| Title: | Archibald, Earl of Ava, Canada, to "Dear Lizzie", Ireland. |
|---|---|
| ID | 947 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Earl of Ava, Archibald/24 |
| Year | 1872 |
| Sender | Archibald, Earl of Ava |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | 9 years old |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Canada |
| Destination | Ireland |
| Recipient | Lizzie |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | pupil-governess? |
| Source | D/1231/H/6/1: Deposited by Lady Hermione Blackwood. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9807606 |
| Date | 21/07/1872 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 21:07:98. |
| Word Count | 918 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Sun 21st My dear Lizzie I have not written to you since we came to Canada, I will tell you everything we did from when we went in the Prussian I had the measels [measles?] all the way and did not do much, though I was not at all sea-sick, I remember a scotch boy was on board he had a big boat in his cabin which he showed me. He used to smoke a clay pipe. When we came to the end of journey we saw him on the platform smoking. You know Mama started before us, so she was waiting for us in "Government house" I remember quite well when we went in at the hall door. Colonel Fletcher and Lady Hariot [Harriot ?] were there two [too ?] because their house was not quite built. we went with Mama to tea in the School rooom and then went to bed. I forget what we did after that till the 1st time I went down in a toboggan, of course you know what a toboggan is by now, Freddy pushed me off I felt rather giddy at first but afterwards, I liked tobogganing very much better than skating. I like skating very much though we play all sorts of games on the ice "Wolf" and races and "follow my leader" and Tom Titler". We toboggan and skate everyday and go for a walk on Sundays and sometimes I snow-shoe with the big people and Edward comes too. we do not amuse ourselves very much when the snow begins to thaw when the summer is coming, we cannot toboggan or skate or snow show we can only go for walks with galoshes on, which does not amuse us much. we stay a few weeks of the summer in Ottawa, Papa and Mama went away this summer as you know, David Robinson and me play lawn tenis [tennis ?] every day He generally gains he plays rather better than me but I gain sometimes. We generally have 13 the number but some times we have great big numbers like 50. Giverncel and Katie came to us this winter for a long time, we had great fun with them they liked toboggining and skating very much. Katie though did not like tobogganing at all. Papa and Mama gave me a nice draft [draughts ?] board. I like playing drafts [draughts ?] very much. They gave Nellie a bezigue but I do not like playing at it much Mamma taught me. Papa and Mama let me come down to dessert with them and stay with them in the drawing room after. I only went to bed at ten. I have finished all about Ottawa now I must tell you what we do at Tadousae. we make fortresses in the sand and when the tide comes up we stand in them an [and?] let the water sourround [surround?] us. we bathe as well sometimes and I can dive though not swim I wish I could. I forgot all about when I went up in the Druid and Chica last summmer I will tell you about it now and about Tadousac [Tadoussec?] after, the bathing reminded me of it because I bathed with Papa and Freddy and Mr Ward and Colonel Fletcher when I was up in the "Chicoa". Papa and Mama took me for a whole months Holiday in the "Druid". I enjoyed my self so much and I liked the "Druid" itself very much and all the sailors in it. The captains boy was on the Druid too he used to play with me everyday at hide and seek or something like that we all used to play at shuffle board on deck and read and bask in the sun like dogs. I used to have great fun with the steward, his name was Patrick I used to play such tricks on him and he hunted me round and round the ship. He was a Tipperary man and I used to tease him by saying that they threw stones at each others head. Papa's river called the Marguatita I forget how many sammon [salmon?] he caught we went to Mr Beilends river as well. Papa used to take Mama and I to a place on land near where he fished and we used to watch him Papa gave me an axe and I cut down trees, while Mama read a book or knitted. There was a farmer, a very nice one and Patrick and I used to go and see him. He has a tremendous lot of great big tall daughters besides a lot of sons which were not with him. He used to give us some [___?] and milk and sweties [Sweeties?]. I had such nice long rides there. Now I will tell you about the Chicora. I forget what town it was we went in her, She is a pretty big [___?] steamer with two funnels she is painted white and red but I did not like her half as much as the Druid, and I did not like the sailors of her at all, particularly the engineer at every bay there was a tremendous lot of Indians and the chief always made a speech to Papa which an interpreter interpreted it. I saw Niagara and some bears and buffeloes [buffalos ?] that were there I liked the bears and buffeloes [buffalos?] best. Good-bye dear Maman Your Affectionate Archie Thank you very much for the beautiful book you sent me |
