| Title: | From Bridget Lacy, to Mary Thompson, Ireland. |
|---|---|
| ID | 4552 |
| Collection | Authentic Letters from Upper Canada [Rev. Thomas Radcliff] |
| File | radcliff/10 |
| Year | 1832 |
| Sender | Lacy, Bridget |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | servant |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | York, Upper Canada |
| Destination | Ireland |
| Recipient | Thompson, Mary |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1861 |
| Genre | account of passage, people in the colonies |
| Note | |
| Transcript | York, Upper Canada, August, 1832. Dear fellow Servant, and fellow school-fellow, For we were edicated together, and printiced out together—and my blessing on the Committee of fifteen, and my blessing on them that taught us to read and write, and spell, that you may know all about me, and I about you, though there are rivers, and seas, and woods, and lakes between us—and my blessing on the mistress that taught us to work, and wash, and make ourselves useful, so that while health stands by us, we may earn honest bread in any country. And sure enough, dear Mary, you shall hear all the good and bad that happens to me, and I hope to have the same from you. And now that I am on land, it is only good natured that I should give you some account of my doings since I set out. If I had you with me, I would have been easier in my mind; but still my mistress was very good, and I got on bearably, barring the shocking sickness, such as no one in the cholic, or the breeding way, or the billions fever, or after hippo, or after sqills, ever felt before or since. If you were only to have seen how smooth we floated down the River, and out of the Bay, and away to Wicklow, where I was born, at the back of the murrough, near Tinnakilly, you would have said, away you go—eating, and drinking, and laughing, and cracking jokes; but my jewel, before the second day was over, we were all knocked of a heap; and then if you were to hear all around you as I did, groaning, and raching, and willy wombling, and calling for water, and nobody to bring them a sup, and wishing themselves at the bottom of the sea; in troth, Mary, you would have pitied a dog in the same taking. The hold was full of people, mighty snug and decent, with money in their pockets, going out to make their fortunes; and most of them Protestants, that found home growing too hot for them; and that they had better save their four bones, and their little earnings before it was too late, and sure enough, I believe they're right. There are mighty good people among them, and mighty pretty girls, that when they arn't sick, sing psalms in the evening, very beautiful; and there's one Jenny Ferguson, from the north, that I am very thick with, and she has a voice like an angel. In troth there are none of them bad, and its mighty sweet upon the sea. Well my dear, when the singing is over, they're all very merry; and there are some gay lads, and great fun, and a little courting, but all in a civil way; and I sometimes make one; but between you and I, Mary, but don't say a word at all at all, I think there's a servant-boy of a Mr. Jackson's, one Benson, that's throwing a sheep's eye at me— but nothing certain, barring a sly pinch here and there, and other tinder tokens that may end in smoak after all. They say a girl will soon get a husband in this country. Some will, and some will not. I'd be sorry to be trusting to them. The boy I have told you of, may be settled near us, and if he is as sweet upon me then, as he is now, he may put some of their noses out of joint. To say the honest truth, I would not like to be beholden to them; though they say they're civil enough in Canada, not all as one as the States, where they have the impudence of Old Nick. in making free with their betters. You would not believe, dear Mary, the forwardness of them Yankees. Sure, I heard a gentleman, after coming from Philadelfy, in the Untied States, telling my mistress of there going some journey there in a cart, and the horses tiring and stopping to sleep at a farmers, and when he had got into bed, and was falling asleep, was roused by one over him, saying, "I guess I tumble in here," when the greasy carter that drove him, stretched his ugly carcass alongside him, and began to snore in three minutes. Now think of that, Mary. If it was my case, not a pin in my pincushion but he should have the full binifit of, the impudent mohawk. That's liberty and quality as they call it—a nice bedfellow indeed—instead of his own pretty wife, who was put to sleep with the young woman of the house, to make room for this scurvy Gee-ho-dobbin. The only accidence we had on the voyage was an old woman that died, and a child born in the hold, and n little girl choaked with a potatoe, and two doctors on board —but no blame to them—they weren't called till all was over—and the Captain, long life to him, put the old woman decent in a coffin, saying that the sherks should have a mouthful of sawdust before they got at her old Oh! but I had like to forget the chief sport. Sure we had a boxing match, Mary, which I must tell you of, by and by. But what banged all was the storm. That was what was near settling us for life. Oh! Mary, Mary, it was tremenduous—but I can only tell you the beginning Now, Mary dear, how will I describe it to you? Do you remember when we were little girls in the school—and the carpenters working in the yard, and a great long board, and we and the other girls playing weighdy bucketdy, and we going up in the air and down again to the ground. Well then, there's the way it began, but in troth my dear, it was only a beginning—for before you could thread a needle, up went my heels as straight as a ladder, and then down again, that though I was lying on the broad of my back, I thought I was standing on my two feet in the bottom of the sea. Then came on the whillaloo from above, and the cracking of masts and ropes, and dear knows what—and off I dropped in a swoon I suppose, for I never saw or heard any thing more till all the danger was over. I just remember calling out oh, my jewel, take the child—and when first I opened my eyes, what should I see, but my little darling, Miss Mary, tied in her own mahogany chair, and that same tied to the bed, and the little dear laughing heartily; and no wonder, Mary, for you'd have laughed yourself, as I did, and couldn't help it, when, with a toss of the ship, we saw every thing, big and little, mugs, jugs, and porringers, &c. all hunting each other about the floor. But I promised to tell you about the boxing. Well, my dear, the next day was quite calm, and we all got up on the deck. I went forward to talk to my friend Jenny Ferguson, and there were five or six fellows beside us, tripping and boxing with big gloves; and we heard one of them saying to another, "Arrah, Brien, what if you" were to challenge the big man there above on the quarterdeck, (meaning my master,) they say he's fond of the fancy” "Oh bother, (says he,) he's too heavy for me." "Never a pound, (says the other,)—and he's flabby and wake,—they say he was sick all the way." "Sick or no sick, I'll have nothing to do wid him," says he "You won't then?—O! Brien, is that talk for you, that's the Bony of all Westmeath ?—there's the back of my hand to you, and I'm ashamed of you for evermore.'1' "Well then, if I must, I must," (says he,) so be going, and asking him will he take a turn." Up they go, and I following them close; and says the same man to my master, "Plase your honour, we hear you're fond of the sport, and there's a boy here has got the gloves.—Would your honour be so free and asy as to put them on wid him?" "I don't care if I do, (says my master,) but I am not very well, and 1 feel weak; but a little sparring will do nobody any harm." Upon this they took off them, and put on the gloves. Oh, Mary dear, isn't my master a fine man?—Sure you saw him the day we sailed. Well, my dear, there he stood like a rock, parlying, as they call it, while the other was striking with all his might; -—but never a touch was himself able to give my master, at all at all,—and the upshot was, he was beat to his heart's content. But to give him his due, he shook hands with the master, and said, he begged his honour's pardon for giving him the trouble of bating him, which he well desarved, for coming foment so fine a man entirely; and that the only satisfaction he had was, that it was the first time he was ever bate in all his life. The master gave him half a crown and a glass of whiskey, and they were mighty good friends ever after. Well, well, well,—I believe this letter will never end; so that I'll say nothing about the journey from Quebec to York, only that it was mighty pretty; and beautiful steamboats, and rumbling coaches, and bad inns, and fine rivers, and plenty of trees; and here we are at York, and here we have been for a month, living as bad as in a cholera hospital, for the whole town was nothing else; and every day, every day, we never thought we would get over the next night safe. But we could not run away, for my mistress was brought to bed of a little girl, as fine a little crature as ever you see. But we are all well now; and when my master comes back from the waterfall of Niggeraga, (they say they were all Niggers here once,) we are to set out for the estate he has bought in the Huron Tract; and whatever comes across me there, Mary, you shall know the particulars of it, as it may be a temptation for you to come out yourself next year, with your own black eyes, to throw yourself in the way of the same good fortune. They say no girl, barring she is old and ugly, will stand two months. My Mistress says an officer will take this free, with her own. So dear Mary no more, (and I'm sure no more would be agreeable,) at present, from your loving schoolfellow, And friend, BRIDGET LACY My next shall be from our own place, and you shall hear all the ways of it. |
