worth climbing
four or five flights of stairs to gaze upon. Glancing down on the town
nestled in the foliage, it seems like a town dropped by chance in the
midst of a forest. Among the prominent objects which lift themselves
above the tree tops are the belfries of the various churches, the
white facade of the custom house, and the mansard and chimneys of the
Rockingham, the principal hotel. The pilgrim will be surprised to find
in Portsmouth one of the most completely appointed hotels in the United
States. The antiquarian may lament the demolition of the old Bell
Tavern, and think regretfully of the good cheer once furnished the
wayfarer by Master Stavers at the sign of the Earl of Halifax, and by
Master Stoodley at his inn on Daniel Street; but the ordinary traveler
will thank his stars, and confess that his lines have fallen in pleasant
places, when he finds himself among the frescoes of the Rockingham.

Obliquely opposite the doorstep of the Athenaeum--we are supposed to be
on terra firma again--stands the Old North Church, a substantial wooden
building, handsomely set on what is called The Parade, a large open
space formed by the junction of Congress, Market, Daniel, and Pleasant
streets. Here in days innocent of water-works stood the town pump, which
on more than one occasion served as whipping-post.

The churches of Portsmouth are more remarkable for their number than
their architecture. With the exception of the Stone Church they are
constructed of wood or plain brick in the simplest style. St. John's
Church is the only one likely to attract the eye of a stranger. It
is finely situated on the crest of Church Hill, overlooking the
ever-beautiful river. The present edifice was built in 1808 on the site
of what was known as Queen's Chapel, erected in 1732, and destroyed by
fire December 24, 1806. The chapel was named in honor of Queen Caroline,
who furnished the books for the altar and pulpit, the plate, and two
solid mahogany chairs, which are still in use in St. John's. Within the
chancel rail is a curious font of porphyry, taken by Colonel John Tufton
Mason at the capture of Senegal from the French in 1758, and presented
to the Episcopal Society on 1761. The peculiarly sweet-toned bell
which calls the parishioners of St. John's together every Sabbath is,
I believe, the same that formerly hung in the belfry of the old Queen's
Chapel. If so, the bell has a history of its own. It was brought from
Louisburg at the t