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Title: John Purden, St. John, N.B. to Henry Gore Booth, [?]
ID2175
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FilePurden, John/31
Year1847
SenderPurden, John
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationship captain
Sender Religionunknown
OriginSt John, New Brunswick, Canada
DestinationIreland?
RecipientGore Booth, Henry
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipemployee-employer
SourceBritish Parliamentary Papers, 1849, X1, (122, pp 123-124.)
ArchiveThe Main Library, The Queen's University of Belfast
Doc. No.9804809
Date19/08/1847
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogDocument added by LT, 30:04:98.
Word Count1053
Genre
Note
TranscriptAppendix to Minutes of Evidence Before Select Committee

Appendix X



Henry Gore Booth Esq. St.John,
"Yeoman," August 19th/47.

My dear Sir, Off Partridge Island.
It is with pleasur [pleasure?] I write you these few
lines to inform you of our safe arrival here after a
moderate passage of 34 days. I am sure you will be
quite glad, when I tell you, I have only lost two
passengers, An Old women [woman?] aged sixty who died
from general debility, I had about sixty fever cases,
but I managed to check them all with the exception of
ten, which became extreme cases, and out of the ten I
only lost one man. There were three births on board of
which two are dead, the other is doing well, There are
a great many other complaints, which is to be expected
where there are so many people, 20th The doctor came on
board and Sent on Shore thirty-three passengers, three
fever cases the others convalesunt [convalescent?],
Three of the crew one fever two convalusent
[convalescent?] Myself officers and the rest of crew are
all pretty well, as are Mr. Yetts and Mrs. Purden. Saturday
21st This is a beautiful day all hands Employed scraping
washing and cleaning the Ship, passengers washing and
cleaning their Clothes, at 11A.M. the doctor came on
board and looked at every one individually and counted
the number in all 503 The number by the list 487 which
makes 16 Stowaways, he sent on shore only 3 convalescent.
Sunday 22st [nd?], This is another fine day, all the
passengers clean and nice looking, at 3P.M. Sent on Shore
33 passengers. You must not think for a moment, My Dear
Sir that all those landed are sick, no, The cause is
this, If the mother is sick the whole family must go
along with her, & if a brother or comrade, then of course
there [their?] brothers and comrades must go also not more
than a third of those landed are sick, No 69 in all, I am
sorry to say that between Saturday Afternoon and Monday
Morning five infants died, rather a singular circumstance,
considering we did not loose [lose?] one on the voyage
till we came here, One man died on the island this morning
Monday 23th [rd?] A Splendid morning, all the passengers
clean and tidy and packing up there [their?] little traps
for the shore, Poor things I am sorry to see some of them,
landing without friends or money on a foreign shore, but
God is able to provide for them all, Agreeable to your
request I will serve out all the left provisions, when
they are landed, And to those who seem most needful I
will give a little money, say from 2s. to 2s.6d. each
and I know under the circumstances you will not find
fault with me. At ten A.M. the doctor came on board and
after pronouncing the Ship clean and fumigated to his
satisfaction, he then commenced to examine the passengers
very minutely and ordered six to be sent on shore and of
course family & friends had to follow, He has ordered all
the Passengers to remain on deck all night under awnings
24th Another fine day, The docter [doctor?] and the
government agent came on board and looked at the ship and
provision, which pleased them well, and ordered all the
passengers to land on the Island, which I commenced doing,
and I proceeded to St. Johns, where with Mr. Robertson I
engaged a Steamer to bring them to town next morning, In
the meantime I erected two large tents with two lower
studding sails and sent on shore plenty of provision for
them. 25th Another beautiful day, The Steamer did not get
down for the passengers to day, at 4P.M. a deputation of
4 doctors came down from the town to see the Island and
Ship, and were quite pleased with her and the provision.
26th a littel [little?] foggy, landed all the passengers
(with the exception of a few left in the docters [doctors?]
hands at St. Johns by the steamer where Mr. Robertson had a
house prepared for them, in which, we deposited them and
all there [their?] luggage, for the good people of St. John
are very much afraid of us on account of the other people
brought by the Eolus [AEolus?] and other Ships, Mr.
Robertson says there still remain 150 of them in a house he
got for them, but my passengers are not like them thank
God. I do not think any other ship ever landed her
passengers in better order, out of 510 Souls only two died
on the passage, and two have died on the Island, and I
question if there are fewer deaths in 38 days time, in any
of her Majesty's Ships where 510 souls are, and all of them
sailors and picked men, not speaking of their medical aid,
and strict discipline on board, 27th Still foggy dropt the
Ship out to the ballast ground & employed 20 of the passengers
at 3s. per day to discharge the ballast, I Shipped about 150
for Frederick town, to sail tomorrow evening and I gave each
of them, a little money, tea sugar beef and Bread with them,
Mr. Yeats has been very kind to them, and useful to me
here and on the passage out, he has got 20 of the young
women situations already, and I will send 30 more off to
Digbay tomorrow at 12 o'clock, passage $1 each, and I hope
in a few days to have them all up the country or employed
in town Mr. Robertson has been very kind and attentive to
them all, 28th Thick foggy Weather I am very sorry to say
that 15 of my crew are sick it is not fever but cold as one
gets well another gets ill mates & all had a slight touch
of it. I hope to have all the ballast out by the 3rd Sept.
and commence loading about the 6th as I will take some time
to clean her thoroughly The Spar deck is all ready I
believe I have not yet seen the parties, My time being
wholly taken up with the passengers, I will write you
next mail hoping the Steps I have taken will meet your
approbation. Meantime I have the honour to remain your
most obt st [obedient servant?].
Aug. 28th/47. JOHN PURDEN