| Title: | Purden, John to Gore Booth, Henry, 1847 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6502 |
| Collection | New Brunswick Letters |
| File | newbrunswick/137 |
| Year | 1847 |
| Sender | Purden, John |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | ship captain |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Partridge Island, St. John, N.Brunswick, Canada |
| Destination | Co. Sligo, Ireland |
| Recipient | Gore Booth, Henry |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | employee-boss |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1057 |
| Genre | account of passage |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Henry Gore Booth Esq. St. John, “Yeoman,” August 19th /47. My dear Sir, Off Partridge Island. It is with pleasur I write you these few lines to inform you of our safe arrival here after a moderate passage of 34 days. I am sure you will be quite glad, when I tell you, I have only lost two passengers, An Old women aged sixty who died from general debility, I had about sixty fever cases, but I managed to check them all with the exception of ten, which became extreme cases, and out of the ten I only lost one man, There were three births on board of which two are dead, the other is doing well, There were a great many other complaints, which is to be expected where there are so many people, 20th The doctor came on board and Sent on Shore thirty-three passengers, three fever cases the others convalesunt, Three of the crew one fever two convalesunt Myself officers and the rest of crew are all pretty well, as are also Mr. Yetts and Mrs. Purden. Saturday 21st This is a beautiful day all hands Employed scraping washing and cleaning the Ship, passengers washing and cleaning their Clothes, at 11 A.M. the doctor came on board and looked at every one individually and counted the number in all 503 The number by the list 487 which makes 16 Stowaways, he sent on shore only 3 convalescent. Sunday 22st, This is another fine day, all passengers clean & nice looking, at 3 P.M. Sent on Shore 33 passengers, You must not think for a moment, My Dear Sir that all those landed are sick, no, The cause is this, If the mother is sick the whole family must go along with her, & if a brother or comrade, then of course there brothers and comrades must go also not more than a third of those landed are sick, No. 69 in all, I am sorry to say that between Saturday Afternoon and Monday Morning five infants died, rather a singular circumstance, considering we did not loose one on the voyage till we came here, One man died on the island this morning Monday 23th A Splendid morning, all the passengers clean and tidy and packing up there little traps for the shore, Poor things I am sorry to see some of them, landing without friends or money on a foreign shore, but God is able to provide for them all, Agreeable to your request I will serve out all the left provisions, when they are landed, And to those who seem most needful I will give a little money, say from 2s. to 2s. 6d. each and I know under the circumstances you will not find fault with me. At ten A.M. the docter came on board and after pronouncing the Ship clean and fumigated to his satisfaction, he then commenced to examine the passengers very minutely and ordered six to be send on shore and of course family & friends had to follow, He has ordered all the Passengers to remain on deck all night under awnings 24th Another fine day, The docter and the government agent came on board and looked at the ship and provision, which pleased them well, and ordered all the passengers to land on the Island, which I commenced doing, and I proceeded to St. Johns, where with Mr. Robertson I engaged a Steamer to bring them to town next morning, In the mean time I erected two large tents with two lower studding sails and sent on shore plenty of provision for them. 25th Another beautiful day, The Steamer did not get down for the passengers today, at 4 P.M. a deputation of 4 doctors came down from the town to see the Island and Ship, and were quite pleased with her and the provision. 26th a littel foggy, landed all the passengers (with the exception of a few left in the docters hands) at St. Johns by the steamer where Mr. Robertson had a house prepared for them, in which, we deposited them and all their luggage, for the good people of St. John are very much afraid of us on account of the other people brought by the Eolus and other Ships, Mr. Robertson says there still remain 150 of them in a house he got for them, but my passengers are not like them thank God. I do not think any other ship ever landed her passengers in better order, out of 510 Souls only two died on the passage, and two have died on the Island, and I question if there are fewer deaths in 38 days time, in any of her Majesty’s Ships where 510 souls are, and all of them sailors and picked men, not speaking of their medical aid, and strict discipline on board, 27th Still foggy dropt the Ship out to the ballast ground & employed 20 of the passengers at 3s. per day to discharge the ballast, I Shipped about 150 for Frederick town, to sail tomorrow evening and I gave each of them, a little money, tea sugar beef & Bread with them, Mr. Yeats has been very kind to them, and useful to me here and on the passage out, he has got 20 of the young women situations already, and I will Send 30 more off to Digbay tomorrow at 12 oclock, passage S 1 each, and I hope in a few days to have them all up the country or employed in town Mr. Robertson has been very kind and attentive to them all, 28th Thick foggy Weather I am very sorry to say that 15 of my crew are sick it is not fever but cold as one gets well another gets ill mates & all had a slight touch of it. I hope to have all the ballast out by the 3d Sept. and commence loading about the 6th as I will take some time to clean her thoroughly The spar deck is all ready I believe I have not yet seen the parties, My time being wholly taken up with the passengers, I will write you next mail hoping the Steps I have taken will meet your approbation. Meantime I have the honour to remain your most obt st.Aug.28/47 JOHN PURDEN |
