ENPages
p. 6
I must part with my mother. Oh what a trial to leave & part with her whom I loved [struck through: better than] so dearly & my father too & Jessie Mary, Robert & William I assumed composure I was far from feeling. My heart was ready to burst but I must tear myself away. the hour has come & I must go My father Robt. Wm. Taylor, Fred, James T. Banks at the station bade me good bye & off we went Left N.B. Station at 9.15 Stopped Dunbar 5 minutes Berwick 10 minutes . I went outside the station at Berwick but it being dark I could see very little, however I saw the Tweed & could make out the general appearance of the town We stopped again at Newcastle & York at the latter we had 20 minutes & I went into the refreshment rooms to have a cup of coffee for which I paid 1/ rather scalped. I saw the Cathedral A young fellow sitting opposite me in the train & I went to see it, it is a
p. 7
beautiful edifice one of the handsomest I ever saw. It was getting light when we left York so I sat up & had a look at the country round about. I slept a little probably 2 or 3 hours but it is very un- comfortable sleeping in a railway carriage Mr Inglis (of Gall & Inglis late in the Northbridge) was in the same carriage. I would have spoken to him & asked him to call on you but as I thought I would have time to write soon & it was such a short time from leaving home that I thought it of little use. The great difference between the appearance of Scotland & England is the general level appearance of the latter there is scarcely a hill visible throughout the whole extent, especially in the Southern part. Their fields I think are more nicely laid out than in Scotland instead of being separated by stone walls, they had hedges running between which adds greatly to the general beauty of the country. From York southwards there seems to have been a general flooding of
p. 8
the country every field almost was covd. with water the grain some cut & some uncut lying steeped in it. At Lincoln we were obliged to change the line of rail. we got on to the Lincoln & Boston line the N.B. line being flooded The guard told us that a train had gone right on the N.B. line the day before was driven of the rails. Some passengers hurt & one nearly killed. As it was the line which we went on the train went through water nearly a mile (I believe it was mostly owing to the bursting of a large canal in Lincoln) We were detained 2 hours behind time of arriving in London by this means On arriving in London at King's Cross I was astonished to see the bustle & stir everywhere the whole side of the station lined with Cabs one of which I engaged & drove to the Waverly Hotel in Cheapside. I shortly after called on Mr Nisbet at Guy's Hospital He told I would require to be off immediately to Southampton as our vessel would sail early on Saturday morning.
p. 9
London. As I had nothing particular to keep me in London I told him I was quite ready to go down to Southampton on the Friday night- we went through Guy's Hospital & St Thomas' An operation was going on at Guy's at which I think they would have been nothing the worse of the assistance of some of our Edinr. Surgeons. With proper teachers the students in Guy's ought to make good practitioners as they see an immense deal of practice both dispensary & Hospital. I was astonished to see the number of patients waiting I never saw anything like it in our Infirmary. I went through some of the principal thouroughfares in London & then returned to the waverly to dinner What a continual bustle & stir is going on in London every part you can turn your eyes to presents the same scene was very anxious to call at Morrison's warehouse but I was told by so many different people differrent directions to Fore Street that I was obliged to give up the search in case I should run short
p. 10
of time. I saw St. Pauls & thought to make it out from that but I got quite into a labyrinth of streets. I left London at 5 oclock by the S.W. Rail for Southampton & got there about 8 oclock & called on Smith Barry & Co Mr Gowan's agents. they took charge of my luggage & put in on board for me & told me that the "Candia" would clear out at 7 oclock next morning (Saturday) but that a steamer would be ready at 11 oclock to take out passengers I put up at the Crown Hotel all night. where although a very good Hotel & everything very clean to appearance I spent a most miserable night. I thought I had been served with some not inveterate skin disease or other, but however the morning proved the real nature of the case my neck & arms testified very plainly[?] the cause. I got up early posted a letter or two & then took a walk out to see Southampton I returned to breakfast & shortly after found a friend of James Forbes to whom I had a letter