The Cathedral Towns and Intervening Places of England, Ireland and Scotland:: A Description of Cities, Cathedrals, Lakes, Mountains, Ruins, and Watering-places.Silloway, Thomas W. (Thomas William)
History
The Cathedral Towns and Intervening Places of England, Ireland and Scotland:: A Description of Cities, Cathedrals, Lakes, Mountains, Ruins, and Watering-places.
Silloway, Thomas W. (Thomas William)
Great Britain -- Description and travel
Here and there, as at Queenstown, may be seen some of the old Irish
male stock, with corduroys and long stockings, velvet coats, peculiar
felt hats, heavy shoes--strangers to Day and Martin's specialty;
but these are exceptions, about as much so as they are in the Irish
sections of New York or Boston. Generally speaking, the dress of the
people, male and female, of Irish cities is not peculiar, and aside
from these exceptional instances they do not vary from those of London
or Boston.
As regards a good civilization--everywhere in the business parts of the
city, manifested by large and well-filled stores and fine warehouses,
and by well dressed and industrious people--our impressions were very
favorable.
The city in this region, like all large places, has its quota of
men loafing about its bridges and wharves, waiting, Micawber like,
"for something to turn up." So has Atlantic Avenue, Boston. In these
respects Boston is Corkish, or Cork is like Boston. About the steamer
wharves and at the railway station (we don't now talk of _depots_, for
to be true to foreign dialect, we must say _station_) it is the same.
At these, and along the thoroughfare from it, are boys, Yankee-like,
ready to turn an honest penny or to earn one; and very demonstrative
they are, and the cabmen as well. Americans are often outdone by them.
One of these boys, at the moment of our landing from the steamer,
seized our valises and _would_ carry them. He _in_sisted and we
_re_sisted, and at length the American element in us--"the spirit of
'76"--was aroused, and in the ascendant; and to convince him that he
ought to let go his hold, down came a hand on his arm with a force, and
accompanied by a tone of voice and ejaculation, that meant business.
"Keep off! Let go!" was the order and advice, and he did both.
Here, as at Queenstown, the little donkeys were on hand, and rendering
a large and patient service. The public buildings are not very
important, but substantial and good of their kind. Conspicuous among
the new edifices is the Episcopal Cathedral now being erected. It is of
stone, very imposing, with three towers, and in the Romanesque style of
architecture. The Roman Catholic Cathedral, SS. Peter and Paul, also of
dark limestone, having cut or hammered dressing, is a Gothic structure
of considerable size, with a good tower at the centre of the front end,
crowned with four turrets, and having a neat but small lawn, surrounded
with an iron fence, about the cathedral's front. It was erected after
designs by the celebrated F. W. Pugin, and cost $150,000. The interior,
although not old, was dirty and presented a dingy appearance. We were
told by the verger (sexton) that times being hard, business dull, and
the people poor, accounted for the condition. We differed in opinion in
other respects than theologically, but made no mention of the fact, and
passed out.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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