| Title: | Mrs J. Scott, at sea to Mrs Anne Scott, Co. Londonderry. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2402 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Scott, Jane/49 |
| Year | 1835 |
| Sender | Scott, Jane |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | at sea/ New York, USA |
| Destination | Derry, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Scott, Anne |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | sisters |
| Source | T 2609/8: Copied by Permission of Mrs J. F. Hodges, Glenravel House, Glenravel, Co. Antrim. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9403195 |
| Date | 08/10/1835 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 15:03:1994. |
| Word Count | 1772 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | on Board The [Orpheus?] Octr 8th - Lat: [Latitude?] 44 - Long [Longitude?] - 55 How [my heart warms?] [as?] I think of you & dear Thos [Thomas?] my dearest Anne [separated?] as [we now?] [are?] by the [wide Atlantic?] I wish to begin a letter to you today as we shall probably make a very short stay at New York, but whether I shall be able to proceed or not is at present very doubtful on acct [account?] of the rolling of this fine Packet for a fine one it truly is - we [?] just 3 weeks yesterday, & it is only within the last few days I have felt in any measure free from sea sickness - & oh what sickness - what discomfort it is - seldom had I felt so entirely [knocked?] down in both body & mind as when lying in that berth thinking of all we had left behind, & unable to do anything but desire to be enabled to look again to the Lord I pray I may not forget the humbling lessons I then learnt of my own utter utter weakness & simpleness - had my coming been my own doing how bitterly I shd [should?] have repented but this call it was comfort to to recollect that it was what I believe to be the voice of our God as it [were?] calling me - & if desiring to follow Him we may feel quite [down?] He will not leave us, tho' [though?] [for?] a season He may hide His face to lead the [lukewarm?] to seek more [earnestly?] for the light of His Countenance once more - it made my heart sore too, to see & hear my poor child so sick & so sorry she was for long - & came out of her berth so pale & small & her fingers so spidery - they all say they never [recollect?] so unquiet a passage with so little bad weather - the weather was fine - but high seas & south & west winds gave us such continual swinging & rolling that the stomach had never time to settle till the last two or three days - but for so far we have got on extremely well & we reached the banks of Newfoundland on the 6th & have got on so well that they now think we may reach our destination on Monday or Tuesday & we begin to think if this rolling continues we shall find it difficult to get our trunks & make arrangments for landing - but happy we shall all be to find ourselves on quiet land once more - we are extremely well of as to passengers - only two ladies besides ourselves - one of them (with her husband [C---?] [Davies?] (both Americans) occupies the next cabin to ours a quiet gentlewomanlike nice young woman & he a most goodnatured man - gentlemanlike I shd [should?] think beyond most Americans both in ideas, manners & appearance - our other companion is a young good natured Irish girl brought by her Uncle her nearest relation alive from a Belfast Boarding School to be placed at one at New York - to be more within his reach - she is only a few months older than C [Charlotte?] & seems nearly as innocent & childish, which is a great comfort to me - our Cabins open into the Ladies Cabin a nice comfortable room - & truly we shd [should?] be hard to please if not satisfied with the accommodation in every way - - nothing can exceed the kindness & attention of the Captain - from the first day he has seemed as if what he thought wd [would?] be for my convenience or comfort shd [should?] be the rule in everything, from our not having any Gentleman to take care of us - he has a wife at New York that he is greatly attached to & I think that helps to render him so very considerate & kind to one alone as I am - sickness lasted longer with me than any one [anyone?] & for a good while I used to spend the days, when able to leave the berth, lying like a useless log on a couch placed in the [?] [?] on deck for the advantage of fresh air - & most kind & attentive the passengers were - American, British, Irish, French & Belgian - 23 in number - Some of them very gentlemenlike - others evidently risen or rising from a lower state - only one appears to be serious - or rather I shd [should?] say two - for one young man son to one of the Principals of an American College, seems not only to know a great deal, but I shd [should?] think to feel a great deal too for better things than this world can give - but the first appears most serious, tho' [though?] I cannot help thinking that more kindness of manners to the young men round him wd [would?] better [evidence?] the religion of love we profess - last Sunday was the first we were able to have service, tho [though?] the 3d on board, & he [officiated?] very pleasingly - assisted by Mr Day, the young American I have mentioned - one of the most gentlemanlike & pleasing on board if a Capn [Captain?] Johnson - son to Sir Alexr [Alexander?] Johnson who was long Chief Justice of Ceylon, before I went out - we got acquainted when I was laid on my sick couch above - & he is so much more like what one has been accustomed to than many others that I feel it quite pleasant to have him - we Ladies breakfast in our own cabin at nine - have luncheon at twelve - & dinner at four (& I have joined them at dinner in the large cabin for the last few days - until then I was not able to go - & most plentifully & well everything is provided - just as if we were on shore - fresh bread, good milk, eggs & all sorts of food - Stirabout & Milk was a most welcome sight to C [Charlotte?] & her young companion some days ago at breakfast & they are to have it as often as they please - Octr 14 - well dearest I had to leave off suddenly & make a hasty exit into my cabin - but further particulars I shall leave to your imagination - suffice it to say that seasickness in all its [?] once more laid us up - for I was not singular in my discomfort - the last 2 or 3 days however have been peaceful & pleasant - we are now within about 100 Miles of New York & all is bustle & preparation - & loud rejoicing on the part of the young men - how much champagne has to do with their demonstrations of joy wd [would?] be hard to say, as there seemed to be an abundant supply, certainly not neglected at dinner - I feel as if I were repeating to you much of what I say to our own dear Mother & Maria - or rather feel checking myself from repeating - which is after all foolish as you will not see the other letter - I meant to write to you something in a journal style, but have literally been incapacitated from doing anything - body & mind both useless - & truly it was [stained] to feel what a matter of importance it became to pamper that same vile body - the thought as to what one could eat - & the longing for something that would remain in its proper place - & the kind Capn [Captain's?] only wish was to find out what we cd [could?] fancy - & whatever we wished for we got at once - rice & curry was Charlottes fancy & mine for some time & many discovered its settling virtues before long too - I feel we have great cause for thankfulness for so far - & tho [though?] there has been much sickness C [Charlotte?] is now perfectly well - & all the knocking & [?], & empty stomachs & sleepless nights seem to my astonishment to have strengthened me rather than the reverse - I generally sit an hour on deck before breakfast inhaling the fine fresh breeze while C [Charlotte?] & the other Ladies are dressing - we have all got on most peacefully & comfortably together - Mrs D: [Davies?] seems to know the truth, & to value it - but indeed for very long I cd [could?] not even speak to her - & felt truly thankful when she instinctively seemed to discover that I wd [would?] like to hear hymns or psalms read out in preference to anything else - - we have a good many Americans on board - it seems to me that they are none of them quite at ease with English persons - afraid of doing or saying any of the many things [imported?] to them, & wishing to be English in all things, which is such a mistake. New York - Saturday Morg [Morning?] octr [October?] 17 - truly trouble is good for me or our God of Love wd [would?] not allow it - we landed yesterday af [afternoon?] & Mr Buchanan has been here this [?] to tell me that my dearest Father was so ill some days ago there was no hope of recovery & I am just going to set off by the Steam packet for Albany with a [gentleman?] who will see us safe most of the way a friend of Mr Bs [Buchanan's?] who is very kind - may all trials [?] my sinful heart known to Him who has all in His hands - I have time for no more as I have to get business done before setting off. I sent a letter to the Crescent just before we landed by an [?] - you can tell of the latter part - ever dearest Anne & Thos [Thomas?] - your most affecte [affectionate?] Sister & friend J Scott Will you write & tell my dear [?] Boyd & that I will write to her from Niagara & tell her I fully intended doing so from this place - but now you will be better able to give her particulars as I wd [would?] only write a line. Derry Penny Post DERRY NO2- 1835 Mrs Scott Willsborough L.Derry [Londonderry?] Ireland Mrs [?] [?] Dear Miss |
