| Title: | Mary Cumming, Petersburg to Rachel Craig, Lisburn. |
|---|---|
| ID | 788 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Cumming, Mary/31 |
| Year | 1814 |
| 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, Rachel |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | sisters |
| Source | T 1475/2 p.111-115: Copied by Permission of Miss A. McKisack, 9 Mount Pleasant, Belfast. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9006107 |
| Date | 09/03/1814 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 29:10:1993. |
| Word Count | 1398 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | March 9th. 1814. My dearest Rachel, I embrace with the greatest pleasure another opportunity of writing to my beloved Sister; a cartel is to sail in a few days from New York to Gothenburg, which will take this letter. I was very much disappointed that I did not hear from any of my friends by the "Ann and Alexander", which arrived very lately from Liverpool. William had a letter from his brother James by her. I hope, however I shall hear from home very soon, as I have not had a letter this long time. The last I received was from Margaret dated in July and September. I hope some of my letters have got to hand before this time, I was very sorry some of them were detained so long after they were sent away, I wrote a very long letter to my dear Margaret in January, which I suppose she will get before this arrives. I know my dear Sister will be pleased to hear that my health this winter has been tolerably good. I have had few returns of the ague and fever, and I hope will soon get entirely quit of it. William has not had an hour's sickness these twelve months, he is the picture of health and contentment, for since the good news from England has reached us he has been busily engaged puchasing tobacco, in expectation that peace will take place during the Summer; most sincerly I hope it may, for then our return to dear Ireland will be sooner than it otherwise would be. Tobacco has risen in price very much of late, William has sold some here lately for double what he paid for it in the begining of winter. He has now more than a thousand hogheads on hands, the greater part is his own, the remainder he purchased for Mr. Oliver and Mr. Brown of Baltimore. If he can get this shipped off during the Summer all will be well. We purpose leaving this place about the beginning of July, and spending a few months in Baltimore, and perhaps going on to Philadelphia. I look forward with great pleasure to this jaunt, for though I have so often been disappointed in my plans of happiness yet I still continue to have the same fondness for castle-building which I formerly had, indeed it is a souce of great amusement to me in planning my return to my beloved home once more. I very often dream of you all, and my earnest prayer is that I may live to return to Strawberry Hill, and find all its dear inmates well and happy. Mrs. Freeland is much better than she was when I wrote last, Agnes has been ill of the measles lately, she is now recovered, and I expect to have her here next week to stay some time with me. She is nearly about your age, I am sure you would like her very much. #PAGE 2 William and I attended the birth-night Ball on the 22nd of last month, I never was at so crowded an assembly in my life, the hall is very large, yet it was so full of company there was hardly room to move; the supper was very elegant, I did not dance much, but was very much diverted with the novelty of the scene. I had the good luck to get beside my lively and entertaining friend, Mrs.Taylor, who by her wit and humour is sure to keep one in good spirits. I fancy I am a favourite of hers, as she is always extremely kind and attentive to me. I was highly diverted with a French gentleman, at the Ball. Mrs Taylor and myself were chatting together when he came up, to whom he addressed himself, he spoke bad English. "Mrs Taylor" he began. "Does you intend dancing any to-night?" She said she believed not. "If you do" he replied, "you had much betterre [better?] take care of your toes, for as I was just dancing one reel and not attending very much to mine, a gentleman he first trod on one foot, and just as he was going to ask my pardonne [pardon?] Mr. Cameron he jump on the other one." I cannot write in the manner he spoke, but we were both very much diverted with him. I do not like the reels half as well as the country dances, I hope I shall be able to dance them when I return. I have been amusing myself lately working caps and vandykes on India book muslin, it is much better than the common kind, I hope I shall soon be able to send you and Margaret some little things of my work. The garden will soon be nice order, our peas will soon be two or three inches above the ground. The gardener and old Matt find constant employment. Oh, dearest Rachel, I wish you could see old Matt at his work, he certainly is one of the natural curiosities of the place. Many a time I am diverted with him, his figure and face are very different from any negro I have ever seen, both formed in Nature's roughest mould, and to add another charm to his appearance he has got an old helmet somewhere, which he wears instead of his hat, and altogether you never beheld so comical a figure as he is. I like him very much, he is perfectly good-natured and obliging. William gathered a great number of cucumbers one day last summer, which when Matt saw, "Why, Master" he said, "Some of them cucumbers you have pulled have got 'fever'", meaning they were too ripe and turning yellow. Jenny expects an increase to her family in Summer, I thought she would not have any more, as Cora is seven years old, I would rather not have any more children about the house, but these things cannot be helped, and Jenny is a faithful honest creature as can be. The Petersburg ladies have instituted an asylum, called #PAGE 3 the "Female Orphan Asylum", for the purpose of educating poor orphans who had no one to take care of them, it is about two years since the commencement of the plan and it seems to have met with great success. They have a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and twelve Direcrors. There is a meeting of all the subscribers once a year at which time they choose the different officers by votes. This meeting took place on Monday last, at which time I had the honour of being elected one of the Directors. William says I shall soon be a great character in this country. I am anxiously waiting for another arrival in hopes of getting letters from Ireland, tell Margaret Byers I expect a long one from her, I hope she and Miss McCully are well, give my kindest love to them. Do not, my dear Rachel, let any opportunity escape without writing to me, I was very much pleased to see your last letter so well written. Tell my dear Margaret I will expect a very long one from her for the enormous budget I sent her lately. I hope my darling James is well, when you write to him tell him to write a long letter to me. Give my love to Andy and Sally, Do you know I have taken it into my wise head that you will soon be Miss Craig if you are not so already. I am sure my dear James is a very handsome young man, how I long to see you all! I wrote a long letter to my Father in December, which I hope he will soon receive. I have been a good deal amused reading the "Orlando Furioso" of Ariosto, Mrs. Taylor lent it to me. Will you ask my Father if he ever met with a book called "Salmagundi" written by three very clever men of New York, but whose names are not known. If he has not I will send it to him if I can, for I am sure he would admire it. William joins me in a thousand loves to you all. God bless you my dear , dear Sisters, is the sincere prayer of your Mary Cumming. I hope Mr. Neely is well, give my kind love to him. I wrote to Mr. Gilmour lately. Miss Rachel Craig, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, IRELAND. |
