RECOLLECTIONS OF A BUSY LIFE. [Illustration: _Painted by S. Walters._ _Engraved by R. G. Reeve._ VIEW OF THE PORT OF LIVERPOOL, 1836.] RECOLLECTIONS OF A BUSY LIFE BEING THE REMINISCENCES OF A LIVERPOOL MERCHANT 1840-1910. BY SIR WILLIAM B. FORWOOD D.L. J.P. ILLUSTRATED WITH SEVENTEEN PLATES "_Work for some good, be it ever so slowly; Cherish some flower, be it ever so lowly; Labour! True labour is noble and holy._" LIVERPOOL: HENRY YOUNG & SONS 1910. TO MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. PREFACE. Many of the following pages were written for private circulation. Influential friends have, however, urged me to publish them, as they may appeal to a wider circle of readers. I have consented, with diffidence, but have availed myself of the opportunity to add some chapters upon local affairs, which I trust may be of public interest, and recall pleasing memories of bygone times. W. B. F. BROMBOROUGH HALL, _December 1st, 1910_. A FOREWORD. There are but few men whose lives are worthy to be written for general publication, but there are many who have accumulated recollections and experiences which must be interesting and instructive to those of their own kith and kin, and it is for these I am about to jot down a few reminiscences of a life which has been largely spent in public work--in helping to build up the fortunes of a great seaport, in the local government of an important Municipality, and in the administration of Justice. Should these pages fall into the hands of friends I am sure they will be read with kindly and sympathetic feelings, and strangers will, I hope, accord to them the consideration and indulgence due to a narrative written only for private publication. Life is said to be short, but when I look back upon the events which have crowded into mine I seem to have lived a long time, and one cannot but reflect that if the prospect had always looked as long as the retrospect, how much more patience and deliberation might have been thrown into the ordering of one's affairs, and how entirely this might have altered the course of events and changed the goal of one's endeavours. It is perhaps a merciful and wise ordinance that no man can reckon beyond the day that is before him, and therefore each day should be so lived as to be typical of our life; for it is the only portion of time of which we may truly say it is our own, and at our own disposal for good or for evil. As each life, therefore, has its ambitions--small or great--its conquests, its trials, and its failures, so each day has to bear its own burden of trials and anxieties; and as the daily life is lived, and the daily task accomplished, so will our life's work be fulfilled; but how few there are who can look back and say their lives have been a success, and that they have accomplished all they should or all they might have done.