| Title: | [?], Quebec, to "Dear Mother", [Countess of Caledon?], [?] |
|---|---|
| ID | 3610 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | lord caledon/88 |
| Year | 1838 |
| Sender | Lord Caledon (James Du Pre Alexander) |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | army officer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Quebec, Canada |
| Destination | England |
| Recipient | Countess of Caledon |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | son-mother |
| Source | D 2433/B/8/4: Deposited by the Trustees of the Caledon Estate |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9511090 |
| Date | 25/05/1838 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 17:11:95. |
| Word Count | 1065 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Citadel Barracks Quebec May 25th 1838 My Dear Mother, Although we came to anchor at Quebec on Wednesday the 10 the Company I belonged to did not disembark till the 18th. We went on board the Athol and our accommodation was so bad that I could not manage to write by the Edinburugh, which is of no consequence as the Pique sails tomorrow and will most likely be in Portsmouth before her. I like this country as far as I have seen very much although the weather has been very bad yet I have managed to get to one or two places worth seeing. I went the day before yesterday to the falls of [Mont-----?] [Manomonee?] [location] 260 feet and quite perpendicular, my first visit was to the indian village where I was introduced to one of the chiefs who had been in London and had discussed with 'King George', he is now 75 years old, but comes into Quebec he break fasted in my room the other day they have 200 men in the village but they had not come in from hunting their houses are very neat and clean and the squaws dress very much like the [Piviss?], we took a quantity of [sous?] with us and have made them into logs of wood for the little children to shoot at with their bows and arrows, which was most wonderful to me for they were not more than 5 and yet they hardly ever missed, they are a much nicer people than we are led to understand, not [tall?], but very [sinewy?] and it black [?] when some of them [?] [?] but others not much darker than white men. the old chief had not got a grey hair, he has a very prominent nose, cheek bones and forehead, with piercing eyes, he is in great hopes that we shall have a war as he says that the Queens loves the river Mr [Tease?] & the Americans like it equally the St Jean & the St Lawrence) I am going there to a lake beyond the village to fish on Monday there is a very fine waterfall there; The people here call the village, Ville des la rages the Indians call it Huron de Loretto they are of the Huron tribes they receive pay from our government, several of them have come to see me and always make a point of shaking hands the men have coats made of blankets a red skin and beads and moccasins they talk very good French. I send you the writing of one who called me the other day and wished me to go with him to fish. The old chief Michel [Troui?] always talks about him we are in the Citadel barracks. I have been trying to give you a sort of idea of the view I have, I will be able to do a better one when I understand the Camera Inside our rooms are very good, double windows a stove and fireplace, I believe that there is no such thing as a room without a stove the people are very civil. I find the little French I know very usefull to me. If Davies the master of the Edinburgh calls pray ask him to Dinner he is a rough old sailor but you would like him. I was trying to get a sail for a boat I was in the other day and the opposite sid of the river and I found an Englishman a shipbuilder or merchant who gave me [?] and a [bears?] ham which was very good. I have met with only one north of Ireland man since I have been here, the river is about a mile wide here and the tide runs about four to five knots. If I get any thing curious in the way of plants, or any thing else I [wish?] send them I did not get many, things yet from the Indians but I will send over some soon they work very pretty things in bark and I think a present of English gun powder would purchase them at a much cheaper rate than buying them by the Dollar. The money here is wretched fifteen being notes and bad coppers no gold and little silver every thing is dear and nothing very good except the fuel as there is plenty of woods.I expect Robert Gore every day and as there is an armed schooner telegraphed down the river I have no doubt but what it is him, I also heard that Lord Durham had arrived in the river. The hot weather has not made its appearance but when the sun breaks out he gives a hint of how hot he intends to make us, the [chasms?] by the river are still filled with great blocks of snow when we left the Athol, the steamer that set us on shore brought at the same time the Invalids who were returning to England and amongst them were those who had been wounded during last winter there were several of them very bad and I should hardly think would last out the voyage. There is one curious thing here which is that all the churches and most of the principal houses are slated with tile and on a moonlight night it is quite beautiful by day it is too brilliant [especially?] at a long distance [by?] moonlight it is just like an illumination. I think I mentioned to you in my other letter what a famous passage we had but there was nothing of any consquence happened, we saw some icebergs, and we fished on the banks but only caught one cod amongst us the weather was so hazy at the entrance of the river that we very nearly struck and till we got past [Anticosti?] a long way we could not see much; We then all met and sailed up together the Edinburgh & Athol with the Coldstream and the Apollo and Inconstant with the Grenadiers. This life agrees with me better than a London I am in bed by 10 and up before 8. There is not much duty but we have drill after parade of a morning and then walk out, the town is wretched the houses are all wood and the post enclosed within a fortification very small, the height of Abraham all on a level with our barracks. |
