| Title: | Lowell Emigrant to Landlord. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3983 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | 1861-70/11 |
| Year | 1863 |
| Sender | unknown |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | factory worker? |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | New York, USA |
| Destination | Ireland |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | writes to his former landlord |
| Source | The Armagh Guardian, Friday, 4 September, 1863 |
| Archive | The Central Library, Belfast. |
| Doc. No. | 9311897 |
| Date | 27/04/1863 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Action By Date Document added by C.R., 30:11:1993. |
| Word Count | 1537 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | LETTER FROM AN IRISH EMIGRANT. Lowell, July 4th, 1863. Honored Sir, - I hope you will pardon me for the liberty I now take of sending you this long epistle; my motive for so doing is merely to let you know the kind of a place this is and my views of this wooden world. I landed in New York on the 27th of April, after a weary voyage of five weeks and four days, much the worse in every way from storms and all other ship usage the poor emigrant has to encounter; however, in the forenoon of the last day's sailing, I stood on the beach a poor exile of Erin, and a very poor one too, for neither D... nor could I muster one shilling; passed into the office in Castle Garden, met Mr. --- of Leitrim, a clerk Dave, and as old looking as --. He showed us all the kindness in his power where he was, and gave his number, but I refused to call, but - - would have a week's work in our poverty. I rested for a few days, and met friends plenty from - ; and my son sent me as much money as brought me here, where I am now employed; and my work is to press after seven or eight girls in the day, after all the misfits, which is a troublesome part of my trade. I am paid 1 pound 5s. per week, and now from this day until the winter trade commences, I shall have little or nothing to do. As this is the celebration day of the freedom of America; it is a day of much mirth, excitement, drunkeness, and here and there an odd knock down. Honoured Sir, this is a most beautiful country, and I wish you were here to see its situation, I mean this part where there are splendid rivers and canals, and some great waterfalls with wood hanging along the edges, where the sound of the axe was never heard, with here and there the beautiful wooden house rearing up its head, and brick chimney, and it painted white or brown, as the case may be, with its green windows and porch supported, as would seem by stone pillars, its garden filled with all sorts of fruit. The whole country, as far as a man could see, is covered with these cottages, with a rood or an acre, as the case may be, of wild wood, or planted, one of the two. The soil is loose and sandy, and requires manure as well as at home. They sow no crops here, nor cannot before the end of March, and sometimes the end of April, from the frost and snow. I have never seen so fine potatoes as some that are here - a large round one with many eyes, and the most #PAGE 2 healthy that I ever saw. I hope to bring you a sample some fine day yet. Next, there are as fine horses as I ever saw; not like the English or Scotch, a slighter make, but light and hardy, and very fleet. They have races here, not a horse, but a gig race, and the gig will not be six stone weight. You would wonder how it would stand a race, with the spokes of the wheel no thicker than your marking rule. They are four wheeled. Indeed, it is truth to call it a gig race, for it is next to flying. The cows are not so good at home, nor near - dry looking, hard, ugly ones. Plenty of goats, and some of very curious shape, almost like a sheep, with no horns; and as for pigs they are the ugliest in the world. I saw no sheep yet. I saw perch taken in the river, and pike, and eel, and other chaps called horny trout, having a kind of feeler or horn near the nose, which he erects when taken, and should it stick in the fisher's hand it will swell up and be much pained for a week. He must be skinned before cooked, and is a delicious fish. The women here are slender and handsome, full of intelligence on any subject, and too full on many. They are all tailoresses or factory hands, earn plenty of money, dress rich and feed well, and drink plenty. The men are generally thin or hardy, and are never satisfied at the knowledge of one trade or two; lively and smart, the greatest rogue is called the smartest man, by way of merit. I had the honor to hear Major General Butler made a speech on behalf of the poor of Ireland, to which he contributed 250 dols., or 50 pounds. He is a low, stout, lively little man, and was only an attorney here. There is little or no concern in the people here about North or South: They say the war has become a matter of traffic and don't seem to heed about it. Now, honored Sir, my description of this place is over, and I send you my grateful thanks for not giving my field to - - or any other man, and did confide in you for that; and I knew I would be safe. I hope, ere long, to pay you what I owe you, and I hope, further, with God's blessing to see you in good health in - - again. I am in good health, thank God, but very lonesome. Mr. - - , in order to pain my family said I was cleaning huts here. I wish he would let me alone - he was often at meaner work. Wishing your honor long life, and to Mr. John and all the honorable family, I remain, ever your faithful servant, - I shall bring you a musket, the best that ever was cast #PAGE 3 here, and I send you a ring made at Bull's Run the day before the battle. Honored Sir, - I have forgotten to give you an account of the towns here, as far as I have seen them. As a man comes first in view of America, the first place he sees is a place called Sandybrook ; it is a place out from New York, in shape like a hook, and all sand with trees growing in the sand, and a large fortification building on it. The view would seem to a stranger as if a forest was after a great conflageration, [conflagration?] that would burn all the underwood, all the trees just like recovering. Passing on to New York in through a narrow winding channel between two small hills on each side, commanded by strongholds, mounted with heavy cannon, and on any elevated spot near a town, here it looks like a town in a wood, the streets are all wide. I know the principle one, and on each side of them are trees, within ten or twelve feet outside the footpath. The footpath or side walk is shaded from the side wall of the houses, and the trees hang from green foliage down. Near the ground all their branches hang down as if to shade the sun beaten labourer after or during his toil. They are a kind of oak, but quite different from any at home, and there is a kind of red sally that lets its foliage down like threads, and on the ends are tufts of leaves which look very handsome. I hope to bring some cuttings and rooted plants to you, if you would wish them; at night with lamp light they look splendid, as these side walls are thronged with richly dressed folk - for all the delight of people here are dress and good thing, nothing about God or religion of any kind. When a man thinks well a lawyer will divorce him for a couple of dollars, and the ladies make the most applications . In one or two cases, after a separation of four or five years, the same man and woman marry again. The week before last Genetal Butler's steward hired an Irishman, a new commer, like myself, and put him to make sewers on the General's farm. The General came in some time after the steward was gone, and he says to Pat, "What are you doing here, Sir?" "I am making drains, don't you see" was the reply. He did not know the general. "No, you rascal, but you are spoiling them; get away out of that." "Musha, I'd see you d--d; wait till the gentleman that employed me finds fault." The general grew hot, seized him, and threw him in the sewer. When he got up he collared him. "You damned bit of a Yankee," he says. "I'll dirty your breeches #PAGE 4 too!" and he puts the General in the drain. When he got up all dirty he swore if he had his pistol he'd shoot him dead. "Oh well, you hadn't " says Pat, "for if you fired your pistol at me I'd run you through with the log." After a short time, when the temper cooled, the General told what occurred, and brought him a new suit of cloths. I hope you will pardon me . |
