how the Liverpool folks enjoy this promenade: it is crowded from end to end. In good truth Liverpool is but ill-provided with open breathing spots; and we need not marvel that this parade should be an attractive spot.

Our progress towards the south next brings us to George's Dock, connected by its basins with Prince's Dock on the one hand, and with Canning Dock on the other. This may be regarded as the central spot of the dock system of Liverpool. The baths, and the pier for the minor steamers, are in front of it; St. Nicholas Church, the oldest in Liverpool, is close behind its basin; the commercial telegraph is just at hand; and the celebrated Goree warehouses, the destruction of which by fire has more than once given rise to such astounding losses, are just behind the dock itself. The commercial telegraph here alluded to is an admirable system-just such a thing as one would expect Liverpool men to employ and encourage. The system was established under the superintendence of Lieutenant Watson, about twenty years ago; and its object mainly is, to give notice to the Liverpool merchants of the approach of vessels from the Atlantic. There is a chain of stations, situated eight or nine miles apart, extending from Liverpool to Holyhead; all using a mechanical apparatus and a code of signals designed expressly for this kind of service. The distance is about seventy miles; and an intimation of what ships are in sight at Holyhead is generally made in about five minutes. On one occasion an answer is said to have been returned to a question in little more than half a minute. What the wonder-working electric telegraph' is destined to do in future years, we must wait to see; but we can well afford a meed of approbation for a mechanical contrivance which has thus for many years enabled the Liverpool ship-owners and merchants to know which of their ships are at any moment passing along between Ireland and Wales towards Liverpool.

George's Dock, the one in immediate proximity to the telegraph, is among the older members of the series. It was constructed in accordance with an Act of Parliament passed so far back as 1762. Its length is only about half as great as that of the Prince's Dock; but the breadth is about equal. Bounding this dock on the shore or inland side, is the Goree Piazza, with its immense pile of warehouses. There is an arcade beneath, for the convenience of foot passengers; and above this are five tiers of warehouses. So vast and so valuable are the commodities sometimes stored here, that when the whole pile was burned in 1802, the value of the goods consumed was estimated at very little short of a million sterling! Indeed fires of this disastrous description have been so numerous at Liverpool, that the insurance companies have found it necessary to adopt a high rate of premium for the insurance of such property.

In front of George's Dock is George's Pier, whence the ferry steam-boats take their departure, at all hours from early morn till midnight, to the opposite or

Cheshire coast. Birkenhead and Woodside, Seacomb and Egremont, Rock Ferry and New Ferry,-all have their steam-boats, starting either from George's Pier or from some spot very near it. The Liverpool corporations have recently placed upon this station a kind of floating-pier of most stupendous magnitude, exceeding every thing of the kind hitherto constructed. A stranger is very likely to observe, that the use of small row-boats is very limited in Liverpool. The truth seems to be, that the river is so busily filled, and steam agency is so economical in point of time, that small steamers are employed where row-boats would be otherwise in requisition. For ferrying across the Mersey, and for towing vessels in and out of the harbour, small steamers are very abundantly employed.

TOUR OF THE SOUTHERN DOCKS.

We may consider George's Dock, and the basins, pier, and parade near it, as a convenient dividing point; northward of which are situated the great harbour-works already described. Advancing onward next on a second or southern tour, we come to the Canning Dock, so named, of course, from the statesman who represented Liverpool for many years in Parliament, and whose foreign policy was such as to encourage that sort of commercial activity which Liverpool so much loves. This dock is really one of the old members of the series, for it was formerly the old basin, or Dry Dock; but in the year 1832 it was altered both in its arrangements and designation. It is occupied chiefly by coasting vessels from the northern ports and from Scotland, which bring corn and other provisions, and take back foreign produce. In immediate connexion with this dock are three graving docks, where vessels are laid up for repair.

Between the river on the one hand, and George's and Canning Dock on the other, are the Manchester Dock, for small canal or inland vessels, and one or two other docks for minor purposes. There are also the splendid Public Baths, the property of the corporation, who spent no less a sum than £36,000 in their construction. The buildings comprise Gentlemen's Baths, Ladies Baths, Plunging Baths, Dressing Rooms, and all the requisite accommodation for such an establishment. The means of supplying the baths are these: At high tide the river water flows into a spacious tank, beneath the centre of the building, capable of containing 800 tons; a steam-engine forces this water from the tank to a filtering reservoir, from whence it flows, clear and limpid, to the various bath rooms.

We still linger among the older portion of the dock series; for the next southward from Canning Dock is Salthouse Dock, which was busily occupied long before the more celebrated docks were constructed. It received its name from some salt-works which at one time were near it. The Salthouse Dock is mainly occupied or frequented by ships connected with the Irish and coasting trade; but in part also by vessels

Beyond the Salthouse Dock is the Duke's Dock, so called from the Duke of Bridgewater, who, when he had completed a water communication with Manchester, required a dock at Liverpool for the accommodation of the various canal boats, &c. There is a large warehouse overhanging one end of this dock, in such a way that the flats' or barges may pass in under cover while loading and unloading.

Next comes the so-called King's Dock, or as it might almost be designated, the Tobacco Dock-to so enormous an extent is it connected with the import and warehousing of tobacco. It was opened for traffic about sixty years ago; and comprises a water area of about forty thousand square yards. Hither resort the vessels from Virginia, Havannah, and the other tobacco-producing countries, to an extent almost incredible. But even the dock does not give an adequate idea of the amount of this smoke-producing weed, this "sorrow and vexation to many an English housewife;" we must go into the Tobacco Warehouses to form a true conception of the matter. These warehouses run the whole length of the King's Dock, between them and the river, and consist of a vast pile, in which hogsheads of tobacco are ranged in almost interminable rows. Of the twenty-five ports of the United Kingdom, into which tobacco is allowed to be imported, Liverpool ranks next to London as to quantity. That a large dock should be almost entirely devoted to the reception of ships laden with this 'Virginian weed," all to be dissipated in smoke or snuffed up the nostrils, is certainly a curious chapter in the history of national tastes. We are reminded by it of a curious sort of estimate made by the late Earl Stanhope, in which the philosophy of snuff-taking is placed in an ethico-commercial point of view, in a very quaint manner. Mr. Porter assures us, however, in his 'Progress of the Nation,' that we are not quite so bad as our forefathers in this matter. By comparing the quantity of tobacco consumed in this country with the amount of the population at the same period, he finds that in 1811 it gave about eighteen and a half ounces per annum to every man, woman, and child; whereas in 1841 it gave only thirteen and a half ounces."-Are we not, therefore, less smoky and snuffy than our fathers?

The Queen's Dock lies next in order of the series. It was opened shortly before the close of the last century, and must be ranked amongst the largest of the group; for it covers an area of more than fifty thousand square yards. It is frequented chiefly by Dutch and Baltic ships, and by others engaged in the timber trade, as also by some of the West India shipping. Between_it_and_the river are situated some ship

The Union Dock opens into the south end of the Queen's Dock, and is amongst the smallest of the series, for it has an area of only nine or ten thousand square yards. It used to be called the Half-tide Dock, and served as a subsidiary to the Queen's Dock, on the one side, and the Brunswick Dock on the other. Then, again, as the Queen's Dock is further inland than any other in the whole range, there are two basins, at right angles to its length, and connecting it at either end with the Mersey. These basins, which are very numerous at Liverpool, are in direct communication with the river, and are so planned that vessels may enter at every period of the tide, and must indeed pass through them before they can enter the docks. The basins are a sort of preliminary docks, ready to afford shelter at all times to shipping; whereas the docks themselves, in which the water is required to be maintained at a pretty constant level, can be opened only at high water.

The Brunswick Dock, the southernmost of the series at present existing, is one of the most symmetricallyshaped of the whole series. It is a noble area, covering more than sixty thousand square yards: it is, indeed, the largest of the docks yet opened. This dock communicates with the Mersey by a distinct basin of its own; and through this basin vast numbers of shipping pass, laden with timber. The dock is almost wholly appropriated to the timber trade. Instead of sheds, the water-area is surrounded by a wide open space, which is more convenient for unshipping timber. Near this spot are many very extensive wood-yards; and there are also numerous graving-docks for the repair of ships. Some of the largest vessels connected with Liverpool trade are met with in this dock.

But although the Brunswick Dock is the most southern yet in operation, it by no means marks the limit of Liverpool enterprise in this respect. In 1841 a distinct Company of Proprietors obtained an Act for the Herculaneum Docks, yet further south, and nearly opposite the Rock Ferry, on the Birkenhead or Cheshire shore. These docks, if completed according to the original plan, will extend pretty nearly half a mile in length, and will excel most of those further northward. Besides these, there also are in progress the Harrington Docks, between the last-mentioned and the Brunswick Dock. Liverpool has an enterprising opposite neighbour-Birkenhead; and redoubled energy is now being shown, both by the Corporate Trustees and by independent companies, to preserve to Liverpool the supremacy which has so long marked her career. Both the Harrington and the Herculaneum Docks are planned and formed by private companies; but nearly all the others are corporate property, under the control of the Dock Trustees; who are, in fact, the same body as the Liverpool Corporation.

The mind is really bewildered at the contemplation of this unparalleled series of docks. If we follow, on

a map of Liverpool, the chain of docks in their regular order: if, beginning at the gigantic Northern Docks,' not yet completed, we pass on successively to the Clarence, the Trafalgar, the Victoria, the Waterloo, the Prince's, the George's, the Canning, the Salthouse, the New, the Manchester, the Duke's, the King's, the Queen's, the Union, the Coburg, the Brunswick, and, lastly, the Harrington and the Herculaneum, we shall find here an unbroken series of docks, very little if anything short of four miles in length-three miles of which are in actual operation. Those of the series included between the Clarence and the Brunswick Docks, and wholly excluding the stupendous works at the north and south extremities, cover an area of more than a hundred acres, and present a quay space ten or twelve miles in length. This quay is not simply a flat avenue, on which persons may walk, or goods be deposited, it is almost wholly formed of hewn masonry.

THE EXCHANGE, THE CUSTOM-HOUSE, AND THEIR

ASSOCIATIONS.

Such, then, are the Liverpool Docks: such are the mighty works which enable the Liverpool merchants to accommodate the countless vessels that congregate thither; bringing the treasures of every foreign clime to England, and departing laden with the products of British industry. We may be well assured that the docks where such ships assemble; the quays and warehouses where goods are deposited; the Exchange, where the commercial dealings are planned; the counting-houses where these dealings are recorded; and the merchants by whom such a wonderful trade is carried on, are all worthy of attention from those who would mark the steps of industrial enterprise.

Would we understand the real extent of the commerce in which this wonderful town is engaged, we must devote our time in part to the Docks, in part to the Exchange, and in part to the Custom-house, or Revenue-buildings. In the Docks we see the actual ships, and the actual cargoes with which they come laden from almost every clime under the sun; in the Exchange we see the sharp and energetic men, whose brains and whose capital have set all this commercial machinery in motion; while in the Custom-house are preserved the records which show how gigantic is this machinery, and how much the entire revenue of the country is dependent on this one port. The docks we have pretty fully described; and the extent to which these docks are made use of may be pretty well judged from this fact, that, in June, 1844 (and the enumeration would probably apply to many other periods), there were in one day 755 vessels in the Liverpool docks at one time, exclusive of the steam-vessels in Clarence Dock, and smaller steamers on the river. The tonnage of those 755 vessels was about 184,000 tons giving an average of 245 tons for each vessel. In an account published about that period, it was stated, that of the 755 vessels, 52 were loading for various ports in England and Wales; 30 for Irish

ports; 37 for Scotch ports; 90 for America; 50 for various European ports; 15 to Africa; 30 to the East Indies; 5 to the Levant; 4 to China; and 2 to New South Wales. The most astonishing part of this enumeration, perhaps, is the 90 vessels which were fitting out for America; showing the vastness of the intercourse between that country and Liverpool.

The warehouses, associated more or less closely with the docks, furnish another field in which the Liverpool merchant displays his untiring energy and activity. Scarcely a manufactured commodity, scarcely a speci men of the raw material of manufactures, but comes under his notice; and his knowledge and influence run parallel with his enterprises.

The Exchange-buildings-where much of the intercourse between Liverpool merchants is conductedform rather a noble looking pile, situated in the immediate vicinity of the Docks, somewhat northIward of the Custom-house. They were constructed about forty years ago. There is, in the first place, a square open area, in the middle of which is a bronze statue of Lord Nelson, cast by Westmacott from the design of Matthew Charles Wyatt. This statue was a very costly affair; for it absorbed no less than £9000, which was furnished by public subscription. Like most things of the kind in England, it has had to contend against a liberal amount of criticism. However, to leave the statue, and to glance round the quadrangle. We find on three sides of this court lofty ranges of buildings, which present three architectural façades of the Corinthian order. On two of the sides there are arched piazzas (as they are often incorrectly termed in England, but more correctly arcades, or colonnades), fifteen feet in width; while on the remainder, or north side, is a projecting centre, having an arched carriageway to afford access from and to the neighbouring street. The square is made up by a second building, the Townhall, which occupies the south side of the quadrangle, and helps to give a certain air of completeness to the whole. The Exchange-buildings are devoted to various purposes connected with the commerce of the town. For instance, in the east wing is the spacious newsroom, where an extensive supply of newspapers is kept for the use of the subscribers, and where may be seen many an anxious reader in times of commercial difficulty; while in the west wing is a room appropriated to the use of underwriters or ship-insurers. The newsroom has been likened to "an immense school-room; for a vast quantity of news-papers are here displayed upon a number of small desks, over which the pupils of Mercury may be seen diligently engaged in their studies."

But the Custom-house, of all the commercial buildings of Liverpool, is the one which strikes most upon the imagination of a stranger. That such a vast pile should be appropriated to this one purpose, is indeed a memento to the grandeur of the commercial system to which it is wedded. But it must in fairness be borne in mind, that it is not simply a Custom-house; it comprises other buildings and offices connected with

the revenue and commerce of the town; and the designation, Revenue-buildings, now often applied to it, is more satisfactory, because more correct, than the simple name of Custom-house. (Cut, No. 2.)

The site on which this pile is erected tells almost as much of the progress of Liverpool commerce as the pile itself. Time was, when a creek ran up into the heart of Liverpool, and possibly gave name to the town itself. Then, as commerce advanced, this creek was so deepened, and walled, and widened, and provided with quays and gates, as to serve as a dock; and under the name of the Old Dock, this piece of water served the purpose of commerce for a considerable time; the Custom-house being situated on the eastern side of it. But commerce quite outran the accommodation of such an establishment; and the corporation resolved to fill up the Old Dock, and erect a splendid pile on its site. We may therefore consider that the present Custom-house points out the original heart and centre of Liverpool commerce; and as such, it has a double claim to our notice. Through the aid of Canning and Huskisson, a plan was devised, whereby the Government and the Corporation were to bear jointly the expense of the construction, under a certain stipulated agreement; and the first stone was laid in 1828. It is curious to see the mode in which Mr. Kohl estimates this building. He treats us as a people who can do nothing well, unless we do it for commercial purposes. He had been speaking of the Nelson statue in the Exchange Quadrangle, and intimates pretty plainly his opinion that we "can't make a statue" (as 'Punch' would express it); but he says, that when we come to matters of real utility, we know how to blend beauty with convenience. He speaks in warm praise of the Railway-station in Lime-street; and then proceeds thus :-"Trivial as the name and object of such a building may appear in the eyes of philosophers, the Custom-house of Liverpool is really a wonderful pile; and the enthusiast for the fine arts will not fail to admire it, however worthless or odious may appear to him the business transacted there. To me it seems that this building is not merely the first of its kind in the world, and incomparably the finest of any kind in Liverpool, but that it deserves to rank even with St. Paul's Cathedral, and with other architectural marvels of the first order. If a stranger were placed in front of the pile, without knowing where he was, he would certainly be apt to believe that there, at the least, must be held the meetings of a senate, to whose consultations the welfare of a mighty empire was committed. It is not merely the extent of the building 500 feet by 100) that commands our admiration; but the simplicity of the style harmonizes so beautifully with that extent. The Ionic columns which support the porticos of the centre, and of the two wings, are fifty feet in height. . . . . . It is unquestionably one of the most magnificent pieces of architecture that our age has produced; and if it has not acquired as much fame as the Isaac's church in St. Petersburgh, or the Museum in Berlin, or the Glyptothek, the Pinacothek,

or the Walhalla in Bavaria, or the church of St. Magdalen in Paris, or other colossal piles of modern erection, the reason must be the comparatively vulgar use to which it is applied."

The building, to the exterior of which these warm praises refer, is appropriated internally to many different purposes. The basement apartments consist of

large vaults, for the reception of bonded and other merchandise. The western portion of the building generally is devoted to the business of the Customhouse; and one of its most distinguishing features is the Long Room,' a splendid apartment, lighted by fourteen windows on the sides, and by twelve others in the dome which soars above the building; this dome is supported by eight large Ionic columns, and the roof is borne up by eight more, with corresponding pilasters. Flights of stairs at either end give entrance to this noble apartment from other parts of the building. The southern part of the east wing is devoted to the General Post-office, the Excise-office, and the offices of the Dock Treasurer and Secretaries. The remaining portions of the building are occupied by the Board-room, the Stamp-office, and the Offices of the Dock Committee. The building, therefore, is one of the most complete revenue establishments that can be imagined; and we need not wonder if it appear one of the busiest spots in Liverpool. The warm colour of the freestone of which it is built, the simplicity and grandeur of the parts composing the building, and the admirable fitness of the whole for the purposes contemplated, all combine to render this structure well worthy of a stranger's attention.

Let us pause a few moments to contemplate the vastness of the commerce of which the Liverpool Custom-house is in some sense the representative. The West India trade was one of the earliest which developed the energies of the Liverpool merchant: indeed, next to London, it engrosses a larger amount of this traffic than any other of our ports. Glasgow and Bristol are the next important ports in this respect. Let us imagine the vastness of the arrangements connected with the annual import of fifty thousand hogsheads of sugar, twenty thousand barrels and bags of coffee, and ten thousand puncheons of rum, all brought from the West Indies to Liverpool, and we cannot fail to see the importance of this trade.

When we come to speak of the United States, we find that Liverpool excels even the metropolis itself in the extent of her imports from that country. It is said that eight parts out of nine of all the raw cotton sent from the United States to Great Britain enters the port of Liverpool; and the proportion of the manufactured cotton goods exported from Liverpool bears not much smaller a proportion to the whole quantity. Cotton is, however, not by any means the only commodity largely imported from the United States. Tobacco, rice, dye-wares, and numerous other varieties of American produce, help to swell the list.

Then, again, British America-comprising the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, New