| Title: | Extract From One of the Drennan Letters, 1776-1819. |
|---|---|
| ID | 869 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Drennan, William/30 |
| Year | 1776 |
| Sender | Drennan, William |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | doctor |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | unknown |
| Destination | unknown |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | unknown |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | T765/1/24: Obtained From Mrs. Duffin, Summerhill, Mount Pleasant, Belfast |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, N. Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9804829 |
| Date | 16/02/1776 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 30:04:98. |
| Word Count | 653 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | ... Don't you expect that I shall combate [combat?] your American hint with all Sisterly affection & did you not drop it on purpose. I have viewed and review'd [reviewed?] it as I do every scheme for you as thus - he goes to America, if it is with a design of settling there for life or that tho' [though?] that was not his plan at first yet if I cou'd [could?] suppose it wd. [would?] come to that, cou'd [could?] his obtaining thousands recompence [recompense?] me for the loss of my Brother, if he cou'd [could?] be happy remov'd [removed?] forever from those he at present Loves, wou'd [would?] it not be by new connections I can only allow it by a Wife & Children & to these must I be a stranger or perhaps see them in the decline of Life when you might, with dirty unavailing cash revisit your Country to mourn over its alterations, whh. [which?] to you must be melancholy ones, & wondering how all yr [your?] promised enjoyments were vanish'd [vanished?] try in vain to recover, not one moment shou'd [should?] I hesitate in my choice if I had it in my power to determine whether you were to be settled in Ireland upon £200 a year, or in America on as many thousands, or as many as you cd. [could?] name but as this is a selfish perhaps it is a wrong opinion I hope my happiness & yrs [yours?] will never be very distant. Let us hear what Dr. Scott has to say for America in way of Physick [medicine?], he is very inteligent [intelligent?] & you stand high in his opinion - if you were serious in the thought of America & was [were?] to go there I wd. [would?] certainly advise some of it I will give you - in the first place it is impossible for any Man let his abilities or reputation be ever so great, to practise physick [medicine?] in America without keeping an Apothacarys [Apothecarys?] Shop it has been once or twice try'd [tried?] by superior spirits but always failed, & to the meerest drudgery of this he must submit, untill [until?] practise & fortune allow him to keep another man for the purpose for still he must have th [the?] Shop while he has a patient not receiving fees as they do here, there the charge is all upon the medicine, unless the attendance had been extraordinary & then it is put in the Bill & like other debts often very bad especially from the lower sort. Degrees, abilities, Educn. [Education?] &c is not of any consequence, & seldome [seldom?] inquired [enquired?] into, a robust constitution, a tolerable share of impudence & indefatigale [indefatigable?] attention without any unfortunate accident will secure you success in America what this will amount to you will judge by what Scot with great openess told me of his affairs. He went out with the Governor of Annapolis & by his means got immediatly [immediately?] into an acquaintance with the best people there, but by degrees gain'd [gained?] them as patients after the course of Shop-drudgery &c - however the first year he made 300 currency a young man there being at little expense for horses as the sociable temper of the people is such that he need seldom eat at his own expence [expense?] - after this Scots business increasing & having got an employment he found it necessary to take a Partner in his Physical trade 7 the year he left America upon settling their books they had made 3000 currency that is about 150 ster. [sterling?] he still thinks he cou'd be of great use to any young Man who wd. [would?] go to his part of it. he desires I might present his compts. [compliments?] to you & look'd [looked?] & spoke as if he wish'd [wished?] to serve you.... |
