No. II.-LIVERPOOL.

Circus....Pantomime....its absurdity....Custom-house....douceurs ....American Hotel....An English Church....Cavalry....Army of Egypt....Literary Institutions.... A Breakfast....Museum....Asylum of the Blind....A Slave Ship.

May 3.-With my fellow passengers I took lodgings at a splendid hotel, the Liverpool Arms.

CIRCUS.

In the evening we went to the Circus, where equestrian feats, rope dancing, tumbling, and pantomime formed the entertainment.

I shall occasionally attend the theatres, for public amusements furnish the most decisive criterion of national taste, and no contemptible one of the state of public morals, and of the dignity or degradation of the public mind; for when men go to be amused, they will demand such things as they really delight in.

The Circus was crowded; we were late, and being perfectly unknown, went into the gallery, as every other part of the house was full.

We were surrounded by those, whose deportment sufficiently indicated to what class of society they belonged, while they exhibited a spectacle of effrontery to which it would not be easy to find a parallel.

The feats performed were truly astonishing, and demonstrated the wonderful force and accuracy of mus cular movement of which the human frame is capable, There were two pantomimes.

The subject of the first was rustic love ;-of the second, the story of Oscar and Malvina, from Ossian.But pantomime is altogether unnatural. In real life. men never converse in this way, unless they are deaf and dumb, and such people are certainly the best actors in pantomime. It may be said that it affords room for the display of much ingenuity, in expressing a whole narration or drama without words ;-this is true; but the drama would be far more interesting if expressed in words, and every one who has seen a pantomime must have felt a degree of impatience, and even anger, at the very incompetent, although ingenious, efforts which a performer in pantomime makes, to bring forth an idea, which a little plain talking would at once express, with force and beauty. and

A man may learn to walk on his head, and every one will pronounce it wonderful, while all the world will still agree, that it is much better to walk on the feet. It would seem therefore that no one who has the use of his tongue would choose to converse by motions, any more than a man who has feet would prefer to walk on his head.

CUSTOM-HOUSE.

May 4.-The embarrassments created by revenue laws, and the formalities which most civilized nations observe, on admitting a stranger to enter their dominions, are among the unpleasant things which a traveller must encounter. Our share of vexation has not been very great, and yet some things have occurred which one would wish to avoid.

After our baggage had been landed, under the eye of a custom-house officer, and deposited in the public ware-houses, it became necessary for us to reclaim it,

that is to say, in plain English, to pay a douceur to the examining officer, to expedite its liberation, and not to molest us by a rigorous examination of our parcels.

Being confident that I had no articles which could justly be charged with a duty, I felt strongly disposed to resist the oppressive demand of a contribution, for a mere discharge, or rather for a neglect of official duty. But, being informed that the thing was indispensable, unless I would submit to have my baggage delayed several days, with every circumstance of vexation and embarrassment, which experienced ingenuity could invent, I at length concluded to pay the tribute. But, I remarked to the person who had given me this information, (an Englishman) that I supposed the money must be offered to some of those ragged fellows who act as tide waiters, and not to those well-dressed men about the custom-house. He replied, with a smile, that those were the men who ultimately received the money. Accordingly, among all the passengers of the Ontario, a Sum was made up which, we supposed, would cause Justice (a power whom allegory has ever represented as blind,) to become still blinder than before. Nor were we disappointed; you can hardly imagine the effect of our douceur, for it would be harsh to call it a bribe. The well-dressed man, who ought to have inspected every thing in person, stood aloof, affecting to be engaged in conversation with other people, while a beggarly fellow received the money. We surrendered our keys, when he opened our trunks, and without taking up a single article, said that we had behaved like gentlemen, and that every thing was perfectly correct. He then closed our trunks,

and returned the keys. Had they searched effectually, they would have found a quantity of costly goods, which, as they had not been entered, it was their duty to seize, and, indeed, their suspicions might well have been excited by the uncommon size of some of the trunks.

A young Englishman, a friend of one of the passengers, being present at the examination, remonstrated with the examining officer against his receiving money, and told him that it was a disgrace to an officer paid by the king. The reply was ;-" Sir, I have a family to support, and receive but thirty pounds per annum ;-this is all I have to urge." I have no rea. son to suppose that the collector has any concern in this business; but it is impossible that the thing should be unknown to him, since it occurs every day, and is done without even the appearance of secrecy. doubtedly he winks at the practice.

Un

But, it is certainly a disgrace to the government to starve their petty officers, and then connive at their receiving bribes to shut their eyes on smuggled articles, to the detriment of the revenue, and the corruption of public morals. As this part of the business of the custom-house is now managed, the primary object of inspection is completely lost, while individuals are subjected to a vexatious and oppressive interference, the only effect of which is to put money into the hands of the petty officers, who ought to be severely punished for receiving it. With skilful packing, and a douceur so large as to be considered generous, and yet not so great as to excite violent suspicions, there can be no doubt that goods whose value is great in propor

$1445

tion to their bulk, might be smuggled to a considerable amount, and still pass through every formality of inspection.

My baggage being cleared, I next presented myself to the collector in person, who made out duplicate manifests of my name, age, place of birth and residence, profession, and business in England, together with a description of my person, and a list of those to whom I am known in Liverpool. I wrote my name on both papers, and he retains one, and I keep the other. With this instrument I am next to wait on the Mayor, to take further steps, to ensure the safety of his Majesty's person and government, during my residence in England.

AMERICAN HOTEL.

I dined to-day at a house erected and kept for the accommodation of the multitude of Americans who resort to this port. The words AMERICAN HOTEL are written over the door, which is ornamented with the American Eagle, and the national motto, "e pluribus

unum."

men.

This parade of American insignia is not addressed, without effect, to the national vanity of our countryThey crowd to this house in great numbers. The inscription over the door arrests every American eye; the national eagle excites patriotic sympathies, and those who cannot constrúe the motto, hope it means good living. And it must be confessed that this con. struction, although not very literal, is, in point of fact, substantially correct. The table is abundant and cheap, and although the house is not, perhaps, the most gen teel, the strong temptation of national society, when