CHAPTER IV
STUDY IN EUROPE
1849-1851
On April 30 we landed at Liverpool, and I began to
make acquaintance with the wonderful and unknown
Old World, which I had left when a child of eleven.
Everything seemed new and striking. The substantial
character of Liverpool, the 'finished look'
of the surrounding country, the extraordinary character
of the mining district—all awakened keen
interest. My poor cousin being ill with rheumatism,
however, we journeyed on at once to his home
at Portway Hall, near Dudley. A fortnight was
spent in this pleasant home, which, though in the
centre of the 'Black Country,' was surrounded by
gardens where the flowers were fresh and sweet, the
trees in beautiful leaf, whilst the cuckoo saluted us
in the morning and the nightingales at night. I
gained a glimpse of the lovely English country, and
spent a memorable time in examining the novel
surroundings of the great mining district of England.
The following letters are descriptive of a young
student's impressions on revisiting her native land
more than a generation ago.
