Letter from Henry to Mattie and Hattie, October 25, 1880

Letter from Henry to Mattie and Hattie, October 25, 1880

Travel; Boats and boating; Preaching; Open-air preaching; Salt

Henry writes to his sisters, Martha and Harriet, telling them about his trip to Tai Tong. He and Mr. Simmons had some trouble getting another boat but were able to make it to Fatshan by persuading the boatmen with bags of salt. When they went ashore, Henry preached and sold books. He talks about the small villages that they passed through while traveling on the river.

Noyes, Henry Varnum

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3

Unpublished

1880-10-25

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_762

[Note: Additional note written sideways in the margin of page one]
A letter from Mother came over from the Post Office just before I
started .

Tai Tong Oct 25th 1880
Dear Mattie and Hattie
We are just leaving Tai Tong
this morning and I write a
few lines to send back from Shek
Kok. We did not get away from
Fa-Ti the day we started until
3-o-clock in the afternoon. Perhaps
you heard that Mr Simmons had
to get another boat as the first
one would not go unless he would
let the men take a bag of salt
apiece. Then we waited at Fa-
Ti after they reached us about
half an hour. That night we got
[--af--] about half way to Fatshan. Then
I got them up about midnight and
they went in the moonlight through
Fatshan where they anchored
until morning. Friday night
we reached Sain-Shui after
stopping an hour or two at
Sai Nam and Saturday night
anchored at Tai Tong where

we spent the Sabbath. We
went ashore that is Mr Simmons
and his two native helpers and
I and preached both in the
forenoon and afternoon and had
a very good time. We could have
sold a good many books but
we concluded to try to hit this
place on market day on our
way back and sell books. It
was market day yesterday and
there was a very large crowd of
people. I do not know whether
you remember Tai Tong but it
is that village that has a very
pretty grove just above it neat
the river. We stopped at Lo-Pan
and preached and sold books
on Saturday. The people have
been very civil usually more
so by considerable than when I
used to travel up this river years

ago. Notwithstanding the large
crowd of people that we were among
yesterday I scarcely heard the
epithet of "Fan KwEi" at all. The
second time we went on Shore
a shopkeer where we were passing
asked us to stop and preach
and brought out a bench for
us to sit on. If their has been
any excitement in the country it
has all died away so far as
we see any manifestations of
it. We are having a very pleas-
ant trip all around [?visit?] back
and forth considerable and often
spend the evening all together.
We generally get a walk on
shore a little while before dark
Will enjoys these walks and
finds amusement in trying to
catch the rest of us or letting
so of us catch him. I ex-

pect we shall reach Shek-Kok
"the scene of conflict" before
noon and get somewhere be-
yond Tsing Un to night, possible
to [u]Fi Loi [?Tsr?][/u] but I scarcely ex-
pect that. I forgot to mention then
when my boat came to the house
I investigated it and after all
their faithful promises about Salt
I found 4 bags which I told them
would be [u]discharged[/u] at the
first Customs station if they left
them aboard. They may possibly
still have a few bags concealed
somewhere but they took those off
and promised not to get any more
and I on my part promised them
[u]faithfully[/u] that if I found any at
any time I would invite the officers
at the first Custom House to take it
off. Well I must close for now. I
do not know whether we will have any
opportunity to send back letters after to-day
I enclose a letter for Mother if you
[Note: Written sideways in right margin]
send it with your mail Your Aff Brother - Henry --

Letter