Letter from Henry to Clara, May 22, 1882
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Henry to Clara, May 22, 1882
Subject
Industrialization--China; Industrialization; United States--Relations--China; Anniversaries; Book-worms
Description
Henry writes to Clara wishing her a happy birthday and celebrating his 16-year anniversary of being in China. He writes about the industrial and cultural changes that have taken place recently due to Western influence. Henry thinks the recent law pausing Chinese emigration will mean there will be more people moving to the US in the near future before it is enacted. He says that he has spent the day poisoning books so that bookworms will not destroy more of them.
Creator
Noyes, Henry Varnum
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1882-05-22
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_757
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton May 22d 1882
Dear Clara
Yesterday (Sunday) was
your birth day but allowing
for the difference in time the
22d on this side is about
near the true time as the
21st so I think I am not
too late to send you my
best wishes and wish[--es--]
you many happy returns
of the day. May 22d is the
day I reached Hong Kong in
1866 so it came very near
being on your birth day. To-
morrow will make just 16 years
since I arrived in the
city of Canton. A good many
changes have taken place since
that time. The Chinese though
people think they move slowly have
also changed a good deal
I remember when I first came
trying to get a Kerosene lamp
and could not find one
any where in Canton city.
Now [--its--] a great many of
the Chinese use them, and
they are sold not only every-
where through the city but at
all the principal towns for a
long distance in the interior.
You can find [u]condensed
milk[/u] for sale at someplaces
200 miles inland. American
clocks are sold in great
numbers and all sorts
of small foreign articles are
making their appearance
more and more. The[--y--] Chinese
now [--mang--] manage their revenue
cruisers themselves and have
a great many steam launches
on the rivers as guard boats.
They are introducing the telegraph
and railroads will come
along in due time. I should
think it would be a matter
of commercial advantage for
the United States to keep on
good terms with China. We
have just heard by telegram
of the passage of the law sus-
pending Chinese Emigration +
its signature by the President.
We must wait for the mail
to get the details of the bill.
I hardly thought they would
get it through but it seems
they have. I expect there will
be a rush of Chinese going
to the United States for the
next one or two trips and then
all will stop. I presume it will
make some difference about
the frequency of our mail as
the steamers have been taking
so many Chinese passengers.
I suppose cutting them off will
have the effect of making the
steamers less frequent.
I have been [u]poisoning[/u]
books to-day. At home [u]book-
worms[/u] are considered rather
deserving of [u]praise[/u] than other -
wise. -- out here we [u]poison[/u]
them . They are so small you
can hardly see them but they
make bad work with books. I
have been going over the books
and putting a preparation of
corrosive sublimate along the
Ends and inside the covers and
elsewhere wherever the worms seem
to have been Eating.
Bella and the children are well
and send their love with mine
Your Aff Bro
- Henry -
广州 1882 年 5 月 22 日
亲爱的克拉拉
昨天（周日）是
你的生日，但允许
对于时间上的差异
这边22号左右
接近真实时间
21号所以我想我不是
太晚了，不能给你发我的
最好的祝愿和愿望
你有很多快乐的回报
的一天。 5月22日是
我到达香港的那天
1866 所以它非常接近
在你的生日那天。明天只有16年
自从我到达
广州市。很多
自那以后发生了变化
那时。中国人虽然
人们认为他们行动缓慢
也换了很多
我记得我第一次来的时候
想买一盏煤油灯
并且找不到
在广州市的任何地方。
现在很多
中国人使用它们，并且
它们不仅在城市各处出售，而且在
所有主要城镇
内部距离很远。
你可以找到浓缩的
在某个地方出售牛奶
200英里内陆。美国人
钟表卖得很好
数字和各种
小的外国文章是
使他们的出现
越来越多。中国人
现在管理他们的收入
巡洋舰本身并拥有
很多蒸汽发射
在河流上作为警卫船。
他们正在介绍电报
铁路会来
在适当的时候。我应该
认为这将是一个问题
具有商业利益的
美国要继续
与中国关系良好。我们
刚收到电报
中止中国移民的法律的通过和
由总统签署。
我们必须等待邮件
获取账单的详细信息。
我几乎没想到他们会
通过它，但似乎
他们有。我希望会有
赶中国人去
前往美国
接下来一两次旅行，然后
一切都会停止。我想它会
有所作为
我们的邮件频率为
汽船一直在
这么多中国乘客。
我想切断它们会
具有使
蒸笼的频率较低。
我中毒了
今天的书。在家书——
蠕虫被认为是
比其他更值得称赞——
明智的。 -- 我们在这里下毒
他们 。他们是如此之小你
几乎看不到他们，但他们
用书做坏事。我
一直在看书
并准备
腐蚀升华沿
结束和里面的盖子和
蠕虫出现的地方
一直在吃。
贝拉和孩子们都很好
用我的爱传递他们的爱
你的兄弟
- 亨利 -
Dear Clara
Yesterday (Sunday) was
your birth day but allowing
for the difference in time the
22d on this side is about
near the true time as the
21st so I think I am not
too late to send you my
best wishes and wish[--es--]
you many happy returns
of the day. May 22d is the
day I reached Hong Kong in
1866 so it came very near
being on your birth day. To-
morrow will make just 16 years
since I arrived in the
city of Canton. A good many
changes have taken place since
that time. The Chinese though
people think they move slowly have
also changed a good deal
I remember when I first came
trying to get a Kerosene lamp
and could not find one
any where in Canton city.
Now [--its--] a great many of
the Chinese use them, and
they are sold not only every-
where through the city but at
all the principal towns for a
long distance in the interior.
You can find [u]condensed
milk[/u] for sale at someplaces
200 miles inland. American
clocks are sold in great
numbers and all sorts
of small foreign articles are
making their appearance
more and more. The[--y--] Chinese
now [--mang--] manage their revenue
cruisers themselves and have
a great many steam launches
on the rivers as guard boats.
They are introducing the telegraph
and railroads will come
along in due time. I should
think it would be a matter
of commercial advantage for
the United States to keep on
good terms with China. We
have just heard by telegram
of the passage of the law sus-
pending Chinese Emigration +
its signature by the President.
We must wait for the mail
to get the details of the bill.
I hardly thought they would
get it through but it seems
they have. I expect there will
be a rush of Chinese going
to the United States for the
next one or two trips and then
all will stop. I presume it will
make some difference about
the frequency of our mail as
the steamers have been taking
so many Chinese passengers.
I suppose cutting them off will
have the effect of making the
steamers less frequent.
I have been [u]poisoning[/u]
books to-day. At home [u]book-
worms[/u] are considered rather
deserving of [u]praise[/u] than other -
wise. -- out here we [u]poison[/u]
them . They are so small you
can hardly see them but they
make bad work with books. I
have been going over the books
and putting a preparation of
corrosive sublimate along the
Ends and inside the covers and
elsewhere wherever the worms seem
to have been Eating.
Bella and the children are well
and send their love with mine
Your Aff Bro
- Henry -
广州 1882 年 5 月 22 日
亲爱的克拉拉
昨天（周日）是
你的生日，但允许
对于时间上的差异
这边22号左右
接近真实时间
21号所以我想我不是
太晚了，不能给你发我的
最好的祝愿和愿望
你有很多快乐的回报
的一天。 5月22日是
我到达香港的那天
1866 所以它非常接近
在你的生日那天。明天只有16年
自从我到达
广州市。很多
自那以后发生了变化
那时。中国人虽然
人们认为他们行动缓慢
也换了很多
我记得我第一次来的时候
想买一盏煤油灯
并且找不到
在广州市的任何地方。
现在很多
中国人使用它们，并且
它们不仅在城市各处出售，而且在
所有主要城镇
内部距离很远。
你可以找到浓缩的
在某个地方出售牛奶
200英里内陆。美国人
钟表卖得很好
数字和各种
小的外国文章是
使他们的出现
越来越多。中国人
现在管理他们的收入
巡洋舰本身并拥有
很多蒸汽发射
在河流上作为警卫船。
他们正在介绍电报
铁路会来
在适当的时候。我应该
认为这将是一个问题
具有商业利益的
美国要继续
与中国关系良好。我们
刚收到电报
中止中国移民的法律的通过和
由总统签署。
我们必须等待邮件
获取账单的详细信息。
我几乎没想到他们会
通过它，但似乎
他们有。我希望会有
赶中国人去
前往美国
接下来一两次旅行，然后
一切都会停止。我想它会
有所作为
我们的邮件频率为
汽船一直在
这么多中国乘客。
我想切断它们会
具有使
蒸笼的频率较低。
我中毒了
今天的书。在家书——
蠕虫被认为是
比其他更值得称赞——
明智的。 -- 我们在这里下毒
他们 。他们是如此之小你
几乎看不到他们，但他们
用书做坏事。我
一直在看书
并准备
腐蚀升华沿
结束和里面的盖子和
蠕虫出现的地方
一直在吃。
贝拉和孩子们都很好
用我的爱传递他们的爱
你的兄弟
- 亨利 -
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Henry Varnum, “Letter from Henry to Clara, May 22, 1882,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 23, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/829.