Letter from Hattie to Edward, September 9, 1878
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Edward, September 9, 1878
Subject
Postal service; Postal rates; Tornadoes; Gods, Chinese; Dragons--Folklore; Tornado damage
Description
Harriet tells Edward about the recent tornado, and how Mattie mailed the photos of it from Chefoo (Yantai) because it's cheaper there. She then decribes the Chinese illustration she is sending that depicts the dragon who by legend can cause thypoons and tornados depending on the circumstance. She recounts the damage caused by the tornado including the destruction of a large tree she can't remember the scientific name for. She ends saying she would like to see him in the future.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #2
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1878-09-09
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_190
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
Sept 9th 1878
My dear Edward,
I hope you have long ere
thIs received the photographs
of the tornado . Mattie took
them with her up to Chefoo
to mail them there a
postage is so much cheaper
only 5 cts a rate. I do hope
sometime it will come down
to that here our postage is quite
an item . I think this year
we shall charge some of it
to the Mission Dr Happer
has always done so. I will
add to your collection of
photographs two Chinese
illustrations of the tornado
As you have doubtless read
in the papers we sent you
all the trouble was supposed
to be caused by a short tailed
dragon who according to their
superstitions is the author of
typhoons . He comes out occasionally
for a promenade seeking whom
he may devour . When no
one interferes with him and
he has it all his own way
and can do as he pleases he
spreads himself about over
as large a tract of country
as possible and thus causes
a typhoon. But when as in
this last instance he is pursued
by the righteous god of thunder
he "makes tracks" and gets
out of the way as quickly as
possible then he makes only
a narrow track and the
result is a tornado such
as we had last spring --
The last Observer contained
a short and very correct
account of the tornado. These
pictures that I enclose are
specimens of several kinds that
were sold on the sheets here
after the tornado . I do not
know whether being unfamiliar
with Chinese artistic skill you
will be able to make them
out very well, but I presume
you can find the dragon
who is making all the
mischief. In one illustration
he is represented as "[?blowing?] on"
the tiger another of the
superior powers -- It is
wonderful how soon the traces
of the tornado are disappearing
The houses on Shamen
have all been repaired so
that they look better than
ever. And many of the
trees grow so fast that
they are beginning to look quite
shapely again - There is one
that we pass every time we
go out which was broken off so
that nothing but the stump
not a single leaf or branch.
It has put out new branches
many of them now four or
five feet long and is now
a very pretty tree again. It
is a kind that grows very fast
the leaf is very much the shape
of a camel's foot + its common
name is camel's foot tree I do not
remember its scientific name --
Mother told me in one of her letters
that sometimes when you look at my
photo you say you "would like to see
that dear girl." I can say that I share
the wish must [u]fully[/u] and [u]heartily[/u].
I do wonder if I will see you again bye +
bye. I am glad to think that almost
one year of separation has gone. No
one who has not tried it knows how hard
it is to come or to-day at home and let
ones friends come. I do [u]not[/u] think there is
much difference --
[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
I will
come over
here to say
good bye
and sign
myself
Your loving
[u]Hattie[/u].
中国广州
1878 年 9 月 9 日
我亲爱的爱德华，
我希望你早在收到龙卷风的照片之前就收到了。
Mattie 把它们带到烟台那里邮寄，
邮费便宜得多，
只要 5 美分。
我确实希望有一天它会归结为我们的邮资是相当的项目。
我认为今年我们将向 Happer 先生一直这样做的使命收取一些费用。
我将在你的照片集中添加两张龙卷风的中文插图正如你在我们寄给你的论文中所读的，
所有的麻烦都应该是由一条短尾龙造成的，
根据他们的迷信它是台风的发起者。
他偶尔出来散步，
寻找他可以吞食的人。
当没有人干涉他，
他有自己的方式，
可以为所欲为时，
他将自己分散到尽可能大的国家，
从而引起台风。
但是当最后一次他被正义的雷神追赶时，
他“留下痕迹”并尽快让开，
然后他只留下一条狭窄的轨道，
结果是一场龙卷风，
就像我们去年春天一样——最后一个观察者对龙卷风有一个简短而非常正确的描述。
我附上的这些照片是龙卷风过后在这里出售的几种标本。
我不知道不熟悉中国艺术技巧的你是否能很好地辨认出来，
但我想你可以找到制造所有恶作剧的龙。
在一个插图中，
他被描绘成另一个超能力者“吹”老虎——龙卷风的痕迹很快就消失了，
沙面上的房子都已经修好了，
看起来比以往任何时候都好。
许多树长得如此之快，
以至于它们开始看起来又很匀称了——我们每次出去都会经过一棵树，
它被折断了，
所以除了树桩什么也没有，
没有一片叶子或树枝。
它长出了新的很多树枝现在有四五英尺长，
现在又是一棵非常漂亮的树。
它长得很快，
叶子很像骆驼的脚，
它的俗名是骆驼脚树，
我不记得了它的学名——妈妈在她的一封信中告诉我，
有时当你看我的照片时，
你会说你“想看看那个亲爱的女孩。
”我可以说我完全和衷心地分享这个愿望。
我真的很想知道如果我能再见到你，
再见。
我很高兴想到快一年了分离的已经过去了。
没有尝试过的人都不知道今天来家里让朋友来有多难。
我不认为有什么不同——[注：信在第一页垂直结束]我会来这里说再见并给自己签名你的爱，
海蒂。
Sept 9th 1878
My dear Edward,
I hope you have long ere
thIs received the photographs
of the tornado . Mattie took
them with her up to Chefoo
to mail them there a
postage is so much cheaper
only 5 cts a rate. I do hope
sometime it will come down
to that here our postage is quite
an item . I think this year
we shall charge some of it
to the Mission Dr Happer
has always done so. I will
add to your collection of
photographs two Chinese
illustrations of the tornado
As you have doubtless read
in the papers we sent you
all the trouble was supposed
to be caused by a short tailed
dragon who according to their
superstitions is the author of
typhoons . He comes out occasionally
for a promenade seeking whom
he may devour . When no
one interferes with him and
he has it all his own way
and can do as he pleases he
spreads himself about over
as large a tract of country
as possible and thus causes
a typhoon. But when as in
this last instance he is pursued
by the righteous god of thunder
he "makes tracks" and gets
out of the way as quickly as
possible then he makes only
a narrow track and the
result is a tornado such
as we had last spring --
The last Observer contained
a short and very correct
account of the tornado. These
pictures that I enclose are
specimens of several kinds that
were sold on the sheets here
after the tornado . I do not
know whether being unfamiliar
with Chinese artistic skill you
will be able to make them
out very well, but I presume
you can find the dragon
who is making all the
mischief. In one illustration
he is represented as "[?blowing?] on"
the tiger another of the
superior powers -- It is
wonderful how soon the traces
of the tornado are disappearing
The houses on Shamen
have all been repaired so
that they look better than
ever. And many of the
trees grow so fast that
they are beginning to look quite
shapely again - There is one
that we pass every time we
go out which was broken off so
that nothing but the stump
not a single leaf or branch.
It has put out new branches
many of them now four or
five feet long and is now
a very pretty tree again. It
is a kind that grows very fast
the leaf is very much the shape
of a camel's foot + its common
name is camel's foot tree I do not
remember its scientific name --
Mother told me in one of her letters
that sometimes when you look at my
photo you say you "would like to see
that dear girl." I can say that I share
the wish must [u]fully[/u] and [u]heartily[/u].
I do wonder if I will see you again bye +
bye. I am glad to think that almost
one year of separation has gone. No
one who has not tried it knows how hard
it is to come or to-day at home and let
ones friends come. I do [u]not[/u] think there is
much difference --
[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
I will
come over
here to say
good bye
and sign
myself
Your loving
[u]Hattie[/u].
中国广州
1878 年 9 月 9 日
我亲爱的爱德华，
我希望你早在收到龙卷风的照片之前就收到了。
Mattie 把它们带到烟台那里邮寄，
邮费便宜得多，
只要 5 美分。
我确实希望有一天它会归结为我们的邮资是相当的项目。
我认为今年我们将向 Happer 先生一直这样做的使命收取一些费用。
我将在你的照片集中添加两张龙卷风的中文插图正如你在我们寄给你的论文中所读的，
所有的麻烦都应该是由一条短尾龙造成的，
根据他们的迷信它是台风的发起者。
他偶尔出来散步，
寻找他可以吞食的人。
当没有人干涉他，
他有自己的方式，
可以为所欲为时，
他将自己分散到尽可能大的国家，
从而引起台风。
但是当最后一次他被正义的雷神追赶时，
他“留下痕迹”并尽快让开，
然后他只留下一条狭窄的轨道，
结果是一场龙卷风，
就像我们去年春天一样——最后一个观察者对龙卷风有一个简短而非常正确的描述。
我附上的这些照片是龙卷风过后在这里出售的几种标本。
我不知道不熟悉中国艺术技巧的你是否能很好地辨认出来，
但我想你可以找到制造所有恶作剧的龙。
在一个插图中，
他被描绘成另一个超能力者“吹”老虎——龙卷风的痕迹很快就消失了，
沙面上的房子都已经修好了，
看起来比以往任何时候都好。
许多树长得如此之快，
以至于它们开始看起来又很匀称了——我们每次出去都会经过一棵树，
它被折断了，
所以除了树桩什么也没有，
没有一片叶子或树枝。
它长出了新的很多树枝现在有四五英尺长，
现在又是一棵非常漂亮的树。
它长得很快，
叶子很像骆驼的脚，
它的俗名是骆驼脚树，
我不记得了它的学名——妈妈在她的一封信中告诉我，
有时当你看我的照片时，
你会说你“想看看那个亲爱的女孩。
”我可以说我完全和衷心地分享这个愿望。
我真的很想知道如果我能再见到你，
再见。
我很高兴想到快一年了分离的已经过去了。
没有尝试过的人都不知道今天来家里让朋友来有多难。
我不认为有什么不同——[注：信在第一页垂直结束]我会来这里说再见并给自己签名你的爱，
海蒂。
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Edward, September 9, 1878,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 27, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/246.