138 . AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



notice to the appointed officers, that they might be rightfully- 

 taxed. 



In the afternoon we visited a Sunday-school of the Unitarians, 

 where we saw about sixty well-behaved children the exercises 

 much the same as in ours. Afterwards we heard a sensible ser- 

 mon in the Independent chapel. The clergyman, who has been 

 a missionary in the East, and has also traveled in America, was 

 good enough to call on us and invite us to his house the next day. 

 The congregation seemed to be of a higher grade than most of 

 that we had seen at the cathedral more intelligent and anima- 

 ted, and more carefully dressed, yet very much plainer, more 

 modestly and becomingly, and far less expensively, than you 

 could often see any congregation with us. 



We had a delightful walk, later in the afternoon, on the walls, 

 where we met a very large number of apparently very happy 

 people. I never saw so many neat, quiet, ungenteel, happy, and 

 healthy-looking women, all in plain clean dresses, and conversing 

 in mild, pleasant tones ; hundreds of children, too, dressed ridicu- 

 lously bright and clean and stiff, not a dirty one among them, 

 and as well behaved as dolls, comically sober and stately. The 

 walls form a good promenade, elevated and dry. The landscape 

 view across the river, in the sunset haze, seemed in communion 

 with the minds of the people, tranquil and loving. An hour 

 later, and we found the streets lighted up and almost as crowded 

 as on Saturday night, yet very quiet, and no impudence, black- 

 guardism, or indecency. On the whole, spite of the universal 

 beer-drinking, we obtained a high opinion of the character of 

 Chester people, quite as high in respect to morality and courtesy 

 at least, as a stranger passing a Sunday in a New England town 

 of the same size would be likely to form of its inhabitants. 



