Letter from Hattie to Mary, January 26, 1885
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Mary, January 26, 1885
Subject
Mail steamers; Postal service; Steamboats; Steamboat disasters; Vacations; Marriage; Weight; Health
Description
Harriet writes to her sister Mary, first about the continuing issues they have been having with mail service and letters being lost in ship fires or delayed for some significant time. She also talks about her travel plans around Chinese New Year and how she wishes she could see Mrs. Ashmore. Harriet tells of a newcomer named Dr. Matthewson who she believes wants to marry Verdie Happer who is quite a flirt and likely, being a Happer, reluctant to marry somebody with little money. Harriet muses that he may have an easier time marrying Miss Baird, who would likely agree, even though she is much heavier than Verdie.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1885-01-26
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_361
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
Jan 26th 1885
My dear Mary
Your good long letter
written in Medina Nov 4th came
to me a short time since We are
getting very anxious about the mail
from home which should have
reached [u] here [/u] a week ago and
nothing has been heard from it
yet in Yokohoma. Something
must have happened but we hope
that it is nothing worse than an
accident to the machinery which
has delayed the steamer. Since
I have been in China we have lost
two mails one when the America was
burned in the harbor at Yokohama
and the other was on the Japan which
was burned a little way out from
Hong Kong. The steamer that is now
over due is the San Pablo a little
steamer which has only been on the
line a short time. It is time now
for us to hear of the arrival in Yokohama
of the City of Tokio which left S Francisco
two weeks after the San Pablo. We
have been having a cold rainy day
and this evening have made up a
delightfully warm cheerful fire in the
grate in our parlor. It is so nearly
dark that I have brought my
writing over to the window and am
using a book on my lap for a table
which accounts for the lines being so straight.
Miss Butler came up from Macau
last week and we are having a
nice cozy time. We are planning
to slip down to Macau to spend
the Chinese New Year and have
one more little vacation before the
Boarding School commences. We
will open it on the 4th of March
I suppose you will hardly receive
this letter before that time.
Before this reaches you you will
no doubt have finished your
term of school I am glad
you had a pleasant winter.
We did not have our visit to Swatow
after all. I wished very much
to see Mrs Ashmore but we did
not feel much like going away
from Canton or more especially
[u] Macau [/u]. We liked it so much
there that we felt if we could get
away from Canton we wanted
to be there and nowhere else.
But I am intending to go down
to Hong Kong and see Mrs Ashmore
there for a few days when she
will stop on the way home.
I must tell you about a vistor
who is now in Canton I suppose
Dr Matthewson from the North
of China He came out on the
steamer with Miss Lewis and
has been at the same mission
station with Mrs Mateer formerly
Miss Archibald. She wrote to us
about his coming and told us
what his errand is. A few months
since he met Verdie Happer in
Chefoo and was so charmed
with her that he is coming down
now to see if he can capture her
But I fear he will find that
he has come on a fool's errand
for I do not believe Verdie will
smile upon him. I do not believe
one of the Happers would think
of marrying anyone who did
not have considerable money
and I do not suppose he has.
Verdie like her sisters is quite
fond of flirting. She is having
quite an interesting time with
all the officers of the US gunboat
Alert which has been here for
several months. When Dr Happer
goes home Verdie Miss Baird
and Miss Niles are to keep
house together and I expect
the young fellows will think
they will have a chance to
pay them all the attentions
they like. Miss Baird is very
full of fun as the English say
"jolly." Perhaps if Dr Matthewson
should try to get her he would be
successful. I do not think she
has any objections to matrimony
She is about twice as large as Verdie
I have no idea how much she
weighs. It seems too bad that
Mrs Happer has to go home so
soon again. I think she would
be more than reconciled if the
Doctor would go home alone but of
course he would not think of that.
They are going to stay in Los Angeles
for two or three months until late
in the spring when it will be warmer.
The missionaries drew up a paper
congratulating him on having completed
forty years of missionary work and
hoping that his health might soon
be restored. There was no wish
expressed for his return I suppose
if that had been included no
one in Canton could have felt
like signing it. Miss Butler thought
the paper was almost worse than
none. It seems a pity that we could
not all wish for his return, but we
cannot help feeling that it would
be better for the mission is he would
remain at home.
[Continued vertically on the first page]
I wish you
could look
in and see
what a
cozy time
we are having
this evening.
Since I
commenced
we have had
our supper
tea & [?treat?]
the fire was
just right
for toasting
the bread.
And now
I must say
good bye
for this
time with
much love
from
Hattie.
中国广州
1885 年 1 月 26 日
我亲爱的玛丽
11 月 4 日你在麦地那写的一封长信很快就收到了，
因为我们很担心家里的邮件一周前就应该到达这里，
但还没有收到任何消息在横滨。
一定是发生了什么事，
但我们希望这只不过是导致轮船延误的机械事故。
自从我在中国以来，
我们丢失了两封邮件，
其中一封是美国在横滨的港口被烧毁，
另一封是在离香港不远的地方被烧毁的日本。
现在到期的汽船是圣巴勃罗小汽船，
它只上线了很短的时间。
现在是我们听到东京市抵达横滨的时候了，
它在圣巴勃罗之后两周离开旧金山。
我们已经度过了一个寒冷的雨天，
今天晚上在我们客厅的炉排上燃起了令人愉快的温暖快乐的火。
天快黑了，
我把写的东西拿到窗前，
用膝盖上的一本书当桌子，
因为桌子上的线条如此笔直。
巴特勒小姐上周从澳门过来，
我们度过了愉快的时光。
我们打算溜到澳门过春节，
在寄宿学校开学前再放一个小假期。
我们将在 3 月 4 日打开它，
我想在那之前你几乎不会收到这封信。
在此之前，
你无疑已经完成了你的学期。
我很高兴你度过了一个愉快的冬天。
毕竟，
我们没有访问 Swatow。
我非常希望见到阿什莫尔夫人，
但我们不太想离开广州，
尤其是澳门。
我们非常喜欢那里，
我们觉得如果我们能离开广州，
我们就想去那里，
别无他处。
但我打算到香港去看看阿什莫夫人几天，
她会在回家的路上停下来。
我必须告诉你一个现在在广州的访客，
我想马修森医生来自华北，
他和刘易斯小姐一起乘轮船出来，
和以前的阿奇博尔德小姐马特夫人在同一个宣教站。
她写信告诉我们他的到来，
并告诉我们他的任务是什么。
几个月前，
他在 Chefoo 遇到了 Verdie Happer，
对她如此着迷，
现在他要下来看看能不能抓住她。
但我担心他会发现他是在做傻事，
因为我不相信 Verdie 会对他微笑。
我不相信 Happers 中的任何一个会考虑嫁给没有大量金钱的人，
我想他也不会。
Verdie 和她的姐妹们一样非常喜欢调情。
她和已经在这里待了几个月的美国炮艇警报的所有军官度过了一段非常有趣的时光。
当 Happer 医生回家时，
Verdie Baird 小姐和 Niles 小姐要一起过日子，
我希望这些年轻人会认为他们将有机会给予他们所有喜欢的关注。
正如英语所说的“jolly”，
Baird 小姐非常有趣。
或许如果马修森医生试图得到她，
他会成功的。
我不认为她对婚姻有任何异议。
她的体型大约是 Verdie 的两倍。
我不知道她有多重。
哈珀夫人又得这么快回家，
这似乎太糟糕了。
我想如果医生一个人回家，
她会不甘心的，
但他当然不会这么想。
他们将在洛杉矶停留两三个月，
直到春天晚些时候天气变暖。
传教士们起草了一份文件，
祝贺他完成了四十年的传教工作，
并希望他的健康很快就能恢复。
没有人表示希望他回来，
我想如果包括在内的话，
广州没有人会愿意签署它。
巴特勒小姐认为那篇论文几乎比没有还糟糕。
很遗憾，
我们不能都希望他回来，
但我们不禁感到，
他留在家里会更好。
[在第一页上继续垂直] 我希望你能进去看看我们今晚度过了多么舒适的时光。
自从我开始我们的晚餐茶和对待火是烤面包的时候。
现在，
我必须怀着海蒂的厚爱与这次告别。
Jan 26th 1885
My dear Mary
Your good long letter
written in Medina Nov 4th came
to me a short time since We are
getting very anxious about the mail
from home which should have
reached [u] here [/u] a week ago and
nothing has been heard from it
yet in Yokohoma. Something
must have happened but we hope
that it is nothing worse than an
accident to the machinery which
has delayed the steamer. Since
I have been in China we have lost
two mails one when the America was
burned in the harbor at Yokohama
and the other was on the Japan which
was burned a little way out from
Hong Kong. The steamer that is now
over due is the San Pablo a little
steamer which has only been on the
line a short time. It is time now
for us to hear of the arrival in Yokohama
of the City of Tokio which left S Francisco
two weeks after the San Pablo. We
have been having a cold rainy day
and this evening have made up a
delightfully warm cheerful fire in the
grate in our parlor. It is so nearly
dark that I have brought my
writing over to the window and am
using a book on my lap for a table
which accounts for the lines being so straight.
Miss Butler came up from Macau
last week and we are having a
nice cozy time. We are planning
to slip down to Macau to spend
the Chinese New Year and have
one more little vacation before the
Boarding School commences. We
will open it on the 4th of March
I suppose you will hardly receive
this letter before that time.
Before this reaches you you will
no doubt have finished your
term of school I am glad
you had a pleasant winter.
We did not have our visit to Swatow
after all. I wished very much
to see Mrs Ashmore but we did
not feel much like going away
from Canton or more especially
[u] Macau [/u]. We liked it so much
there that we felt if we could get
away from Canton we wanted
to be there and nowhere else.
But I am intending to go down
to Hong Kong and see Mrs Ashmore
there for a few days when she
will stop on the way home.
I must tell you about a vistor
who is now in Canton I suppose
Dr Matthewson from the North
of China He came out on the
steamer with Miss Lewis and
has been at the same mission
station with Mrs Mateer formerly
Miss Archibald. She wrote to us
about his coming and told us
what his errand is. A few months
since he met Verdie Happer in
Chefoo and was so charmed
with her that he is coming down
now to see if he can capture her
But I fear he will find that
he has come on a fool's errand
for I do not believe Verdie will
smile upon him. I do not believe
one of the Happers would think
of marrying anyone who did
not have considerable money
and I do not suppose he has.
Verdie like her sisters is quite
fond of flirting. She is having
quite an interesting time with
all the officers of the US gunboat
Alert which has been here for
several months. When Dr Happer
goes home Verdie Miss Baird
and Miss Niles are to keep
house together and I expect
the young fellows will think
they will have a chance to
pay them all the attentions
they like. Miss Baird is very
full of fun as the English say
"jolly." Perhaps if Dr Matthewson
should try to get her he would be
successful. I do not think she
has any objections to matrimony
She is about twice as large as Verdie
I have no idea how much she
weighs. It seems too bad that
Mrs Happer has to go home so
soon again. I think she would
be more than reconciled if the
Doctor would go home alone but of
course he would not think of that.
They are going to stay in Los Angeles
for two or three months until late
in the spring when it will be warmer.
The missionaries drew up a paper
congratulating him on having completed
forty years of missionary work and
hoping that his health might soon
be restored. There was no wish
expressed for his return I suppose
if that had been included no
one in Canton could have felt
like signing it. Miss Butler thought
the paper was almost worse than
none. It seems a pity that we could
not all wish for his return, but we
cannot help feeling that it would
be better for the mission is he would
remain at home.
[Continued vertically on the first page]
I wish you
could look
in and see
what a
cozy time
we are having
this evening.
Since I
commenced
we have had
our supper
tea & [?treat?]
the fire was
just right
for toasting
the bread.
And now
I must say
good bye
for this
time with
much love
from
Hattie.
中国广州
1885 年 1 月 26 日
我亲爱的玛丽
11 月 4 日你在麦地那写的一封长信很快就收到了，
因为我们很担心家里的邮件一周前就应该到达这里，
但还没有收到任何消息在横滨。
一定是发生了什么事，
但我们希望这只不过是导致轮船延误的机械事故。
自从我在中国以来，
我们丢失了两封邮件，
其中一封是美国在横滨的港口被烧毁，
另一封是在离香港不远的地方被烧毁的日本。
现在到期的汽船是圣巴勃罗小汽船，
它只上线了很短的时间。
现在是我们听到东京市抵达横滨的时候了，
它在圣巴勃罗之后两周离开旧金山。
我们已经度过了一个寒冷的雨天，
今天晚上在我们客厅的炉排上燃起了令人愉快的温暖快乐的火。
天快黑了，
我把写的东西拿到窗前，
用膝盖上的一本书当桌子，
因为桌子上的线条如此笔直。
巴特勒小姐上周从澳门过来，
我们度过了愉快的时光。
我们打算溜到澳门过春节，
在寄宿学校开学前再放一个小假期。
我们将在 3 月 4 日打开它，
我想在那之前你几乎不会收到这封信。
在此之前，
你无疑已经完成了你的学期。
我很高兴你度过了一个愉快的冬天。
毕竟，
我们没有访问 Swatow。
我非常希望见到阿什莫尔夫人，
但我们不太想离开广州，
尤其是澳门。
我们非常喜欢那里，
我们觉得如果我们能离开广州，
我们就想去那里，
别无他处。
但我打算到香港去看看阿什莫夫人几天，
她会在回家的路上停下来。
我必须告诉你一个现在在广州的访客，
我想马修森医生来自华北，
他和刘易斯小姐一起乘轮船出来，
和以前的阿奇博尔德小姐马特夫人在同一个宣教站。
她写信告诉我们他的到来，
并告诉我们他的任务是什么。
几个月前，
他在 Chefoo 遇到了 Verdie Happer，
对她如此着迷，
现在他要下来看看能不能抓住她。
但我担心他会发现他是在做傻事，
因为我不相信 Verdie 会对他微笑。
我不相信 Happers 中的任何一个会考虑嫁给没有大量金钱的人，
我想他也不会。
Verdie 和她的姐妹们一样非常喜欢调情。
她和已经在这里待了几个月的美国炮艇警报的所有军官度过了一段非常有趣的时光。
当 Happer 医生回家时，
Verdie Baird 小姐和 Niles 小姐要一起过日子，
我希望这些年轻人会认为他们将有机会给予他们所有喜欢的关注。
正如英语所说的“jolly”，
Baird 小姐非常有趣。
或许如果马修森医生试图得到她，
他会成功的。
我不认为她对婚姻有任何异议。
她的体型大约是 Verdie 的两倍。
我不知道她有多重。
哈珀夫人又得这么快回家，
这似乎太糟糕了。
我想如果医生一个人回家，
她会不甘心的，
但他当然不会这么想。
他们将在洛杉矶停留两三个月，
直到春天晚些时候天气变暖。
传教士们起草了一份文件，
祝贺他完成了四十年的传教工作，
并希望他的健康很快就能恢复。
没有人表示希望他回来，
我想如果包括在内的话，
广州没有人会愿意签署它。
巴特勒小姐认为那篇论文几乎比没有还糟糕。
很遗憾，
我们不能都希望他回来，
但我们不禁感到，
他留在家里会更好。
[在第一页上继续垂直] 我希望你能进去看看我们今晚度过了多么舒适的时光。
自从我开始我们的晚餐茶和对待火是烤面包的时候。
现在，
我必须怀着海蒂的厚爱与这次告别。
Original Format
Text
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Mary, January 26, 1885,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed November 23, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/417.