Section of Letter from Hattie
Dublin Core
Title
Section of Letter from Hattie
Subject
Travel; China--Description and travel
Description
This letter begins in the middle of Harriet telling the story of a recent fire. They are in the midst of a trip and have had a good time meeting many friends along the way. They travel alongside Dr. Kerr and his family, as well as other missionaries.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
Loose, The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
Unknown
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_653
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
The Captain told us afterward
that at one time the water was
within an [u] inch [/u] of the fires so that
at the rate it was then coming in
twenty minutes more would have
put them out and there would
have been nothing for us but to
get into the boats as quickly as
possible, so you see we were "within
an inch" of it. I do not know but
you will want to ask the question
that some have asked here
Whether we were not very much
frightened. I think that often
when danger comes near us it is
hard to realize that it [u] is [/u] danger &
I am sure that it was so with us.
I do not feel any more safe now sitting
in Mr Leyenberger's study writing to you
than I did when we stood on the
deck of the Eastern Isles watching
the sailors getting the boats ready.
I know just how thankful you
will feel that we have thus been
preserved from the perils of the sea.
After we found ourselves in Amoy
for the second time our hopes of
reaching Synod grew fainter & fainter
as day after day passed and no
steamer for Shanghai or Ningpo
came into port. So we had all
the pleasire of a surprise when the
Pei Ho which we had heard did
not intend touching at Amoy
came steaming into harbor.
From the moment we set foot
on her deck the tide of fortune
turned in our favor and we
made a very quick passage to
Shanghai reaching there just in
time to catch the steamer for Ningpo
which brought us here safe & sound
on the morning of the 28th instead
of the 20th. And were we
not glad to meet all the friends
we found here and didnt we
receive a warm welcome for
they had been looking anxiously
for us for many days as they
knew when we left Canton
and wondered what was keeping
us so long on the way.
When I left Canton I thought that
nothing could add to the pleasure
with which I anticipated this
visit. But I found [--there was &
I think--] it did add a little to our
enjoyment that for a time it seemed
so probable that we should have
to give it up entirely. I have
not time now to write much about
our visit here only that we have
enjoyed it [u] so much [/u] In an hour
or two we are going to start for a
trip to Hong chow with Mrs David
Lyon (Mandana Doolittle) Mr Lyon
had to go home by way of Shanghai
as he had some business there.
There will be quite a company of
us however a "fleet of boats." Dr Kerr
& wife & two children have one. Mr Dodd
& wife & three children, one Mrs Lyon Henry
& I, one and Mrs Muishead & Mrs Hudson
one, four all told. Mrs Muishead
is a missionary lady from Shanghai
a nice person Mrs Hudson the wife of a
business man here. Mr Dodd is one of
our missionaries and [u] funny [/u] Mrs
Dodd is his wife and [u] good [/u]. The rest
of the party I think do not need an
introduction. Tell Mattie & Edward
that Lyon & Mandana seem
just as they used to and Leyenberger
has'nt changed a [u] particle [/u] since
I saw him last [u] thirteen [/u] [u] years [/u] ago.
We are coming back by way of Ningpo
so as to be here on the 19th the anniversary
of Mr & Mrs Goddards marriage you
remember perhaps what we wrote
of them a year ago, you know we
helped them get married then.
The American mail is expected
here tomorrow morning we shall
have to wait for our letters until
we get back to Canton at first we
thought we would have them sent
to us "some where" but as it was
uncertain [u] where [/u] we should be
there & they might get lost so we
thought we would try & wait as
patiently as we could There is
the dinner bell so I must close
with ever so much love for all
the dear ones from
Your own Loving
daughter
Hattie
that at one time the water was
within an [u] inch [/u] of the fires so that
at the rate it was then coming in
twenty minutes more would have
put them out and there would
have been nothing for us but to
get into the boats as quickly as
possible, so you see we were "within
an inch" of it. I do not know but
you will want to ask the question
that some have asked here
Whether we were not very much
frightened. I think that often
when danger comes near us it is
hard to realize that it [u] is [/u] danger &
I am sure that it was so with us.
I do not feel any more safe now sitting
in Mr Leyenberger's study writing to you
than I did when we stood on the
deck of the Eastern Isles watching
the sailors getting the boats ready.
I know just how thankful you
will feel that we have thus been
preserved from the perils of the sea.
After we found ourselves in Amoy
for the second time our hopes of
reaching Synod grew fainter & fainter
as day after day passed and no
steamer for Shanghai or Ningpo
came into port. So we had all
the pleasire of a surprise when the
Pei Ho which we had heard did
not intend touching at Amoy
came steaming into harbor.
From the moment we set foot
on her deck the tide of fortune
turned in our favor and we
made a very quick passage to
Shanghai reaching there just in
time to catch the steamer for Ningpo
which brought us here safe & sound
on the morning of the 28th instead
of the 20th. And were we
not glad to meet all the friends
we found here and didnt we
receive a warm welcome for
they had been looking anxiously
for us for many days as they
knew when we left Canton
and wondered what was keeping
us so long on the way.
When I left Canton I thought that
nothing could add to the pleasure
with which I anticipated this
visit. But I found [--there was &
I think--] it did add a little to our
enjoyment that for a time it seemed
so probable that we should have
to give it up entirely. I have
not time now to write much about
our visit here only that we have
enjoyed it [u] so much [/u] In an hour
or two we are going to start for a
trip to Hong chow with Mrs David
Lyon (Mandana Doolittle) Mr Lyon
had to go home by way of Shanghai
as he had some business there.
There will be quite a company of
us however a "fleet of boats." Dr Kerr
& wife & two children have one. Mr Dodd
& wife & three children, one Mrs Lyon Henry
& I, one and Mrs Muishead & Mrs Hudson
one, four all told. Mrs Muishead
is a missionary lady from Shanghai
a nice person Mrs Hudson the wife of a
business man here. Mr Dodd is one of
our missionaries and [u] funny [/u] Mrs
Dodd is his wife and [u] good [/u]. The rest
of the party I think do not need an
introduction. Tell Mattie & Edward
that Lyon & Mandana seem
just as they used to and Leyenberger
has'nt changed a [u] particle [/u] since
I saw him last [u] thirteen [/u] [u] years [/u] ago.
We are coming back by way of Ningpo
so as to be here on the 19th the anniversary
of Mr & Mrs Goddards marriage you
remember perhaps what we wrote
of them a year ago, you know we
helped them get married then.
The American mail is expected
here tomorrow morning we shall
have to wait for our letters until
we get back to Canton at first we
thought we would have them sent
to us "some where" but as it was
uncertain [u] where [/u] we should be
there & they might get lost so we
thought we would try & wait as
patiently as we could There is
the dinner bell so I must close
with ever so much love for all
the dear ones from
Your own Loving
daughter
Hattie
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Section of Letter from Hattie,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 16, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/716.