Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, July 15, 1859

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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, July 15, 1859
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transcriber

Transcriber:spp:cnk

student editor

Transcriber:spp:les

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1859-07-15

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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, July 15, 1859

action: sent

sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16  Death: 1872-10-10

location: Stoke-on-Trent, England, UK

receiver:  
x

 

Birth:   Death: 

location: Auburn, NY

transcription: cnk 

revision: amc 2020-12-03

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Page 1

July 15 th Friday
My dearest Frances,
As the date of this letter indicates it is written
at Trentham Hall or Treatham Hall, the country house
or rather one of the country Homes of the Duke
Birth: 1786 Death: 1861-02-28
and
Dutchess
Birth: 1806-05-21 Death: 1868-10-27
of Sutherland. But before I proceed to
tell you what manner of place it is I must like
a true journalist tell you when and how I came
here and all that happened and was seen in
Cowes
x

.
I had a very pleasant dinner and quite a late
one at Mr Wildes
Birth: 1833 Death: 1919-03-28
at Manchester Monday every
Hospitality could be carried no further than it was
by my Kind friends Mr
Unknown
& Mrs Still
Unknown
with whom I
staid. I tore myself away from this generous circle
on Wednesday morning and set out for Stoke on Trent
in Staffordshire, then to visit the most celebrated
potteries in this country. On my way therein I heard
of the great annual Agricultural Fair of England
then beginning at Warwick – And was urged to go on
and attend it. I stopped nevertheless at Stoke,
which is a manufacturing town of about seven thousand
people and as I judge is principally built within
the limits of the estate of the Duke whose guest I am.
Page 2

2
A note of
introduction from
the Duchess who man-
ifestly is a very liberal
patron brought to us at once
guides who conducted us through
the whole establishment of the Mintons.
The most celebrated China manufacturers
in England – and who did not suffer me to leave
anything unseen or if possible not understood. They have
five separate areas covered with buildings. each area equal
to five or six acres I think. They employ fifteen hundred hands
and they make all forms of earthen and china from the encaustic
tiles which they have sent to pave the floors of the Capitol of the United
States
to China dinner and tea services in which a single plate costs
a hundred dollars – besides all forms and fashions of vases and other
ornated ornaments of the table, the parlor and the drawing room
as well as for the garden terrace – In short whatever of earthenware
or dinner ware you have ever seen is made by their manufacturers.
I saw and studied carefully every part of every process ^in which I was^ where
astonished me by the fact that Machinery does about nothing
and the human hand about everything in this department.
On the pictureware the figures flowers and other embellishes
are all painted by artists and the impression
has to be renewed once or twice after suc-
cessive heatings of the plate. I was
tempted to buy some handsome
things, but the enormous
expense of travel
in England
Page 3

3
is a constant support of my resolution to refrain from
of that sort.
From Stoke to the Trentham sta-
tion is two miles. I arrived there at half past
five – There is no village no living there. I deposited
my trunk and valise and took up a tramp
Unknown
to
find the Hall distant a mile. After passing
through a long stretch of cottages distant
and sometimes many rods from each other I found
myself again in the fields then a high garden
wall twenty feet high and I cant tell how
long appeared on my left hand – When this was
past a mausoleum, as large as a small chapel
secured itself above a cypress grove on my right
hand, then there was a turn in the road, then
a bridge across the river Trent, here not quite so large
as the Owasco, then at my left a long row of unpre-
tending store buildings covered with ivy, and there
was a gate ^and porters lodge^ half concealed itself by thick shrubbery
which shut out of sight every thing behind it. I passed
by the lodge and and passing through a by a broad fine
road with a fine house at the side and much shrubbery
I emerged upon a park in which were seen tents
plays, cricket players, carriages, horses – and herds
of deer which seemed quite undisturbed by me –
Page 4

4
venture Turning
to the right, I found
myself confronting as
I supposed the front of the
Hall – A respectable and even
lordly palace it was, and its entrance
was between two wings seemingly conventions
of majestic architecture. There was a gate before
me mounted by the ducal coronet and embellished
with the arms of the Duke, but there was no porters lodge
and the gate was decidedly locked. I tried it. I reached
but there was no bell or knocker – the wicket gates would
permit me to see but I could not get a foot through. After
wondering how I was even to get in, I applied to a Laborer
Unknown

who came driving by & who conducted me back to the lodge
gate, where the porter
Unknown
surveyed me pedestrian in sheeps grey
from head to foot and dust covered beside but when told
that I had come by directive of the Duchess, he conducted
me in and sent to the house Keepers that Mr Seward had
come, the Gentleman she had expected so long. Mrs Stewart
Unknown

the house Keeper shewed me dining room parlor and bed
rooms neatly and tastefully arranged which she had
put into condition for my use by direction of the
Duchess who of course is yet at London – A walk
into the gardens before dinner and a bath
filled up the time till a nice
dinner was set before me
to be eaten by myself
all alone –
a maid
servant
Unknown

working
outside
Page 5

5
In the evening Mr Fleming
Birth: 1809 Death: 1876-06-27
the agent or steward of this
estate came home from the State fair at Warwick
and it was arranged that I should go with him
to the same show in the morning. So Moving up my
window sash which looks out upon the gardens
and lake lighted up by a full orbed moon
I mused and wondered how persons who could
get up a house so beautiful, rich and lovely
could be content to live away from it and above
all in London. There are a dozen boats, but the
swan alone floats on the lake. There are walks
along its side but the deer alone treads its shores.
next morning at seven Mrs Stewart had a nice
breakfast and I set out with the steward for
Warwick. The old town was made gay as well
as rich by the crowds and all its ancient walls
tents and gates were covered with floral
arches and flags. The show much more extreme
than at our state fair was rich in animals
and in agricultural machinery and implements
In the latter I think we are now quite equal
to the English. I saw the steamplough which works
successfully, making four persons of one
Page 6

6
and turning
up the sod on
acres in a day, I learned
that more ^than^ fifty of these implements
machines are now in use. God speed
the plough – say I and I am sure that
steam is the agent divinity appointed to do it.
The English have many more varieties or breads of horses
than we know – The fair or exhibition is attended with
not less dissipation and folly than our own – probably because
races and other exhibitions ^provide^ John Bull processions
of that kind which we Americans do not know. The People
are just about like our own farmers, but there are abundant
indications of an unfair class of people who are not present at
these exhibitions. It was a long day, and a weary one.
I retired at ten o,clock, sat down to a delicious roasted
chicken, with tea, which awaited me, and after that
slept soundly as I am sure you will want to do after
reading this rambling account of my coming to and looking
in upon Trentham.
Page 7

7
But you say why do you not tell us about Trentham.
Tell us at once about Trentham. Well, I will do so.
When I looked out of my window this evening I
saw all the fountains, great and small throwing up
their crystal arches into the bright sun light. The
music was sweet and animating, and I could
scarcely believe that this fairy exhibition was gotten
up for me. But Mrs Stewart and the Dutchess had
directed that any thing should be shown to me that
could interest or amuse me – I am spending the
day in going over the cold gardens and estate
and I improve intervals of time in recording my
notes.
Trentham is a landed estate, which excepting
various parcels of greater or less magnitude covers a
circumference of many miles. Hill, intervening to head
the prospect, there is no one point from which you can
see the whole – It contains I know not how many thou-
sand acres – Whole villages and even large towns
nestle within it and these more or less belong to the
estate. It is entailed as going always to the oldest son
Its rental is about $200.000 per year. It is the least
I think of four or five estates all of the same character
belonging to the Duke in different part of the Kingdom.
He has besides various and personal estate
and is accounted I think the richest man in the
realm. Most of the lands and dwellings are rented
Page 8

8
out to tenants
from year to year
but if a tenant is honest
and thrifty and punctual
he remains for life and his children
succeed him – about 1200 acres are
managed by the Dukes steward himself – with
a view to the of the estate or its improvement.
Each estate is made the management of a chief or steward
who conducts its affairs as if he was its owner and renders
semi monthly accounts to a disqual principal agent residing
at London who really conducts the whole as if it were his own
under the approval of the Duke – Each estate is again subdi-
vided into departments of works or buildings, gardens , farms
&c very much like a government of a state. The tenantry
seem to independence in regard to all the world except their
landlord, towards him they carry the idea of service even
to an extravagant length. Even the steward of this estate who is
a man of genius and cultivation and taste calls himself the
Head servant of the Duke. They all also pay great homage to
the nobility and gentry, not one of the upper servants here
although assiduous to please me ever thinks of sitting in my presence
much less at the table which they prepare for me –
The Hall, as the dwelling is called, is a
palace as large or larger than the White House at
Washington, elaborately built and embellished
in the Italian style – with cupolas towers
clocks balustrades, conservatories
every thing – Its center is three
stories in height its wings
two. Its chapel
which is the
Parish
Page 9

9
Church as
well is a
fine Gothic structure
connected with and
constituting a part of the
Palace itself. Of course the Hall and
church occupy the site and in part are relics
of an Abbey, All the English villas are claimed
to be so. Trentham is. It stands on the East part of
the Trent, here called a river, and by artificial means
is made to seem one but in reality a native brook of four
or five feet width and one in depth. On the West the land
rises into hills a mile or more square of this declivity constitutes
the Park and is filled with lawns studded here and there with
clumps of trees. The residue far as the eye can reach is covered with
woods, and in them are gathered the waters of several streams which
conducted together into the valley in the South front of the Hall are
made to serve dozens of fountains in the gardens besides making a
lake half a mile long and a greater wide, with wooded shores
and promontories and islands which might deceive nature herself
The two wings of the Palace project in part of the main centre. The
wide esplanade between them is paved with black and white
marble blocks in diamond form each window sill is filled with
a box of geraniums or other flowers and the pavement at intervals with
vases or baskets of flowers – a balustrade marble of course
is no wood about the House or grounds separates this esplanade
for the Parterre which you gain by a descending steps of
three or four feet. This parterre is of itself a Native
garden complete with flower beds fountains
classical statues and vases – Descending
from this to a lower terrace you
reach the gardens – Italian
gardens as they are called
and these fill up
the space
till
Page 10

10
you reach the shore of the lake, along which was
a balustrade mounted with choice statues of
marble and bronze – These gardens from the
Hall to the lake cover twelve acres – On the
right they open onto the lawn through clumps of
flowering trees and shrubs. In front you descend
by stair and grand walks to the waters edge
of the Lake, on the left is a terrace raised as
high as the esplanade in front of the house ^and^ along
the whole length of this terrace near a quarter
of a mile is a walk covered with climbing
roses and ones which the mounting is broken by
arched doorways and niches filled with statuary
You will understand that these twelve acres of
gardens constitute only the dooryard of the
palace or river property to speak the front court
of the dwelling On the left the gardens are con-
tinued from the lake across the river to a massive
wall and they cover eighty seven acres –
What are these gardens? They are green houses – houses
for ^tropical^ fruits with spacious intervals filled with
hardy shrubs and flowers – These gardens
bring you quite round to the park whose entrance
is screened by thick groves in which you would
lose your way without a guide and into which
Page 11

11
the sun never penetrates. The woods or groves
all are planted and the trees are as various
as the climate will tolerate. Standing now on
the esplanade in front of the Hall your view is
bounded on the side by the gardens until the
lake opens before you embowered in wooded
hills, and on the very summit beyond overlooking
the whole scene is a massive towering monu-
ment erected in memory of the late Duke
Birth: 1758-01-09 Death: 1833-07-19

by his tenantry, Deer are denizens of the
park. A drive of a mile brings you to a
preserve overgrown with shrubbery and brakes
in which the pheasants and rabbits are
raised under the care of gamekeepers.
velvety roads winding in all directions
give you drives which constitute a labyrinth
to the stranger –
I know not how to attempt to describe
the chambers and halls of the magnificent
dwelling. The chapel is the chamber of the Abbey
restored – and preserves many of its original embellish-
ments. The family pew is in the gallery, the servants
of the family have one of the aisles on the East side
The rest is for the tenantry and public generally.
Page 12

12
The Dining Hall
the Drawing rooms
the parlors the conservatories
the billiard room, the state
bed rooms, the grand staircase
the corridors and even the ordinary bed
rooms are finely painted and embellished
with rare works of sculpture and painting and
engraving. My bed room adjoins the room dedicated to
the Crown in memory of its having been honored as the dormitory
of George III
Birth: 1738-06-04 Death: 1820-01-29
. If his ghost lingers there now, it must be scand-
alized by the proximity of so radical a rebel as I am –
Everything shows a care to maintain a paternal relation
between the family and the people of the vicinity You would
imagine that from what you hear that the Duke and Dutchess
live only to provide for and bless the poor. There are male
schools and female schools for the children, and even
spacious and beautiful gardens maintained by the Duke
for the use of the tenantry and public – but the palace and
its gardens are shut up to all but the family and
their guests. One sees early when here how such
vast estates are accumulated. The nobility
and gentry intermarry and so many
estates are gathered into one.
The last Duke of Sutherland
was only Earl of Stafford
He married the
Countess of
Sutherland
Page 13

13
who held the earldom and estate of Sutherland
in his own right. This union brought two immense estates
into one and the Dukedom was created upon that
basis. It is but just to say that in all England
I have seen no jealousies of the people towards the
autocratic class. They are sought for as patrons
of every thing ^object^ of modern enterprise and they
profit by the enhanced value of their estates
from the extension of manufacturers and of internal
improvements. Their tenantry and laborers contribute the
bulk of the electors in the counties. The labours paid
to day by the steward of this establishment are two hun-
dred in number. The sick are cured at their own
expense if able, but thrown upon the estate on a
certificate of the Doctor. Pen would fail me
to describe the brewery, the bakery, the poultry
yard, the dog kennels – I can only say in closing
that if you would understand a great English state
you must fancy the finest one you can secure in America
and then conceive of it extended on all sides and
in every form and heightened with the utmost
skill and taste and seemingly without any limit of
expense – I have gone at length into this description
that it may stand over for all an attempt at describing
an English noblemens country estate. How much time
Page 14

14
do the family
spend here? Full
three months a a year –
One half of the year in London
Three months here and the other three
months divided between their others
and similar residences – This indeed is
an unnatural division of a country. At a distance
one would think it could not last long. But since I have
got near enough to it I have found that there is a unnatural
seldom affection between the classes hard to break, and
in my judgement the number of Republicans in England is hardly
greater than the number of royalists in England. Of course
the world is moving. These ^immense^ estates must ultimately become pri-
zes to the active and industrious classes – but it will be
a slow progress if there be no disaster – a rapid one if
want or famine or pestilence or war should scourge
the Island.