| Title: | Robert Peel Dawson, Montreal to his parents. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2106 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Peel Dawson, Robert/123 |
| Year | 1839 |
| Sender | Peel Dawson, Robert |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | army officer |
| Sender Religion | Protestant |
| Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Destination | Ireland |
| Recipient | |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | son-parents |
| Source | T 850/1: Obtained from Mrs Brackenbury, Moyola Park, Castledawson, Co. Londonderry. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9405223 |
| Date | 10/02/1839 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 09:05:1994. |
| Word Count | 487 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Montreal Feby 10th 1839 My dearest dearest Parents, Our Battalion moved into Montreal on Wednesday 6th of Feby. Sir John Colborne thought the state of the Country sufficiently improved and quieted to render our longer continuance in Laprairie unnecessary. We left Quebec you remember, on the 5th of November, 1838. We have therefore just completed our three months of marching, Fatigue and Out Quarter Duty. During that period the privates of our Regiment have never been in beds, they have slept upon the floors of some wretched hovel. Time and habit, have, however, reconciled them to this new life and a regular bed possesses in their eyes less charm than formerly. I shall always refer with the greatest satisfaction to these three months of our quarter duty. I hope I have derived from them much to benefit myself and to amuse and interest you. When we are all once again happily assembled round our own dear fire-side, I shall, I am certain, be enabled to relate many anecdotes which your affection for me will induce you to listen to with real pleasure. The Canadians have, I think received so great a shock this year that they will begin to discover that Rebellion is for them a losing game. They are an ignorant & deluded set of people. They hate the English, & it will, I think, cost us immense sums to retain Lower Canada as a British Colony. A standing Army must be kept in every part of the province and a strong Government established, unfettered by an English Parliament. They must be allowed to act against foreign invasion and domestic sedition. I like Montreal much better than Quebec. It is full of life, activity and amusement. We have Balls, plays and masquerades every night and I receive so many dinner invitations that if I availed myself of all, I should never appear at mess. Montreal is full of Troops. The Artillery, 7th Hussars, 1st Royals & 24th Regiment. The 15th and 71st are daily expected. There are also three thousand Militia whose uniforms are most gaudy. The streets, therefore, present a very motley appearance, Even the Canadians appear in a kind of costume & I know only one man in Montreal who wears a hat. Foraging Caps are all the fashion. We are on Duty to preserve peace during the hanging of seven Rebels, an unusual sight. Sir John Colborne having now the power & authority of Governer [Governor?] General can act decisively. The thermometer on Friday showed 30 degrees below Zero at Ten o'clock in the morning. The sky is, however, so cloudless, and the atmosphere so invigorating that I quite enjoy the intensity of the weather. I have yet escaped being frost-bitten. Many of the Officers & men have suffered from such cold. God bless you my dearest Father & my own dearest Mamma & my affectionate brothers. Ever your most attached & most devoted Robert Peel Dawson. |
