atural history. Many of these paintings belong to the early masters,
and date even before the fifteenth century. We were interested to find
here a complete set of casts of the Elgin marbles. The originals were
the decorations of the Parthenon at Athens, and are now in the British
Museum. As we shall spend some time in that collection, I say no more at
present about these wonderful monuments of genius. The Athenaeum and the
Lyceum are both fine buildings, and each has a good library, lecture,
and news rooms.

We were disappointed at finding the Rev. Dr. Raffles, the most eloquent
preacher of the city, out of town. He was the successor of Spencer, who
was drowned bathing in the Mersey, and his Life by Raffles is one of
deep interest. The great historical name of Liverpool is William Roscoe,
the author of the Lives of Leo X. and the Medici. I must not omit to
tell you that, during our stay, the town was all alive with a regiment
of lancers, just arrived from Ireland, on their way to London. They are
indeed fine-looking fellows, and are mounted on capital horses. I have
watched their evolutions in front of the Adelphi with much pleasure, and
have been amused to notice a collection of the most wretched-looking
boys I ever saw, brought together by the troops. There seems to me more
pauperism this week, in Liverpool, than I ever saw in New York in my
life.

Truly yours,

JAMES.

Letter 4.

LONDON.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

Does it not seem strange that I am here in London? I can hardly tell
what to write about first. I stand at the door of our hotel and look at
the crowds in the streets, and then at old King Charles, at Charing
Cross, directly across the road, and when I think that this is the old
city where Wat Tyler figured, and Whittington was lord mayor, and Lady
Jane Grey was beheaded, and where the Tower is still to be seen, I am
half beside myself, and want to do nothing but roam about for a good
month to come. I have read so much concerning London, that I am pretty
sure I know more about it than many of the boys who have heard Bow
Church bells all their lives. We left Liverpool for Birmingham, where we
passed an afternoon and evening in the family of a manufacturer very
pleasantly, and at ten o'clock took the express mail train for London.
We are staying at a hotel called the Golden Cross, Charing Cross. We
have our breakfast in the coffee-room, and then dine as it suits our
convenience as to place and hour