was
waged furiously for several years. The committee
made many visits to the Vyrnwy, taking up its abode
at the Eynant Shooting Lodge, a very picturesque
spot (now submerged) standing at the western end of
the lake. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Anthony Bower, the
chairman and deputy-chairman of the committee,
were strongly in favour of the Vyrnwy scheme.
104 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Alderman Bennett continued to be the
persistent advocate of obtaining additional supplies
from the wells, and his opposition to every other
scheme was only set at rest by the Council authorising
Mather and Piatt to put a bore-hole down at Bootle
at a point which he selected; with the result that
no water was found. During all this period Mr.
J. H. Wilson had a very arduous task, demanding
great patience and endurance, and to him and to
Mr. Deacon belong the credit of ultimately securing
the adoption of the Vyrnwy scheme.
I led the section of the committee in favour
of the Hawes Water scheme. There was no question
as to the Vyrnwy yielding an abundant supply, but
the opposition contended that it was brown peaty
water, and would remain brownish after being treated
by filtration, and the cost would greatly exceed that
of Hawes Water. I spent days on the moors at
Vyrnwy collecting samples of water. My samples
were brown and bad ; the samples collected by
Mr. Deacon, on the contrary, were clear and
translucent. The committee were divided as to the
relative merits of the two schemes, and the Council
were equally divided.
When the question came for the ultimate
decision of the Council the debate lasted two days,
and I spoke for one hour and a half. We thought the
Hawes Water scheme was winning, when the Mayor,
Mr. Thomas Royden, rose and spoke for half an
hour all in favour of the Vyrnwy. His speech turned
* The Town Council. 105
many waverers, and the Council voted in favour of
the Vyrnwy by a small majority of three.
It was a great debate, perhaps the most
important we have had in the Council, certainly in
my time. Mr. Royden (now Sir Thomas Royden,
Bart.) was an effective speaker, both in the Council
and on the platform ; his voice and his genial smile
were a valuable asset of the Conservative party.
I was greatly assisted in drawing up a
pamphlet in favour of Hawes Water, and in
conducting the opposition, by the town clerk,
Mr. Joseph Rayner. Mr. Rayner was an exceedingly
able man, but unfortunately died comparatively
young.
It fell to my lot, as Mayor in 1881, to
take the Council to lay the foundation stone of the
great Vyrnwy dam. It was on a very hot day in
July ; the stone was laid by the Earl of Powis, who
made a very eloquent and poetical address, comparing
the Vyrnwy with the fountain of Arethusa which
would spring up and fructify the valley, and convey
untold blessings to the great community in the far-off
city of Liverpool.
The building of the dam, and the laying out
of the banks of the lake, called for many charming
visits to the Vyrnwy ; and although I was not in favour
of the adoption of this scheme I now believe on the
whole the Council did the wisest thing, as there can
be no question of the abundance of the supplies
secured by the city.
io6 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Parliamentary Committee.
For twelve years I was chairman of this
committee, and had much interesting work to carry
through Parhament. The widening of St. Nicholas'
Place and the throwing of part of St. Nicholas'
churchyard into the street was a great improvement,
relieving the congestion of traffic at this point.
We also endeavoured, during my term of
office, to extend the boundaries of the city. We
had a fierce fight in the House of Commons. The
local boards of the districts we intended to absorb
assailed us with a perfect torrent of abuse, and
criticised severely our system of local government.
We failed to carry our bill, the chairman of the
committee remarking that Parliament would not
grant any extension of city boundaries when it was
objected to by the districts to be absorbed ; but he
added, "We are quite satisfied from the evidence
you have given that Liverpool is excellently
governed in every department." We made a mistake
in pushing forward this bill on " merits " only,
we should have done some missionary work before-
hand, and arranged terms and conditions with our
neighbours. My successor in the chair of this
committee. Sir Thomas Hughes, profited by our
experience, and succeeded where we failed.
We were greatly assisted in our Parliamentary
work by Mr. Harcourt E. Clare, who was most able
The Town Council.
107
and diplomatic, and an excellent negotiator. His
appointment as Clerk of the County Council, though a
gain to the county, was a serious loss to Liverpool.
Manchester Ship Canal.
With the attitude of Liverpool in regard to
the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal I was
very prominently identified. I had to conduct
the opposition to the Canal Bill through three
sessions of Parliament, six enquiries in all. The
Dock Board took the labouring oar, but it fell to
me to work up the commercial case, to prove from a
commercial point of view that the canal was not
wanted, and would never pay. I prepared a great
mass of figures, and was under examination during
the six enquiries altogether about thirty hours.
Mr. Pember, Q.C., who led the case for the promoters,
paid me the compliment of saying I was the only
witness he had ever had who had compelled him to
get up early in the morning to prepare his cross-
examination.
We defeated the bill in the first two enquiries.
At the close of the second enquiry Mr. Lyster, the
engineer to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board,
completely gave the Dock Board case away.
Mr. Pember remarked : " Mr. Lyster, you have told
us that if we make our canal through the centre
of the estuary of the Mersey we shall cause the
estuary to silt up and destroy the bar. What
io8 Recollections of a Busy Life.
would you do if you had to make a canal to
Manchester ? " Mr. Lyster jumped at the bait, and
replied, " I should enter at Eastham and carry the
canal along the shore until I reached Runcorn, and
then I would strike inland." Next year the
Manchester Corporation brought in a new bill
carrying out Mr. Lyster's suggestion, and as
Liverpool had no answer they succeeded in getting
their bill.
There can be no doubt that the railways
had for long years greatly overcharged their Liverpool
traffic. The rate of 12s 6d per ton for Manchester
goods for the thirty-two miles' carriage from
Manchester to Liverpool was a gross overcharge. I
had headed deputation after deputation to the
London and North-Western Railway to represent
this ; Mr. Moon (afterwards Sir Richard Moon) always
received us. with much civility, but nothing was done.
The Dock Board had the remedy in their own
hands ; they could have bought the Bridgewater
Canal, and made a competitive route ; but the
prosperity of Liverpool was great, and they
altogether failed to see that Manchester, with its
Ship Canal, might one day be a serious competitor
to Liverpool.
The promoters of the Ship Canal secured an
option over the Bridgewater Canal, and this was
really the backbone of their scheme. At the close
of the first parliamentary enquiry, when the Canal
Bill was thrown out, Mr. Wakefield Cropper, the
The Town Council. 109
chairman of the Bridge water Canal, came to me
and said, ** The option given to the Ship Canal people
has expired ; can you not persuade the Dock Board
to buy up the Bridgewater Canal, and this will put
an end to the Ship Canal project ? " I walked across
the Green Park with Mr. T. D. Hornby, the
chairman of the Dock Board, and Mr. Squarey, the
solicitor, and told them of this conversation, and they
both agreed with me that the Dock Board ought to
make the purchase, but, unfortunately, nothing was
done. In the following year the Ship Canal Bill was
again thrown out, and Mr. Cropper again urged that
we should secure the Bridgewater Canal. I called
at the Liverpool Dock ofQce in London and saw
Mr. Hornby and Mr. Squarey ; they both agreed that
the purchase of the Bridgewater Canal ought to be
made, but again no step was taken, and the Ship
Canal made their third application to Parliament,
and succeeded. I have always felt that the Dock
Board thus missed a great opportunity, which in
years to come may prove to have been the golden
chance of securing the prosperity of the port.
Corporation Leaseholds.
One of the most important enquiries in
which I engaged was into our system of fines on
renewals of the leases of the property belonging to
the Corporation.
The Corporation owns a very large estate
within the city. The first important purchase was
no Recollections of a Busy Life.
made by the Corporation in 1674, when a lease for
1,000 years was obtained from Sir Caryl Molyneux,
of the Liverpool Heath, which bounded the then
town of Liverpool on its eastern side. This land had
been sold on seventy-five years' leases, and as the
leases ran out the lessees had the option of renewal
on the payment of a fine ; and in order to encourage
the frequent renewal of these leases the fines during
the first twenty years of a lease were made very
light. It has been the practice of the Corporation
to use the fines received as income in the year in
which they are received. The fines received in the
fifty years, 1835 to 1885, amounted to £1,762,000.
This system of finance is radically wrong. The fines
ought to be invested in annuities, and if this had been
done these fines would now have returned an income of
£66,000 per annum, and would have gone on increasing.
The committee, of which I was the chairman,
held a prolonged enquiry, and examined many experts
and actuaries, and our report is to-day the standard
authority on the leasehold question. Our conclusions
and recommendations are as sound to-day as they
were then, but unfortunately the Council declined to
accept or adopt them, and we still pursue the
economically bad system of spending in the first year
the fine which should be spread over the term of the
lease.
When I retired from the Library, Museum,
and Arts Committee in 1908, I was invited to take
the chair of the Estate Committee, and found myself
The Town Council.
Ill
again face to face with the leasehold question. The
revenue of the Corporation from fines on renewal of
leases had fallen off to so alarming an extent that
something had to be done to stop the shrinkage in
revenue and restore the capital value of the estate.
We had for so long used the fines as income that
the position was a difficult one, and one only to be
surmounted by a self-denying policy of accumulating
a large portion of the assured income from fines
for at least twenty-five years and encouraging
leaseholders to extend their leases from seventy-
five to ninety-nine years.
CHAPTER VIII.
LIBRARY, MUSEUM, AND ARTS
COMMITTEE.
Liverpool can justly lay claim to be the
pioneer of free public libraries. William Ewart,
one of the members for the borough, succeeded in
1850 in passing through Parliament the Public
Libraries Act. But before this act had become law,
a subscription had been raised in Liverpool for the
purpose of starting a library, and a temporary library
was opened in Duke Street. This was afterwards
transferred to the Corporation, and was the beginning
of the great library movement in Liverpool. The
Council encouraged by this obtained a special act
empowering them to establish not only a library,
but a public library, museum, and art gallery — thus
from the earliest days these three institutions have
been linked together. Sir William Brown provided
the funds for erection of the Library and Museum in
WiUiam Brown Street. In 185 1 the thirteenth
Earl of Derby presented to the town his fine
collection of natural history specimens ; in 1857
Mr. Joseph Mayer gave his collection of historical and
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Library, Museum, and Arts Committee. 113
archaeological objects, and in 1873 Mr. A. B. Walker
completed this remarkable group of institutions by
building the Walker Art Gallery. Liverpool has
thus been most fortunate in possessing a public
library, a museum, and an art gallery, which have
cost the ratepayers nothing. It would be difficult to
find a more unique cluster of institutions, each so
perfectly adapted to its work, and all furnished with
collections which have not only a local but a European
reputation.
I was placed upon the Library and Museum
Committee on entering the Council, Mr. Picton,
afterwards Sir James Picton, being the chairman.
The committee met at nine o'clock in the morning,
and seldom rose before twelve. I could not afford so
much time, and therefore resigned, but when master
of my own time I joined the committee again, and
found the work very interesting. Sir James Picton
had an extensive knowledge of books, and he is
entitled to the credit of building up our splendid
reference library, and of making the excellent
collection of books on architecture which it contains,
but he had httle sympathy with lending libraries, and
when he died the three branch lending libraries were
very indifferent and poor, which was the more
extraordinary bearing in mind that the act of
parliament instituting free libraries was promoted by
Liverpool, and although Liverpool was not the first
town to take advantage of it, she was only six weeks
behind Manchester in adopting it.
114 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Sir James Picton, the historian of Liverpool,
was endowed with an excellent memory, and his mind
was a storehouse of knowledge. He took an active
part in the various literary societies, and was for
many years one of our leading and most enlightened
citizens.
After his death the chair of the Library
Committee was occupied for three years by Mr.
Samuelson, and in 1889 I was elected his successor,
and held this chair for nineteen years. There is no
public position in Liverpool more full of interest and
with such wide possibilities for good as the chairman-
ship of the Library Committee. I very early decided
that the right, and, indeed, only policy to pursue was
to make the institutions placed under my care as
democratic and as widely useful as possible, and this
could best be done by breaking down all the barriers
erected by red tape and by trusting the people ; and,
further, extending the system of branch libraries and
reading rooms. In carrying out this work I always
enjoyed the sympathy and active co-operation of my
committee, and had the valuable assistance of
Mr. Cowell, the chief librarian, and his staff. The
acceptance of the guarantee of one ratepayer instead
of two for the respectability of a reader has been a
very popular reform, and the introduction of open
bookshelves, containing the most recent and popular
books of the day, has been greatly appreciated, and
I am glad to say the books we have lost have been
very few. Branch lending libraries were opened at
Library, Museum, and Arts Committee.
II'
the Central Library, Everton, Windsor Street,
Sefton Park, West Derby, Wavertree, and Garston.
At several of these libraries we have reading-rooms
and special books for boys, which are much
appreciated by them.
We were fortunate in inducing Mr. Andrew
Carnegie to open the new library in Windsor Street,
and he was so much pleased with it that he offered to
build for us a duplicate in West Derby. He
remarked it was the first time he had ever offered to
give a library, making it a rule that he must be
invited to present one, and then if the site was
provided, and a suitable income assured to maintain
it, he gave the necessary funds for the building as a
matter of course. Mr. Carnegie subsequently
presented us with another library for Garston, and
more recently he gave me £19,000 for two more
libraries, making his gift to Liverpool £50,000
in all.
Mr. Carnegie's munificence has been
remarkable, not only in its extent, but in its method.
He has given £30,000,000 for the erection of libraries
and other institutions, but all of his gifts have been
made after careful investigation, and in conformity
with certain rules which he has laid down. When
he opened the Windsor Street Library he stayed
at Bromborough Hall, and we took him also to the
opening of St. Deiniol's Library, at Hawarden. If
Mr. Carnegie had not been a millionaire he would
still have been a remarkable man. Endowed with
ii6 Recollections of a Busy Life.
a keen power of observation, rapidity of judgment,
and great courage, he has all the elements which
make for success in any walk in life. He told me
that as a superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railway
he saw that iron bridges should take the place of
their wooden bridges. He formed an iron company
to supply these bridges. Another opportunity
offered, of which he was not slow to avail, when the
iron bridges had in course of time to be replaced
with steel. The example of this great railway was
quickly followed by others, and the Carnegie Steel
Works grew larger and larger. The carriage of the
iron ore 400 miles by rail, from Lake Superior, was
a costly item, so he constructed his own railway,
which enabled him to greatly reduce the carriage.
All these things indicate his enterprise and courage,
which have made him not only a millionaire, but
also a great public benefactor.
The Council entrusted the Library Committee
with the administration of the moneys granted for
technical education, and as it took some years to
lay the foundations of a technical system of
education the funds accumulated, and we were able
to pay off the debt on the libraries, about £8,000,
and to build the extension to the museum, costing
£80,000. The foundation stone was laid by me on
the ist July, 1898. Liverpool has always been rich
in museum exhibits, and particularly in natural history
and ethnography, and we have added recently to our
collection by purchasing Canon Tristram's collection
Library, Museum, and Arts Committee. 117
of birds. Out of this great storehouse our director,
Doctor Forbes, has arranged the galleries so
admirably, both on the scientific and popular sides,
that they are the admiration of all naturalists, and
Liverpool has every reason to be proud of her
museums, which are admittedly the finest out of
London. The galleries were opened by the late
Earl of Derby on the 19th October, igo6.
I was anxious to bring the libraries, and
especially the museums, into closer touch with
the University, and have always maintained that
co-operation between these institutions is absolutely
necessary, if we are to get the best out of each.
The Walker Art Gallery.
The work in connection with the Walker Art
Gallery has always been to me one of absorbing
interest, and the annual visit in the spring to the
London studios a very great treat. It is not merely
that one has the opportunity of seeing the pictures
of the year, but also to hear the views of the artists ;
men who lead lives of their own, in their art, and for
their art, and whose views upon art matters open up
new avenues for thought, and continually suggest
new methods of action. Mr. Philip Rathbone was
our first chairman of the Art Sub-Committee, and he
did a great work in popularising our Autumn
Exhibition in London. He was almost a bohemian
by nature, and was quite at home in the artist world
Ii8 Recollections of a Busy Life.
of London. He was a genius in many ways ; he
knew much about art : was a poet whose verses
had a charm of their own ; he was a dehghtful
companion and inherited many of those remarkable
traits of character which have distinguished the
Rathbone family and have made them such
benefactors of their native city.
Among the Studios.
We had some interesting experiences during
our visits to the studios, and were often asked to
criticise and suggest a name for a picture.
On one occasion when visiting Lord Leighton's
studio, he was painting a charming picture entitled
" Persephone," the coming of spring. He had
painted some brown figs in the foreground.
Mr. Rathbone remarked that in spring the figs should
be green. Lord Leighton replied, " You are right,"
and dabbing his thumb into some green paint on his
palette he smeared the figs with green, and when the
picture was finished they remained green ; but
inasmuch as you see green and brown figs on a
fig-tree at the same time, in spring and in autumn.
Lord Leighton was not incorrect, and brown figs
would, I think, have better suited his colour scheme.
Mr. Byam Shaw painted a picture of " the Princes
in the Tower " at Ludlow Castle, and looking out of
the tower upon the landscape beyond, the eye rested
upon a copse of larches, but as larches were not
Cibyary, Museum, and Arts Committee. 119
grown in England for a hundred j^ears after the
incident portrayed in the picture, they had to be
painted out and other trees substituted.
Visiting the studio of Mr. Greiffenhagen we
found him engaged upon a pastoral idyll, a shepherd
boy embracing a red-headed girl in a field of poppies.
He had as his models an Italian and his boy. Upon
my remarking upon this, he explained his only
inducement to paint the subject was a promise made
by two of his friends, who were engaged to be
married, to sit as his models. They came, and
appeared to greatly enjoy the situation ; but alas !
they got married and did not return, and he was
obliged to finish his picture with this Italian and his
boy. It was a lovely picture, and now adorns our
permanent collection. One is much impressed when
visiting the studios by the comparative poverty of
the profession. I don't suppose the average income of
the London artist exceeds £200 to £300 per annum.
They paint pictures but do not sell them. Formerly
they were able to supplement their incomes by
working in black and white, but machine processes
have now superseded black and white, and the
architect and house decorator have dealt pictorial
art a severe blow by introducing styles of decoration
which leave no room for the picture.
Lord Leighton was a great friend to Liverpool,
but we did not treat him kindly. Whenever we had
any difficulty in obtaining a picture for our
exhibition he was always ready to take trouble and
120 Recollections of a Busy Life.
use his influence to secure it for us. We bought from
him one of the best pictures he ever painted, the
" Andromeda " ; the price was £3,000, and he agreed
to accept the amount payable over two years. The
purchase was noised abroad, but unfortunately the
Council declined to confirm it. Sir James Picton was
not happy in the way he submitted the proposal
to the Council. Manchester immediately secured the
picture. Meeting Lord Leighton a year or so
afterwards I apologised to him for the action of the
Council, when he most magnanimously said, " I was
not troubled for myself, but for you, and it pained me
when I heard that Mr. Samuelson, your deputy
chairman, twice came to my house to explain matters,
but his courage failed him, and he went away without
even ringing the bell."
Sir John Millais was appointed President of
the Royal Academy in succession to Lord Leighton. It
fell to me to call at his studio only a few months before
he died, when he remarked : ** You have in Liverpool
my picture with a kick in it " (alluding to the picture
of ** Lorenzo and Isabella," in which the figure in the
foreground is in the act of kicking a dog), and he
continued, " I well remember that picture." This was
spoken evidently with a sad recollection. I knew what
was passing in his mind, for the late Sir Henry Tate
told me that Mr. Millais painted the picture when quite
a young man, for a dealer, and was to receive in
payment £50. The dealer failed, and Mr. Millais
found himself in great financial difficulty, when a
T^ibravy, Museum, and Arts Couuniltee.
121
stranger called and said, " I understand you have
painted a picture for Mr. " (naming the dealer),
and asked to look at it. He immediately bought it,
giving ;f 50, and the painter's difficulties were removed.
Mrs. Fraser, the wife of Dr. Fraser, the
Bishop of Manchester, told me a good story of Millais.
He was painting the Bishop's portrait, and the picture
had reached the stage of the last sitting. Mr. Millais'
dog jumped upon the chair upon which the artist had
placed his palette. The palette fell on to the floor,
paint side downwards. Millais was annoyed and
kicked at the dog. The situation had an amusing side
which caused the Bishop to laugh heartily, whereupon
Millais looked still more angry, and exclaimed, *T have
painted the wrong man, I had no idea you had such
a sense of humour." The picture, although an
excellent likeness, represents the Bishop as a demure
ecclesiastic. Those who remember him will recollect
how genial and full of humour he was.
When Mayor in 188 1, I acted as honorary
secretary to a committee entrusted with the painting
of a likeness of the late Charles Maclver. We gave
the commission to Professor Herkomer, who called
at the Town Hall to enquire what sort of a man
Mr. Maclver was. I told him that he was a man of
exceptionally strong character, a perfect autocrat in
his management of the Cunard Company, of which he
was one of the founders. Professor Herkomer called
at the Town Hall a few days after, and said, *' I am
returning home as I have been unable to find the
122 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Mr. Maclver as you described him : he has lost a
near relative and appears broken in health." The
Professor called upon me again a few months after
and said " I have found Mr. Maclver, the strong man
you told me he was, and have painted the portrait."
The picture hangs in the permanent collection at
the Walker Art Gallery.
In 1893, when Mr. Robert Holt was Lord
Mayor, he received a telegram from Sir John Gilbert,
R.A., saying he wished to present some of his pictures
to Liverpool, and desiring that some one should go
up to select them. The Council was sitting. The Lord
Mayor passed the telegram on to me, and asked
me to go up to London. I did so the same day, and
called upon Sir John Gilbert, at Blackheath, the
next morning. On my entering his room the veteran
artist said " I see one of your names is 'Bower,'
are you any relation to Mr. Alfred Bower, who
married the daughter of my old friend Lance, the
fruit painter." On my stating that I was his
nephew, he replied, " Well, I intended giving Temple,
of the Guildhall, the first pick, but you shall have it
for my old friend's sake."
I found the house stacked with pictures
from the cellar to the attic. Sir John had been
painting and keeping his pictures to present to the
nation, together with an art gallery ; but he had
suddenly changed his mind, and resolved to divide
them between the great cities. I selected some twelve
or fourteen large canvases, which now adorn our art
Dibyavy, Museum, and Arts Committee. 123
gallery. Sir John was our greatest painter of historical
pictures, and one of our most brilliant colourists.
Mr. Whistler came down to hang our Autumn
Exhibition one year. He was most difficile, finding
fault with every picture brought before him. We
could not get on, and should have had no exhibition
at all had we not hit upon the expedient of offering
him a room all to himself, in which he should hang
the pictures of his own choice and in his own way.
He accepted the offer. This room has ever
since been filled with pictures of the impressionist
school.
Upon Mr. Rathbone's death Mr. John Lea
became his successor, and he has done yeoman service
for our Autumn Exhibition. For many years he gave
an annual dinner to the artists in London, and he was
honoured by the presence of the leading members of
the Royal Academy and their wives. The dinners
took place at the Grand Hotel, and were exceedingly
well done. They greatly assisted us in our work of
collecting the best pictures of the year.
It has been a great pleasure to us to
entertain at Bromborough Hall many of the artists
entrusted with the hanging of the exhibitions.
On retiring from the Library Committee in
1908, after nineteen years' service as chairman, I
gave an account of my stewardship, which was
reported as follows in the local press : —
" In returning thanks Sir William Forwood
said it was with very deep regret that he had to take
124 Recollections of a Busy Life.
leave of them as their chairman. He felt the time
had come when the trust should be placed in younger
hands. On the gth of next month it would be forty
years since he entered the City Council, and his first
committee was the Library Committee, of which he
was elected chairman in 1890. Much had happened
during that time. In 1890 they had only two small
branch libraries, and there were no reading-rooms in
the great centres of population. Early in that year
the Kensington Branch Library and Reading-room
was opened. The total issue of books and periodicals
at all the libraries was 1,514,545 ; last year the issue
was 4,417,043, an increase of nearly 300 per cent.
These figures became more striking when it was
remembered that the population during this period
had increased only 17 per cent. Not only had the
appetite for reading grown, but the growth had been
in a very satisfactory direction. Whereas in 1890
76 per cent, of the total issues were of prose fiction,
last year this percentage had fallen to 55 per cent.
He did not wish to disparage the reading of good
fiction ; on the contrary, he had always contended
that the reading of fiction frequently formed the
habit of reading, which would otherwise never be
obtained. They had worked upon this view,
and gave to the borrower of a work of fiction
the right to take out another book of a more serious
character. In 1890 the number of our home readers
was 7,300 ; to-day they had 41,000, and during this
period they had added 145,672 books to the shelves.
Library, Museum, and Arts Committee. 125
The total issue of books, etc., during the past eighteen
years reached the enormous total of 47,343,035.
In place of forty-nine free lectures, all given at
one centre, they now gave 186 lectures distributed
over nineteen centres.
" In 1890, out of a rate of one penny in the £,
they maintained the Central Reference Library and
three branch libraries, the Art Gallery, and the
Museum. To-day, with the rate of a penny three-
farthings, they maintained three greatly enlarged
central institutions, ten lending libraries and reading-
rooms, and gave 186 free lectures. They were now
completing the erection of a library at Garston, and
had secured the land for a library at Walton. The
encouraging result of the system of free access to open
bookshelves in the Picton and the branch reading-
rooms induced him to hope that the new library at
Walton might be entirely run upon this principle.
They had also done a great deal to encourage juvenile
readers and with most gratifying and encouraging
results. Juvenile libraries and reading-rooms were
provided, and free lectures to the young formed an
important branch of their work. They had been very
much helped by the handsome gifts made by
Mr. Andrew Carnegie, the collection of fine art books
and prints made by the late Mr. Hugh Frederick
Hornby, to whose generosity they were indebted for
the room in which they were now displayed — and the
978 books in the Braille type contributed by Miss
Hornby, of Walton.
126 Recollections of a Busy Life.
" The growth of the Natural Historj^
Museum had been remarkable. Liverpool received
as a bequest from the 13th Earl of Derby a very
large collection of natural history specimens, which
was enriched from time to time by other gifts. The
limited space in the Museum was choked by specimens
which could not be properly displayed or scientifically
arranged, and the greater part of the specimens
remained stowed away in cases in the cellars. In
1899 it was decided to greatly extend the museum
by building further galleries over the new Technical
Schools. This extension cost £80,000. This
additional space had been entirely filled by the
zoological collections, v/hich had been most carefully
and scientifically arranged by the director, Dr. Forbes,
and they now only awaited the completion of the
descriptive catalogue to make this department
complete and worthy of its high reputation.
** The Permanent Collection of Art had been
greatly enriched by the pictures purchased and also
by pictures presented to the city. The wall space in
the galleries was so limited that the work of the
committee was carried on under great difficulty. An
enlargement of the Art Gallery Vv^as urgently needed.
Under the active chairmanship of Mr. Lea, assisted
by Mr. Dibdin, the curator, the Autumn Exhibition
of pictures continued to grow in excellence ; but,
notwithstanding this, it was remarkable that the
interest of the public in pictorial art appeared to be
on the decline. Whereas in 1891 the total receipts of
Library, Museum, and Arts Committee. 127
their exhibition reached £4,138, and in 1892 £3,609,
last year they were only £3,068 ; and while in 1891
pictures were sold of the value of £7,603, last year
the sales only reached £4,446. This falling off was,
however, not peculiar to Liverpool. The art
exhibitions in London had the same experiences.
It was no doubt attributable largely to the beautiful
art processes by which pictures were reproduced,
which appeared to satisfy the public taste and
destroyed the desire to see the originals. Another
cause might be attributed to the changes which had
taken place in the art decoration of houses, which
did not admit of the display of pictures. No doubt
in time a reaction will take place. Art might
sleep but it could never die. It was not thinkable
that a love for pictures could for long be
dormant ; but in the meantime they must appeal to
the Liverpool public for a generous support to the
efforts made by the Art Committee to bring to their
doors every year the very best pictures produced in
this country.
" In looking back over the past eighteen
years," remarked Sir William in conclusion, ** I feel
very proud of the excellent work done by these
institutions. We have ministered largely to the
education and entertainment of the people. We have
carried brightness and sweetness into many a home,
and have done not a little, I hope, to refine and
elevate the masses of our fellow-citizens, and I think
we can also claim to have been faithful stewards of
128 Recollections of a Busy Life.
the funds placed at our disposal. In taking leave of
you I thank you all for your kindness and considera-
tion. To Mr. Holt, our senior member, who has
occupied the vice-chair all these years, I tender my
grateful thanks for his help always so cheerfully
given. I am also greatly indebted to our staff for the
assistance they have invariably extended to me, and
I wish to especially record my obligations to our
veteran chief librarian (Mr. Cowell), who has
rendered to me the greatest service in many ways,
and especially in keeping a careful oversight upon our
finances. If I might take the liberty of leaving
behind me a word of counsel and advice, I would say
— strive always to popularise these institutions ; they
belong to the people, and the more they are brought
into close contact with the people the more generous
will be their appreciation and support, and greater
will be the amount of real good accomplished.
" A cordial vote of thanks was tendered to the
vice-chairman, Mr. R. D. Holt, on the proposition of
Alderman Stolterfoht, seconded by Mr. Crosthwaite."
Of Mr. Robert Holt I could say much. We
were for so long, and so pleasantly associated on this
committee, where for over twenty years he acted
as my deputy-chairman. He was most loyal, most
kind and helpful. He had a temperament which
shrank from responsibility, and was naturally critical
and hesitating. Yet he was kindness itself, and
inspired a feeling of love and respect. He had
considerable artistic taste and knowledge of pictures.
Library, Museum, and Arts Committee. 129
He passed away at the age of 76, deeply mourned
by all his colleagues. Up to the last he was the most
punctual and regular member in his attendance at
the Library Committee.
CHAPTER IX.
KNIGHTHOOD AND FREEDOM OF
LIVERPOOL.
Some two years after the conclusion of my
Mayoralty, in 1883, Mr. Gladstone, the Prime
Minister, wrote to me stating that it would give him
pleasure to submit my name to the Queen for the
honour of a knighthood.
I attended a special Council at Windsor to
receive the " accolade." We were entertained at
luncheon, and after waiting about in the corridors for
some time we were ushered one by one into the oak
dining-room. The gentleman who preceded me,
being lame, could not kneel, and the Queen knighted
him standing. When I entered the room there was
no cushion to kneel upon. Her Majesty noticed it
at once, and exclaimed, " Where is the cushion ? "
and A.D.C.'s flew in all directions in search of one.
Meantime I was kept standing, feeling not a little
nervous ; the Queen apparently thought it was a
good joke, and laughed, for it appeared from the
time occupied in finding a cushion that cushions did
not abound at Windsor.
* Kmghthood and Freedom of Liverpool. 131
I received through Lord Claud Hamilton a
very kind message of congratulation from the Prince
of Wales, who had evidently been greatl}^ impressed
by his visit to Liverpool.
Although the honour of knighthood was
ostensibly bestowed in connection with the visit of
the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the opening
of the new docks, I was semi-officially informed that
it was realty a recognition of my work in connection
with the Fenian movement.
Honorary Freedom of Liverpool.
Much as I valued the honour of knighthood,
I still more greatly esteemed the distinction conferred
upon me by my fellow-citizens when they bestowed
upon me the freedom of the city — the greatest
honour any man can receive. Other honours are
conferred for political and other services, all more or
less meritorious ; but to be singled out by those among
whom you have lived all your life in order to receive
the greatest distinction it is in their power to offer is
an honour worth living for, and particularly when its
bestowal is so jealously safe-guarded and kept so
entirely free from political bias as it is in Liverpool.
It then becomes doubly precious. It is easy in a
great community to make enemies. Even the
very success which may crown one's efforts to do
good may produce them. A unanimous vote
of a large City Council is, therefore, not an
132 Recollections of a Busy Life,
easy thing to obtain, and is in itself a great
compliment. I may perhaps be pardoned if I
venture to insert a short account of the proceedings of
the Special Council when the Freedom was conferred,
taken from the Liverpool Post and Mercury : —
" In the presence of a large and distinguished
assembly of ladies and gentlemen, the freedom of the
city of Liverpool was yesterday afternoon presented,
in the Council chamber at the Town Hall, to
Sir William Forwood, the father of the City Council.
Sir William was first elected to the Council as a
representative of Pitt Street Ward in November,
1868, and nine years later, in 1877, he was promoted
to the aldermanic bench, of which he is still a member.
He was Mayor of the city in 1880-81. He is also a
member of the city bench, of the county bench for
Lancashire and Cheshire, chairman of the Liverpool
County Quarter Sessions, and a deputy-heutenant for
Lancashire. The Lord Mayor (Alderman Charles
Petrie) presided, and, preceded by the city regalia, he
was accompanied into the Council chamber by
Sir Thomas Hughes, Mr. John Brancker, and Mr. B.
Levy (freemen of the city), Mr. R. A. Hampson,
Mr. R. D. Holt, and Mr. T. Burke (the mover,
seconder, and supporter of the resolution of the City
Council in favour of conferring the freedom on
Sir WilHam Forwood), Sir William Tate, Sir John
A. Willox, M.P., Mr. A. Crosthwaite (ex-Lord Mayor),
Mr. John Williamson, and many other prominent
citizens. There was also a very large attendance of
Knighthood and Freedom of Liverpool. 133
members of the City Council. Alderman W. B.
Bowring sent a telegram regretting his inabihty to
be present through indisposition.
*' The Lord Mayor, in opening the interesting
proceedings said : I have much pleasure in asking
the Recorder, Mr. Hopwood, kindly to read the
resolution of the Council conferring the honorary
freedom of the city upon Sir William Bower
Forwood.
" The Recorder : My Lord Mayor, I read the
minute of the Corporation. ' At a meeting of the
Council of the City of Liverpool, holden on
Wednesday, the 4th day of June, 1902, under the
Honorary Freedom of Boroughs Act, 1885, present
the Right Hon. Charles Petrie (Lord Mayor), and a
full Council, it was moved by Councillor Hampson,
seconded by Councillor R. D. Holt, supported by
Councillor Burke, and resolved unanimously that, in
pursuance of statute 48 and 49 of Victoria, chap. 29,
entitled an act to enable municipal corporations to
confer the honorary freedom of boroughs upon
persons of distinction, the honorary freedom of the
city be conferred upon Alderman Sir William Bower
Forwood, in recognition of the eminent services he
has rendered to the municipality throughout his
membership of the Council, extending over a period
of thirty-three years, during the course of which he
has filled the office of chief magistrate and other
public positions with credit to himself and benefit to
the community, and especially for the deep interest
134 Recolleciions of a Busy Life.
he has taken in the establishment of Ubraries and
reading-rooms in the city.'
" Tlie Lord Mayor : Sir WiUiam Forwood,
ladies and gentlemen, it is not often we meet in this
chamber as a Council under such happy auspices as
we are met to-day. We are gathered here with one
accord to do honour to one of our number whom
we are pleased to term the Father of the Council,
Sir William Forwood. Not that he is by any means
the oldest man amongst us, but he happens to have
been in the Council longer than any other member.
It is now nearly thirty-four years since Sir William
was first returned as member for Pitt Street Ward,
on the 2nd November, 1868, and ever since then he
has held a seat in the City Council, and, as you all
know, he has served upon nearly all the important
committees of the Council — for instance, the Finance,
Estate, Watch, Water, Library, Museum and Arts,
and Parliamentary Committees. As chairman of the
Parhamentary Committee he rendered very valuable
services in the opposition to the Manchester Ship
Canal, and also with regard to railway rates. But
for many years past Sir William has unstintingly
devoted his time and his great ability to the Library,
Museum, and Arts Committee. And I am sure the
city is very greatly indebted to him for the valuable
work that that committee has done.
The Lord Mayor proceeded to enlarge upon
Sir William's services to the city, and in conclusion
said: — "I have now great pleasure. Sir William, as
^Knighthood and Freedom of Liverpool. 135
chief magistrate of the city, in asking you on behalf of
the citizens to accept this illuminated resolution of
the Council and also this casket, and I am sure I am
only echoing the sentiment of everyone here to-day,
and not only those here, but those outside, when I
say that we wish you long life, health, and happiness
to continue in the honour which you hold. I will
now ask you to sign the roll of honorary freemen.
" The scroll on which is inscribed the
freedom of the city is designed and illuminated by
James Orr Marples (Mr. Rutherfoord), Liverpool and
London Chambers, Exchange. The vellum is bound
and backed with royal blue silk and attached to an
ivory roller. At the top of the composition is the
Liver crest and tridents between the arms and
supporters of the city, and a view of the Town Hall.
Below, on the left side, beautifully emblazoned, are
the armorial bearings of Sir William B. Forwood,
with the crest and knight's helmet, the steel visor
raised. On a scroll beneath the shield is the motto
* Fide virtute et labore.' The civic regalia and the
port of Liverpool occupy the bottom of the design.
Pendant by a broad blue ribbon from the scroll is
the official seal of the city of Liverpool.
" The scroll was enclosed in a handsome
silver-gilt box, decorated with panel pictures of the
Town Hall, Free Libraries, and Museum, in enamels.
" Sir WiUiam Forwood, having signed the
roll, said: — My Lord Mayor, aldermen, councillors,
and ladies and gentlemen, — Beheve me it is most
136 Recollections, of a Busy Life.
difficult, indeed it is well nigh impossible to find
words adequately to convey to you all the gratitude
which fills my heart, to tell you how deeply I
appreciate and value the very great honour and
distinction you have so very generously and graciously
conferred upon me, or to thank you, my Lord Mayor,
for the very eloquent, kind, but sadly too flattering
terms in which you have made this presentation.
The honorary freedom of the city of Liverpool,
guarded by this Council with so much jealousy, and
bestowed with such a frugal hand, is the greatest
honour which this city can confer — it is a unique
order of merit, it is not conferred by the favour of a
monarch or minister, but by the spontaneous and
unanimous voice of a great representative assembly,
and as such is not surpassed by any similar order in
this country. It is justly esteemed and valued by
distinguished statesmen and philanthropists, and not
less by successful soldiers who in the hour of their
country's great anxiety have turned defeat into
victor}'. How much more, then, must I prize it, the
freedom of my native city, as one born in Liverpool,
and who has spent his life in your midst, and whose
only claim to this great honour is that he has
endeavoured to be of some use to his fellow-citizens.
How imperfect this service has been, how much more
I might have done, no one is more conscious of
than I am ; but you in your great kindness and
generosity have been good enough to overlook my
shortcomings, and are content to recognise only my
''Knighthood and Freedom of Liverpool. 137
long services and my desire at all times to the best
of my ability to promote the welfare of this important
community. I thank you most sincerely and with all
my heart ; my children and my children's children
will, I am sure, look upon this beautiful casket and
the record which it contains with feelings of pride
and gratification. It is an added charm to the
presentation which you have made to me that I am
permitted to associate with it the memory of my late
brother, who gave to this city the best of his life, the
best of his thought and work, and died in their
service. His memory will be long cherished by
all those who witnessed his public spirit, his long
and his unselfish devotion to the interests of the
people of Liverpool. I remember well the first time
I entered this Town Hall. As a boy I had spent my
summer holidays at the Edge Lane entrance to the
Botanic Gardens, obtaining signatures to a petition
to the Town Council asking them to purchase the land
adjoining the Botanic gardens for a park. I obtained
62,000 signatures. I brought the petition down in a
cab. I remember it was too bulky to carry, and it
had to be rolled through the vestibule to the Town
Clerk's office, which was then in this building. That
petition was successful, and the Wavertree Park was
the first of those beautiful parks which now girdle
the city. My next appearance within these walls
was as the proud representative for Pitt Street Ward.
It serves to mark the flight of time when I caU to
mind that of the members of the Council when I
138 Recollections of a Busy Life.
entered it in 1868 only three now survive — Mr. Samuel
Greg Rathbone, Mr. Philip Holt, and myself.
Mr. Rathbone is already a freeman, and our roll of
freemen would be greatly enriched if we could add
the name of Liverpool's anonymous and great
benefactor. Of the members who have since entered
this Council, many have fallen by the wayside, many
have retired into private life, some have gone forward
to the Commons House of Parliament to bear their
part in the government of the country ; but a goodly
number have, I am glad to say, remained faithful to
the municipal government of the city, recognising
that they can undertake no more noble or useful
work. Municipal work is many sided : it is full of
interests ; it is very attractive, and even fascinating ;
and it brings with it its own reward in the satisfaction
of feeling that you are doing good. It may lack the
glamour and prestige of the Imperial Parliament, but
it has this great advantage : the City Council affords
greater opportunities of initiating and carrying into
effect measures for the benefit of the people among
whom we live, and we have the added advantage of
seeing the growth and fruition of our work. Who
can compare the Liverpool of to-day with the
Liverpool of thirty years ago without feeling thankful
for what has been done, and proud that he has been
privileged to take part in the doing of it ? It seems
only the other day we were wrestling with such an
insanitary condition of things that the unhealthiness
of Liverpool was a bjrword, and the prevalence of
Knighthood and Freedom of Liverpool. 139
drunkenness and crime caused this city to be alluded
to as the * black spot on the Mersey/ Great social
and sanitary problems had to be solved, which for
years defied all attempts at their solution — it was
only when broader and more enlightened views of
municipal responsibihty and duty came to the front,
supported by a healthy and more vigorous public
opinion outside, that these problems were grappled
with, with such intelligence and determination that
the Liverpool of to-day can challenge comparison
with any city in the world — not only in the excellence
and efficiency of its municipal government and
administration but in its enlightened policy in
dealing with insanitary property, housing the poor,
the treatment of infectious disease, and last but not
least, in the suppression and prevention of
drunkenness and crime. You have, my Lord Mayor,
alluded to the work done by the Library, Museum,
and Arts Committee over which it is my privilege to
preside. This may not bulk very largely in the
public eye, but nevertheless it is very real, and
is doing much for the intellectual and moral
welfare of the people, and helping to make their
lives brighter and happier. When we get those
additional funds which I hope the generosity of the
Council will give to us at no distant date, our work
must progress by leaps and bounds. While the
freedom of Liverpool which you have so very
generously presented to me is the symbol of the
highest honour conferred by a great city, whose ships
140 Recollections 0/ a Busy Life.
cover the seas and whose commerce fills every corner
of the globe, it is more than all this — it is the kind
expression of goodwill and approval of friends vdth
whom it has been my high privilege to work for so
many years — an expression which I greatly value and
appreciate, and for which I return you once again
my most sincere and heartfelt thanks."
CHAPTER X.
POLITICAL WORK.
Party politics have always been very
prominent in Liverpool, partly no doubt due to
the old Conservative associations, and partly to the
presence in the city of so many Orangemen. Liverpool
in my time has been mainly Conservative, and indeed,
except for a brief period, this party has held the
Town Hall and ruled over the municipal destinies
of the town. It is, however, pleasant to recognise
the good work done by the Liberals, who have
always taken their share of committee work and
most loyally helped forward the government of the
city. The annual fight for the possession of the
Town Hall has not been so much to secure party
domination in the city as to control its representation
in Parliament. This was an important consideration
when the city voted as one unit for its
three members. But it is of less importance now
that the city is divided up into nine wards, each
having its own representative in Parliament. The
day may come when politics will happily cease
to influence the municipal elections.
142 Recollections of a Busy Life.
My earliest recollection of a general election
is of being present on the hustings erected in front
of the Town Hall. The nominations took place on
the hustings, and the occasion was taken advantage
of to ply the candidates with questions, and the
proceedings seldom ended without some horse-play,
the throwing of rotten eggs and bags of flour, etc.
Of those prominent in these early elections I remember
Tom Bold, the Tory tactician ; Alderman Livingston,
always to the front in a political fight ; Mr. Alderman
Rigby, the Blucher of the party. Money flowed
freely, and also beer on the day of the election, and
the town was kept more or less in a turmoil. All
must rejoice in the quiet and orderly character of
an election day under the new conditions which now
prevail.
Very shortly after entering the Town
Council I was asked to undertake the duties of
" Whip," though we did not then dignify the
position by that high-sounding name ; in other words
I acted as honorary secretary to the Conservative
party in the Council. The appointment was probably
made at the instance of my brother Arthur, who was
already very active in the political world, but for
business reasons could not at that time make himself
very prominent. ** Party " politics were never very
congenial to me, although all my leanings were
Conservative. I have felt that " Party " makes one
acquainted with strange bedfellows, and induces
men to do and say things from which they would
• Political Work. 143
shrink in everyday life ; and I think " party "
considerations are carried too far, and the best
interests of the country are too often sacrificed
at its call.
In my early years the parliamentary
representation of the borough was divided, Mr. T. B.
Horsfall and Mr. Ewart being our members. I
knew them only slightly. Mr. S. R. Graves defeated
Mr. Ewart in 1865. Mr. Graves had a fine commanding
presence and all the address and bonhomie of an
Irishman. He quickly became very popular at
Westminster and did excellent work for Liverpool.
His knowledge of shipping was much appreciated
in the House, and it was generally expected that
he would be the Secretary or the First Lord of the
Admiralty, but his career was prematurely cut off,
to the great grief of Liverpool ; he died in 1873.
His statue stands in St. George's Hall. I was
secretary to the memorial committee. After defraying
the cost of the statue we devoted the balance of the
money collected to the endowment of " Graves "
scholars at the Seamen's Orphanage, an institution
with which Mr. Graves had been very closely
identified.
The parliamentary candidates for the vacancy
were Mr. John Torr, a prominent merchant, who
stood in the Conservative interest, and Mr. William
S. Caine, another Liverpool man, supported by the
Radicals and teetotalers. I acted as the honorary
Secretary for Mr. Torr. The election was hotly
144 Recollections of a Busy Life.
contested, but Mr. Torr was returned by a
majority of nearly 2,000. In those days we paid
much court and deference to our members. They
were held in high personal esteem, always received
the hospitality of our leading men, and were never
allowed to stay at an hotel.
Lord Sandon became our member in 1868,
defeating Mr. William Rathbone. Naturally a very
delicate man with a highly strung nervous system,
the representation of such an important constituency
as Liverpool was a source of much anxiety to him.
Any subject brought under his notice became to him
a matter of the first and most urgent importance.
Lord Sandon was a true aristocrat, refined in manner
and most courteous and considerate to all. He
continued to represent Liverpool until 1880, when
he succeeded his father in the Peerage and became
the Earl of Harrowby.
Upon the death of Mr. Torr in 1880, Mr.
Edward Whitley became our member. Mr. Whitley
had for many years been the most popular man in
Liverpool. An ardent Conservative, a good Evangelical
Churchman, and excelling in good works, the name
of Edward Whitley was a household word in
Liverpool. He was the leader of the Tory party in
the Council, and was a frequent speaker, but his
speeches, though fluent, were not convincing.
Mr. Whitley, although a very diligent member,
was not a conspicuous success in Parliament ; he
failed to catch the ear of the House. Few men
Political Work. 145
have done more for their native town or were more
highly respected in their day and generation. He
died in 1892.
In 1885 the party representation of
Liverpool underwent an important change, a
partition of the city into nine divisions being
effected, each returning one member. It has seemed
to me that this has involved some loss of individuality
on the part of the nine members, and that Liverpool
has taken comparatively little interest in their
doings, and I am inclined to doubt if the city
exercises as much influence in the affairs of the
nation, or if our local parliamentary business is as
well looked after.
The effacement of the private member
is due very much to his inability to initiate
legislation. If he introduces a bill it has to run
the chances of the ballot, and if it is a good measure
and gets a good place in the ballot, it is too frequently
adopted by the Government, and in this way the
private member loses his individuality and there
is little inducement for him to originate legislation.
Mr. Rathbone, when he was our member,
had an office and a staff of clerks in his house at
Prince's Gate, London, for the purpose of looking after
the parliamentary business of Liverpool, and it has
never since been so systematically and so well
attended to.
The contest for the County in 1868, when
Mr. Gladstone and Mr. R. A. Cross (now Lord Cross)
K
146 Recollections of a Busy Life.
were the candidates, is very fresh in my memory.
The question of the day was the Irish church.
Mr. Gladstone dehvered a series of very brilHant
addresses, but to the surprise of everyone Mr. Cross's
rephes were equally brilliant, and we thought very
crushing. We took the candidates, Cross and
Blackburn, in a coach and four, to canvass Colonel
Blundell at Crosby Hall, and Mr. Weld Blundell
at Ince.
I was shortly afterwards made chairman of
the Waterloo Polling District, and in 1880 became
chairman of the Southport Division. The first
contest in this division was between our candidate,
Mr. John Edwards Moss (now Sir John Edwards
Moss, Bart.), and Dr. Pilkington (now Sir George
Pilkington). It was an uphill fight ; Southport had
always been a Radical place, and remained true to
her Radical principles. The electors were very
fastidious ; they took exception to our candidate
wearing rings on his fingers, and helping himself
while speaking to a little sherry and water out of
his flask. We unfortunately lost the election.
When the next election came round, we had
to look about for another candidate, and tried for
several, but they were not attracted to Southport ; in
the end we invited the Honourable George Curzon,
the eldest son of Lord Scarsdale, of Kedleston. He
had lately been defeated at Derby, but he was a
young man, only 27, with a record of a very brilliant
university career, and had been president of the
Political Work. 147
Union at Oxford. Mr. Curzon accepted our
invitation, and came down to Southport to deliver
his first speech, which was very brilUant, and quite
took everyone by surprise. He was very boyish in
looks, which occasioned one rough Lancashire man
to get up in the meeting and exclaim, " Thou art o'er
young for us." Mr. Curzon quickly replied, " If you
will return me as your member I promise I will
improve upon that every day I live."
In moving a vote of confidence in Mr. Curzon
I predicted that he would one day be Prime Minister,
he so greatly impressed me with his intellectual
power and great eloquence.
Mr. Curzon made a splendid and most active
candidate. He addressed meetings in every village in
the division, every speech was carefully thought
out and prepared, and his industry was remarkable.
When he stayed, as he frequently did, at " Ramleh,"
he retired to his room after breakfast and we did not
see him again until dinner-time ; he had been engaged
all day working at his speech. He had the gift of
taking pains. We won the election only by a
majority of 460. Mr. Curzon remained our member
for thirteen years, until he was appointed Viceroy of
India. We fought three contests, winning each with
an increased majority, until at the last election,
in 1895, Mr. Curzon's majority was 804. His
opponent, then Sir Herbert Naylor-Leyland, was
formerly a Conservative, and as such stood for
Colchester. He was made a baronet bv the
148 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Liberals, and came and fought Southport as a
Radical. When he stood for Colchester as a
Conservative he had made abundant use of
Mr. Curzon's speeches at Southport, delivering them
as his own, and we did not fail to make capital of
this amusing episode when he stood as a Radical for
Southport.
Lady Naylor-Leyland was a beautiful
American woman, one of the society beauties of
the day, and she created a sensation as she drove
about in an open carriage all decked with roses.
But Mrs. Curzon was equally attractive ; she was a
bride, and had most charming and winning manners,
and her presence on our platforms was a great help.
It was my duty as chairman to escort her to our
meetings, and I remember almost the last words she
said to me on leaving Southport were, " Sir William,
I shall always think of you getting me through
crowds." Mr. Curzon occupied a furnished house at
Southport during the election, and I stayed part of
the time with them ; and shall never forget
Mrs. Curzon's gracious manner and her loving
devotion to her husband. Alas for him and his great
career, she died too soon. She gave her life, I fear,
that she might support her husband in the splendid
discharge of his duties in India.
Lord Curzon has gone into the House of
Lords, where he will, I have no doubt, render great
and distinguished service to the country ; but had
Lady Curzon lived I feel he would have entered the
Political Work. i^o
more congenial atmosphere of the Commons, and
my prophecy that he would one day be Prime
Minister would have been fulfilled.
The following incident proves the one great
secret of Lord Curzon's success in life has been his
remarkable industry. He made a journey to Persia,
and wrote a book which is to-day the standard work
on Persia. He was anxious to make an index, which
he could have had done for him for a small
expenditure, but he preferred to do it himself in his
own way, and for this purpose he remained in rooms
at Croydon for a month hard at work, and I believe I
was the only person who knew his address.
The value of Lord Curzon's work in India
cannot very well be overstated. Travelling through
India some two years after his return home, we found
everyAvhere the impress of his remarkable industry
and thought fulness.
One day when visiting the cutcherry of a far
distant province, we found the entire system of
correspondence had been personally revised by the
late Viceroy. On another occasion, the engineer of
a coal mine to whom I was talking told me that the
Viceroy visited his mine and personally interested
himself in obtaining improved traffic facilities on the
railway. On another day, when visiting a palace at
Delhi, we found a number of Itahans restoring the
mosaics ; they informed us they were still in the
pay of Lord and Lady Curzon I could go on
enumerating instances of his activity and his abiding
150 Recollections of a Busy Life.
interest in India. In the restoration of the old
landmarks and monuments in India, Lord Curzon has
done a work which for generations to come wiU make
his name memorable.
After Lord Curzon retired from Southport
we had another election ; this time Lord
Skelmersdale, now the Earl of Lathom, was our
candidate, and Sir Herbert Naylor-Leyland our
opponent. The fight was a severe one. We missed
the great personality of Mr. Curzon, and although
Lord Skelmersdale was an industrious candidate,
and was very ably assisted by Lady Skelmersdale,
we lost the election. After this I retired from the
chairmanship of the division, and was presented by
the Southport Conservative Association with a
handsome silver bowl.
I congratulated myself as a political leader
that I was able to accomplish the conversion
of the two largest landowners in the Southport
Division, Mr. Weld-Blundell, of Ince Hall, and
Colonel Blundell, of Crosby Hall. They had
been for generations Liberal, and in the 1868
election Mr. Gladstone stayed with Mr. Weld-Blundell;
but in 1886, on the Home Rule for Ireland question,
they both supported Mr. Curzon, held meetings
for us in their villages, and on the day of the election
Colonel Blundell rode down to the poll at the head
of his tenants. These, however, did not all vote for
us. They had always voted Liberal and did not know
why they should change because the squire had done so.
* Political Work. i^j
Crosby Hall and Ince were pleasant country
houses to visit in the days of the old squires. It is
strange that although the two estates march
together the families have never inter-married since
1401.
The duties of a chairman of a division, in
which both parties are evenly balanced, are not hght,
and can only be successfully accomplished if made
personal. The secret of political success lies largely in
organisation, and this must be vigilantly carried on in
times when there is no pohtical excitement, and
when there is apparently no reason to work.
A political organisation to be of any value must
be continuous and must be thorough ; it is not
possible to organise a party on the eve of an election ;
you must have trusty lieutenants who know their
work and do it. One of the weaknesses of any
party organisation is the number of loafers, men
ready to shout, but who are not capable of steady
work. The quiet, but not very exciting task of
looking after the register, watching removals, and
having a careful canvass and cross-canvass of every
elector, is the organisation and work which wins
elections.
We had in Southport many excellent leaders,
Mr. John Formby, Mr. Beauford, Mr. Chnning, and
many others I could name, with whom it was a
great pleasure to work, and my political association
with the Southport Division will ever remain with me
as a sunny memory.
152 Recollections of a Busy Life.
I have declined several invitations to stand
for Parliament — on two occasions from Southport,
one from Walton, one from Everton, and more
recently one from Westmorland. When in business
it was not possible for me to enter Parliament, as my
brother Arthur was already a member ; and I have
since felt that if a member is to make any position
in Parliament he should enter the house on the right
side of fifty.
Of late years my Free Trade principles have
been a barrier to my taking an active part on the
Conservative side. I did my best to prevent my
friends delivering themselves up to Tariff Reform,
and published a series of letters in the Daily Post on
Free Trade v. Protection, which were afterwards
published in pamphlet form, and had a very extensive
circulation.
Economic subjects have been my favourite
studies, and I have seen much of the working of
Protection in America. In 1870 I delivered an
address on Free Trade before the New York Chamber
of Commerce, and at their request I repeated this
address before the Chambers of Commerce in
Cleveland, Chicago, etc., but with little success.
The question of a Tariff had already become
" political." I was present in America during some
of their industrial crises, upon which I addressed
several letters to the London Times and Standard.
It is difficult to describe the intensity and the
prolonged suffering caused by the over-production
^ Political Work. 153
encouraged by Protection, with no outlet save the
home market. The only relief was the " scrapping '
of the surplus manufacturing power, which brought
great suffering to the working people. I have
since written many papers on the subject ;
the controversy does not therefore come upon
me as something new. This is not the place, however,
to discuss these matters, but one cannot understand
Liverpool becoming enamoured with Tariff Reform.
Liverpool lives on her shipping and carrying trade,
and whatever else may happen, this is at least certain,
that Tariff Reform must reduce the quantity of
imports and exports, and there must be less freight
for our shipping to carry. Tariff Reform may
give temporary prosperity to the manufacturer, but if
ever adopted will be a serious blow to the trade
and prosperity of Liverpool, and indeed of Lancashire,
as the cotton manufacturing industry depends
entirely upon our ability to turn cotton into yarn
and cloth at the lowest possible cost.
CHAPTER XI.
JUDICIAL WORK.
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,
Judicial Work. 155
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
mainh^ 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.
156 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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 s\Tnpathy with the City Justices in their desire
to reduce the drinking facihties which had been the
cause of so much misery and wxetchedness in
Liverpool, but at the same time the scales of justice
had to be held evenly. WTiatever 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 ver^^ difficult business
gave satisfaction, both to the public and to the
Ucensees.
My experience on the bench has not been
fruitful in incidents, although one day when sitting
Judicial Work. 157
at Pett}^ Sessions in the city a lame woman was
charged with breaking a window by throwing her
crutch through it. The pohce 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 happih' vacant.
At Petty Sessions in 18S9 Mr. Scott Barrett sat
with me to hear the charge against Mrs. Ma3'brickfor
the murder of her husband by administering arsenic.
The enquiry lasted two da}-5 and we committed
her for trial on the capital charge, feeling no
doubt as to our duty, though of course we heard
onlv the evidence for the Crown. It afterwards
became a cause ceilbre. Mrs. Maybrick w-as
condemned to death, but the sentence w^as commuted
to penal ser\itude. She had man}' influential friends,
and the agitation to obtain her release was continued
with great activit}' for many years.
Walton Jail.
In connection with m\* duties as chairman of
the County Bench, I also acted as chairman of the
Visiting Justices of the Jail at Walton. We \isited
every month, inspected the prison, heard any
complaints which the prisoners had to make,
158 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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. Piatt, 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 ; he
Judicial Work. 159
exclaimed, " Thomas, I am sorry to see you here."
Thomas repHed, 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.
High Sheriff of Lancashire.
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 there
i6o Recollections of a Busy Life.
can 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, 1 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 of
Judicial Work. i6i
the jails in the count^^ 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 mediaeval and
interesting in character.
i62 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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 interest
o
H
<
Judicial Work. 163
in commerce, and the knowledge he displayed of
the trade of the port ; and in the somewhat lengthv
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.
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.
CHAPTER XII.
BLUNDELLSANDS, CROSBY AND
BROMBOROUGH.
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 i860
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 sandy
Bluiidellsands, Crosby and Bronihorough. 165
lanes, and the only approach was the circuitous one
through Crosby. Its httle 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, which
i66 Recollections of a Busy Life.
pass 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.
Crosby Grammar School.
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.
Blundellsands, Cyoshy and Bvomhovough. 167
The school was established, the old school-
house 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 twent3^ 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.
i68 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Bromborough.
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 copses
Blundellsands, Crosby and Byomhoyow^h. 169
and 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, wliich form
our boundary on the south.
Although the present house dates back only
to 1617, a Bromborough Hall has existed since the
year iioo ; 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 viUage 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.
170 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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 archaeologists
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 Caedmon.
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.
55
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CHAPTER XIII.
DIRECTORSHIPS.
The Overhead Railway.
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 construct
172 Recollections of a Busy Life,
a 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 fmd 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
(Jfecided to adopt electric traction, laying down
as a fundamental principle that everything should
be of the best, and that we would try as few
Directorships. 173
experiments 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.
Opening by the Marquis of Salisbury.
Early in 1893 the railway was completed
and ready for opening, and the Marquis of Salisl^ury,
174 Recollections of a Busy Life.
then Prime Minister, kindly undertook to perform the
opening ceremony. The opening was fixed for the
3rd February. Lord Sahsbury 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 by
Directorships. 175
mounted 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 large
176 Recollections of a Busy Life.
steamers 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.
The Bank of Liverpool.
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.
Directorships. lyy
The Cunard Company.
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 23 J knots,
M
178 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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 24J 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 give
Directorships. 179
the necessary displacement, and be the most easily
propelled. It was eventually decided fo 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,"
^vith 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 8J knots.
Vibration.
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 deck
i8o Recollections of a Busy Life.
plating. 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 stem 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 table
vis-a-vis. I tried to draw the president into
Directorships. i8i
conversation 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 rephed, '* What is
that ? I never saw the president so interested and
so excited before."
Castle Wemyss.
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 Bums, 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 Maclver of Liverpool, and his
brother Mr. David Maclver ; and he narrated
((
i82 Recclledions of a Busy Life.
his 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.
The Liverpool and Mediterranean Trade.
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,
Directorships. i$3
which has made for Liverpool people so many great
fortunes. He said that his firm, James Moss and Co.,
Vianna Chappie 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 wilhng 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.
184 Recollections of a Busy Life,
The White Star Line.
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 were
it
Directorships. 185
the first vessels constructed with their cabin accom-
modation 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
debut 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. T. H. Ismay.
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 and ohjets d'art in 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 of
1 86 Recollections of a Busy Life.
the 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.
Sir Alfred Jones, K.C.M.G.
The late Sir Alfred Jones is another of our
great shipowners whose career conveys man}^
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 strain
Directorships. iSy
was 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 rephed : " 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
letters e7i 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.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE CHURCHES.
In my young days eloquent preachers were
still much in the fashion, and attracted large congre-
gations, but the building of churches and appointing
to them preachers of eminence as a financial specula-
tion 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 contro-
versial discourse. We had in those days many
eminent divines. Dr. Lowe at St. Jude's, Dr. Taylor
The Churches. 189
at 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 MacN aught,
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 the
IQO Recollections of a Busy Life.
devotional 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 of Essays 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 1 know how unhappy he was at this juncture ;
The Churches. igi
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 clergj^ 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 becam.e 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.
192 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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 hmits 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 alwavs been
the Unitarian. I remember Dr. Martineau only as a
name, but the Rev. Charles Beard I knew and greatl}'
esteemed. He w^as a power for good in Liverpool,
and much of the uphfting 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, Thomleys, 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 StoweU 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. BirreU, of Pembroke Chapel,
was stately in figure and highly cultured ; he won
The Churches. 193
the 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, philanthrophist, and friend of all, but
particularly of the outcast boy and fallen woman.
I could ^\Tite pages of this worthy priest's great
goodness, his big heart, his wide and tender
svmpathies, and his work among the wTeckage 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 clerg\^ 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.
N
194 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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
3^oung 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 Building of a Cathedral.
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 by
The Churches. 195
Sir 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,
196 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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 this
The Churches. ic^j
amount are included special donations for windows,
organ, etc.
The Earle and kangton 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. Norman
1 98 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Shaw, 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 Hnk 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 satisfactory
The Churches. iqo
foundation. The foundations for tlie Choir, Lady
Chapel, Vestries, and Chapter House cost £40,000.
Foundation-Stone Laid by the King.
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 route to 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 amphi-
theatre 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 dur-ng the
religious service ; and in front of the dais, about
thirty feet away, the foundation-stone stood ready
for hfting and laying. We also formed a choir of
200 Recollections of a Busy Life.
1,000 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.
The Lady Chapel, Liverpool Cathedral.
The Churches. 201
Consecration of the Lady Chapel.
The consecration of the Lady Chapel
took place on Wednesday, 29111 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 difhculty 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. The
202 Recollections of a Busy Life.
procession 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 vv'hen 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.
The C Jill y dies. 203
We launched this hrst and great instahnent
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."
York House of Convocation.
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 w-ere
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
wiU become a very valuable institution.
204 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Church Congress.
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.
New York Cathedral.
When in New York I had the opportunity
of visiting their cathedral, the construction of which
The Churches. 205
had 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
trul}^ American, a determination not to be beaten.
CHAPTER XV.
PHILANTHROPY, CHARITABLE AND
SOCIAL WORK.
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 parhament, 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 hcensed public-houses at a time when Mr. J. R.
Jeffery, Mr. Robertson Gladstone, and other justices
advocated the free licence system, and the increased
Philanthropy, Charitable and Social Work.
20
onr
competition in the sale of drink had led to man},
evils. The justices thought that by extendint];
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. Tlie
multiplicity of licences, however, increased intemper-
ance to such an extent that in 1874 things were
so bad that the Times commented 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 freel}^ and is no
longer " the black spot " on the Mersey.
2o8 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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. Porcupine
in the 'seventies, under the editorship of Hugh
Shimmin, was their active and strong advocate ;
and more recently the Daily Post under 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 well
Philanthropy, Charitable and Social Work. 209
designed houses. This new policy began in 1885,
when the group of dwelHngs 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 hves 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 of
o
210 Recollections of a Busy Life.
philanthropy we have had Mr. Edward Whitley,
M.P., Mr. Clarke Aspinall, Mr. Christopher Bushell,
Mr. William Rathbone, M.P., Mr. WilHam 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 f rends more
devoted or more capable than the late Lady Lathom.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE SEAMEN'S ORPHANAGE, Etc.
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,
212 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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 Royal Commission on Motors.
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 Seamen's Orphanage, Etc. 213
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,
214 Recollections of a Busy Life.
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.
CHAPTER XVII,
THE EARL OF DERBY.
Appointments to the County Bench.
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 only
2i6 Recollections of a Busy Life.
determine 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 with
The Earl of Derby. 217
his lordship, and always came away ^^ith 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 it
2i8 Recollections of a Busy Life.
was 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 personahty
contributed greatly to the popularity and success of
his lordship's year of office, which I have also reason
to believe he greatly enjoyed.
The Earl of Derby. 219
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 responsibihty 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 a
220 Recollections of a Busy Life.
point of attending our meetings when in Liverpool,
and his encouragement and wise words of advice
were most helpful.
Prince Fushimi of Japan.
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 hospitahty 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 Minister
The Earl of Derby. 221
of 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 reoaid 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 Derb}^
and no one will ever know the trouble he took
to entertain royal and distinguished visitors to
222 Recollections of a Busy Life
Liverpool, 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."
CHAPTER XVIII,
TRAVELS.
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 man}^ 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 vise 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 i860, on my way to Trieste, I was detained at
Turin, and at the hotel I met Mr. Ed. Lear, R.A., the
author of the Book 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. Another
224 Recollections of a Busy Life.
time, 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
vise 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
Travels. 225
"fiddlee" upon coils of rope, while the sea washed to
and fro, or else we tried to get under the lee of the
funnel, WHiat a change has taken j^lace, and how
greatly the electric light has contributed to the
comfort of travellers by sea '
The Franco-German Battlefields.
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 travelHng difficult, but we met with
great civility from the Prussian officers, and visited the
battlefields of Saarbriick, where the Prince Imperial
received his baptism of fire, Worth, 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.
Costa Rica.
The 3^ear after I retired from business, in
1891, I visited Costa Rica with my eldest daughter,
p
226 Recollections of a Busy Life.
to inspect the railway in which we were much
interested. The country from Port Limon, which
Hes on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico,
bathed in a tropical sun, to San Jose, 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 Jose 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 volcano
Travels. 227
of Iritzu, 13,000 feet, and from the summit had a
view of both the x\tlantic 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 their
machettes the vines and tree branches with 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 of
228 Recollections of a Busy Life.
money 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.
Jamaica.
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.
Mexico.
In 1892, when on a visit to America with
my daughter, I was asked to proceed to Mexico,
I
Travels. 229
to endeavour to induce the Mexican Government to
give their National Bonds in exchange for the bonds
of the Mexican Southern Railwav. 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 . 1 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
rebelhon was. He replied, *' Right here, sir, in this
hotel." I could not understand what he meant, and
desired him to explain himself. " WeH," 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.
230 Recollections of a Busy Life.
I told them there was no rebelHon, and that I had
seen Gusman in Laredo a few days before, selhng
cattle. They were not, however, satisfied, and said
that they had come down'toVrite 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,
Travels.
however, made very little impression upon him. I was
asking for Mexican bonds worth £goo,ooo 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 hnc
canons ; here we took horses, as the railway was not
completed beyond this point, and rode through a
232 Recollections of a Busy Life.
very 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" ;
Travels. 233
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 cit}^ of ^lexico, the
President was greatly surprised and dehghted w hen 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 aU-
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 m\-
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 mc
with a cheque for £1,000. I look back upon this
journey with much pleasure, not onh' from
recollections of a very beautiful and fascinating
country and people, but having enjoyed the friendship
of two very remarkable man — President Diaz and
234 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Signer 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 common-
sense 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.
Travels. 235
America in 1905.
In company with Lord Clauel 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 excellent chef and 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 places en 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 heeled
236 Recollections of a Busy Life.
over 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 General
Travels. 237
Chaffee, we were alone with the President. The
White House has a very Enghsh homoHkc 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 reUnquished his grip when he found he was
238 Recollections of a Busy Life.
my 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.
Miscellaneous Tours.
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.
The Desert of Sahara.
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, who
Travels. 239
turned 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 can
240 Recollections of a Busy Life.
quite 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 lonehness is a new
experience for an Enghshman, and awakens within
him strange emotions, giving him new views of his
environment and throwing new hghts upon the
future. The starHght nights were lovely, and on
one night we w^ere 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.
The Count's Garden, Biskra.
All lovers of a garden will take great delight
in the Count's garden at Biskra, rendered famous
Travels.
241
by the beautiful poetic description given of it by
Mr. Hichens in his novel the Garden 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 vSahara 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."
242 Recollections of a Busy Life.
We enter the garden through a large
gateway, flanked on one side by a two-storied
Moorish dweUing-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 phcenix-
palms and bananas, thickets of scarlet geraniums.
Travels. 243
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 1 must
not forget the acacias, gums, indiarubber trees,
eucalyptus, and man^^ 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 difiicult 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 \\ith 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, the Garden
of Allah.
Egypt.
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 proportions
244 Recollections of a Busy Life.
of 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 Philae, 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.
Impressions of India.
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 of
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Travels. 245
letters to the Liverpool Daily Post. These letters are
too long to be reproduced here, and I must, therefore,
confine myself to a brief resume of our impressions
of India. The first thing which almost staggers
the imagination is the extent of our Indian
Empire.
Landing in Ceylon, which lies only seven
degrees north of the Equator, we were surrounded
by the most profuse and luxuriant tropical vegetation ;
and the vertical rays of the sun kept us indoors,
except in the early morning and late evening.
A few days later we had passed through Calcutta
and found ourselves at Darjeehng, with snow lying
all about us, and with the mighty snow-ranges of
the Himalayas piled up before us, and yet we had
not left India. We were surrounded by 300,000,000
of people belonging to six hundred nationalities, and
speaking as many languages, differing not only in
nationahty and in language, but in rehgion, in
civilisation, and in their manners and customs, and
all this multitude of peoples, nations, and languages
were comprised in " India."
Nothing brings this great diversity among
the people of India more vividly before the mind
than a walk through one of the main streets of
Calcutta. Here one meets with natives from every
part, some arrayed in simple while garments, but
others clothed in gorgeous apparel. Their costumes of
silk and satin are radiant with a dazzling wealth of
colour, every nationality having its distinctive dress,
246 Recollections of a Busy Life.
the Bengalese, the Pathan, the Sikh, the Nepaulese,
the Tamils, and the Mahrattas, and all walk with that
dignified bearing which proclaims them to be members
of a princely class. Our wonder increases. How
comes it that this multitude of peoples, these
descendants of martial races, live together in peace
and amity ?
The plains of Delhi, which for 2,000 years
were the arena of perpetual conflict as nations were
made and unmade, proclaim the warlike character of
the people, the intensity of their national hatred, and
the ferocity of their bloody feuds. They are now
held together in peaceful union by legions of British
troops — there are but 70,000 British troops in all
India — and probably 250,000,000 out of the
300,000,000 people in India have never seen a
British soldier.
This great phalanx of nations is held together,
is made happy and prosperous, by the just rule which
appeals to their imagination and their sense of justice,
and which is administered by 900 British civilians,
who are for the most part men under 40 years of age.
I think this is one of the most remarkable spectacles
the world has ever seen. It speaks well for the
English public-school system which has trained these
men. It speaks also well for honest administration
and the influence and power which it exerts, exercising
a moral influence greater and more far-reaching than
any military rule.
Travels. 247
The most interesting study in India is that of
the people, among whom there is the greatest difference
in physique. We have the hthe, active httle coohe
of Southern and Central India, the hewer of wood
and the drawer of water ; the fat, astute, and subtle
Bengalee, devoid of moral or physical courage, a
born agitator; the stalwart hillmen of the North-West
who furnish our Indian army with its best
recruits ; and the Mahrattas, the descendants of
warlike races, who to-day are among the most
active traders.
The student of character has a wide and
fruitful field for investigation, but there are certain
features which stand out prominently — their
marvellous patience, their devotion to their religion,
which is almost fanatical. Like the Egyptians of
old, they hve in the contemplation of death, and look
upon death as the great consummation. The elaborate
and magnificent tombs w^e see everywhere correspond
to the pyramids and monumental buildings of
ancient Egypt ; while their ruinous condition attest
the wisdom of Solomon, that " Vanity of vanit}',
all is vanity."
The poverty of India is also striking, but it is
not so great as it appears. When we talk of a daily
wage of twopence it seems almost impossible that lite
can be supported on any such sum ; but in India a
penny will buy all the rice the coolie can eat, and his
other expenses are very small. Still, it must be
considered a poor country.
248 Recollections of a Busy Life.
There is no scenery in India until we reach
the hills, which occupy a considerable area in the
Madras presidency, and margin the whole of the
North- West. Central and Southern India are vast
plains. The grandest mountain view in the world is
that of the Himalayas, from Darjeeling. Darjeeling
stands at an elevation of 7,000 to 8,000 feet, on the
foot hills of the Himalayas, about forty miles from
" Kinchin Junga," which is the centre of one of the
highest ranges. In the foreground are several deep
valleys, usually filled with clouds. Looking over
these, a further great bank of clouds appears high up
in the heavens. On closer examination we begin to
see they are not clouds ; their opaque, snowy
whiteness and their sharp peaks and serrated edges
tell us that this is a range of mountains. " Kinchin
Junga " stands in the centre, with an altitude
of 28,000 feet, but in this mighty mountain group
there is no mountain less than 24,000 feet, and not
one of these has been scaled by man. On a clear
evening, when the setting sun throws its roseate rays
over the snows, no view can be more sublime and
beautiful. Away on the west they dip down into
Nepaul, and on the extreme right the deep
indentation marks the pass by which the British
troops entered Tibet.
We do not travel to India to see scenery, but
Oriental life : the splendours of Agra and Delhi, the
pilgrim city of Benares, and the silent, deserted
cities of Fatehpur Sikri and Amber, all rich in
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Travels. 240
historical records of the great Mogul kings, who for
so many centuries held sway in India. It is only
by seeing these places that one can form some
idea of the magnificence and splendour which
surrounded these monarchs, which has never been
surpassed.
While we were in India we saw the
beginnings of that unrest which has caused so
much anxiety and has led to those outrages
which the best Indians must deplore. We have
in promoting education in India forgotten that
there is but a limited opening for mere students,
and in the absence of fitting occupation the\'
become agitators. We ought to train the young
men for some definite calling as agriculturists,
engineers, or mechanics.
We also thought that the Europeans in
India hold themselves too much aloof from the
educated Indians. Caste prevents any great
intimacy, but more might be done to bridge this
over.
With small and reasonable concessions to
native ambition, but, above all, with that firmness of
administration w^hich alone appeals to the Oriental
mind, the present feeling of unrest will pass away,
and India will continue to pursue that remarkable
development and progress which have done so
much for the happiness and well-being of her
people.
250 Recollections of a Busy Life,
Lord Clive.
In the summer of 1906, when motoring
through Shropshire, I turned aside to visit the Uttle
village church of Morton Saye, of which my great-
grandfather, Samuel Peploe, was vicar in 1770. I
had not visited the church for nearly fifty years. Then
it was a very quaint, old-fashioned place, with black
oak pews and a black oak minstrel gallery at one end
close to the pulpit. This was the singing gallery, the
choir of three voices being led by a violin and comet.
I found all had been changed. The church
had been restored ; the old features had disappeared ;
but fortunately the restoration had been carried out
in good taste. I spoke to the vicar, who had followed
us in, and who was evidently proud of his little
church ; he showed me the brass plate he had taken
off the coffin of my grandfather, and had placed as a
memorial on the walls of the church. I knew the
great Lord Clive had been buried in the church, and
asked to see his grave. The vicar pointed to a flag-stone
under some pews. There was no inscription upon it,
and he said that the only record they had that the
great soldier was buried in the church was the small
brass plate above the vestry door, and he added : —
'' Strange to say, there is no memorial to the man
who made India, either in England or India,
except in Shrewsbury, his native town. I suppose,"
he added, " it was because he committed suicide."
On his return home from India Lord Clive was
Travels. 251
furiously attacked by political enemies, and the
man who had shown on so many occasions such
conspicuous courage on the field of battle quailed
and fell, struck down by the venon:^ of his
calumniators.
When I was in India during the year
following I enquired ever3'where for a memorial to
Lord Clive, but, although India bristles with statues
to its governor-generals and eminent soldiers, there is
in India to-day no record of Lord Clive. I was so
much impressed with this that I wrote the following
letter to The Times : —
Graud Hotel,
Calcutta, Feb. 8th, 1907.
Lord Clive.
To the Editor of T/ie Tt'mes.
Sir, — India has many monuments erected in
honour of successful and popular viceroys and others
who have served her well, but I have been unable to
discover any monument to Lord CHve, to whom more
than any human being we owe our great empire of
India. Westminster Abbey contains no record of the
great soldier-statesman.
In the by-ways of Shropshire, in the quaint
little church of Morton-Saye, the village swain sits
Sunday after Sunday over the grave of Lord Clive.
No inscription marks it, not even his name ; a small
brass plate hid away over the vestry door and scarcely
legible is the only record that the remains of Robert
Clive rest within its walls.
252 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Truly Lord Clive made India, but in the
making of it he aroused jealousies and political
enmities which, acting upon a too sensitive nature,
brought him to a premature death. But should he
be forgotten ?
The good work which Lord Curzon did for
India in every direction is, I am glad to find,
gratefully recognised and appreciated by her people.
Among the many excellent things he accomplished
was the preservation of her ancient monuments and
historical records ; and, if he had remained in office,
I am sure the memory of his illustrious predecessor
would not have been forgotten.
The Maidan, in Calcutta, would be enriched if
it embraced a monument to Lord Clive. Westminster
Abbey would more truly reflect all that is great and
worthy in England's history if it contained some
appropriate record of Robert Clive and what he did to
build up her empire.
Yours truly,
(Signed) William B. Forwood,
Chairman of Quarter Sessions for Lancashire.
The Times wrote a leading article ; Lord
Curzon followed with a brilliant letter, and other
letters appeared, with a result that a committee was
formed, the sum of between £5,000 and £6,000 was
subscribed, and we shall shortly have memorials of
the great soldier-statesman both in London and in
India.
CHAPTER XIX.
RECREATIONS.
It is a good thing to have a "hobby." Perhaps
in these days we have too many, and pursue them
with too much intensit}^ to the neglect of more
important matters. To this I must, to some extent,
plead guilty. I have devoted much time and thought
to boating and to gardening.
My boating days commenced in the 'sixties,
when I frequently sailed with my uncle, Alfred Bower,
who owned some of the crack yachts belonging to
the Birkenhead Model Yacht Club— the " Presto,"
" Challenge," " Enigma," etc. They were large
beamy boats, of about eight to ten tons, with centre
boards. Our racing was mostly in the upper reaches
of the Mersey, lying between Eastham and the
Aigburth shore.
In 1866 I made my first venture, buying the
American centre-board yacht " Truant," which had
greatly distinguished herself for speed, and taking
her up to Windermere. She was not, however, of
much use on that expansive but treacherous sheet of
water. The heavy squalls were too much for her
huge sail plan. I also owned and sailed on the Merse>-
254 Recollections of a Busy Life.
the " Glance," eight tons ; " Satanella," fifteen tons ;
" Saraband," fourteen tons ; and *' Leander," twenty
tons.
I then for a time gave up yachting on the
Mersey, and in 1868 bought a racing boat on Lake
Windermere, the "Spray." She was most successful,
winning in 1870 every race we sailed.
In 1 87 1 I was induced to build a twenty-ton
racing cutter for the sea, and called her the
" Playmate." She was built by Ratsey, at Cowes,
and was the first boat to carry all her lead ballast on
her keel, and in consequence her advent was watched
with considerable interest. I sailed her for two years
in the various regattas round the coast, on the Solent
and on the Clyde, but she was only fairly successful.
The competition in the class was very keen, and the
boats built by Dan Hatcher carried away most of the
prizes.
This was the time when 37achting, I think,
reached its highest point of interest, and the matches
of the forty, twenty, and ten ton classes were
watched with great keenness throughout the country.
In the forty-ton class we had the " Norman,"
"Muriel," "Bloodhound," "Glance," etc.; and
in the twenty-ton class the " Vanessa," " Quickstep,"
" Sunshine," etc. We had also some very fine
sixty-tonners, and an excellent class in schooners.
Our regattas were conducted with much keenness,
and created great enthusiasm. Locally we had
many active yachting men, Mr. David Maclver, M.P..
Recreations. 255
who sailed the " Sunshine," the " Shadow," and
the " Gleam " ; Mr. Gibson Sinclair, Mr. Astley
Gardner, Mr. Coddington, Mr. Andrew Anderson,
Mr. St. Clair Byrne, and others.
It is always wise, and I am sure in the long
run pays best, to do everything thoroughly, even
although it is only for sport or pastime ; and when
the Board of Trade allowed 3''acht owners to present
themselves for examination and obtain their
certificates as master mariners, I entered my name,
and was the fourth 3^acht owner to qualify, Lord
Brassey being the first. My sea experience was, of
course, of great service to me. I afterwards found
my Board of Trade certificate as a master mariner
gave me increased pleasure in yachting, and my
crew great confidence in my skill as a navigator.
Selling the " Playmate," I returned to
Windermere ; indeed I had never left it, but sailed
the regattas each year, and in the year 1908 I
completed my forty consecutive years' racing upon
the lake, winning, for the second year in succession,
the Champion Cup. The competition for this cup is
limited to yachts which have won first or second
prizes. My yacht, the " Kelpie," was designed by
Mr. A. Mylne, of Glasgow. She is quite one of the
smartest boats on the lake, particularly in light
weather.
During my forty years' sailing upon the lake
I have witnessed great changes in the designs of the
competing yachts. The boats starting with a length
256 Recollections of a Busy Life.
of 20 feet on the water line, were gradually enlarged
by being designed to immerse the whole of the
counter, making the water line length 26 feet 6
inches. We carried about 750 feet area of sails,
including in this a huge foresail. The boats were
large and powerful, but difficult to manage, and it is
a wonder no accident took place. We afterwards
introduced a load line length of 22 feet with
overhangs, with the result that we have established
a very smart and useful class of boat.
I built many yachts on the lake —
the "Althea," "Truant," "Charm," " Brenda,"
"Playmate," "Breeze," "Pastime," and "Kelpie"—
and several boats for the smaller class. I also built in
1881 the steel launch " Banshee." She was designed
by Alexander Richardson, and is to-day the prettiest
launch on the lake. I have raced on Windermere
with varying success, but it has been the source
of enormous enjoyment, and the days spent on
Windermere are among my happiest. When we first
visited Bowness we were content to reside in lodgings,
but in 1879 we rented "Fellborough," a charming little
house on the lake shore below the ferry. After
remaining here three or four years, we occupied for
longer or shorter periods Wynlass Beck, Loughrigg
Brow, Ambleside, High Wray Bank ; and in 1889 I
took on a long lease "Wykefield," at the head of Pull
Wyke Bay, a charming house with lovely gardens,
and furnished also with a boathouse and pier.
Here we remained until 1902, and since that
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Recreations. ^ = -^
time we have occasionally occupied Wray Cottage,
a pretty dwelling nestling under the shadow of
Wray Castle.
It would indeed be very ditiicult to describe
the enjoyment Windermere has afforded us during
all these years. Our long walks, mountain climbs,
picnics on the lakes, fishing, and last, but not least,
our regattas, filled our days with pleasure, and we
look back upon our hohdays with sunny memories uf
great happiness.
In 1904 I wrote a history of the Royal
Windermere Yacht Club. The Rev. Canon Rawnsley
added an interesting chapter descriptive of the lake,
and the book was illustrated by some excellent
photographs.
As a thankoffering to God for permitting
us to enjoy such great happiness, in 1908 we placed a
stained-glass window in the Parish Church at Bowness
representing the Te Deum.
In 1880 we built at Lymington a fifty-ton
yawl, which was named the " Leander." In this we
cruised for three summers off the west coast of
Scotland and south coast of England ; but
I found I could not spare the necessary time,
and was obliged to give up sea yachting for good
in 1885.
I was elected rear-commodore of the
Royal Mersey Yacht Club in 1879, and was
for a time also commodore of the Cheshire
Yacht Club.
258 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Yacht Racing Association.
In my early days of sea racing, being much
impressed by the want of a central authority to
regulate all matters connected with yacht racing, I
brought the question under the notice of Mr. Dixon
Kemp, the yachting editor of the Field. He
consulted Colonel Leach, a very leading and
influential yachtsman, with the result that we formed
the Yacht Racing Association. We secured the
Prince of Wales as our president, and the Marquis of
Exeter as our chairman, and very speedily recruited
a large number of members.
I was elected a member of the Council and
subsequently chairman of the Measurement
Committee, which had very important work to
do in connection with the rating of yachts for racing
purposes. The old Thames rule was played out ;
yachts had become of such excessive length and
depth that a new rule of measurement became
necessary. We took a large amount of expert
evidence, and finally drafted a rule which was
adopted and remained in force until the present
international rule superseded it.
Royal Canoe Club.
This club was founded in the 'sixties by
" Rob Roy " Macgregor, who had built a small
decked canoe, in which he had navigated the principal
rivers in Europe and the Holy Land. Macgregor
1
Recreations. 259
was not only an enthusiastic boating man, but he
was a good Christian worker and philanthropist,
well known in the East End of London. " Rob
Roy " appealed to me and others to form a Northern
branch of the Canoe Club on the Mersey. We did
so in 1868, establishing our headquarters at
Tranmere. The club was very flourishing, and the
upper reaches of the Mersey formed a very attractive
cruising ground ; but the increase in the number oi
steamers destroyed canoeing on the ]\Iersey as it
has destroyed yachting. Living, as we did, at
Seaforth, I was able to run my canoe down to the
shore and enjoy many pleasant sails in the Crosby
Channel. Finding an ordinary " Rob Roy " was too
small and very wet in a seaway I designed and
built a sailing canoe with a centre board, which was
a great success and was the pioneer of sailing canoes.
Gardening.
There can be no more delightful pastime
than gardening. I may claim this to be my pet
" hobby." Other pastimes are evanescent and leave
behind them no lasting results or afford no more than
a passing pleasure ; but in gardening we have seedtime
and harvest, all the pleasures of sowing and planting,
watching the gradual growth, training, and nurturing
the young plant, and in due time gathering in the
flowers or fruit, and in these days when so much is
done in *' hybridising " we have the added charm of
26o Recollections of a Busv Life.
experimenting in raising new varieties. We began
to import orchids in 1866, bringing them from
the West Indies and Central America in large
wooden boxes, thinking it necessary to keep them
growing, but we lost more than half on the voyage.
They are now roughly packed in baskets or bales
and a very large percentage arrive safely.
When in India in 1907, at Darjeeling, I hired
two men and two donkeys to go down into the valleys
of Bhutan to collect orchids. They returned in
about ten days with four large baskets full, chiefly
denrobiums. Among them there was a good deal of
rubbish, but also many good plants, which I sent
home, and which have since flowered and done well.
There are no plants more difficult to kill than orchids ;
but, on the other hand, there are no plants more
difficult to grow and to flower. Their habits must
be known and studied, and, above all, they must be
provided with the exact temperature and degree of
moisture they have been accustomed to. But the
reward of successful cultivation is great and worth
striving for. No flowers can be more lovely in form
and in colour, and they have the great merit of
lasting for days and even weeks in all the wealth of
luxuriant beauty. They are the aristocracy of
flowers.
Photo by Medrington.
lAfUAuo/^^, Jtifvurtr^
CHAPTER XX.
OBITER DICTA.
Life viewed in retrospect down the vista
of half a century of activity, presents many lessons
which may be both interesting and instructive —
lessons from one's own experience, lessons derived
from watching the careers of others, of those who
have made a brilliant success, of others who
have made a disastrous failure, and of the
many who have Hved all their lives on the ragged
edge between plenty and penury.
It is also instructive to notice the
conditions under which the great problem of life
had to be worked out, as they vary to some
extent with each decade. The world docs not stand
still, it will not mark time for our convenience ;
we have to go with the times, and the enigma of
life is how to turn them to the best account.
The outstanding features of the present day
are the keenness of competition in every walk of
life, and the rapidity with which events occur,
creating a hurr}' which is prejudicial to the careful
ordering of one's own life.
262 Recollections of a Busy Life.
Competition has always been very keen,
and the cry has ever been for the return of those
good old days when competition was less. If they
ever existed, it was before my time.
Everything, however, is comparative.
With larger numbers of people there must be more
competition, but there are also more opportunities,
more employment, more people to feed, and more
to clothe.
But with the advance of education,
particularly of technical knowledge, the competition
has become more intense in the higher branches of
industrial and intellectual activity ; still, there is
room, and ample room, on the top. The lower rungs
of the ladder are well occupied, but the numbers
thin off as we approach the top, and this must be
more and more the case as education advances.
The hurry of the present day is prejudicial
to that thoroughness which is necessary if we are
to attain efficiency. The hurry of everyday life
becomes more and more conspicuous. Living
at high pressure, in this super-heated atmosphere
we are apt to lose our sense of proportion, and
crowd our minds with thoughts, schemes and projects
regardless of our power of assimilation and
arrangement. Our minds are apt to become mere
lumber rooms, into which everything is tossed. Many
things are forgotten, and cannot be found when
wanted. How much better it would be for ourselves
and for the world at large if we could live with more
Obiter Dicta. 263
deliberation, if we could specialise more, be more
intense within a more limited range of thought
and activity, less casual, more thorougli in the
commonplaces of life. Life would not lose in interest
or picturesqueness, and it would gain in s\-mmetrv
and value. It may be said that while it mi, lit
add to the effectiveness of life, it would doj-irivf it
of much of its colour and romance; this would not,
however, necessarily follow. On the contrary,
greater effectiveness would open out new avenues
for thought and action, new spheres of usefulness,
more refined and elevating in their character, and
more satisfying in their results.
These appear to be surroundings in which
we have to work out the problems of our lives, and
this leads us to the consideration of how we are to
achieve success under these conditions of competition
and hurry.
Success in Life.
There are various kinds of success in life :
business success, social success, and success in public
affairs. Perhaps to the ordinary individual business
success is the most important ; it is a source of
happiness, promotes social success, and opens up
avenues of public usefulness.
If we look back and endeavour to trace the
careers of those with whom we have been associated
when young, I think we shall ()]-»serve that those who
264 Recollections of a Busy Life.
have been most successful in their business careers
have, with few exceptions, not been the brilliant and
clever boys, but rather those of duller intellect, who
have had the gift of steady application. This faculty
is not born in us ; we are by nature casual, and apt to
follow the lines of thought and endeavour which
require the least labour, and offer the most varied
interest. We hate the grind of sustained effort, it bores
us, and we long for something new. This dislike of
prolonged application, and desire for change, has
made more shipwrecks of business careers than
perhaps any other cause. In its craving for change
and excitement, it leads to speculation as a possible
road to wealth without effort.
The power of steady application must be
inculcated in the school, by insisting that every
subject taught shall be mastered by the boy, and
not left until he has made it his own, and is able
to clasp his hands on the far side of it. A few
subjects taught and mastered in this way are of
more value than a whole curriculum of studies
learnt in a superficial and casual manner. We
are apt to forget that the primary object of all
education must be to train the mental faculties
and to educate the judgment. We are too prone
to cram the boy with knowledge which he has not
the power to assimilate and make his own. We
set out too often with the presumption that as a
boy is born with legs and arms which are ready for
use, so he must be born with a brain ready cultivated.
Obiter Dicta. 265
The arms and legs do their work very much better
if they are trained and strengthened by gymnastic
exercises. In Hke manner the brain requires
training — for this reason I liave ahvays regretted
the gradual elimination of Greek and Latin from
our national system of education. I know of
nothing to take their place as a gymnastic for
the mind.
We too often send bo^'S into the world to
handle the most mighty weapons for weal or for
woe, " capital and credit," without any proper
mental equipment.
The lack of hard mental training is more
far-reaching and disastrous than is generally
supposed. The want of accuracy leads to many
mistakes. Mistakes lead to excuses, and excuses
mark the high road to lies. The absence of accuracy
is the fruitful parent of carelessness in thought,
in habit, and in the discharge of the duties of every-
day life. I fear this is a national weakness, for I
have found that the German clerk excels in accuracy ;
he may be wanting in initiative, but he is accurate
and reliable in his work. Englishmen have, however,
remarkable gifts for a business career, if thc\- are
properly trained and educated. A good English
man of business is the best in the world, he has
great initiative, the power of getting through work,
the talent to observe and to form a rapid judgment,
but he is not born with these accomplishments,
they are largely the result of education and training.
266 Recollections of a Busy Life.
There is a great reluctance in this country
to introduce any system of compulsory military
service. Without dwelling upon its advantages to
the nation, as likely to increase the physique of
our men, military discipline would have a very
beneficial moral effect. Probably one of the most
valuable traits of character is that of *' obedience,"
and this would be cultivated and enforced by military
drill, and I think it would also add to our self-respect.
As things are moving we are in danger of becoming
a nation of " slackers," both physically and mentally.
I have already spoken of the necessity
for steady perseverance and accuracy if we are
to make a success in life, but there are two other
qualities which are also essential to success, the
capacity to observe, and the gift of imagination.
Observation.
The number of men who go through life
with their eyes closed is astonishing. These men
regret their want of luck, they say they have had
no chances ; alas ! they have had their chances but
either failed to see them, or lacked the courage or
capacity to take advantage of them.
The world is so constituted that changes
are ever taking place, and every change is fruitful
of opportunities. We hear it said of some that
everything they touch turns into gold. It is only
another way of saying that they are ever on the
Obiter Dicta. 267
look-out for opportunities, and are not laggards
in turning them to good account.
Imagination.
The want of imagination prevents many
men from making use of their opportunities. Upon
a dull day, when the clouds hang in the valleys,
and obscure from view the tops of the mountains,
imagination fills up the picture, and probably paints
the crests of the mountains much higher than they
really are. Too many men travel only in the valleys
of life, content with what they see ; and imagine
nothing above or beyond. Suppose, for instance, a
serious disaster overtakes the harvest. The man
endowed with imagination will look beyond the
disaster and note its far-reaching effects, and in
them recognise his opportunities for action.
General Sir Richard Baden-Powell is doing
an excellent work with his " boy scouts," not only
in teaching discipline, but in encouraging the habits
of observation and imagination, which will be of
the greatest value to them in after-life.
I have touched upon three points necessary
to success in life, " thoroughness and accuracy,"
the facult}^ of *' observation," and the gift of
** imagination," because they are but seldom
prominently referred to. It is not needful to
enlarge upon the value of character nor upon the
necessity for " integrity." Of nothing am J more
268 Recollections of a Busy Life.
certain, than that " Honesty is the best poHcy."
I can think of no career which has been permanently
successful, in which this " golden rule " has
not been observed. Speculation is the gambler's
road to fortune. It has many ups and downs,
and generally leads to disaster and the " slough of
despond." But there is a wide gulf separating
speculation from the enterprise of the genius that
foresees and devises new methods of trade, or
anticipates, as the result of careful observation and
calculation, changes in the market value of
securities and commodities.
Enterprise degenerates into speculation when
the dictates of caution and prudence are set aside.
To use the words of an old and much respected
Liverpool merchant, who recently passed away,
" Commercial success requires the concurrence of
two contrary tendencies, caution and enterprise.
Caution is necessary in avoiding risks, in foreseeing
consequences, and in providing against contingencies,
even remote ones. But this will not carry a man far,
he must also have the brain to originate, and the
courage to strike when a favourable opportunity^
occurs. What we call a sound judgment is the due
balance and just proportion of a well-stored mind.
In no department of life is there more need for this
balance and proportion than in the higher walks of
commerce. The head of a great firm needs be a
statesman, an economist, and a financier, as well as
a merchant."
Ob Her Dicta. 269
I had proposed to conclude this sketch by a
short account of the men of my time still living,
who have been active in the making of Liverpool,
but so many have lent a helping hand, the work
having been that of the many rather than ui the
few, that it would be impossible to avoid being
invidious. Events move so rapidly, the men and
circumstances of to-day are crowded out and their
memory obliterated in the new interests of to-
morrow, that no man's work or influence can be said
to have exercised more than an evanescent power ;
yet Liverpool has been built up — its commerce,
its municipality, and its charitable and philanthropic
work — by leaders of men who have found their
work lying at their hand and have done it, and have
done it well.
My story must now end. It has necessarily
been told in a somewhat desultory manner, leaving
out many details and many incidents which might
have added to its completeness. But if it interests
any of my kin or my friends, and still more, if it
inspires them to make some effort on behalf of our
great and glorious city — to elevate its social and
intellectual life, to adorn and beautify its public
streets and places, to brighten the lives and homes
of the people, to carry forward and onward the
great temple we are building to the glory of God —
it will not have failed in its purpose.
UVEKPOOL :
LEE AND NIGHTINGALE, PRINTERS, 1 5, NORTH JOHN STREET.
19IO.
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