Letter from Hattie to Edward, October 13, 1875
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Edward, October 13, 1875
Subject
Birthdays; Homesickness; Missionaries; Travel; Insects; Insect pests
Description
Harriet writes a birthdays letter to her brother Edward and says it is the last one she will write from China. She describes some new accquaintences she has made, including the Dunlaps and Col Lincoln. A few missionaries have left for a trip recently. The weather has gotten nicer. Harriet and Henry have been dealing with their books having been eaten by "white ants" recently.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #2
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1875-10-13
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_157
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
Oct 13th 1875.
My dear Edward -
Here I am
sitting down to write you
a birth-day letter on the
13th of Oct. It is too bad
that I did not write it
at the proper time when
it is the last birth-day
letter I expect to write in
China for [u]two years[/u].
Seventy-nine days left now
of 1875. It seems coming
near to the time when
we think that we have
only barely time to receive
replies to the letters we
send by this mail - if
we leave China by the
middle of January as
we hope to be able to do.
We have just had a visit
from the McFarlands on
their way back to Siam
Mr + Mrs Dunlap . Em
wrote of meeting him in
Wooster were with them.
We liked them all very
much. Mrs Dunlap
looked very much like
Sue Leland as I remember
her, a very quiet lady -
I wonder if Matt has
written to you about our
new Consul Col Lincoln
He came out a few weeks
with his wife and little
daughter Bertha. They
seem very pleasant
people live next door to
us. He was an officer
in the war on the Northern
side we were glad to
learn. As they came
from Mississippi here we
expected he was a Southern
but he says he is a "carpetbagger"
He was a prisoner in
"Libby" for a short time.
They are both good singers
and have brought out quite
a nice piano, and when
they sing we are so near
that we can Enjoy the
music . WE have been
down this eve to Dr Kerr's
to prayer-meeting, The meeting
seemed much smaller
than usual as all the
Prestons Mr + Mrs Henry +
Johnnie Happer started
yesterday morning for a
country trip. They are
going to make the same
trip we did last summer
up to Linchau. We
can only hope they will
enjoy it as much as we
did. The wind has been
blowing from the North so strong
for a day or two that it really
seemed almost cold this
morning but I expect it will
soon be warm again for it is
too Early in the season to
Expect cold weather ---
WE found the other day a
box of Chinese books devoured
by white ants which were
swarming in a little room
under our front stairs the
place [?where?] they generally
"put in an appearance." Then
last Sabbath Henry went
to refer to a volume of Scotts
Commentary and found a
large committee of white
ants investigating it and
feeding on its contents.
You cannot imagine how
destructive they are and how
soon they ruin anything they
attack if they are not soon discovered.
[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
All the other members of the "happy family" are busy
writing letters but my Eyes "want to go shut" so
much I do
not know but
I shall have
to let them
have their
way. WE
hear that
the steamer
Gaelic which
is bringing our
next mail
has left Yokohama
so we shall
have another
mail in a few
days. Ever your aff sister
Hattie.
中国广州
1875 年 10 月 13 日。
亲爱的爱德华——我坐在这里，
在 10 月 13 日给你写一封生日信。
可惜我没有在最后一次出生的时候写信——天信我预计在中国写两年。
距离 1875 年还有 79 天。
如果我们按照我们希望的那样在 1 月中旬离开中国，
我们认为我们几乎没有时间收到我们通过这封邮件发送的信件的回复了。
能够做到。
我们刚刚在返回暹罗的途中从 McFarlands 拜访了邓拉普夫妇。
埃姆写道，
在伍斯特与他会面时，
他们和他们在一起。
我们都非常喜欢他们。
在我的记忆中，
邓拉普夫人看起来很像苏·利兰，
一位非常安静的女士——我想知道马特是否给你写了一封关于我们的新领事林肯上校的信。
他和他的妻子和小女儿伯莎几周后出来了。
他们似乎很愉快的人住在我们隔壁。
他是我们很高兴得知的北边战争中的一名军官。
因为他们来自密西西比州，
我们原以为他是南方人，
但他说他是个“地毯袋工”，
他曾在“利比”里当过一段时间的囚犯。
他们俩都是好歌手，
并且带来了相当不错的钢琴，
当他们唱歌时，
我们离我们很近，
我们可以享受音乐。
我们已经在这个前夜到克尔医生那里参加祈祷会，
这次会议似乎比平常小得多，
因为所有普雷斯顿夫妇亨利和约翰尼哈珀先生和约翰尼哈珀昨天早上开始了一次乡村旅行。
他们将进行与我们去年夏天相同的前往林绍的旅行。
我们只能希望他们会像我们一样享受它。
北风已经吹了一两天了，
今天早上看起来真的很冷，
但我预计它很快就会再次变暖，
因为它太早了，
无法期待寒冷的天气 --- 我们找到了前几天，
一箱被白蚁吞食的中文书籍，
在我们门前楼梯下的一个小房间里成群结队，
这是它们通常“装扮”的地方。
上个安息日，
亨利翻阅了一卷《斯科特评论》，
发现一大群白蚁委员会正在调查它并以其中的内容为食。
你无法想象它们的破坏性有多大，
如果不尽快被发现，
它们会在多长时间内毁掉它们攻击的任何东西。
[注：信在第一页垂直结束]“幸福家庭”的所有其他成员都在忙着写信，
但我的眼睛“想闭上”我不知道，
但我必须让他们为所欲为。
我们听说运送我们下一封邮件的盖尔语汽船已经离开横滨，
所以我们将在几天后收到另一封邮件。
你的妹妹，
海蒂。
Oct 13th 1875.
My dear Edward -
Here I am
sitting down to write you
a birth-day letter on the
13th of Oct. It is too bad
that I did not write it
at the proper time when
it is the last birth-day
letter I expect to write in
China for [u]two years[/u].
Seventy-nine days left now
of 1875. It seems coming
near to the time when
we think that we have
only barely time to receive
replies to the letters we
send by this mail - if
we leave China by the
middle of January as
we hope to be able to do.
We have just had a visit
from the McFarlands on
their way back to Siam
Mr + Mrs Dunlap . Em
wrote of meeting him in
Wooster were with them.
We liked them all very
much. Mrs Dunlap
looked very much like
Sue Leland as I remember
her, a very quiet lady -
I wonder if Matt has
written to you about our
new Consul Col Lincoln
He came out a few weeks
with his wife and little
daughter Bertha. They
seem very pleasant
people live next door to
us. He was an officer
in the war on the Northern
side we were glad to
learn. As they came
from Mississippi here we
expected he was a Southern
but he says he is a "carpetbagger"
He was a prisoner in
"Libby" for a short time.
They are both good singers
and have brought out quite
a nice piano, and when
they sing we are so near
that we can Enjoy the
music . WE have been
down this eve to Dr Kerr's
to prayer-meeting, The meeting
seemed much smaller
than usual as all the
Prestons Mr + Mrs Henry +
Johnnie Happer started
yesterday morning for a
country trip. They are
going to make the same
trip we did last summer
up to Linchau. We
can only hope they will
enjoy it as much as we
did. The wind has been
blowing from the North so strong
for a day or two that it really
seemed almost cold this
morning but I expect it will
soon be warm again for it is
too Early in the season to
Expect cold weather ---
WE found the other day a
box of Chinese books devoured
by white ants which were
swarming in a little room
under our front stairs the
place [?where?] they generally
"put in an appearance." Then
last Sabbath Henry went
to refer to a volume of Scotts
Commentary and found a
large committee of white
ants investigating it and
feeding on its contents.
You cannot imagine how
destructive they are and how
soon they ruin anything they
attack if they are not soon discovered.
[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
All the other members of the "happy family" are busy
writing letters but my Eyes "want to go shut" so
much I do
not know but
I shall have
to let them
have their
way. WE
hear that
the steamer
Gaelic which
is bringing our
next mail
has left Yokohama
so we shall
have another
mail in a few
days. Ever your aff sister
Hattie.
中国广州
1875 年 10 月 13 日。
亲爱的爱德华——我坐在这里，
在 10 月 13 日给你写一封生日信。
可惜我没有在最后一次出生的时候写信——天信我预计在中国写两年。
距离 1875 年还有 79 天。
如果我们按照我们希望的那样在 1 月中旬离开中国，
我们认为我们几乎没有时间收到我们通过这封邮件发送的信件的回复了。
能够做到。
我们刚刚在返回暹罗的途中从 McFarlands 拜访了邓拉普夫妇。
埃姆写道，
在伍斯特与他会面时，
他们和他们在一起。
我们都非常喜欢他们。
在我的记忆中，
邓拉普夫人看起来很像苏·利兰，
一位非常安静的女士——我想知道马特是否给你写了一封关于我们的新领事林肯上校的信。
他和他的妻子和小女儿伯莎几周后出来了。
他们似乎很愉快的人住在我们隔壁。
他是我们很高兴得知的北边战争中的一名军官。
因为他们来自密西西比州，
我们原以为他是南方人，
但他说他是个“地毯袋工”，
他曾在“利比”里当过一段时间的囚犯。
他们俩都是好歌手，
并且带来了相当不错的钢琴，
当他们唱歌时，
我们离我们很近，
我们可以享受音乐。
我们已经在这个前夜到克尔医生那里参加祈祷会，
这次会议似乎比平常小得多，
因为所有普雷斯顿夫妇亨利和约翰尼哈珀先生和约翰尼哈珀昨天早上开始了一次乡村旅行。
他们将进行与我们去年夏天相同的前往林绍的旅行。
我们只能希望他们会像我们一样享受它。
北风已经吹了一两天了，
今天早上看起来真的很冷，
但我预计它很快就会再次变暖，
因为它太早了，
无法期待寒冷的天气 --- 我们找到了前几天，
一箱被白蚁吞食的中文书籍，
在我们门前楼梯下的一个小房间里成群结队，
这是它们通常“装扮”的地方。
上个安息日，
亨利翻阅了一卷《斯科特评论》，
发现一大群白蚁委员会正在调查它并以其中的内容为食。
你无法想象它们的破坏性有多大，
如果不尽快被发现，
它们会在多长时间内毁掉它们攻击的任何东西。
[注：信在第一页垂直结束]“幸福家庭”的所有其他成员都在忙着写信，
但我的眼睛“想闭上”我不知道，
但我必须让他们为所欲为。
我们听说运送我们下一封邮件的盖尔语汽船已经离开横滨，
所以我们将在几天后收到另一封邮件。
你的妹妹，
海蒂。
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Edward, October 13, 1875,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 20, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/213.