| Title: | John Smilie, Susquehanna to Robert Smilie, Greyabbey. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2499 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smilie, John/3 |
| Year | 1762 |
| Sender | Smilie, John |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | arrived recently in America |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Fishing Creek, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Greyabbey, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Smilie, Robert |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | son-father |
| Source | D 2015/5/7: Transcribed from the Belfast Newsletter. Presented by C.L. Davis, 59 Maryville Park, Malone, Belfast 9. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, N. Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9807947 |
| Date | 11/11/1762 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 04:08:98. |
| Word Count | 741 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | The above date contains a letter from Mr. Robert Smilie of Greyabbey warning intending emigrants and enclosing a letter from his son which describes the latters experience. The vessel referred to is probably the Sally which arrived at Philadelphia on September 9th 1762. The son's letter is as follows: Honoured Father, I account it my honour and duty to give you an account of myself and my proceedings since I left you, which have [been?] I confess a little extraordinary. On the next Tuesday after I left you I came on board the S---y, [sic] on the Monday morning following being the 24th May last we sailed for America. On the 31st we lost sight of Ireland, having been delayed to then by calms and contrary winds, which seemed to be doleful presages of our after unhappy voyage. We had our full allowance of bread & water only for the first fortnight, then we were reduced to three pints per day and three pounds and a half of bread per week to each person, which it never afterwards exceeded the whole voyage. We had a S.W. wind which drove us so far north that our weather became excessively cold with much rain and hard gales of wind. On the 5th of July we had a hard squall of wind which lasted nine hours and caused us to lie under bare poles. On the 12th we espied a mountain of ice of prodigious size. On the 13th our weather became more moderate. On the 16th we spied a sail which was alongside us before either saw the other, she having the wind right aft, crowded sail and bore away. We gave her chase and fired six guns at her but the fog soon hid her from us. In this manner did our captain behave, giving chase to all ships we saw whether they bore off us East or West, it was all alike, the motives of which caused various conjectures. Against the first our weather became extremely warm and the crew very weak. The 10th day our allowance of bread came to two pounds and a half per week to each passenger, next week we had one pound and a half per week and the next twelve days we lived on two biscuits and a half for that time and a half noggin of barley each which we ate raw for want of water to boil it in. We had beef but could make no use of it for thirst for we were a week that we had but half a pint of water per day for each person. Hunger and thirst had now reduced our crew to the last extremity. Nothing was now to be heard aboard our ship but the cries of distressed children and of their distressed mothers unable to relieve them. Our ship was now a real spectacle of horror, never a day passed without one or two of the crew being put overboard. Many killed themselves by drinking salt water and their own urine was a common drink, yet in the midst of all our miseries our captain showed not the least remorse or pity. We were now out of hopes of ever seeing land. August 29th we had only one pint of water for each person which was all that we passengers would have got and our bread was done but on that day the Lord was pleased to send the greatest shower of rain that I ever saw which was the means of preserving our lives. After this we had fair winds and for most part rains every day and though we had no bread thought that we lived well. On the 1st of September we sounded and found ourselves in forty fathoms of water and the next morning about eight o'clock we saw land to the inexpressible joy of all ships crew and on Sunday morning the 4th of September we came to an anchor off Newcastle so that we had a passage of fourteen weeks and six days. You may judge of Captain J----'s [sic] temper and character by this, that, notwithstanding all the straits we were in for bread and water neither he nor his mistress nor five others that were his favourites ever came to an allowance. We had now since the time of our setting sail lost forty four of our crew by death. Monday the 5th I came on shore and by the blessing of God in three weeks time I got perfectly well but indeed few of our ships crew were so strong as I for notwithstanding all I suffered I enjoyed a good state of health the whole passage. Your dutiful son. John Smilie. The letter was written at Fishing Creek on Susquehanna November 11th 1762. |
