[From Reminiscences of Notable Douglas Citizens etc, 1902]

OLD AND NEW DOUGLAS

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.

The, conservatism of the average Manxman is very fixed and abiding ; it is like part of his very being — and all innovations — or attempts at progress are looked upon as the removing of old, but sacred, landmarks that ought to be cherished and conserved. and he is increasingly jealous if any "foreigner" or outsider dares to trespass on these sacred rights. But in spite of him, Douglas, like most places, has felt the force of the onward march, and has been pushed along with the rest of world commercially, educationally, and let us charitably hope, morally and religiously. I have in a previous chapter dealt with the "good old times," when things were cheap and the people lived under very different conditions to what they do now, and in this article on the question I wish to deal with my subject more in the character of

CRITIC AND PROPHET

than that of a recorder of the events that passed under my eye, or within the ken of my knowledge.

I assisted as an enumerator to take the census of Douglas when the population was under 10,000. Now I presume it is slightly over double that number. But that, is not a marked increase when compared with Southport, which has put on 50,000 within a century, or of Bournemouth, which in half a century has three times the population of Douglas. Other watering places, such as Blackpool, show even a greater development ; but the whole Island — as an Island isolated from the mainland — cannot ever make the progress that towns easy of access with large populations within short distances to draw from can do.

The Douglas of fifty; to sixty years ago was a very circumscribed town ; taking the line along the Quay, up to Peel Terrace — Athol Street only partly built on — and "Hollantide Fair," held in the street winding round by Prospect Hill; the site of Murray's bake-house, up to the Scotch Kirk, market-gardens. St. George's Walk, back of Athol Street: was the boundary line between the town and country, and a walk to the Hills' house showed a mansion standing on its own ground as a centre of agricultural, arable, and grazing land. One side of Finch Road inhabited, and on the west side gardens and fields — Mona Terrace looking down on the town, and then Harris Terrace running like a strayed part jutting up to a cul-de-sac. The entrance way of Castle Mona was at the Castle Tap by the "Iron Pier" building, and then a blank till McCrone's house was reached, with irregular houses in a string ending at Derby Castle.

The communication with the mainland, slow and seldom! The "King Orry " steamer had its hull built in Winram's ship yard, and sent to Glasgow for its " internals:" She had the reputation of being safe but slow — a good eight hours was a farvourable passage, but nine or more an average ; and when one steamer made a six hours' run Robert Fargher said at a meeting; " it was quite within the bounds of probability that the distance might some day be covered in four hours." Some said he was mad; but was he ?

Now where were all

THE GPEAT RESIDENT POPULATION OF DOUGLAS

we have heard so much about living. The. people who went there to reside with their families and enriched the shop keepers? This is a matter that requires a little probing and light let in on it, for even now we hear so much of " the gentry " that once graced Douglas with their presence. This class of people do not now exist for the conditions of the Army and Navy in these days do not permit of men taking French-leave from their duties, selling out, or "swopping" their commissions, and "retiring on half-pay," &c. A great number of these people were returned officers from foreign service, who had been used to the isolation in their duties abroad; and a bi-weekly or tri-weekly mall was a luxury to them, and the climate of the Island was considered to have a remedial and invigorating effect upon those who had suffered from foreign climatic influences; but the whole secret, or a good part of it was caused by the fact that they could live more cheaply; and that there was not the same social position to keep up that would be exacted from their rank in England.. In addition to cheap provisions exemption from taxes, and low rents, they had peculiar privileges accorded to them by the Lieutenant-Governor in granting them "permits" for the importation of their own exciseable goods, which was

DISGRACEFULLY ABUSED BY THEM

It was supposed that they had a kind of prescriptive right to this exemption, and the Governor favoured them and the officials of the Island, by granting them, or so such favourites as could influence him for the purpose. Men would apply for a large quantity of tea, sugar, spirits, wine, cigars, by a dozen times more than he would ever consume in his own family, mud for goods probably never used in his household. He might get a "permit" for only one-half of the quantity asked for ; but he would then set about to barter or trade with some persons not so privileged — sell portions of his stock to friends — but oftener trade with some grocer or spirit dealer, and get a quid-pro-quo for expanding over his order to another. This system was a vicious one, unjust to others outside the pale of favouritism, and very unfair to shopkeepers. Often the tradesmen were let in by them — the men would go off, the women and children being left behind, perhaps in lodgings or a furnished house, and the assets left would not pay the cost of realising them.

Then the usual Douglas credit system was to render accounts at Christmas only, and if any tradesman pushed for his money out of season he would get blackballed or boycotted.

I have heard people say that with the advent of "trippers," dancing saloons and other draws of this kind for the crowd to visit the Island, this class of visitor or resident had been scared away. Whilst there may be some truth in it so far as retired people who had a regard for morality and wishing to bring up their families free from all the rowdy associations, I am not sure but that the military element that formed the larger portion of the upper class residents from fifty to sixty years ago, would not have thoroughly enjoyed it and helped in its promotion.

WITH THE DOUGLAS OF THE PRESENT

and of the last quarter century, there is much to be thankful for — much to regret ; had its material advancement been separated from the exploiters in its moral ruin the town would have been richer in health and character than it is today, and with a surer basis or foundation for its future development,

Had Governors Loch and Walpole felt any interest in the religious and moral welfare of the Island, and not have measured its progress and developments by the amounts obtained from drink and tobacco, and by making each return of advance in duties the gauge for prosperity, Douglas would stand on a better footing commercially and morally today than it does.

I will always

"RUB IN THE TRUTH "

that I hope some day will be recognised — that the character for drunkenness and rowdyism in Douglas commenced with the laxity of the authorities in allowing dancing on the piers to the early hours of the morning. This compelled the boarding; houses to keep open for their visitors, and as a set-off they began to sell drink illicitly — but under the knowledge, if not under a feigned sanction from the authorities. This dancing mania was provided for and fed at Derby Castle. Drink sellers and dividend hunters saw that this craze would grow with what it fed upon — facilities multiplied; and from that source and through all as manipulations of syndicating and company-mongering may be traced all the various stages culminating in the great crash of Dumbell's Bank.

The inner life of these "limited" schemes, and of their promoters, directors, and supporters, over which charity or respect for some of their connections outside, compels me to throw a veil over base actions, short and polluted lives, — not only cursed in themselves, but who have cursed others, by setting up pitfalls into which moral innocent blood has been spilt, characters ruined, homes devastated, and commercial, moral and social ruin dogged their actions, and placed the Devil's crow's-foot on every act.

If I wanted to dish up a chapter of horror: as a warning to others, I would begin with the. first company for drinking and dancing formed in Douglas, and trace the men connected with it and with the other ventures of the kind. Can any of my readers run back mentally over these men's lives and early deaths. Derby Castle, Falcon Cliff, &c., &c., &c.; how few have escaped from the inevitable consequences of connection with each places! and that few only for a time! The Nemesis is still dogging their heels daily, hourly, and they pass the reminder of their days despised and rejected by all or any who have studied their ways and means of making an appearance of riches, built upon the ruin of others!

THE LARGE BOARDING AND LODGING HOUSES,

in their fittings, furnishing, and general provisions are superior to anything I have ever seen anywhere; the Manx women are born lodging house keepers, as a rule, and we have no right to depreciate or disallow the "foreigners" in the trade either their right to be there, or that they have, with but special exceptions, properly conducted themselves and their houses. Many of the latter bought their properties or the goodwill of businesses under the impression that drink-selling in these houses was a. legitimate transaction allowed by the authorities, or winked at by them.

In fact, it was put on record by that famed speech of a former Deemster in introducing the " Permit Bill," that the houses were built larger in consequence of the illicit sale being allowed to go for years — knowingly and admittedly — by the authorities, and that to deprive them of the power to continue was to confiscate their properties. No enemy of the darns official system ever spoke harsher words against it or chronicled a. more damning indictment. Douglas now suffers from :an overproduction of accommodation. The supply of houses has exceeded the demand for them. The ever-increasing volume of visitors required to pay cannot be kept up, and the result is an opposition and cutting down of prices that cannot be remunerative. In no other watering-place in the Kingdom are visitors better housed, better catered for and certainly not at the loss cutting figures of Douglas; and there is nothing in Douglas, either in rents for good positions, price of food stuffs, coals, or has, to tenant it, and nowhere is the season so circumscribed or so dependable upon the weather.

No doubt but in the past the

ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET CO.,

to a certain extent, has done fairly well for the town, but like all other monopolies, they have held an iron hand, dominated their own course, irrespective of the wishes and interests of the general public ; their midnight Sunday steamer has keen largely at the bottom of the Sunday night noise on the Pier. I once made this statement before — about 1882 or 1883. I was denounced, but I was surprised to meet one of their own directors a few days after my letter, who told me he had read my letter with disgust and disbelief. Said he : "I went last Sunday night by the steamer, in order, I hoped, to give you a direct contradiction ; but I found it worse than even your description, in fact it was unbearable, and I had to beat a retreat into a private cabin." Why should the Manx boats depart from the usual practices on board the general cross-channel steamers, i.e., close their bars at night at a certain hour!

The "No Sunday Steamer" is a piece of rank hypocrisy ; the men are engaged on Sunday, all the preparations are made on Sunday, and to allow the last stroke of twelve before they sail is a bit of too transparent "Devil dodging." It would be better for the Steam Packet Company, better for their employees, and a thousand times better for the passengers, morally and physically, if their steamers left Douglas at 5.30 p. m. on Sundays. Most of the passengers would get home for a night's rest — not going about like half-drowned rats all next day ; the steamer's hands would get a respite ; Douglas would be saved from the usual Sunday night rush and noise on the Pier, and then conveyed back through the streets and into the boarding houses; and the quietly disposed could get to a place of worship.

THE STEREOTYPED NINE O'CLOCK MORNING STEAMER

is a huge mistake — either summer or winter ; not only is there no necessity for it, but it is a, great inconvenience all the year round ; it compels the early departure of passengers from the outer towns in the winter, and it interferes with all the morning duties in boardinghouses and hotels in the season; it compels an extra, or early breakfast; it keeps the whole household dancing attendance on the departing guests, abstracting, the domestics' attention from their duties; when " boots" are on the Pier speeding the parting guests and looking after his "tips" he is most wanted at home to help; and then another breakfast has to be served for those who have been down seeing the steamer off. A 10 a.m. steamer would obviate all this confusion and annoyance — There is no reason that the steamers should leave Douglas any earlier than when the steamers leave Liverpool — 10.30 to 11.30. With even moderate fast steamers, passengers could go to London, or even to Brighton the same day.

The next thing I expect to hear is that the company has been swallowed by one of our large railway companies, and then another railway company will compete. The old order will have to make way for the new. This arrangement would not in any way disturb the. local trade or local interests of workmen and others; but, on the other hand, could be a blessing all round. Even you might get the "Mylrea Docks" for berthing and repairing the steamers....