The men whose appeals to the Consul's charity are the hardest to be
denied are those who have no country,---Hungarians, Poles, Cubans,
Spanish-Americans, and French republicans. All exiles for liberty come
to me, if the representative of America were their representative.
Yesterday, came an old French soldier, and showed his wounds; to-day, a
Spaniard, a friend of Lopez,--bringing his little daughter with him. He
said he was starving, and looked so. The little girl was in good
condition enough, and decently dressed.--May 23d.
May 30th.--The two past days have been Whitsuntide holidays; and they
have been celebrated at Tranmere in a manner very similar to that of the
old "Election" in Massachusetts, as I remember it a good many years ago,
though the festival has now almost or quite died out. Whitsuntide was
kept up on our side of the water, I am convinced, under pretence of
rejoicings at the election of Governor. It occurred at precisely the
same period of the year,--the same week; the only difference being, that
Monday and Tuesday are the Whitsun festival days, whereas, in
Massachusetts, Wednesday was "Election day," and the acme of the
merry-making.
I passed through Tranmere yesterday forenoon, and lingered awhile to see
the sports. The greatest peculiarity of the crowd, to my eye, was that
they seemed not to have any best clothes, and therefore had put on no
holiday suits,--a grimy people, as at all times, heavy, obtuse, with
thick beer in their blood.
Pages:
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190