32 PILOT- CHANNEL. voyage, I did not adequately appreciate his knowledge of men, his fine tact, his intuitive perception of the fitting, and his dignified self-control; and I felt glad that such a man, self-made as he is, should be seen by the accidental sons of nobility and fortune in the Old World. Tuesday, June 1, at ten minutes past six, New York time, we took a pilot on board-making our voyage from pilot to pilot ten days, eight hours, forty minutes. The fellow proved to be careless and ignorant, and he managed to place the yacht on a bank of soft mud, not far from the Needles. At the flood tide we got off, and anchored in the night, at Southampton-water. Our passage up the British Channel was delightful, giving us fine views of the English coast, including Cornwall, Devonshire and Dorsetshire. The opening up of the Bill of Portland was a noble piece of scenery, and all our party spent the day on deck; and as the day was fine, though breezy, we enjoyed every moment. The passage, as we passed the Needles, was deeply interesting; we obtained a fine view of the stupendous cliffs which overhang them, and admired their isolated situation and exceedingly picturesque form. These huge rocks, as well as the awful cliffs, seem to be composed of a pearly-colored chalk. CHAPTER III. SOUTHAMPTON -SCENERY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS STEAM PACKET COMPANIES — HIGH-STREET — AMERICAN VICE-CONSUL, MR. COX-DOCKS STEAMERS REV. THOMAS ADKINS-ARRIVE IN LONDON- QUEEN'S DRAWING-ROOM — OBJECTS OF CURIOSITY, ETC.-HYDE PARK KENSINGTON GARDENS - REGENT'S PARK — VISITS TO WESTMINSTER AND OTHER PUBLIC PLACES -WINDSOR HAMPTON COURT-BRISTOL CLIFTON AND VICINAGE-TINTERN-HENBURY AND COTTAGES-LOCAL SCENERY CHELTENHAM ENGLISH COUNTRY BERKELEY CASTLE-GLOUCESTER SCENERY. It was one of England's most joyous, brilliant mornings, when we woke up and gazed out upon as richly cultivated a landscape as the southern coast of Britain can present. Directly before us lay the ancient town of Southampton, which is situated upon a promontory, formed by the confluence of the small rivers Test and Itchen. A gradual ascent leads towards the north. The tide flows to some distance above the town, and the noble estuary, known as the Southampton-water, extends several miles below, and affords convenient anchorage to shipping at all states of the tide, while the charming Isle of Wight constitutes an immense breakwater, and protects it from the rage of ocean storms. The salubrity of this region has established its reputation as a watering-place; and the climate being so mild and dry, it has been a popular resort for invalids afflicted with pulmonic affections. Very numerous instances of benefit to those who have suffered from bronchial irritation are reported. It is a matter of notoriety that all epidemics have assumed a milder form in this vicinity than in most other places. Dr. Granville, in his capital work on the Spas of England, awards high commendation to this town as a resort for the weak, and speaks of its gravelly soil and its fine dry walks. The approach to Southampton from the water presents a pleasing landscape. The churches, towers and spires on the central point, with the rivers on either side winding into the distant, obscure gray, and the fine woodlands of the New Forest, with the beautiful villas off to the left, and the noble ruins of Netley Abbey at the right, combine to delight the eye; and on few spots can a weary voyager land in Great Britain with more pleasurable emotions than at this venerable town. It was here that Dr. Watts was born, and, gazing upon the fair prospect beyond the water in front of the town, he wrote the well-known and exquisite stanza "Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood Stand dressed in living green." It was on this very beach that Canute rebuked his sycophantic courtiers, as the advancing tide approached the Danish monarch. From this port the army of Henry V. sailed to France when he attempted the conquest of that country. And a still more important historical event is associated with Southampton, and one that must ever make it an interesting place to New England men; it was from this town that our Pilgrim Fathers sailed in the Mayflower, when they commenced the voyage of destiny, to found a commonwealth which is now exerting an influence all over the globe. I should mention that all around are to be traced the remains of Roman works; close by was their great Camp Clausentum. For many years Southampton was a remarkably still, quiet place; but it has undergone a vast change in a few years, by the construction of railroads and docks. The steam packet companies, Oriental, West India and South-western, have selected this as their port for passage to the Mediterranean, West India and American ports; and a busy sight it is to see the arrival and departure of the immense steamers. We found several fine hotels; one, styled the New York Hotel, had the star-spangled banner displayed for our special accommodation. Some of our AMERICAN VICE-CONSUL DOCKS. 35 gentlemen, who repaired to it for a lunch on shore, were not very favorably impressed with it. Radley's Hotel, near the railroad, and I think the Dolphin, are well-kept houses. I hardly know a town that can show a more beautiful main street than Southampton, except it be Oxford. The High-street opens from the quay, and under various names it winds in a gently-sweeping line for one mile and a half, and is of a very handsome width. The variety of style and color of material in the buildings affords an exhibition of outline, light and color, that I think is seldom equalled. The shops are very elegant, and the streets are kept exceedingly clean. In the absence of Mr. McCroskey, the United States consul, we were visited by his obliging and polite representative, Mr. Cox, and Mr. Hillier, his kind assistant; and by his advice the North Star hauled into the docks for the purpose of coaling. We were much gratified by an inspection of the docks, pierhead and quays, which are admirably constructed, and look as if designed to last for all time. The buildings around the quays are in fine taste; and we observed one in particular, a handsome erection of the Italian style, belonging to the Royal Yacht Club. From the officers of this club we received a polite invitation to visit their house and use their rooms. The Plata, a large steamer of twenty-eight hundred tons, was lying next to the North Star. She had just returned from the West Indies or Brazil, and had lost several persons by yellow fever. Close by us were the Oronoka, a fine steamer, just ready for sea, and the Indus. All these were first-class steamers. Here, too, was the old Great Western, so familiar to New Yorkers, undergoing repairs, which seemed really necessary. A steam frigate came into the dock to receive a part of a regiment bound to a foreign port. The soldiers, as they marched along the dock, looked like fine fellows, and many of them had their wives to embark with them. Thirty years had passed away since I had visited this town, and I almost dreaded to call on my former acquaintances, lest I should feel how the march of time had left its footsteps 36 REV. THOMAS ADKINS ARRIVE IN LONDON. - and impressions. I called on the Rev. Thomas Adkins, the Independent minister, who settled over his congregation in 1810. I well remembered his manly form and his noble bearing, and, as I approached his residence, I told the ladies that Mr. Adkins used to be regarded as one of the noblest-looking men in England. We found him at home, and I was delighted and astonished to perceive how very gently age had touched his princely form. He certainly was the finest-looking man I saw in England, of his age; and our ladies thought him one of the most splendid men they had ever seen. Mr. Adkins and his wife visited us on board the yacht, and we passed a very pleasant hour in conversation respecting friends of other days, most of whom are removed from the present state. Mr. Adkins has a large congregation, and his townsmen are justly proud of his talents and finished character as a Christian gentleman. The church under the pastoral care of this gentleman dates its origin to the important year 1688. We saw less of my venerable friend than we should have done, as he was just on the eve of setting out on his summer excursion to France. In the evening, a party from the ship rode through the town and round its environs. I do not believe that the ladies will soon forget the delight which they experienced from their first sight of the cottages and villas of the suburban region of Southampton. The next morning, June 2, we took the train to London, at eleven o'clock A. M. We had a good view of Winchester and its noble cathedral; and some of the party visited the grand old city, and partook of the hospitalities of Mr. Alderman Andrews, whose name is so endeared to Americans. We arrived at London at two o'clock. As it happened to be a Queen's Drawing-room that day, we found the city in a high state of excitement, and the hotels thronged. Seldom have I known so much difficulty in obtaining accommodation; and, as our party was a large one, it was no easy matter to find quarters for all in one hotel. I was anxious to get in at my old favorite house, the Golden Cross, Charing Cross, nearly opposite to Northumberland |