Letter from Hattie to Mother, October 13, 1868
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Mother, October 13, 1868
Subject
Missionaries; Steamboats; Gardens; Flowers; Trees; Weather
Description
This letter from Harriet Noyes to her mother discusses the incoming and outgoing missionaries in China (and the surrounding area), as well as those on leave. She specifically writes about Mr Sampson from England, who is the Superintendent of the Shamin garden. On this topic, Harriet writes of him teasing her, as well as of flowers and trees.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #1
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1868-10-13
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_016
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China-
Oct 13th /68-
My [u]own dear Mother[/u]
I have dismissed
my teacher this afternoon so as to have
a little more time to write for the
mail which leaves to-morrow morning.
Since I wrote last we have had
some additions to our mission circle
here. Mr Preston + wife + three children
of the Wesleyan Mission who have been
absent about two years, and a Mr
Selby who is assigned with Mr Whitehead
to FatShan about 15 miles from
here. I presume they will Eventually
go there to live but for the present
while they are studying the language
will remain here. It is so [u]nice[/u]
to have new missionaries come out.
Dr Lowrie wrote in August that
two were to be sent out ot China
this fall by our Board and that
Canton was under consideration
as the destination of one of them.
If Mr Folsom gets home before they
leave or before it is decided I presume
they will decide in favor of Canton.
Dr Happer writes that he cannot come
back this fall, and I imagine it is
doubtful whether he ever comes back at
Dr Lowrie's letters always say that
Dr Happer + Mr Condit are in "[?statu quo?]"
and are beginning to give up
the hope of seeing them back here.
There is a rumor here but do not
mention it as if it is without foundation
of course Dr Happer would not like
it spoken of that he is coming
back here as US Consul.
I suppose Mr Lyon will come out
next year but hear that he is
assigned to Hangchow so we shall
not be likely to see him. We hope
that the next steamer will bring
Mr + Mrs Carrington on their way to
join the mission in Siam and we
hope they will stop with us a while.
The last steamer from England
brought us some neighbors in Mrs
Sampson & her daughter. Their
house is about as near us as the
door yard fence to you so you
see we have [u]near[/u] neighbors who are
not Chinese. Mr Sampson has
lived there ever since I came. He
is quite a [u]funny[/u] man almost [^the first time I]
met him in the Shamin garden
of which he is the Superintendent
he somehow or other accused me of
stealing flowers + since then he almost
always has some charge against me
I like him sometimes it is very hard
for me to keep the tenth commandment
when I get among his flowers but he
persists in pretending to believe that
it is impossible for me to keep the eighth.
Do tell Clara and Mary for me that I often
feel sorry that I did not appreciate
their flowers better and was so heartless
as to laugh when Ranger took the
opportunity when we were all gone
to meeting to dig trenches and throw
up fortififications in their flower beds.
I do appreciate them better here and
I do believe that a little plate of flowers
gives me quite so much pleasure
now as it used to them. There is a
flower man comes around nearly
every morning and for 2 or 3 cents
we can buy a nice plate of flowers
They always pick them off close to the
blossom so that we have to make
a flat boquet in a plate. We get
many flowers the same as at
home roses china asters geranium
leaves & others. In the garden of
Shamin which is very beautiful &
nicely kept we can find almost
all the home flowers Tell Clara that
I never see the nasturtiums there
without thinking of her. I can
hardly tell why. The Cypress tree
grows all along the banks of the river
& often when we go into the country
we get some little branches to fill the
vases on our parlor mantel. They keep
green a long time and look very
pretty. Mr Kevin one of the U P missionaries
here sent me two of the [u]neatest little[/u]
Bohemian roses from Macao the
other day & a pair for Mrs Preston also.
I wish you could see them. Before I
forget it I want to ask you to tell
Mrs Dorsey that she cant think how
much good a can of her boiled
cider has done us this summer In
the hot weather the water gets so warm
& unpalatable & ice is so expensive
that we do not think of getting it but
by dropping in a little boiled cider
it is very much improved. The can
has lasted us all through the summer
& I have often often thought of her
while using it. I would like so
much to hear from the Seville friends
& would love to write to ever so many
of them if I could get time. Love
to Father Mattie Clara & Mary. I believe I have
written to all the rest
Your own loving daughter
Hattie -
中国广州——
1868 年 10 月 13 日——
我亲爱的妈妈，
今天下午我辞退了我的老师，
以便有更多的时间为明天早上寄出的邮件写信。
自从我上次写信以来，
我们在这里的宣教圈有了一些补充。
普雷斯顿先生和妻子以及卫斯理教会的三个孩子已经缺席了大约两年，
还有一位塞尔比先生与怀特黑德先生一起被分配到距这里约 15 英里的法特山。
我想他们最终会去那里生活，
但目前他们学习语言时会留在这里。
有新的传教士出来真是太好了。
Lowrie 医生在 8 月写道，
我们的董事会将在今年秋天将两架飞机送往中国，
并且正在考虑将广州作为其中一架的目的地。
如果福尔松先生在他们离开之前或在决定之前回家，
我想他们会做出有利于坎顿的决定。
哈珀医生写道，
他今年秋天不能回来了，
我想他是否会在洛瑞医生的信中回信一直说哈珀医生和康迪特先生处于“现状”并开始放弃看到的希望，
这是值得怀疑的。
他们回到这里。
这里有一个谣言，
但不要说它是没有根据的，
当然哈珀医生不喜欢他作为美国领事回到这里。
我想里昂先生明年会出来，
但听说他被分配到杭州，
所以我们不太可能见到他。
我们希望下一艘轮船将把卡林顿先生和卡林顿夫人带到他们参加暹罗传教团的路上，
我们希望他们能和我们一起停留一会儿。
最后一艘来自英格兰的汽船为我们带来了桑普森夫人和她女儿的一些邻居。
他们的房子离我们很近，
就像你的院子栅栏一样，
所以你看我们附近的邻居不是中国人。
自从我来后，
桑普森先生就一直住在那里。
他是一个非常有趣的人，
几乎是我第一次在沙民花园见到他时，
他是园长，
他不知何故指责我偷花，
从那时起他几乎总是对我提出一些指控我喜欢他有时非常当我走进他的花丛时，
我很难遵守第十条诫命，
但他坚持假装相信我不可能遵守第八条诫命。
一定要替我告诉克拉拉和玛丽，
我常常为我没有更好地欣赏他们的花而感到遗憾，
并且当我们都去开会挖掘战壕并在他们的花坛上筑起防御工事时，
当游侠抓住机会时，
我无情地笑了.我在这里更欣赏他们，
我相信一小盘鲜花现在给我带来的快乐和过去一样多。
几乎每天早上都有一个花人来，
我们可以花 2 或 3 美分买一盘漂亮的花，
他们总是在靠近花朵的地方摘它们，
这样我们就必须在盘子里做一个扁平的花束。
我们得到许多花，
就像家里的玫瑰、紫菀、天竺葵叶等一样。
在非常美丽且保存完好的沙明花园里，
我们几乎可以找到所有的家花。
告诉克拉拉，
我从来没有看到那里的旱金莲，
没有想到她。
我很难说出为什么。
柏树沿着河岸生长，
当我们进入乡下时，
我们经常会得到一些小树枝来装满客厅壁炉架上的花瓶。
它们保持绿色很长时间，
看起来很漂亮。
前几天，
这里的一位联合长老会传教士凯文先生从澳门寄给我两朵最漂亮的波西米亚小玫瑰，
还送给普雷斯顿夫人一朵。
我希望你能看到他们。
在我忘记之前，
我想请你告诉 Dorsey 夫人，
她无法想象今年夏天她的一罐煮苹果酒对我们有多大好处没想到得到它，
但通过加入一点煮熟的苹果酒，
它得到了很大的改善。
这个罐子一直陪伴着我们整个夏天，
我经常在使用它时想起她。
我很想听听塞维利亚朋友的意见，
如果有时间的话，
我很想给他们中的很多人写信。
对马蒂·克拉拉和玛丽神父的爱。
我相信我已经写信给其他人了。
你的女儿，
海蒂——
Oct 13th /68-
My [u]own dear Mother[/u]
I have dismissed
my teacher this afternoon so as to have
a little more time to write for the
mail which leaves to-morrow morning.
Since I wrote last we have had
some additions to our mission circle
here. Mr Preston + wife + three children
of the Wesleyan Mission who have been
absent about two years, and a Mr
Selby who is assigned with Mr Whitehead
to FatShan about 15 miles from
here. I presume they will Eventually
go there to live but for the present
while they are studying the language
will remain here. It is so [u]nice[/u]
to have new missionaries come out.
Dr Lowrie wrote in August that
two were to be sent out ot China
this fall by our Board and that
Canton was under consideration
as the destination of one of them.
If Mr Folsom gets home before they
leave or before it is decided I presume
they will decide in favor of Canton.
Dr Happer writes that he cannot come
back this fall, and I imagine it is
doubtful whether he ever comes back at
Dr Lowrie's letters always say that
Dr Happer + Mr Condit are in "[?statu quo?]"
and are beginning to give up
the hope of seeing them back here.
There is a rumor here but do not
mention it as if it is without foundation
of course Dr Happer would not like
it spoken of that he is coming
back here as US Consul.
I suppose Mr Lyon will come out
next year but hear that he is
assigned to Hangchow so we shall
not be likely to see him. We hope
that the next steamer will bring
Mr + Mrs Carrington on their way to
join the mission in Siam and we
hope they will stop with us a while.
The last steamer from England
brought us some neighbors in Mrs
Sampson & her daughter. Their
house is about as near us as the
door yard fence to you so you
see we have [u]near[/u] neighbors who are
not Chinese. Mr Sampson has
lived there ever since I came. He
is quite a [u]funny[/u] man almost [^the first time I]
met him in the Shamin garden
of which he is the Superintendent
he somehow or other accused me of
stealing flowers + since then he almost
always has some charge against me
I like him sometimes it is very hard
for me to keep the tenth commandment
when I get among his flowers but he
persists in pretending to believe that
it is impossible for me to keep the eighth.
Do tell Clara and Mary for me that I often
feel sorry that I did not appreciate
their flowers better and was so heartless
as to laugh when Ranger took the
opportunity when we were all gone
to meeting to dig trenches and throw
up fortififications in their flower beds.
I do appreciate them better here and
I do believe that a little plate of flowers
gives me quite so much pleasure
now as it used to them. There is a
flower man comes around nearly
every morning and for 2 or 3 cents
we can buy a nice plate of flowers
They always pick them off close to the
blossom so that we have to make
a flat boquet in a plate. We get
many flowers the same as at
home roses china asters geranium
leaves & others. In the garden of
Shamin which is very beautiful &
nicely kept we can find almost
all the home flowers Tell Clara that
I never see the nasturtiums there
without thinking of her. I can
hardly tell why. The Cypress tree
grows all along the banks of the river
& often when we go into the country
we get some little branches to fill the
vases on our parlor mantel. They keep
green a long time and look very
pretty. Mr Kevin one of the U P missionaries
here sent me two of the [u]neatest little[/u]
Bohemian roses from Macao the
other day & a pair for Mrs Preston also.
I wish you could see them. Before I
forget it I want to ask you to tell
Mrs Dorsey that she cant think how
much good a can of her boiled
cider has done us this summer In
the hot weather the water gets so warm
& unpalatable & ice is so expensive
that we do not think of getting it but
by dropping in a little boiled cider
it is very much improved. The can
has lasted us all through the summer
& I have often often thought of her
while using it. I would like so
much to hear from the Seville friends
& would love to write to ever so many
of them if I could get time. Love
to Father Mattie Clara & Mary. I believe I have
written to all the rest
Your own loving daughter
Hattie -
中国广州——
1868 年 10 月 13 日——
我亲爱的妈妈，
今天下午我辞退了我的老师，
以便有更多的时间为明天早上寄出的邮件写信。
自从我上次写信以来，
我们在这里的宣教圈有了一些补充。
普雷斯顿先生和妻子以及卫斯理教会的三个孩子已经缺席了大约两年，
还有一位塞尔比先生与怀特黑德先生一起被分配到距这里约 15 英里的法特山。
我想他们最终会去那里生活，
但目前他们学习语言时会留在这里。
有新的传教士出来真是太好了。
Lowrie 医生在 8 月写道，
我们的董事会将在今年秋天将两架飞机送往中国，
并且正在考虑将广州作为其中一架的目的地。
如果福尔松先生在他们离开之前或在决定之前回家，
我想他们会做出有利于坎顿的决定。
哈珀医生写道，
他今年秋天不能回来了，
我想他是否会在洛瑞医生的信中回信一直说哈珀医生和康迪特先生处于“现状”并开始放弃看到的希望，
这是值得怀疑的。
他们回到这里。
这里有一个谣言，
但不要说它是没有根据的，
当然哈珀医生不喜欢他作为美国领事回到这里。
我想里昂先生明年会出来，
但听说他被分配到杭州，
所以我们不太可能见到他。
我们希望下一艘轮船将把卡林顿先生和卡林顿夫人带到他们参加暹罗传教团的路上，
我们希望他们能和我们一起停留一会儿。
最后一艘来自英格兰的汽船为我们带来了桑普森夫人和她女儿的一些邻居。
他们的房子离我们很近，
就像你的院子栅栏一样，
所以你看我们附近的邻居不是中国人。
自从我来后，
桑普森先生就一直住在那里。
他是一个非常有趣的人，
几乎是我第一次在沙民花园见到他时，
他是园长，
他不知何故指责我偷花，
从那时起他几乎总是对我提出一些指控我喜欢他有时非常当我走进他的花丛时，
我很难遵守第十条诫命，
但他坚持假装相信我不可能遵守第八条诫命。
一定要替我告诉克拉拉和玛丽，
我常常为我没有更好地欣赏他们的花而感到遗憾，
并且当我们都去开会挖掘战壕并在他们的花坛上筑起防御工事时，
当游侠抓住机会时，
我无情地笑了.我在这里更欣赏他们，
我相信一小盘鲜花现在给我带来的快乐和过去一样多。
几乎每天早上都有一个花人来，
我们可以花 2 或 3 美分买一盘漂亮的花，
他们总是在靠近花朵的地方摘它们，
这样我们就必须在盘子里做一个扁平的花束。
我们得到许多花，
就像家里的玫瑰、紫菀、天竺葵叶等一样。
在非常美丽且保存完好的沙明花园里，
我们几乎可以找到所有的家花。
告诉克拉拉，
我从来没有看到那里的旱金莲，
没有想到她。
我很难说出为什么。
柏树沿着河岸生长，
当我们进入乡下时，
我们经常会得到一些小树枝来装满客厅壁炉架上的花瓶。
它们保持绿色很长时间，
看起来很漂亮。
前几天，
这里的一位联合长老会传教士凯文先生从澳门寄给我两朵最漂亮的波西米亚小玫瑰，
还送给普雷斯顿夫人一朵。
我希望你能看到他们。
在我忘记之前，
我想请你告诉 Dorsey 夫人，
她无法想象今年夏天她的一罐煮苹果酒对我们有多大好处没想到得到它，
但通过加入一点煮熟的苹果酒，
它得到了很大的改善。
这个罐子一直陪伴着我们整个夏天，
我经常在使用它时想起她。
我很想听听塞维利亚朋友的意见，
如果有时间的话，
我很想给他们中的很多人写信。
对马蒂·克拉拉和玛丽神父的爱。
我相信我已经写信给其他人了。
你的女儿，
海蒂——
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Mother, October 13, 1868,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed November 21, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/15.