| Title: | Mary Cumming, Petersburg, [Va?] to Margaret Craig, Lisburn. |
|---|---|
| ID | 774 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Cumming, Mary/7 |
| Year | 1812 |
| Sender | Cumming (n. Craig), Mary |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | middle class housewife |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Petersburg, Virginia, USA |
| Destination | Lisburn, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Craig, Margaret |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | sisters |
| Source | T 1475/2 pp.48-51: Copied by Permission of Miss A. McKisack, 9, Mount Pleasant, Belfast. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9006088 |
| Date | 09/01/1812 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 01:09:1993. |
| Word Count | 1336 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Petersburg. January 9th. 1812. I received your last letter, my beloved Margaret, on Christmas morning, just as we were sitting down to breakfast. It was the most acceptable gift I could have received. By this time you will have got my first letter from Petersburg, and I hope you will soon receive the last I wrote. There is a ship to sail from Baltimore to Liverpool in a few days, which I hope will take this safely to you. I am rejoiced to hear that you and all my dear friends are well, that you may all enjoy health and happiness is my most earnest prayer. I know, my dear Margaret, you will be glad to hear that I am in perfect health at present. I was never better in my life than I have been for the last six weeks. I believe it is in some degree owing to the delightful dry clear weather we have. Winter has not commenced here yet, we have had very little rain since I came here. The weather at present is remarkably clear, dry and pleasant. There is plenty of dust on the roads. We have had a very few cold days lately, this climate is more changeable than in Ireland. To give you an idea of how much it is so I will tell you of the changes we have had in the short space of three days. The Sunday before Christmas was as mild and warm as in the month of May. Monday it rained from morning till night, and on Tuesday the frost was so intense that the water was frozen during the day in my room. I have begun to keep a journal of the weather to send to my Father. I wish you would do the same, I should like to compare the differences of the two climates. Yesterday was my beloved Margaret's birthday, we drank your health, and many returns of it, which I trust you will see. I hope I will live to celebrate many of them with you in my dear Ireland. I have had a great many visitors since I wrote last, indeed, the ladies are remarkably kind and attentive to me, I never met with more pleasing people. I have got several little presents sent me by some of them, knowing I was a young beginner. Mrs. Colquhoun sent me some very nice ketchup and two pots of jelly. Mrs. Bell sent me a large pot of preserved lemons, done when they are green, it is the best sweetmeat I ever tasted. She also sent me some delightful oranges, the produce of Mr. Cumming's tree, they were as fine as I ever saw. About a fortnight ago we were at a great ball and supper, at Mrs. Moore's, I am sure there were seventy people at it. There was nothing danced but Virginian reels, such as William taught us in Ireland. I did not venture to dance for a long time for fear of putting them wrong, but at last I was prevailed on to attempt them, and succeeded better than I expected. The American ladies in general dress remarkably well, #PAGE 2 young and old are fond of dancing, but there has been an end put to this amusement for some time. That night we were all so gay and happy at Mrs. Moore's the most dreadful occurrence happened at Richmond that was ever known in this, or I believe, any other country. On that fatal night there was to be a new after-piece performed, and the theatre was more crowded than usual. At the commencement of the second act of the farce part of the scenery took fire, owing to a lamp being hung up, in order to give effect to some part of the scenery. The alarm was given, but the flames spread with the rapidity of lightning, some of the people attempted and effected their escape by jumping out of the windows, a great many were suffocated by the terrible black smoke and smell of the oil burning, other losts their lives by attempting to get down the stairs, which fell with the weight of the crowd, and is with sorrow I tell you that between seventy and eighty persons fell a sacrifice to the flames, fifty of them among the most respectable inhabitants of Richmond, the greater part consisted of ladies. I never heard of an event so universally lamented. Richmond, I am told, is a scene of desolation and woe, funeral sermons have been preached in all the neighbouring towns. A great many of the inhabitants of Petersburg wear mourning, I believe it is general. There is to be a monument erected on the spot where the theatre stood. Dancing and all public amusements are prohibited for four months, in all my life I never heard of so melancholy an event, but I will not dwell on it any longer. I had a letter from Mrs. William Brown the other day, she is very well, and likes Baltimore greatly. I fear I shall not have the pleasure of seeing her, her mother-in-law is afraid to let her travel so far in Winter, and in the Spring she will have something else to attend to. We expect William Brown here next week on his way to Savannah, he will stay a week or ten days with us. We had a party of gentlemen dining with us the other day, I was glad when it was over, but I got through the day better than I expected, I sat and carved at the head of the table, and I felt quite at my ease. Nancy is a good cook, so I have very little trouble. I hope my dear Mary Cumming is with you, I wrote her mother some time since, I hope to here from them soon. Write me a very long letter when you receive this and do not neglect to date it as I like to know when you write, and tell me all the news you can think of, no matter how trifling. I think it would be a good plan to send your letters to Liverpool, to the care of James Cumming if he is there, or to William A. Brown. They will forward them to me sooner than from Ireland. My dear William looks and is perfectly well, the longer I know him I love and esteem him more, he is everything to me #PAGE 3 my heart could wish for. Oh! if we were in my dear Ireland I would be too happy. He is reading to me Robinson's "History of America" which I like very much. I have been amused reading "The Scottish Chiefs" lately. I hope all my friends in Lisburn are well, remember me kindly to them all. How are the Belfast people? Give my affectionate love to Mrs. J. Ward and Mrs. Telfair, when you see them, and to Mrs Ward and the Macleans. Tell Mrs Ward I have the card-racks she made for me last Winter put up in the parlour. They remind me of the giver whom I shall always love and admire. Is there any news from Lisburn? No word of any of the girls getting married? I hope my dear Miss McCully and Margaret are well, give my kindest love to them. I hope I will get a letter from you soon, tell me how my dear James is. Is Strawberry Hill just the same as when I left it? Tell my Father that it is the general opinion that we shall not have war with England. Mr. Cumming says the Members of Congress can talk about raising an army, but he thinks they will not get it accomplished, from my heart I hope they will not. Give my most affectionate love to my dear Father. I will add a postscript for my sweet Rachel. God bless you my dear dear Sister, and make you happy. I will write you again in Febuary [February?]. Miss Margaret Craig, Lisburn. Co Antrim. IRELAND Received and forwarded 11th. January 1812. by A. Brown and Sons. |
