86 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1838, 



Evening. This short English day has been occu- 

 pied in good part in getting my luggage from the ship 

 and through the custom house. I sallied out a little 

 past nine in the morning ; went first of all to a tailor 

 and ordered a coat (which is to be finished and de- 

 livered this evening) ; then dispatched my letters for 

 home by the United States ; found our own ship just 

 going into dock (what docks they are ! but as we 

 have always plenty of water we do not so much need 

 them in New York) ; arranged my luggage, and then 

 proceeded all hands to the custom house (a large 

 new building, rather imposing in appearance), where 

 I was detained until past three o'clock. I had fifteen 

 pounds of books to pay duty upon (fifteen shillings), 

 and nothing to complain of as to the manner of the 

 examination. . . . After dinner, visited the market, 

 which on Saturday evening is full and busy. It is 

 about twice the size of all the New York markets put 

 together, and a sight well worth seeing. I examined 

 everything scrutinizingly, but will not trouble you 

 with my observations. . . . 



Sunday evening, December 2. Went this morn- 

 ing to the chapel of the school for the blind. The 

 chanting and singing was very fine, and the sight an 

 interesting one. But to me the solemnity of the 

 church service is by no means increased by being 

 chanted ; heard a tolerable sermon. In the evening 

 heard Dr. Raffles. 1 His chapel is a gloomy structure 

 externally, but very neat and comfortable within. Dr. 

 R. preached the first of a series of discourses " On the 

 most remarkable events in the early history of the 

 Israelites," commencing with the bondage in Egypt, 



1 Dr. Thomas Raffles ; a distinguished Congregational clergyman 

 in Liverpool from 1812 to 1863. 



