nothing but supper and bed.

The next day people began calling, and certainly I cannot complain
of any coldness or want of welcome to my new home. I like what I
have seen of my future acquaintances very much. Of course there is
a very practical style and tone over everything, though outwardly
the place is as civilized as if it were a hundred years old;
well-paved streets, gas lamps, and even drinking fountains and
pillar post-offices! I often find myself wondering whether the
ladies here are at all like what our great grandmothers were. I
suspect they are, for they appear to possess an amount of useful
practical knowledge which is quite astonishing, and yet know how to
surround themselves, according to their means and opportunities,
with the refinements and elegancies of life. I feel quite ashamed
of my own utter ignorance on every subject, and am determined to set
to work directly and learn: at all events I shall have plenty of
instructresses. Christchurch is a very pretty little town, still
primitive enough to be picturesque, and yet very thriving: capital
shops, where everything may be bought; churches, public buildings, a
very handsome club-house, etc. Most of the houses are of wood, but
when they are burned down (which is often the case) they are now
rebuilt of brick or stone, so that the new ones are nearly all of
these more solid materials. I am disappointed to find that, the
cathedral, of which I had heard so much, has not progressed beyond
the foundations, which cost 8,000 pounds: all the works have been
stopped, and certainly there is not much to show for so large a sum,
but labour is very dear. Christchurch is a great deal more lively
and bustling than most English country towns, and I am much struck
by the healthy appearance of the people. There are no paupers to be
seen; every one seems well fed and well clothed; the children are