t
of heaven, cheering and gladdening every heart. Scarcely can the man of
old, who has outlived his generation, believe in the huge edifices that
now the merchant occupies, or credit his sight, when he looks at the
great shops that display their costly goods of all descriptions, with the
best of taste. Nor is there a less remarkable aspect presented in the
appearance of the people. Of old one scarcely met a well-dressed
man--now scores upon scores. In bye-gone times, we scarcely beheld a
carriage, lumbering and uneasy as those things were--now we see elegant
equipages of every make, shape, and build, suitable for every style of
locomotion. In all things have we progressed; nor are we yet standing
still.

We are doubling our trade. We are doubling our imports and exports; we
have been doubling them since 1749--about every 16 years. In that year
the total tonnage of vessels that entered the port of Liverpool was
28,250 tons. In 1764 it was 56,499 tons, in 1780 it was 112,000 tons, in
1796 it was 224,000 tons, in 1811 it was 611,190 tons, in 1827 it was
1,225,313 tons, in 1841 it was 2,425,461 tons, in 1857 it had reached
4,645,362 tons, so that by the same rule that doubled the tonnage of the
port, between 1749 and 1764, the tonnage doubled itself between 1841 and
1857. It occupied 134 years to produce an increase equal to that which
had taken place between 1841 and 1857. The value of exports in the whole
kingdom in 1857, amounted to 110,000,000 pounds sterling, out of which
55,000,000 pounds passed through Liverpool alone. One hundred and fifty
years ago there was not a dock in England. In Liverpool they now extend
over five miles in length. An hundred years hence?--and what then?

His tale being told the old man bids his readers farewell. He has
chronicled a few odd matters relating to his native town. He has spoken
of what it was, and of what it is. If it increase in wealth and extent
during the next century as it has done in that which is past, our
descendants may be so much in advance of us in wisdom and knowledge as to
look slightingly upon us. But if our sons' sons will only emulate our
good and graceful actions, and avoid that which in us is wicked and
ignoble, they will have better reason to be proud of their ancestors than
we have of ours, or even of ourselves.

FOOTNOTES.

{167} This bridge has lately been a subject of remark, it having been
laid bare in making some excavations for