held out to beings so gregarious as our countrymen, is generally successful; and, at the daily ordinary, a kind of Congress of the American States is convened, where, if they choose, they may rail with impunity at the country on whose productions they are feasting, nor fear a military arrest, before the next dinner.

AN ENGLISH CHURCH.

S May 5.-Our host, this morning, conducted me with an American companion to church. It was a beautiful octagon, neatly fitted up, but its empty seats formed a melancholy contrast to the overflowing numbers of the circus. The preacher, Dr. M- ———, gave a very good discourse, and delivered it with much solemnity; but it dwelt entirely on morality and the decencies of life, and contained almost a declaration in so many words that the sum of religion consists in the exercise of humanity and of the social virtues.

'Cicero or Socrates would hardly have said less, and, except the exordium and peroration, the sermon might have been embodied with their writings, without exciting a suspicion that its author had drawn wisdom from any other than Greek and Roman fountains.

ENGLISH CAVALRY.

The French horn and other martial instruments are now sounding before the door of the hotel, and make one's blood move with a quicker pace through his veins. The band belongs to a corps of light horse which is reviewed every day in front of this house, where Colonel Lumley, their commander, resides. For this reason two centinels are constantly walking before the door, and the rooms are crowded with mili

tary men. This corps, with their colonel, were a part of the brave army of Egypt, which conquered Bonaparte's boasted invincibles, and terminated the war in the East. The surviving officers, as an honourable mark of distinction, wear a yellow ribbon on their breasts. We have one in the house who lost a leg in the campaign, but he wears a cork substitute, with a boot so nicely fitted, that, but for his limping, his loss would not be perceived. The English light horse, judging from this specimen, must be admirably calculated for celerity of movement. The horses have slender limbs, with great muscular activity, and are very quick and high spirited ;-their colour is a light bay. The men are also rather slender, and very active, and most of them young. Their dress is blue, exactly fitted to the body and limbs; it is composed of tight pantaloons, and a close buttoned short jacket, reaching only to the hips, and without the smallest portion of a skirt, or any appendage whatever, except several rows of white buttons, interlaced with white cord, crossing the breast, in a fanciful manner. They have high helmets, and their broad swords, which are sheathed in bright steel scabbards, are of such enormous length, that they drag behind them on the pavement as they walk, unless they carry them in their hands, which they often do. Besides the light horse, there is in Liverpool at present, a regiment or two of heavy cavalry. If the former are eminently fitted for quickness of movement, these are equally adapted, by their weight and firmness, to make a tremendous charge. The horses are all very large and heavy, and by no means so quick in their move. ments as the others ;-their colour is black. The men ́are also large and bony, and many of them look like

veterans.

Their armour is heavy, and besides the broad sword and pistols, each soldier carries a carabine. The muzzle is fixed in a sheath in the side of the holsters, and the breech passes over the horseman's thigh.

I suppose the principal use of this weapon is to enable the soldier to act on foot, when his horse has been disabled, or killed, in battle.

LITERARY INSTITUTIONS.

The politeness of Mr. Maury, the American Consul, procured us access to the ATHENEUM and LYCEum, two literary institutions of very recent origin; and another gentleman introduced us at a third, called the UNION, whose plan is extremely similar to that of the other two. During my stay in Liverpool I have the liberty of visiting these institutions, under certain very reasonable restrictions.

In a city so commercial as Liverpool, these establishments must be considered as highly honourable to the intelligence and taste of the individuals, who have created and patronised them.

Each of them has an elegant structure of free stone, containing a library of various literature and science, and a large coffee room, where all the newspapers and literary journals of note are placed daily upon the tables, for the free perusal of subscribers, and of such friends as they introduce.

To a stranger these places are highly interesting, as affording, at a glance, a view of the most important occurrences of the country, and to the citizens they are not less useful and agreeable; for, the mere man of business finds here the best means of information, and

the man of literature can retire in quiet to the library, where the librarian attends to hand down any volume that is wanted.

Between institutions so similar, it is very natural, and doubtless it is best, that there should be a spirit of rivalry. I know not how much is to be imputed to this, but I heard it contended that the library of the Athenæum is much superior to those of the other two. This appears not improbable, for the library of the Athenæum was selected by Mr. Roscoe and Dr. Currie.

Such institutions as these would be highly useful in America, and most of our large commercial towns are rich enough to found and sustain them.* Independently of the rational amusement which they afford, they give a useful direction to the public taste, and al lure it from objects which are either frivolous or noxious.

AN ENGLISH BREAKFAST.

May 7.-I have been present this morning at an English breakfast. The lady of the house had been several years in America, and still retained so much partia. lity for the country, that my reception was such as to make me feel that I was at home in England.

1

Mrs. pleasantly remarked that I had not been used to such frugal breakfasts in America, and indeed it must be confessed, that to a northern American,

* Boston, in the establishment of an Athenæum upon the plan of that at Liverpool, has had the honour of creating the first institution of this kind in America, and, from the acquisitions already made, as well as from the well-known intelligence and liberality of the people of Boston, there is reason to expect that it will do much credit to this country. (1809.)

who is accustomed to see animal food on the table in the morning, an English breakfast presents no very promising prospect. It usually consists of tea and a a little bread and butter. A boiled egg is sometimes added after morning exercise, and, very rarely, a thin slice of ham. If an American is surprised at the frugality of an English breakfast, an Englishman is astonished at seeing beef steaks, or fish, and perhaps bottled cider on an American table at the same meal.*

MUSEUM.

Liverpool has a small museum, which I visited this morning. It is not extensive, but is well worth seeing, especially on account of a collection of ancient armour, such as was worn from the time of the conqueror down to the period of Elizabeth. This is a remnant of an age, which though barbarous, and, on the whole, wretched, is connected with so much heroic grandeur, that every authentic vestige of it must excite a strong interest, especially in one whose country has never been the theatre of a similar state of things. The knights, when equipped for battle, were so completely incased in iron, that it is not easy to conceive how they could move joint or limb, or even sustain the enormous weight of their armour, nor can one be surprised that an overthrow was so much dreaded, since it must have been an arduous task to rise under the rigidness of such a prison. But these were men whose limbs had not been enervated by luxury; and the elegant deco

* 1 am sensible, however, that these habits are wearing away in our larger towns, and it is becoming unpolite to eat much animal food in the morning; but they are still unimpaired in the country.