Julia G[riffiths] Crofts to Frederick Douglass, September 15, 1859

LETTERS FROM THE OLD WORLD.

NUMBER LXIX.

HALIFAX, Sept. 15th, 1859.

MY DEAR FRIEND:—The Summer, with all its varied charms and beauties, is over; no longer, in our country rambles, are we greeted by the sweet song of birds, or by wayside flowers. The butter-cup and daisy have 'faded and gone;' the humming of the wild bee is heard no more; the bright Mid-summer green of the trees has gradually changed to a darker shade; here and there leaves of russet hue are visible; the days are drawing rapidly in; every where we are reminded that the reign of Autumn—grand and sombre Autumn—has commenced, that another 'harvest is past,' 'another Summer is ended'—Who can look upon the scenery of Autumn without much exercise of thought, and without a sentiment of melancholy? I think it is Chateaubriand who says of Autumn: 'The leaves fall like our years, the flowers fade like our illusions, the light dimishes like our intelligence, the sun grows colder like our affections, the rivers become frozen like our lives—all bear secret relations to our destinies.' I do not entirely agree with him; but is there not some truth in what he says? Who that walks abroad at this season, listens to the moaning wind in the trees, watches the scattering foliage, and crincles the russet leaves beneath his feet, as in quick succession they fall around him, fails to reminded of his own inevitable destiny, for 'we all do fade as a leaf?' Each season, however, has its own peculiar charm, and 'mellow Autumn' has many. One advantage possessed by the town of Halifax is the immdiate vicinity of the moors. A pleasant drive

of twenty minutes, or a rather longer walk, brings you to the 'purple moors' of Skircoat, add to a ridge of grand rocks, on which you may sit musing 'o'er flood and fell,' and tracing the coarse of the Calder as it winds its way through the renowned and truly beautiful valley that bears its name. We have spent some pleasant days this summer on these moors. When the atmosphere is clear the panorama that presents itself is grand, and very extensive. The purple heather forms a charming resting place, and numbers of merry little children, clambering up and down the crags, in gleeful mirth, contribute to the picturesque aspect of the scene, as ever and anon some youthful face peers out amidst the under wood of native oak that clothes the clefts and crevices of sandstone. The winding Calder valley, stretching below, presents a busy scene; mills and manufactures are visible to the right and to the left; Copley Mills, the town of Bridge of Sowerby, show how art, wealth and industry have triumphed. Above all appear the purple ridges of the hills, some of them forming a branch of the grand ridge, popularly termed the Backbone of England, seem to defy the power of man to deface their grandeur, and meeting the horizon in the far distance. I can well imagine that, divested of the smoke and inelegancies of manufactories, this extensive chain of valleys, with the abrupt and picturesque heights that bound them, would well compare with some of the highland glens. We had a fine drive the other day to Luddenden Foot, a place romantically situated below the village termed Luddenden; Copley valley, Sowerby valley

were pointed out to me on our way they and some other lovely valleys form collateral branches of the wide and entensive Calder valley. Even at Luddenden Feet we could not escape from the manufacturing regions.—It is here that the Ex-Mayor of Halifax (worthy Mr. Whitworth) has his extensive works, and it is here that he has recently erected a commodious and pretty chapel and school room for his work people. A brother of the Rev. Newman Hall has just been appointed pastor of this chapel; we had the gratification of listening to the Rev. gentleman, and of visiting the school, which is beautifully fitted up, and admirably presided over, so far as I was able to judge. Our forefathers would, indeed, look in amazement could they behold the innumerable 'canny' devices and schemes formed to facilitate the shooting of 'the young ideas' of the present generation. It did me good to see the neat line of desks, fitted up so nicely with ledges for the slates, pens and pencils of every child, and a little covered ink-stand for every two children—the latter so firmly fixed in the desk, that no miscievous boy could run away with it, or throw its contents at his unsuspecting neighbor. A good looking, rosy cheeked, pleasant looking set of boys and girls were assembled; we found them performing divers manipulations and brisk exercises; we left them seated at their desks, engaged in writing copies. These were the 'half tune' children, half the day engaged in Mr. Whitworth's works, and half the day receiving excellent instruction. What vast responsibilities rest upon our wealthy and extensive manufacturers, and well do the leading

men of Halifax meet them. The Messrs. Crossley, Mr. Akroyd and Mr. Whitworth are pattern men in this respect; and if we look a little way from Halifax, and think of Meltham Mills and its worthy proprietors, Messrs. Brook & Co., and of Salter[r]e and Titus Salt Esq., we shall come to the conclusion that wealth is in the right hands in this quarter, and that the West Riding of Yorkshire is peculiarly blesses with large-hearted, noble-minded, public-spirited, Christian men, who believe in doing all the good they can with the wealth committed to them.

Another day, recently, we visited the rich and beautiful Shibden valley, which, though commenting within a mile and a half of this busy town, seems 'far retired from noise and strife,' and to a lover of nature, wears a most enchanting aspect. While enjoying the soft tranquillity of this lovely retreat, I could not realize the fact that I was only two miles away from Halifax. Our town has the character of being a very cold one in winter; and it is not to be wondered at when we look up at the lofty broken outline of hills by which it is surrounded on all sides, and imagine the meeting of the wild, warring winds on the western moorlands, or in some of the many neighboring valleys. Much rain falls here, and we have a great deal of fog. I learn that Blackstone Edge and the mountains of Craven are deemed the most stormy districts in England. The former of these is very near to us.

A great acquisition to the people of Halifax, is the beautiful park, so generously presented to them by Frank Crossley, Esq., two years since. I was visiting the town soon after it was open, and as I well remember

having given some account of it then, I will only say now that each Summer has added much to the beauty of this much frequented and tastefully decorated spot. On Summer evenings the park was thronged with visitors, great and small; the fountain sparkled in the sunshine; the gold and silver fish played in the waters; the tiny cascade musically rippled; the snow-white swans and pretty ducks sailed upon the fairy lakes, to the supreme delight of the little boys and girls of our town! When time and strength do not admit of our distant ramblings, it is very pleasant to have such an agreeable promenade within reach, whence we can enjoy a fine panorama, together with fresh breezes from the hills.

August is the month for Floral Exhibitions in this part of the world, and there were several a few weeks since. Yorkshire is too far north to excel in the beauty of natural flowers. The show of common flowers I thought poor; but the collection of greenhouse plants contained some rare specimens, and both the Egyptian Palm and Butterfly Plant were to be seen. Elm Wood Park was kindly lent by the proprietor for the occasion to which I refer, and as the adjoining gardens of Shaw Lodge and Spring Hall were also thrown open, the scene was very gay and attractive; the weather, too, proved most propitious! (a somewhat unusual thing when open air exhibitions take place in hilly regions;) so all was coulour de rose, and the people threaded their way beneath the 'tall ancestral trees' of the beautiful gardens with due propriety and order, and I trust no deed was done that there would cause the propritors to regret their kindness in throwing open their well kept grounds. Our democrcy are certainly much better behaved than they used to be on such occasions, and I quite believe that the more confidence is placed in them in this respect, the more orderly will their deportment be.