When we are at Rome, we should do as they do at Rome. — This is a long-established maxim, founded so much on reason and good sense that it is in every body's mouth, and, though not always followed, is universally extolled. I even went so far, when I was to visit Ireland, as to follow it, in the true Irish style, by anticipation, and did not wait for my arrival in the country to do as they do in Ireland, but commenced my journey with a practical Bull, and went first to Bath and Bristol in order to embark at Liverpool.
The case was this. — In the summer of 1814 I was led from a combination
All this sounded so extremely plausible, that no hesitation was made by any of the party in accepting what appeared so very obliging an offer. As far as I was concerned I rejoiced in the alteration; I had never been either at Bath or Bristol, and thought with pleasure of seeing places so celebrated; I had, besides, at that time, a sister living at Bath, and to spend a few days with her was adding in no small degree to the gratification I expected in my proposed tour. I accordingly set off for Bath on Sunday the 3rd of July, attended by a servant whom I had hired for the excursion, leaving my friends to follow me in the course of a few days.
Though mineralogical researches were not among the primary objects which I now had in view, yet as I had for some time been much interested by acquiring a slight acquaintance with the mineral kingdom, to combine with the other objects of my tour, as much addition as I could obtain to my stock of knowledge on this delightful subject became a leading feature among my remoter pursuits. I had often heard that in the vicinity of Bath many organic remains were to be found, and I was anxious to procure specimens of them.
We pursued our course along the side of the Kennet and Avon canal to the village of Hampton about three miles from Bath, where is a very pretty rural church with a tower most picturesquely overgrown with ivy; then crossing the canal, we arrived at the foot of the hill on the summit of which are the Hampton stone quarries, the largest in the neighbourhood of Bath. Here I first became acquainted with what I had afterwards several opportunities of seeing, the mode of conveying the stone from the quarry above, to the canal below, by means of an iron railway down an inclined plane, with machinery which in conveying the loaded cart down makes that draw the empty cart up. To enter upon any description of this machinery were useless; — to those who have never seen any thing of the kind no description could make it understood, and to those who are acquainted with it, description would be superfluous. Indeed, though a very modern invention, it is come so much into use, that probably few persons to whom such a subject would be interesting are unacquainted with the nature of it. Now first presented to my observation, it was impossible not to be struck with the ingenuity displayed in the whole apparatus, and I stood for some time contemplating and admiring it. I was offered a ride up the hill in an empty cart, which I had accepted; but at the moment when I was about to ascend my vehicle, it set off, and then to stop it was impossible. I believe in this as in most cases, perhaps I might say in every case, all was for the best, since, from what I saw, an inference might easily be drawn that the ride would have proved extremely shaking, and once in the vehicle there was no possibility of getting out till the journey's end. I therefore toiled up the hill; and being a very hot day it was indeed toiling, but I was amply repaid for my labours. I procured at the quarry some very beautiful stalactitic incrustations, with several very good specimens of organic remains of different kinds.
The third day of my stay at Bath, the 6th of July, I was occupied by an object of a very different nature. It happened to be the moment of rejoicing for the peace just concluded, and an ox was to be roasted whole, with another in quarters, and four whole sheep, on Claverton Downs, two miles from the city, to be given away to the populace. Such a spectacle had never before fallen in my way, and novelty seldom fails to awaken curiosity. — A temporary building for the cookery was run up on the Downs, and at twelve o'clock at night the hero of the feast was laid down; the quarters of beef, and the sheep, were not to follow him till six in the morning. At that hour I set off to walk to the spot: the weather was beautiful, and I was gratified by the novelty of the sight, but felt no wish to partake of the regale. Indeed there is nothing very inviting in the appearance of the animals thus cooked. At twelve the meat was distributed to any one who chose to apply for some, bringing a knife and fork to cut off his portion, and a plate to receive it. No beer was given away; but several publicans from the town had erected booths where it was sold, under shelter of which the people sat down to eat their repast. The whole afforded a cheerful and exhilarating spectacle. The rest of the day was devoted to seeing more about the town, and the evening was concluded with a pleasant walk in Sydney Gardens, the Vauxhall of Bath.
The next day, Thursday July 7th, I visited Prior Park, and went on to Coombe Down, where, in a neglected stone quarry, I found again several interesting mineralogical objects, as stalactites, crystallizations, and organic remains. From the Weston quarries I also procured fossil shells of several kinds. In the evening of this day my friends Mr. and Mrs. C ... arrived from London; and on the 8th I took my leave of Bath, accompanying them to Bristol, in the full expectation that here was to be the utmost extent of our land travelling on this side of the Irish Channel.
But the very first inquiries made at Bristol were sufficient to convince us that our loquacious merchant was a man of words much rather than of deeds, and that far too easy credit had been given both to his representations and professions; that he was totally deficient in knowledge upon the subject on which he had so readily given his advice, — a disease but too prevalent with mankind in general, — and that his offers of service had about as much sincerity in them as the compliments paid by the parasite of Pennaflor to Gil-Blas, upon the celebrity he had acquired. In the first place he was not himself at Bristol; he was residing at his country-house four miles off; and in order to learn whether he had taken any steps towards the performance of his promises we must have gone thither to seek him. Other information, however, obtained in the town, soon satisfied us that we could gain nothing by pursuing him into his rural retreat, except perhaps the chance of being again misled. Direct communication between Bristol and Dublin, we found from the concomitant testimony of several well-informed persons, was a very rare thing, — we might in all probability wait a month, nay five or six weeks, before any vessel would sail for that port; and supposing a passage at length procured, the voyage was always very tedious; it was very likely to last a week or ten days; while the accommodations for passengers on board merchant vessels were so bad, that it was even perverting the term accommodations to apply it to them.
The only mode of going to Ireland then from Bristol, practicable for us, appeared to be the packet to Cork or to Waterford. To either of these places the passage was three guineas, and there was then a considerable journey by land to arrive at Dublin. On the whole therefore, after spending two days in possessing ourselves of these important truths, in all that time not seeing any thing of our merchant, we at length determined that, all circumstances duly weighed, the best thing we could now do was to follow our original plan of embarking at Liverpool. As the price of the passage from thence is only a guinea, the expense would scarcely be greater than going by the Waterford packet, and the passage much more certain. Thus by listening to our Bristol merchant we were out of pocket just the expense of a journey thither, since we were now about the same distance from Liverpool that we were when in London.
Yet I was not disposed wholly to quarrel with him; for I had been very, much gratified with my visit to Bath, and was perfectly charmed with the Clifton
On our route to Liverpool we stopped one day at Birmingham, where among other objects we were much pleased with the sight of Thomasine's showrooms, and surprised at the variety and beauty of his manufactures. His excellent imitations of precious stones more particularly excited our admiration.