nine o'clock
And so they went ! capering on , merry as pipers . When I thought of the multitudes of Irish that annually land on the shores of the United States and Canada , and , to my surprise , witnessed the additional multitudes embarking from Liverpool to New Holland ; and when , added to all this , I daily saw these hordes of laborers , descending , thick as locusts , upon the English corn-fields ; I could not help marveling at the fertility of an island , which , though her crop of potatoes may fail , never yet failed in bringing her annual crop of men into the world . I do not know that any other traveler would think it worth while to mention such a thing ; but the fact is , that during the summer months in Liverpool , the days are exceedingly lengthy ; and the first evening I found myself walking in the twilight after nine o'clock , I tried to recall my astronomical knowledge , in order to account satisfactorily for so curious a phenomenon . But the days in summer , and the nights in winter , are just as long in Liverpool as at Cape Horn ; for the latitude of the two places very nearly corresponds . These Liverpool days , however , were a famous thing for me ; who , thereby , was enabled after my day 's work aboard the Highlander , to ramble about the town for several hours . After I had visited all the noted places I could discover , of those marked down upon my father 's map , I began to extend my rovings indefinitely ; forming myself into a committee of one , to investigate all accessible parts of the town ; though so many years have elapsed , ere I have thought of bringing in my report .