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Liverpool 2 February 1862 Dear Ann Sunday night
I had yesterday letters of 17 & 18 Ulto. via Bohemian & [Australian?], from Matthew, & was glad to learn from them that you were taking a holiday at Highwood.
Yesterday we also had via Bohemian telegraphic news from N. York, via Cape Race, to the evening of the 21st, from which, as well from Matthew’s letters, it appears that hostilities were about to assume a much more active character; and as Norfolk is one of the chief points for at- tack, it makes me anxious about Cousin Lewis; but it will make his Wife far more so. – I presume that William is with Nan at the Bowling-Green, & that will be some[underlined] com =fort to her: but her trials have been, are, & will be very severe.
We have been having very mild weather [latteely?], the thermometer up to 50 & upwards. As I was strolling around Princes’ Park this morning I observed the buds on some of the lilacs looked very green, like the com= =mencement of spring. – The Croppers’ carriage passed me on its way to church with Mr & Mrs. C inside & Miss Maggie too; & we exchanged recognitions.
The party I met at the Hodgsons’, yesterday wek, were Mr. & Mrs. Hartley & their two daughters. The lady I took to be Mrs. Hodg [‘Mrs Hodg’ struck out]
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Miss Mary Hodgson’s “companion” was Mrs. Hartley. – Mrs. Hodgson was not at church this morning, or at any rate not in the pew. But David & Mrs. Hartley & one of the 2 Miss Hartleys were there. It was Communion Sunday, & the number who remained to partake of it was larger. – I like the orderly system adopted at this church on these occasions.
The Sexton opens the pew doors for as many as there is accommodation for around the table, first from one side of the church & then from the other. Thus there is no priority, no crowding or inconvience. Each person stays in his or her pew until the sexton opens the door. – With so many attendants the same plan is adopted at the Calvary Church:
The blessing, or form preparatory to administer =ing the Bread & Water, is given out but once[underlined], & then two clergymen divide between them the administration of the Bread, & afterwards of the Wine. – The opening of a given number of pews doors is the novelty & peculiarity; & it fulfils the precept of St. Paul – “Let all things be done decently & in order.” –
At 5 1/4 p.m. I turned out for a walk, & I took a very long [‘very long’ underlined] one; for I went as far as the vicinity of [allere?] Bank, to call on Mr. and Mrs Edward Heath. – I had seen no- -thing of them since my visit to them in October, when they were at Waterloo. I found
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them both at home. – Mr. Heath, as his wife told me, is now much the same as he was then: but she added that he had lost grown since this time 12 months ago; & this seems to preclude all chance of his final recovery. He knew me; but as at Waterloo, he did not seem to pay much attention to the conversation between his wife & me. At one time, I was speaking of Tom Bold as now living at Birk -enhead, & that attracted his attention. Before my visit was over, he had occasion to leave the room, & he accomplished it with much difficulty, with a stick in one hand & aided by a servant woman on the other side of him.
They have 3 children, all daughters. The eldest whom I saw at Waterloo is now staying in Willshire; the second has recently left school; & the third is still at school. The Father is of the fair Saxon type, the Mother dark, & the children are divided in type, like the Hughes’. The eldest is the image of her father, & the second the ditto of her mother. This second daughter daughter[crossed out] came in from even= =ing church after her father had left the room. The two whom I have seen are both very[underlined] lovely girls [‘lovely girls’ underlined]; & the youngest, as her mother tells me, is still handsomer than the other two.
The mother makes a much more agreeable impression on me now than she did when I first saw her many years ago. I then thought her proud & haughty; but now she seems very affable & pleasant. She is an intelligent
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lady, of decided force of character, & she is regularly posted up every day or two by Mr. Burton as to what is going on at the office.
She said she relied upon my posting of Mr. Burton about Cotton, & had desired him to consult me respecting the article, as well as consulting Mr. Robt. Heath. – I told her that whenever any new lights struck me I had made a point of telling Mr. Burton promptly.
I bid her & her daughter good night at 1/4 past 8: & it was 35 minutes past 9 when I reached Welfield Place. – Thus I have walked about 9 miles today, & I feel no [wase?] tired, but on the contrary, all the better for it.
Since I have given up my sleeping quarters at No. 9, I have resumed the daily use of the “tin saucer” (as I call it) for sponging myself from head to foot, & I find the effect decidedly invigorating & rejuvenating.
Yesterday morning I made a present to Mrs. Hagarty of a 1/– box of the jujube, or gum lozenges called “Delectable”; & as the chambermaid “Kate” has had a bad cold, I gave Mary Bold an -other box of the same article! – I filled my amiable pockets with some firm Oranges yes- -terday for the benefit of Elizabeth, as she seems fond of an orange after dinner.
Capt Maude & his wife are now living in a furnished house at Sheffield, his Regiment having removed thither. As she seems delicate, I wish she could have remained thro’ the winter at the Isle of Wight. –
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5
3rd Febry - The Cunard steamer of 22nd ulto. had not arrived when I left town for dinner: but I recd. this morning your Highwood letter of the 17th Janry. - it came, not as marked via Kangaroo, but via Bremen which reached South- -ampton yesterday in a disabled condition.
I will ask Miss Maggie Addison, who is still
for
a guest at 47 Chester Square, to bring ^ you the bottle of smelling salts, on her return from London.
I had a note today of 1st inst. from John Myers, in answer to mine of 30th January. He furnishes very good & sufficient reasons why he cannot give a letter for Mr. Davis to Lord Stanley. He is not
with Lord Stanley
on terms of sufficient intimacy ^ to warrant it.
Mr. Cropper called on me at the office before I ap= =peared there this morning, to tell me (as his son did instead) that he had recd. a letter from Sir Chas. Trevelyan, saying he would be much pleased to see Mr. Davis; - He observed, that he had re= =cently seen Bishop McIlvaine, & had been pleased & edified with his conversation as to Am -erican affairs. – I have nothing more yet from Tom Bold as to the letter to Lord Derby, since he told me, 3 days ago, that he had no reply yet from
it
the party he wrote to in London about ^ ; & Tom supposed he was absent & looking after the maneuvering of a contested election at Oxford.
I had a second note today from Mr. Davis, dated 1st inst, the main object of which was a reply to my queries on behalf of Mr. Cropper as to a variety of American Stocks – the same list as sent out to Matthew. But he adds that
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he & Mrs. Davis have accepted an invitation from Mr. Hamilton to spend an evening this week at his house to meet a few friends of Mr. H. –
I am obliged to Mrs. King for her kind wishes & regards. – Today I authorised Cropper Hodgson & Co. to sell 75 Surats at 7 3/4d. that cost5 3/4d. in Sept. or 190 ditto at 7 7/8d. that cost5 7/8d. or both at these respective prices: but none were sold.
The Cotton market continues very quiet.
- the spinners [...ing?] from hand to mouth:
& there is no telling how long this inactivity may last. – In Manchester it is now maintained very generally that the manufacture in this country is now hardly one half [‘hardly...half’ underlined]of the capacity of the machinery. Peter Ewart today told me that he believes this to be the fact, & yet that there are considerable stocks of Goods still in the hands of producers there. – The demand for Goods & Yarns has, however, been steadily on the mend, & more general for a variety of mar- -kets, since this day week, when we had the purport of L. Napoleon’s speech as to non-in [‘non’ underlined]= =terference with the Blockade. Perhaps we may have further benefit of the same kind after Earl Russell & Lord Palmerston shall given their news before Parliament on this subject.
much
I am ^ vexed now that I did not run off more of our Cotton on the 9th ulto., & that I bought those 203 bales on the 14th. But at the same time I do not see that we are likely have the contest between No. & So. terminated as soon as Matthew [........?.........] & we have never yet reached any [.................................?...............]
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=[poses?] we have. – He assumes that Cotton has been selling at 13, 14 & 15 pence for Middling Amn.
And in his previous letter he expected the hope that I had not resumed sales at less than 13d
I never was more pre-determined on anything than I was for selling out freely on the settle -ment of the Trent affair. – The moment I heard of 195 being sold for us at a most extraordinary price, I offered 387 bales more at corresponding prices; but, as it proved, I asked too much.
That sudden flare up ended with that day & I never made another attempt to sell until 2 days ago, when I recd. Matthew’s letter of 17 & 18th ulto. – We now hold about 850 Amn., & 436 Surats, besides the 203 American I bot. (half of them for Mr. Walter G Miller) on the 14th ulto. – mak[ing?] altogether nearly 1500 bales of our own. – This is more than I like in the existing state of the market, when the demand is so cir -cumscribed. – We may yet perhaps see prices very much higher; but if so, we shall have a long time to wait for it. At present there are too many who are wanting to sell. – Whether I am right or wrong, I have all the time done my best to do the right thing.
5th Febry 3 p.m. I am now waiting for the Cunard letters – which are momentarily expected. – Yesterday [I?] expected an invitation to dine & sleep at Mr. Torrs’,[ ?] Eastham on the 12th. – I wrote yesterday to Mrs Hamilton & asked her to buy for you the bottle of smelling Salts, at Gr[e?] =frey & Cooke’s – 30 Conduit St., New Bond St., & to send it to [?] by Maggie Addison when she returns home. –
Mary Bold wished to have your photograph to put into her [ ? ] [ ? ] Mrs. Cropper who had seen the copy you sent to M[rs?]
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Wakefield & been pleased with it, wanted one for herself; so I hunted among my papers 2 days ago & found the 2 copies you had sent me, & placed them at Mary Bold’s disposal. She kept the paler[underlined], as being the poorer, for herself, & yesterday took the darker one & gave it to Mrs. Cropper. – In the evening she told me she had found Mrs. Cropper not so well as usual, & that she ( Mrs. C) gave a bad account of Mary Wakefield, who has been suffering from a sharp attack of “tic.” I am sorry to hear it, as you will be too. –
Mr. Menlove has been seated in my room at Cropper H & Co’s office whilst I have been writing the foregoing & reading your letter of 18/20th & Matthew’s of 21st via Canada. He came at my invitation to read a Charleston paper that Mr. Weed had.
It is always a relief to me when I have opened your letters & Matthew’s to find that you are all well. – I suppose your next letter will be from 4th St. – I am glad to have learnt thro’ William’s note to you of 8th Janry, so much later news of him & Nan & James. –
Joshua Dixon told me yesterday that he had addressed Mr. Adams, U.S. Minister at London on behalf of Messrs Low & Green of Savannah & Mr. Adams wrote back that h[crossed out] as desired he had forward the letter to himself to Mr. Seward & said that if what Mr. D__ had urged could be substantiated he thought these 2 gentlemen might be released.
By telegraph[underlined] the Canada brings from Halifax 2 days later than[crossed out] from N. York than the letters from N.Y. & it appears that in those 2 days Sterling Bills & Gold had risen considerable. – I fear there must be con -stant, & larger depreciation of the currency. I am less anxious about Cotton. I have sold more since the 65 Surats on the 1st. Febry, & now am not offering any.
[Marginalia – Right side] The weather is still very mild. Themr averging above 50. –
[Marginalia – Left side] With kind love to all in 4th St. & Irving Place, & those at greater distance, I am yrs. affty R. Maury
