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                        11 Welfield Place–21 April ‘62

                                       Monday night


Dear Ann


                  My letter of Saturday was com


=pleted at 7½ p.m.; when I walked off with


it to the chief Post Office, & walked back again


in time for a late tea. – I thus had about


8 miles of perambulation that day, & of


course slept soundly. –


     Yesterday morning I arrayed myself in


a new black dress coat, thus worn for the


first time, in accordance with old usages on


Easter Sunday.  I walked for ¾ of an hour


                                     the


before morng. service in ˄ Prince’s Park &c.  At


church I intended sitting in the part of a


pew occupied by Mr. & Mrs. J. W. Cropper, as


they left on Saturday for Rugby to return today.


But Mrs. Howson, who was alone in her


pew, invited me to join her, & I did so.


     I expected there would be plenty of friends


without me in Mr. & Mrs. Hodgson’s pew, &


it was so; for they had 2 other ladies with


them. – I do not like to “ride the willing


horse too hard.”? –


     In the evening, when I came home after


a very long walk, Elizabeth was under an


extraordinary degree of excitement, in con=


=sequence of Dr: Mc: Neill’s evening sermon.


It was a strong denunication of all



such amusements as theatres, races, dan=


=cing, cards &c: - and appeared to have


been called forth especially by he Hoylake


steeple-chase races of the 12th: , at which


several


many ladies & gentlemen belonging to


his congregation were present.  He did


not mince matters, but said, in so many


               those


words, that ˄ who went to these races were


“Sons & Daughters of the Devil!”? – Of course


E.B. felt highly indignant; as she went


to Hoylake Races in company with Tom


Addison & Maggie. – (N.B. Whilst I


stood in the Grand Stand at Hoylake I


               but had not the chance of speaking to either


saw Mr. & Mrs. Geo: Wakefield there ˄).


    But to proceed in the order of time:


At dinner yesterday, we had a fine piece


of boiled Salmon; it was a present from


Mrs. Addison, & very good.  We had no


Fansy pudding, however; tho’ I suppose


you had.  After dinner I doffed my


new coat & best pants & rigged myself


out for a long walk.  I set out at 3½; &


except for 5 minutes when I was drinking


a glass of Ale, & taking shelter from a


violent storm, in the old tavern


 


called “Childwall Abbey”?, I was on my


feet until 8¾ p.m.! – I steered for Edge


Hill, taking the Wavertree Road until I got


to No. 3 Thornhill, where I called; tho’ I


saw that the house was in disorder with


painting outside & apparently inside too.


   The servant told me Mr. & Miss Hughes


were at Southport; so I left my card, &


proceeded to Childwall, Woolton, Allerton,


& home along Smithdown Lane to the


North end of Lodge Lane which I pursued


past old Tom Broth's, & other well remem=


=bered mansions, to the South end,


where I entered the Prince’s Park, & met


a crowd of people returning from evening


service at Dr: McNeille's church; but when


I reached the Park Gates beside that church,


to my horror I found them closed for the


night! I made the best of my way to the


Devonshire Road gate, & got there just in


time for exit before it was closed too.


     I must have walked upwards of 12 miles


I think yesterday morning & evening together;


& slept like a top, retiring at 10 & rising


shortly before 8; & I did not feel stiff to-


-day or anywise the worse, but indeed


all the better after thus walking 20 miles


in 2 successive days.  If I were to go


 


on at this rate, I should soon be able,


perhaps, to accomplish the 20 miles in one


day. –


           The weather yesterday & today has been


of agreeable temperature, so that I have


discarded by my light overcoat as de trop.


   Today the Thermr. was 60º, or more, without


much sunshine. – The trees are all bursting


into leaf, & the country is now beginning


to look beautiful.  All looks verdant &


smiling now from the front windows of


this house. – On walking into town this


morng, I went inside of St. James church


yard, & wrote in my pocket book the in-


-scription on the tombstone covering the


remains of Harriet & our good Mother.


  I propose doing the like from the tablet


inside the Church. –


    When I got as far as the top of Church


St I met Peter Ewart (son of old Peter)


accompanied by 2 nice looking boys,


aged apparently from 10 to 12 years.


    They were so like him that it was scarce


-ly necessary to ask whether they were his


sons, which he told me was the fact.


He gave me the first news of the arrival


here of the ship “Emily St Pierre”?, & her


extraordinary recapture!


 


                            5


At the office I was engaged until nearly


2 p.m. writing a long letter to Robt: Leech


at Boulogne.  My prime object was to tell


him of my intention to embark for New


York via Cunard Str. of 7th: June, & that in


the meanwhile I should probably not go up


to London before the 12th: May. – I posted


him up as to Breadstuffs here & in the U.S.


– giving him my own views which are


adverse, & those of Mr. R. L. Balton (with


whom I had a long talk today, &) who thinks


well of shipts. of Wheat & Flour by & bye


from the U.S.; as he maintains that


we shall be pinched for want of supplies


before next Harvest. – I told Mr. Leech


that Maury Bros. would be glad to fill


any orders for him if he sided with Mr.


R.L. Bolton. – When this letter was


finished I walked out into Castle St. for


my customary lunch, & then paid Mr.


Ferdinand Rodewald a visit at his


office. – In the course of my talk with


him he told me that there was reason


to suppose that France & England would


interfere in case matters between No.


& So. were not soon settled: - He tells me


that besides a few hundred bales of his


own, he is now holding 1,000 bales Cotton


 


for another party, which he bought here


in Feby & March, & he then told me, that


it was for a party in London who did


not know much about Cotton, & left all


to himself after ordering him to buy.


    I asked him when he expected to go


up to London to see the Exhibition. He


said, not before the middle of June,


as he expects to sell out the Cotton


before he goes, & fancies, he may get


something like 18d: for it! – When I


parted with him, I went into the Exchange


Room, where I fell in with David Spence,


who told me there was a very strong


Cotton market today, with sales of 15000


bales. He also told me that the “China”?


was telegraphed within 4 miles of Queens


=town at 11 a.m., but no news up


from her yet.  I afterwards fell in with


               & had that long talk with him


Mr. R.L. Bolton ˄ , & then went into the


office & made the addenda to my letter


to Mr: Leech.  By the time I had done,


Cropper Hodgson & Co. recd. a copy of the


first dispatch from the “China.”?  It an-


-nounced the surrender of Island No. 10;


no conflict yet in Virginia, but all ready


for one near York River; a confederate


 


account of success over Federals at Pitts


=burg Tenn:, but no Federal version


of it; & that the Tax Bill was passed,


thro’ the House of Representatives, at Washn:


     It was then time for me to walk home


to dinner; and here I learnt that we


are all to take T with Mrs. Hagarty on


Thursday next.  She said I might bring


my London Times over with me to pass


my time in reading it if I preferred it


to talking. – Her daughter Mary came


back here whilst we were at N. Brighton.


     I saw her on her way to Edge Hill church


on Good Friday morng., when she looked


very blooming. – Whilst some of the


family were out today, Mrs. Cropper call


=ed & left some beautiful flowers; she


also left a message of thanks to me for


the copy of Sewall’s W.Indies. –


     Elizabeth Bold is on the [jeu?] vive pre-


=paring to go to a grand Concert got


up by the Mayor at his own expense &


to be held at the Town Hall tomorrow eveng.


Tom Bold was invited, but declined going.


   He told me the Prima Donna is the


first singer in the world! & yet I have


not had the curiosity to ask her name.


   E.B. goes with Capt. & Mrs. Greig.


 


When I woke up from a nap this evening,


before T, I found on my lap a note from


Mr. Weed, giving me the particulars of


a second, or subsequent, dispatch via China


– describing this awful fighting on the


6 & 7th at Pittsburg,Tenn: ; the first day


being in favor of the Confederates, & the


second in favor of the Federals – Genl


Johnston killed, & Beauregard wounded,


– & the losses in killed wounded & missing


being reported as 18 to 20,000 Federals &


35 to 40,000 Confederates!!! Surely


these loss numbers must be greatly


exaggerated. X - The Confederates are


reported as retreating to Corinth pur=


-sued by the Federal Cavalry. –


     This looks like an end of the conflict


inTennessee, & an early descent upon


N.O. –


     It has been the fashion on this side


for people to turn up their noses at Am


=ericans, as a digenerate race who have


not the necessary courage to fight in


earnest as Europeans or English do when


they go to war. – I hope all such people


will now be content (Dr. Russell included:


– for myself I am thoroughly sickened


with such carnage! -


 


[written in the margin on the left of the page]


P.S. 22nd: - I am glad to see the Nos. killed wounded & missing were overstated by a 0.


 


22 April – Office 4 p.m. – I recd. this morning


your letter of 6th to 9th. inst, enclosed in Matthew’s


of 8/9th: via China, & I also recd. today a long letter


from Mr. Fredk. Rodewald, whereof I enclose a copy


for Matthew’s & your edification.


     I am sorry the Dr. Hawks has not withdrawn


his letter of resignation. – I regret it alike for his


sake & for that of his numerous sincere friends &


admirers. –


     I apprehend that Rutson will not succeed in


working his way down to Alabama.


     I gave Mr. Joseph Weed the particulars of his


uncle’s adventures.


     If you are pleased with your entertainment


to the young friends of our 3 youngest nephews,


so am I. –


     Tobin I suppose is now on the high seas.


He has my best wishes.


     William has paid me two calls today.  He tells


me Fontaine returned to work at Fawcett Pres


                                       (Wm)


-ton & Cos. yesterday. – He ˄ has now determined


not to send the things he intended for Nan &


the Fields &c: – But he has not returned me


the £8 I lent him to buy them. – He must


find it difficult now to employ his time.


Both the vessels with his [Yard?] are now here.


     Mrs. Howson told me on Sunday that it is


only one of her children that has yet been


attacked by the Measles; & that Mr. H__ did not


run away from fear of infection, but simply to


give himself a holiday.


     If you have any commissions for me, send them


as soon as you can. -      yours affectionately


                                              Rutson Maury