| Title: | Jane White, Grosse Island to Eleanor Wallace, Newtownards. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3305 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | White, Jane/24 |
| Year | 1849 |
| Sender | White, Jane |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | just arrived in Canada |
| Sender Religion | Protestant (Presbyterian?) |
| Origin | Grosse Isle, Quebec, Canada |
| Destination | Newtownards, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Wallace, Eleanor |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | D 1195/3/5: Presented by J. W. Russell & Co., Solicitors, 4 High Street, Newtownards, Co. Down. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9112095 |
| Date | 27/06/1849 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 29:11:1993 |
| Word Count | 1022 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Eleanor Wallace [Newtownards?] [Co. [County?] Down?] [Ireland?] From: Jane White Grosse Island [St Lawrence?] [Canada?] June 27 1849 Grose [Grosse?] Isle 27th June 1849 Mr dearest Elinor I am glad to inform you we [are?] so far on, on our long tedious journey, we are anchored at Grose [Grosse?] Isle 36 miles below Quebec it is an Island in the St Lawrence, the quarantine station is here and I assure you the passengers all feel very discontented at being kept here we have been stationed since our arrival on saturday morning and it is now Wednesday, we have had fever and small pox [smallpox?] on board so that is the reason the sick persons were taken on shore in a boat to the hospital there are a great many sheds erected on the Island that have been very useful for sick persons. There was a doctor here on Sunday from shore who examined the ship and was convinced there was not any sickness among the cabin or poop cabin passengers which is a very great blesssing [blessing?] for us, my mammas' health is pretty good she was very very ill since we left home greatly owing to the extremely severe heaving of the ship, no one could have any idea of the inconvenience but those who have felt it, one is so tossed about and sometimes cannot keep on their feet there are two families from County Antrim in the poop, besides ourselves our room is boarded in so we are comfortable in that respect, there are two nice girls who have kept me in company since I came here. We have had many fearful days in our long voyage it is 8 weeks on Saturday last since we embarked in Belfast Lough, I could not describe to you all the points such fearful gales as we had, a constant succession of them I may say, without erring much, one morning we had a narrow escape from being shipwrecked there was a heavy gale set in from the north west that carried away our bulwarks, Cabin sky light etc [?] washing two #PAGE 2 of our sailors down the main hatchway and laying our ship for a short time under water nor was she expecting to rise, she did rise thank God, and very shortly after we picked up a Crew of a schooner that the same gale had broken to pieces, she had her Broadside actually driven in by the sea such gales are dreadful Our Captain had been above 20 years at sea and confessed we had seen as much desperate weather as he had seen in his time, but I should not tire you with too long a description, a great number of ships have been lost in the ice here early in the spring one was lost in the gulf of St Lawrence [here?] during the gales it contained 4 hundred passengers who all perished except one child who was picked up by a vessel passing the spot, I can only say Eliza Morrison has been slow but sure. The weather is very warm here, The scenery on the banks of the river is delightful, especially at this season of the year, hill and valley, the beautiful towns and villages sloping to the river's edge together with fertile Islands form the most beautiful Landscape I ever saw; the houses are of wood and very white, the inhabitants are mostly of French descent and speak the French Language. The Roman Catholic religion is established here I saw a very pretty steam boat on Sunday afternoon last which was St John's day, it came past here on a pleasure excursion from Quebec, full of people gaily dressed, they stopped here and came past our ship they were accompanied by a M-sonic [Masonic?] Band and played the Troubadour Garry Owen and other tunes, it was a very handsome sight the day was warm and the sun bright but it showed a very bad respect for the Lord's day they are only to be excused on account of being Papists you would be surprised to see the number of Brigs crowded here all full of emigrants from Britain trying their fortunes in America we are all in good health thank God I was scarcely sea sick at all but my mamma was and Abigail was very sick the first week but is quite well now and has had the offer of two or three places already she sends her kind regards to you and mamma and I hope your dear mama is recovered tell her I will ever remember her kindness. Please give my kind love to her and so miss her and if you see Miss #PAGE 3 Harriet Dobson please tell her I am safe arrived here and please say I will write to her very shortly and give her my very kind love, I hope I will soon be able to send you my direction and if there are any questions you wish to ask me about the voyage do so I am writing in but a confused manner but I hope you will excuse me as I [merely?] snatched the opportunity to Let you know I am safely Landed at Last the land is near I was over in the Island to-day and had a nice walk through the [trees?] with my mamma and later on [--?] two young Ladies their servant man came along with a basket so we had a sort of picnic remember me to Miss Jane Gelston tell her I cannot give her much information about Canada yet but the time may come. With love to you all and hoping you are all well I remain My dearest friend Yours Ever Sincerely and Affectionately Jane White We have had 4 deaths during the voyage four females from dysentry which was prevalent here and a child from smallpox Mr Mawhinney a Presbyterian clergyman lost his wife and had been only two or three months married she died as we passed the banks of Newfoundland at which place the cold became very intense I never felt the like of it before it was strange looking to see the mountains of Newfoundland covered in many places with snow so very late in the spring |
