occupied by Mr. Staniforth, who was in partnership with the present Mr.
Laird's father as ropers. The roperies occupied the site of the present
Arcades, and extended to Berry-street.

I recollect the Fall Well occupying the site of Mr. Alderman Bennet's
warehouse near Rose-street. It was covered over with several arches;
access to it was obtained down a flight of steps. A tavern was
afterwards built on its site, and was known for many years as the "Fall
Well Tavern." It stood at the corner of Rose-street at the back of the
Amphitheatre. The Dye-House Well was in Greetham-street. I believe
access is still obtained to the water, at least it was a few years ago.
The wells on Shaw's brow were all laid open when the alteration took
place in that vicinity. One of the wells was used at an emery mill,
which was once the cone of a pottery. One of the wells was found where
the Library is now erected.

CHAPTER XVII.

As a young boy and an old man I have seen my native town under two very
diverse aspects.

As a boy, I have seen it ranked only as a third-rate seaport. Its
streets tortuous and narrow, with pavements in the middle, skirted by mud
or dirt as the season happened. The sidewalks rough with sharp-pointed
stones, that made it misery to walk upon them. I have seen houses, with
little low rooms, suffice for the dwelling of the merchant or well-to-do
trader--the first being content to live in Water-street or Old
Hall-street, while the latter had no idea of leaving his little shop,
with its bay or square window, to take care of itself at night. I have
seen Liverpool streets with scarcely a coach or vehicle in them, save
such as trade required, and the most enlightened of its inhabitants, at
that time, could not boast of much intelligence, while those who
constituted its lower orders were plunged in the deepest vice, ignorance,
and brutality.

But we should not judge too harshly of those who have gone before us. Of
the sea-savouring greatly were the friends and acquaintances of my youth.
Scarcely a town by the margin of the ocean could be more salt in its
people than the men of Liverpool of the last century: so barbarous were
they in their amusements, bull-baitings and cock and dog-fightings, and
pugilistic encounters. What could we expect when we opened no book to
the young, and employed no means of imparting knowledge to the
old?--deriving our prosperity from two great sources--the slave-trade and