| Title: | Jane White, Goderich to Eleanor Wallace, Newtownards. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3303 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | White, Jane/20(2) |
| Year | 1859 |
| Sender | White, Jane |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | Protestant (Presbyterian?) |
| Origin | Goderich, Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Newtownards, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Wallace, Eleanor |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | D 1195/3/19: Presented by J. W. Russell & Co (Solicitors) High Street, Newtownards, Co. Down. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9312075 |
| Date | 19/07/1859 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Action By Date Document added by C.R., 02:12:1993. |
| Word Count | 1137 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | 9112083 To: Eleanor Wallace, [Newtownards?] [County Down?] [Ireland?] From: Jane White, Goderich, [Ontario?] [Canada?] July 19 1859 Goderich July 19 1859 My dear Eleanor I am late in replying to your kind letter the weather is and has been so dreadfully hot one could scarcely walk, I do not know how people manage who have to work hard, it must be hard suffering, I never felt so knocked up with the heat any summer, perhaps it is weakness of body, my mother complains dreadfully, I wish some cool weather would come and that would make us feel well again, the cool evenings are a great relief, we have beautiful moonlight nights, I think it can scarcely be better in Spain than here though the Spaniards go to bed in the heat of the day, I think the Canadians might do the same, the twelfth of the month was dreadfully hot, the Orangemen went down to Clinton and came home in the evening looking dreadful scarcrows [scarecrows?] with heat and dust, I hear in some towns below they celebrated the day with great spirit, but they have lost their prompter in this place, since the death of Dr [Doctor?] Hamilton, so I suppose they will dwindle away, the rector is showing them such a cold shoulder it used to be the reverse, he is so much in debt now, and acts so queerly, the people do not think so much of him as they did, he has a very large and extravagant family, who are forever showing off their aristocratic origin, and looking down on the congregation, this is quite hurtful to the cause of Christ, one does not like to be too tight upon their clergyman he is a kind pleasant man withal, if they were an English family I would have no mercy for them, but seeing they are Irish I would put up with their every fault, because there will always be a kind feeling remaining, but I declare the English here would have no objection to [bore?] the ears of the Irish through, like the bold servants of old, but they are too #PAGE 2 numerous for them, the Scotch too lean to Ireland most. I suppose you were alarmed some days ago to hear about a French invasion of Ireland, the same stories were flying about here, and that the lower Canadians were going to join the French in an invasion of Canada, but both Canada and Ireland are safe. Louis Napoleon has his hands full, and by the time his hands are clear of the Austrians his friends will be too low for any more capers. We have got six Clergymen out from Dublin lately, some of them very talented men, one who is placed at Clinton comes up to preach sometimes, the Revd. James Carmichael, he is very young and very enthusiastic, he seems completely devoted, a little too theatrical but a most [attractive?] preacher, he carries the mind away until you would think you actually saw what he describes, his Good Friday's sermon on the crucifixion was [startlingly?] vivid, he drew crowds from other churches, but they are more taken with a Mr Sullivan who has been once or twice here, indeed I think they are [fidgetty?] I have not heard Sullivan yet, the name has a popish sound with it, I join with you in not thinking much of Roman Catholics, I have known some of them here and think them deceitful I would be neighbourly with them but would not take them for companions, their bigotry is too much. Those revival meetings at home will surely do good, an impression in the mind is often retained and [recurs?] to the memory even after being forgotten for a time. The person I enquired about Mr Walker came to see us one day, he came up to Goderich on some errand and enquired for us, he has a farm about thirty miles away, I did not know him at first, I wonder if you and I would know each other if we met in the street, you would find me [darker?] in the complexion I think. The United States Day is kept by some persons here, some left for Buffalo for the 4th July and it was celebrated here by a kind of a street masquerade. How is Mrs Hill please remember us to her do you know where her sister Mrs McConnell is? would you ask her what part of Canada she is in, if still in Montreal. I suppose your garden looks well now, ours is rather fading at present the frosts that came about the 8th June did great injury, it killed our grapes & melons and cucumbers and a number of our annuals the potatoes through the country were as totally withered as the time of the potatoe [potato?] rot at home, but they are all sprung again the bulbs throw up new shoots just the same with the dahlias in our garden would you take the trouble of sending me a few withered flowers of fuschias perhaps I could get some seed out of them I cannot get any here, it is a hardy plant I think it would grow here, I thought of begging a slip #PAGE 3 from you, but I fear it would die before getting this length. the crops last year were a failure owing to the dryness of the summer the people in Huron and Bruce are starving in hundreds, Bruce is worst being a new settlement some of the Highland Scotch up at Kinloss who depended on the cultivation of the new farms, are subsisting of [--?] roots, gathered in the bush, they could hardly be more at home [than?] this, a good deal of money has been raised I hear for them, some of them furnished with [work?] it is said down in London times are if possible worse than here, but there is no loss without some gain, it has ruined the cheats and rascals, honest good people do not feel the time so seriously. I was surprised to hear of Mr Bells death, he must have suffered severely poor man, he was a strong looking man, quite like long life when I saw him last, I thought I had furnished you with a nice story in the Signal in "One eyed Saul" but it turned out a very poor affair such humbug about [Ishmael?] the wolf. Please remember me to your cousin. My mother is anxious to know if the Revd H Moore is still in Newtownards we heard there was another clergyman in his place, is it so? we were pleased to see the address to Mr Price in the paper you sent, we received another paper the same from Mr Milliken. My father and mother send their kindest regards to you please to accept the same from your much attached friend and hoping soon to hear from you I remain Yours most sincerely Jane |
