On your arrival at the hotel, say in a careless manner to the head waiter, who usually receives travellers, ' Waiter, pay the cabman," which he will do, and you will not be cheated; then ask him to conduct you to a room, make your own bargain as to price and location; and when you book your name, say that Liverpool is the place from whence you came; for if you say United States, you will have tag-rag and bob-tail after you, with all sorts of things to sell; besides, your pretty bar-maid will be sure to make you pay for seeing London, which you will ascertain when you receive your bill. "In London, you seldom have any dealings with the landlord, the business being transacted by the bar-maid.
Besides all this, when you leave, every individual servant in the house expects a fee from you; and if they know you to be an American, will expect double the sum that they usually receive from an Englishman. "In passing through the principal streets, probably a genteel looking fellow will approach you with a very polite bow, take your hand, and greet you as if you were an old acquaintance, at the same time assuming a sort of perplexity at not remembering where he had the pleasure of last seeing you, and kindly requesting you just to step in, as he wishes 3G to enquire for a particular friend, with whom he is sure you are well acquainted.
Now if you are simpleton enough to enter, the door is immediately closed, aud after being robbed, you are passed out of a backdoor into some obscure alley, to make the best of your way out. And when you stop to look at a print shop window, be sure to have one hand on your watch, and the other upon your wallet, for there are always pickpockets at all such places/' I thanked the gentleman very kindly for this piece of pre-information, and it will appear, as I proceeded, that everything was true, and as I said before, of infinite service to me. At Richmond, I stopped at the Eagle hotel, and directly opposite was an auctioneer's block for selling slaves, or, as they call them, servants.
I took a walk through the city, and was much pleased with the people, for they were certainly very hospitable. On Sabbath day, I introduced myself to the minister, after the morning service, when he with much politeness, invited me home to dine. I accepted the invitation, and on arriving there, was introduced to his wife, who was also a preacher, usually supplying some pulpit every Sabbath. We dined on Virginia ham, green peas, and iced milk, and an excellent dinner it was. I was also invited home to tea, after the afternoon service; both minister and wife were so urgent that I could not resist the invitation. After tea, we had family devotion, but the servants would not come in.
Mrs. Harris told me that they would never come in to family worship, saying, as an excuse, that they didn't believe in white men's prayers. In sauntering along, one day, it began to rain; as 1 had no umbrella, and was far from my hotel, I stopped a moment to consider, when a door opened right against me, and an elderly lady very politely invited me in. It was quite a genteel house; the lady conducted me into a handsome parlor, expressing herself highly gratified that I happened to be so near her house. I told her I was a stranger in Richmond, and on my way to England. She now evinced quite an interest in my journey, enquiring if I had a family; and when I named that I had a daughter, the good old lady burst into tears, and then told me, that only a few weeks ago, she had lost her only daughter; her darling child.
She then related the particulars of her sickness and death. And, although it would be almost as easy to squeeze a tear out of a grindstone as from my eyes, yet the old lady brought them. I could not hear the story of the death of her daughter without a little melting. She was taken suddenly with an obstruction in the bowels, and when the doctor told her that she could not live, she requested that her Sunday scholars might be sent for. They came, she took each by the hand, and in a most affectionate manner, bade them be sure and meet her in Heaven. They all kissed her, when she immediately expired. The old lady could say no more at present; but after she had become somewhat composed, invited me into her garden, which was fragrant with flowers, and sweet shrubbery.