.MzAw.NDE0

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                          Lpool, Sunday night, 19 Janry. ‘62
Dear Ann
                   The weather continues very cold,
tho’ nothing like what is usual in N. York at
this date; but my feet are warm, & I am well
wrapped up in great coat, & shawl & dressing gown,
so that only my hands & face are sensible of cold.
    When I took a walk in the Princes Park before
Church this morning, I was surprised to find
nearly the whole of the pond quite free from ice.
It is the high wind that makes the air feel so
much colder than it is. – We have not had
any snow yet, save a very little, one morning in
Nove, which had already melted before I left my
bed room at Batts’ Hotel.
     Today when I entered Dr. McNeill’s church a
few minutes before the service commenced, I saw
that Mr. Hodgson & his Wife & 2 other ladies were
already seated in his pew, so I steered at once
(without going near it) for a vacant free [underscored] seat,
but Mrs. H_ must have got a glimpse of me there:
as almost immediately afterwards, the sexton came
& summoned me to the “more honorable”? place in
Mr. Hodgson’s pew, & I cheerfully went: the ladies
squeezing themselves up so as to leave me ample
accommodation. - I was gratified, of course;
for it shewed that the general invitation – “Come
again”? [underscored]–  had not expired. – Indeed this was just
the sort of test of its extent & meaning that I
had desired.
     Dr. McNeill was assisted in the reading desk by
one of his sons, quite a stripling, with a beard
just bursting out. – The subject of his sermon
was taken from 17th chapter of Matthew, the second
lesson for this morng., - the Transfiguration of our
Lord. – I heard better than before, but I did not

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think it was very skillfully handled.  He only got
half thro’ what he had to say, & reserved the rest
for this evening; and I had some inclination &
intention to go again this evening: but did
not go. – After our early dinner we sat close to
the fire down stairs longer than usual, & thus
got thoroughly toasted, whilst the fire in the draw-
=ing was preparing to burn briskly.  And when I [struckthrough] we
went up there, I read one of the sermon’s preach-
=ed by Dr. Vaughan, whilst he was supplying
Mr Hamilton’s place.  It was upon St. Paul’s
description of Charity. – I consider any one
of these discourses of Dr. Vaughan worth more
than a dozen of any of those of Dr. Mc. Neill
that I have yet heard: and if I get a copy of
the volume containing all these discourses of Dr.
V__ as I intend doing – I think you will quite
agree with me. – They seem to me much in
style of Dr. Neville & Dr. Arnold. –
    There was an interesting public meeting here
last week, at the instigation of the new Mayor,
Mr. Robt Hutchison, to start a plan for the
education or teaching, & the maintenance, of skilful
Nurses, upon the principle of “Sisters of Charity,”?
but to be irrespective of creed, & indeed quite of a
secular character.  The Mayor presided, & the
Bishop of Chester was present & spoke.  These
Nurses are to live in a new building to be erected
by subscription, adjoining the Infirmary, & are
to be taught in that Institution their technical
duties, and to be at the service of both rich &
poor. – Mr. Howson would doubtless have been
there; but I understand he is in London.
Joe Ewart could not come, but sent a letter

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enclosing £100 & desiring to be enrolled as a subscri
-ber of £5 p[er] annum. – Young J. W. Cropper is one
of the Committee of 6 or 8 (all laymen) for organ
=ising this new institution. – The plan is
highly approved of by Miss Nightingale, who wrote
a letter to the Mayor for the occasion.  If the
                                               well,
plan should be found to work ˄ we may perhaps
see it introduced into N. York, & some of the larger
cities, after No. & So. are tired of fighting.
     Mary Bold much regretted that she had not
heard beforehand of this Meeting, as she would
have liked so much to have attended, for the
sake, not merely of its object, but to have heard the
speaking. – Dr. Mc.Neill & Dr. Thom (the latter
a Unitarian) were among the speakers & divers others.
     About 20 minutes past 4 this afternoon, I
turned out for a walk towards town, & was in
some perplexity what precise point to steer for.
It ended in my calling upon Henry Lowndes.
     I found him alone & just commencing to take
his T [underscored], & that suited me to a "T" [underscored] too; so
he ordered another cup, & I had a comfortable &
cheerful meal.  His sister Kate is with their old
Aunt in Derbyshire; & his sister Lizzie (whom I
have not seen) is at Morecambe Bay: her chest
is weak, & she finds that a better climate than
Lpool, during the winter months. – After T [underscored] I
entertained him by reading from your last letter
the interesting narrative as to Mrs. Ricketts; &
just as I had done, a young man came in whom
he introduced to me as his cousin Fred, & said
                           him
that he lived with ˄.  But “cousin Fred”? speedily van=
-ished, & I did not see him again.  We were

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then joined by the young gentleman I saw there
before, who had been Mr. Lowndes’ companion during
his travels in the U.S.; & all 3 adjourned to the
professional parlour & dining room, where Walker [underscored]
would have liked to have been of the party, as
we each indulged in a cigar [underscored], beside a comforta-
=ble fire. – After we had been seated there some
time, two other visitors appeared, whom I took
to be doctors or surgeons; & as to one of them, at
least, I was not M [struckthrough] mistaken.  He sat beside
me & we had much talk, & when he had left,
I asked his name from Mr. Lowndes.  He is as
old as myself or older; & Mr. L__ said, “He is
Mr. Hutchinson [underscored]; my partner [underscored].”? – I name this,
because you had erroneously told Mary Bold
this his partner was Dr. Dickinson [underscored]. – I left
almost immediately after Mr. Hutchinson: &
when I reached No. 11 it was ½ past 9; & Kate,
the Cornish maiden, reached the door in time for
both of us, after our respective rambles, to enter
the house together. – And half an hour after-
-wards I discharged my duty as Sunday evening
chaplain, by reading the commentary upon the
Gospel for the ante-Communion service of the day.
     Master Willie has been staying a few days in
Hamilton Square, but is to come home tomorrow.
     Mrs. Maxwell’s son returned from N. York last
week, very much pleased with that city, & says he
would have liked well to remain there, if he had
but had his wife & children with him.  A younger
brother of his is on the eve of marriage to a daugh
=ter of John Owens Johnson, so Elizabeth tells me.