[Transcript made by Mrs Amaret Smyth,
Langbank, Sask., Canada]
XIII
6th Dec. 1844 New York
Dear Father and Mother
You say it was with pleasure you received my letter, but I assure you it was not greater than the pleasure I felt in receiving yours dated 2nd Nov. 1844 which I got 26 Nov. Tuesday from Capt. Gelston’s, I having just returned from a rather disagreeable trip on the coast of N. America where we had very bad weather, and consequently double allowance of watch on deck, and short allowance of rest, with a good coating of ice on all the ropes, and thanks to a good Father and Mother a good coating of something else on my carcase, though all hands and myself amongst them am pretty nigh losing the numbers of our mess. The incident was this. One night or rather one morning we hove up our anchor from an insecure place under the lee of Cape May where we had been anchored safe from a heavy North Easter, but unsafe from a coming North Wester, and we had to pass a point which is rather dangerous, from the rocky shoals and heavy breakers and just as we got off the point we struck a sunken wreck so hard that it threw us all down; all hands were on the deck and the Captain was at the helm, and he exclaimed, 0 God, we are all lost, and indeed if the ship had been built of anything but good solid live oak, in all probabilities Davy Jones would have had some more hands in his locker, for unfortunately our only boat was stove, and if it had not, it would have been useless, as the sea ran too high for any but a whale or life boat to live in, however our ship is snugly moored in port, with our jib boom pointed at a third story window, and I am down below with your letter in one hand, and a pipe in the other, a hard day’s work done, a few dollars due to me which will go for clothes, and as the Yankee’s say; I guess I am pretty considerable happy, and would be more so if I thought I could get to England by Christmas, but I am afraid I cannot, for you see not more than 2 or 3 vessels sail for London from here in a month and they generally carry their old crews, so that I might wait 2 or 3 weeks and not get a chance, and then again I might not have to wait a day for one. The Quebec is not here and I do not know when she will be. I should like very much to see home again for all the world round there is no place like it; I wish to see you all, and to please Mary which would only be pleasing myself; you may depend upon it I will make the old gate squeak to some purpose the first chance I get God willing. I am glad Ben has chosen a trade, I hope he will be fortunate. In this country a steady young man with a good trade or a farmer in particular can get on fast and gain an independance, that is if he becomes a citizen of the United States, which perhaps I may be some day or the other, I am much obliged to Cousin Jane for her kind wishes and should like much to see her. There are hardships in every situation and one of a sailor’s is that he has to spend the best part of his life among strangers instead of among his friends, but then the hope of return takes the sting from “adieu” and I am always looking forward to the pleasure of seeing you all safe again. Many thanks to Mary, Ben and Sister Eliz. for their kind writing, when I am out at sea every watch below I have nearly I get the lamp and overhaul all the letters from you which I have in my possession before I turn in and then I lay and think of you and sleep and dream of you. The last letter I wrote to you I had to finish in a hurry and I believe put no date to it, and maybe there were a few mistakes in it, which I hope you will excuse, I write my letters a little at a time, some last week and some this week, and put the date in when ready to send. You need not fear me going in a smuggler, the one I had engaged to go in has never been seen or heard of since she most likely foundered and all hands must have found a seaman’s grave, I should never have undertaken to go in her if I had not been hard up, without a penny in my pocket or a second shirt to my name, and that was my only chance, I believe with you that honesty is the best policy but still sailors do not think it dishonest though unlawful. You say you have received a South Sea basket of mine, I got it from the island of Salibaboo [Salibabu], I believe one of the Dutch East India isles though none but Malays were then living there, you are very, very welcome to it or anything else of mine worth having. I left 2 gold pins in my dressing case, one I received from Mary the other one from a ship mate. Ben does not mention them in his writing, if they are in the case you are welcome to the latter one, but the other I want because I got it from Mary. Ben will soon be as tall as me. I hope I shall get to Woolwich before it is altered too much so as to find my way home but I guess I shan’t want much pilotage. I do not intend sending this letter until I am sure of what ship I am going in, and where bound. Fair play is Fair play and if all of you wrote as long letters as I do, when you have time, a little now and a little then, it would be! Fair play: but mind; I don’t think I have any right or cause to grumble, so excuse these last lines or follow them which you please. ———
I don’t think it is lawful for the owner of the Fawn to keep my property which I left behind, I owed them nothing. I owed Capt. Dunn 2 or 3 dollars for sewing thread and twine and such like articles. They gave me no advance but I gave them my 3 years labour, the agreement I signed was not fulfilled on the part of the Captain and officers. I do not blame the Capt. because he was sick so much. It was not my duty to myself to throw away, the most valuable part of my life after I found that in 3 years they had given me no chance to learn my profession for the sake of an agreement which they had broke first, keeping me down in the cabin as steward because they could not find any other one trust-worthy. If I get to England time enough I will talk to them
about it. ——-
I have not forgot little Sarah or Jane I expect some day to see their writing. God bless them and all my Brothers and Sisters. What has become of Horatio Bissett and Dick and all the rest of my playmates? Ben will answer if he knows. I have now shipped as chief mate on board of the same vessel which I left a week ago, but I do not get much better wages yet as it is my first trial. I had a good recommendation from a Danish gentleman who had been Master in the same vessel and who is thinking of buying her after this trip, he wishes me to stay by her in case he does, as he is then going master of her again and he wants me much for his mate. The owner said when I first went for the berth that I looked too young but that I had a hardy and good appearance so he would take me. I believe I look younger now than I did 2 years ago for I am now contented but while belonging to a whaler I was not. Capt. Thompson is a very religious man and a good sailor but he cannot write good English. he told me to open his note to you as he had folded it too large to go inside of mine. I hope no one at home is offended at me for what I have said or done for sometimes when I have written letters I have been tired and perhaps not in a right mind or humour. Perhaps I may get to L’pool before I do to London and have a chance to see my uncle and cousins so in your next letter send me his address though I hope to see you first. I wish you all a happy Xmas and a merry new year. Good Bye till I see you which I hope will be soon. Write quick and often all of you don’t forget thank you. I remain
Your affectionate and happy son
Thomas Waters –
Writing a letter to you with no bad news in it is the best thing I can do when I don’t come myself. —–
Give a kiss to little Nancy for me and I will pay it back when I come home. I hope all my Brothers and Sisters are quite well. God bless them all is my prayer for I know you all think of me in yours.