Aug. 11 –
Took a carriage and drove all around Aix la Chapelle. Went to the Cathedral
to see the tomb and throne chair of Charlemagne. The chair was of solid
stone, on a small stone throne, with steps leading up to it. Also saw the
marble sarcophagus in which his feet rested when he was buried. There were
very richly carved bas-reliefs on all sides of it. He was buried in a sitting
posture. After this we drove through a large park winding around a hill,
from which we had a good view of the city, from thence to the railroad station,
where we took passage for Brussels, arriving at two o’clock. Spent
the afternoon in looking through the lace shops.
Aug. 12 – Sunday – Went to the English Church at nine o’clock,
heard the service, hurried through in a most irreverent manner.
Aug 13. – Spent the day in purchasing lace and in the evening
left for Dover, England, having received a letter from Liverpool, which
entirely changed our plans. Reached Calais and went aboard the steamer
and reached Dover at six o’clock.
Aug. 14th – In London at half past six and leave for Liverpool
at a quarter before nine, where we arrived at two and remained there a
week, after which came back to London. The first three or four days were
spent in shopping. The first Sunday we went to hear the Rev. Dr. Cummins,
who gave us a good plain sermon. In the after noon we went to the Ragged
School connected with his church. The room was small and the attendance
still smaller. They are not be to compared with our mission schools. In
the evening we heard a good sermon in the chapel in the churchyard of
the Westminster Abbey.
Tuesday – August 28th – Commenced sight seeing with _____
Park, walked all around through the Zoological Gardens. Saw a great many
interesting animals, among which were lions, tigers, elephants, hippopotamus,
rhinoceros, seals, camels, one with two humps, camel-leopard and a variety
of others. The grounds are very extensive and well laid out.
Aug. 29th – A very interesting day in the British Museum, where
we saw all kinds of stuffed birds and animals, a great variety of shells
and minerals, corals, fossils, Egyptian and Saxon relics, models of statuary,
etc.
Aug 30. – Visited Kensington Gardens, Patent Office and Museum.
In the Patent office saw the first Locomotive engine used in England.
In the Museum the picture gallery among which were paintings of Wilkie
and Hogarth. On the first floor were models of machines, tiles, old royal
state carriages, dresses of ancient courts, specimens of china of India
and Chinese manufactures, India goods, specimens of seeds and plants from
all parts of the world; also articles of food of different nations, such
as bird nests from China, elephants hide and flesh, fish fins from Japan;
also several kinds of sweetmeats used by the Chinese and Japanese, a variety
of dried fish and other articles used as food by barbarous nations. Saw
oyster shells from one to eight years old, showing the increase in growth
of this bivalve. One intensely interesting wing was the analysis of a
pound of various kinds of fruits and vegetables and of three kinds of
meat, pork, beef and mutton, showing the amount of water, fat, albumen,
mineral matter, glutinous matter and also of a human body weighting 154
pounds, 111 lbs. of water, a number of pounds of glue, lime and albumen
and several oz. of phosphorus and other chemicals, a number of specimens
of tea, coffee, tobacco and corn, etc.