The Emigration Committee have thought it right to give publicity to the
following very intelligent letter, lately written by a settler to his
mother, on account of the valuable statistical information it contains.
Catchum's Shallow on the little Red River
Arkensaw Stait April 1838
MY DERE MUTHER,—Yer mustent wunder if you havnt herd of me for sume
time, but grate grefe is dumb as Shaxpire sais, and I was advised to
hop my twig and leaf old ingland, witch indede I was verry
sorrorful, but now I am thanks gudnes saf, and in amerrykey. i ardly
no ware miself, but the hed of this will tel my tail. I ham a
sqwatter in the far wurst, about ½ a-mile this side sundown, an if i
ad gone mutch father i should av found nothin but son, an no nite at
all. Yu kno how the hummeggrating Agent tolde me that if peepel
cudnt liv in Sent Gileses amerrykey was capitle to dy in; besides
ses he if youre not verry nere you can ade yure mother in distres,
so i went aborde a skip wat was going to Noo Orlines. Ive herd
peepel tawk abowt rodes at C but the rodes on the attalantick is the
verry ruffest i iver rode on and it was very long an very cold an we
had nothing 2 heat hardly, but we founde a ded rat in a warter cask
witch the flavur was grately increased thareby.
at last we cam to the arbur at the citty of Noo Orlines witch is all
under the bottum of the top of the rivver and we ad a ankering to go
a-shore. I ad no idear as the rivers was so hi in this contry, but
as the assent is so verry esy i didn't fele it at al. The noo
orlines peepel is odd fishis and not at all commun plaice; wen all
the peepel in the stretes is musterd it is a pepper an sault
poppulashun, there is blak wites an wite blaks an a sorte of mixt
peepel caled quadruunts because they are of fore colers blak, an
wite, an wite blaks, and blak wites. Has the rivver is so verry hi
it is alwys hi water, an the munnifold advantiges of the citty
dipends on the gudnes of its banks. there is loks in em to let the
water out and keys to kepe it in. munny here is very common and is
cald sentse, and evvery thing is cheep in Noo Orlines 5 dollers
bills bein only worth 2 dollers. We went up the rivver in a large
bote like a noise ark only more promiscus. the current acount was
aginst us it dont turn and turn agen like at putny bridg, and as it
runs alwys won way i wunder it dont run away altogethir. Thire is no
towns nor tailer shops nor palisses as I expectorated there wood be.
the wood was all quite wilde not a bit of tame no ware nor no sines
of the blessedniss of civilazashun as jales an jin shops nor no
kitching gardins nor fields nor ouses nor lanes nor alleys nor gates
nothin but alleygators. after a grate dale of settlin I settled to
settle as abuv ware yu will rite to me. These staits is caled the
united staits becawse theire mails and femails all united. there's
six of them wimmin staits. 2 Carrolinas, Miss Sourry, Miss Sippy,
Louesa Anna, an Vargina, all the rest is mails. i have sene no
cannibels an verry few ingins besides steam ingins they're quite
unhedducated and dont employ no tailers. I dont like fammin mutch
but praps I shal wen i get used to it, tho its very ilconvenient at
furst. i am obliged to wurk very ard and if I have to chop my one
wood much longer I have determined to cut my stick.
[Illustration:
A Settler.
]
Dere muther, i think i shud be more cumfurtable if I had a few
trifels witch you culd bye me, if yew wud onley sel sumthing and
send me all the bils partickular, and I'l be sure to owe it you—
namly sum needils and thred, and sum odd buttens, but thems of
little use without you send me sum shirts, and a waistcote, and
upper cote, to put em on, when those tumbles off thats on when you
sends em, and sum brads, and some hammers do drive em with, and a
spade an a pikax, an a saw, and some fish hooks, and gunpowdr, an
sum shot, witch they wil be of the gratest conveniency, if you can
send me a gun. likewis som stockins, an shues and other hardwares,
only its no use to send me any bank nots, for my nerest naybours is
sum ingun wagwams abuve 70 miles of, and I cudnt get change thare,
so dont forgit some led, and some bullit moldes, for some blak
fellers has been fishin close by, jist within 10 miles and I wants
to have a pop at em with luv to all yore dutiful sone