186 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



Listen) both retained the kindest recollections of their 

 American residence, and Mrs. Liston cherished a small 

 American garden devoted to our trees, shrubs, arid plants ; 

 and into this garden she admitted nothing that was not of 

 transatlantic origin. I looked with peculiar interest to 

 these natives of my country. We found these interesting 

 people living in all the simplicity and retirement of rural 

 life. Their house, a neat stone cottage, was of one story, 

 with a thatched roof, and had a few handsome rooms. It 

 was situated in the midst of a farm which Mr. Liston cul 

 tivated, not without personal toil. His person was tall and 

 dignified, his manners presented a model of graceful sim 

 plicity, and his conversation was highly intelligent, instruc 

 tive, and agreeable. We took breakfast in a small octag 

 onal apartment resembling a ship's cabin, and lighted from 

 above. Mrs. Liston did the honors of the occasion with 

 much dignity and affability. Their sentiments on the 

 United States and its affairs, its government, and the pros 

 pect of the permanency of its institutions, were highly 

 favorable. Mr. Liston was now in retirement, and ap 

 peared to be past sixty years of age. A revolution of par 

 ties having recently taken place, and the party of Mr. Fox 

 having come into power, allusion was made to that fact, and 

 to the probability that he, Mr. Liston, would soon be called 

 again into public life, when he replied, " If they want me, 

 they know where to find me ; " and I believe he was soon 

 after sent on some foreign mission. Mr. Liston, while re 

 siding in Philadelphia as minister from the Court of Lon 

 don, was constantly assailed by " The Aurora," the leading 

 Democratical paper of that day. At breakfast he remarked 

 to us pleasantly, that finding one morning that his name did 

 not appear in * The Aurora" sheet as usual, he was led to 

 inquire whether he had done any base act that day or re 

 cently to entitle him to favor from " The Aurora." He 

 remarked that the editor, Duane, was a renegade English 

 man, and Callender was another base instrument also, an 



