| Title: | [Charles?] [?] Shanghai, to Captain R. H. Davis, [?] |
|---|---|
| ID | 4025 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | 1931-40/28 |
| Year | 1939 |
| Sender | unknown |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | businessman |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Shanghai, China |
| Destination | unknown |
| Recipient | Capt. R.H. Davis |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | old friends |
| Source | D 2015/3/2: Presented by C. L. Davis, Esq., 59 Maryville Park, Malone Road, Belfast 9 |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9708029 |
| Date | 14/9/1939 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 05:08:97. |
| Word Count | 896 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Captain Davis Sandown Road Surveyors to Chinese American Bureau of Shipping Hong Name (American Lloyd's) EISLER, REEVES & MURPHY ..Mei Tun" ____ ____ Registro Italiano Cable Address ____ Federal Inc, U.S.A. "Record," Shanghai ____ ____ Teikoku Kaiji Kyokai (Imperial Japanese Marine Corp.) Telephones: ____ 16816 - 16817 Registered Marine & Cargo Surveyors ____ 51 Canton Road P. O. Box 423 All Codes American Asiatic Underwriters ____ ____ Agents: Local Underwriters The Far East Superintendence Co., Ltd ____ ____ American Consulate International Union of General. Marine Insurance Shanghai, China. Berlin, Germany ____ ____ American Chamber of Commerce Black Sea and Baltic General Shanghai, China Insurance Co., Ltd. U.S. Salvage Association. ____ Schwarzmeer und Ostsee ____ U.S.S.R. State Insurance Dept. (Gosstrakh) Shanghai, China 14th September 1939 Dear Bob - you old war horse - you can scarcely realize the pleasure I got when I opened up your letter and saw who it was from. Some time ago I had a letter and paper from my brother in which you made mention of the old "Templemore" and this produced an effusion from me to him and now this letter from you. First of all I must congratulate you in job - Smythe I think was the name of the occupant of your chair [-?] in my day and when I recollect the awe in which he was held by all and sundry it makes me gaze at you with eyes of rapture and appreciation. Next I must compliment you on your handwriting - For an old whale it is really marvellous. Mine by comparison is barely legible. It is anoying how your letter has thrown my mind back in those old days "When all the World was young lad and all the trees were green, And every [goose?] a swan lad and every lass a queen" 2 My mind just ran riot over Calcutta the meadow, Father Hopkins! etc etc Of course there are lots of gaps due to fading memory but I can still remember a lot. I was very interested to hear of and read the names of so many of the fellows in the "Templemore". I remember young Finlay wanting to put a head on Harry Law at the pumps one day but he called it off - guess he thought Harry might have been too tough for him. Harry and Sam were transferred to the "Dufferin" or "Downshire" to finish their time and I heard that H [Harry?] was keeping a light house or ship in South America and that Sam had swallowed the anchor. I am sorry to hear that they are both gone West. Fred Deakin went out to Canada sheep farming but I have never heard anything more about him When Tommy Piercy came to Shai [Shanghai?] he came from Montreal and Mrs P [Piercy?] was there then I met him a few times for a moment but never long enough to connect him with the fat son of Old Man Piercy He was here less than a year when he was drowned and it was only from his obituary notice that I found out who he was. He was very fat and jovial - I could keep on - "Do you remember" for a week! couldnt you. I think the last time I saw you was when you were master of "Iveagh" in Dublin - you had been with Capt English 3 when he died on the West Coast. - more or less poisoned by a fool of a doctor. I also remember you at Savannah in the ["De Soto"?] hotel where we were all housed to avoid the [skeehers?]. I wonder how the old Lord Line is doing now. I stayed with them until 1904 when they more less fired me because I would not pay for some bags of sugar missing on my tally. The lost a good man says I - winking at you. After I left them I spent a few months with the Irish Fisheries s/s "Helga" and then having got my extra cert I came East and have been here ever since with the exception of one trip home in 1910. I started this business in 1916 - three of us - two Americans myself and now my partners are both passed on and I am alone! I hope to get a partner in the near future and then Ill be able to sit back a bit. The business is small but steady and very interesting and you are always your own boss. Life in the East is smooth and pleasant and suits both myself and wife down to the ground. We are having a bit of bother just now with the Japanese and in 1937 a few bombs dropped about the place 4 but taking it all in all it was not so bad - for us I mean. It was very bad for the poor Chinese but they have a mentality of the fatalistic type which enables them to adjust themselves to almost any hardship and finally overcome it. I suppose this outlook is the outcome of thousands of years of floods, famines, wars, epidemics etc which has bred in them a peculiar resilience which makes them unbeatable They may be over run by the Japanese but in the course of say one hundred years the Chinese will still be here and the Japanese absorbed. I have a great liking and admiration for [Jo---?] chinaman and his tenacity; also for his way of compromising desputes. "This fashion no can do, p'haps some other fashion can do" The Japanese are making great efforts to throw out British business from north China and some of the methods used make interesting reading but I think and hope they will not succeed. meanwhile life flows along easily, some tennis over week ends an odd dance at one of the many cabarets etc; and an occasional spot of J. Walker to keep out the heat or cold as the case may be "and so to bed" to great [P-----?] Hoping to have the pleasure of shaking hands with you some day Sincerly [Charles?] Word count: 896 |
