[Thomas Waters to his parents, sisters and brother]
[from a transcript] 28
6 December 1848. Galway
Dear Father and Mother, Sisters and Brother,
I wish you all a Merry Xmas and a happy New Year. Thank you for your welcome newspapers etc but be sure and cut all the old directions out as one of them had been opened and the old direction to Captain etc was on the outside which to a stranger would appear as if you were making fun of me, dont forget, if you please. You need not put British Brig Pageant (as we are considered here as an American) merely Brig Pageant, Galway. In the United States we are called British, but here we are not. We have about fifty passengers engaged which is about half our complement, we would have had more only the continued gales of the last fortnight have frightened the country folks so that they hold back. I am sorry you could not take the money out of the Bank,but I will someday, I hope, be able to repay you, in fact I can now but I have already drawn £14 for clothes and I told the Captain I should want no more here, and he has drafted his money to Nova Scotia. This morning the cook was getting breakfast ready and I poked my head into the galley to see what we were going to have, he had a tremendous fire and was sweating like a bull, in one hand he had a flap-jack (what you call a pancake) with the other hand full of molasses he was smearing it over every now and then licking his hands. “Hulloa, Cook, what do you call them?” “Why” said he “them’s what I call nice”. The second mate was looking on the other side and he snatched a half done hot pancake out of the pan and dexterously slipped it down the back of the cook’s neck between his shirt and skin, you may depend he hopp’d about smart, but after all he cooked the same one, and I believe it was the second mate who ate it. The Captain has discharged him as he was too dirty. New York is our destination where you can direct to by and bye. I am much obliged to Sarah for the handsome penwiper. I am glad to hear that you are all in good health and hope you may always be so. The reason the last ink was so pale was the steward had capsized the bottle and filled it up with water. I received the London newspapers from you today and am much pleased for the streets are so muddy and the town so full of beggars that there is no pleasure in walking & consequently I stop on board & read when I have anything to read. I am much obliged for the scraps of poetry especially as I am filling up an old log book with them. We have dreadful weather here. I must now conclude, wishing you all good health and happiness.
I remain
Your affectionate son Thomas Waters