Henry Brockholst Livingston to Susannah French Livingston, 25 October 1779
On board the Confederacy Oc tr . 25 th . 1779 –
My dear Mother
I am happy in having it in my power to bid you adieu once more before I lose sight of America. I wrote you a short letter & in great haste from philadelphia, & sent you what little money I had left by Susan– We parted with the Girls at Chester last Wednesday– The next day we came on board– We have had good weather, but not a breath of fair wind –till today so that we have had ^ been ^ five tedious very tedious days sailing no more than forty miles– We are still in the Delaware & about seventy miles from the capes– At present, appearances are in our favor, & if the wind continues but a day longer where it now is, we shall be at sea to morrow night, & if we elude the vigilance of the British Cruizers, we have every prospect of a quick & safe passage. My next shall be from France when I shall have more to say than I have now, & when you will be more anxious to hear from us, than you are now– You cannot think how very commodiously we are settled in this Ship. M r : & M rs . Jay have a very convenient & comfortable apartment to themselves, besides the Use of the Cabbin– I have swung my hammock in the cabbin, & not withstanding the novelty of such a birth, or the unusual Noise of the sailors, I never slept better, or warmer in my life– M rs . Jay, if she writes, will tell you the same of herself– I cannot vouch for this part of her relation, but the effect the water has had on her appetite is too glaring to escape notice–tho– few of the passengers are deficient in this point, there are none who do more justice to the good living we have than her. If her present health, & appetite continue the voyage cannot fail of being of infinite service to M rs : Jay– She has now been five days on board, & has not had a moment–s complaint– This leads her to hope that she will escape the Sea-sickness altogether– I am not so sanguine– I have a presentiment I shall be very sick & indeed, strange as you may think it, I wish I may be–tho– I may suffer awhile, it will be of service in the end– Sick or well we shall want for nothing on board– We are largely supply ^ ed ^ with stores of every kind–indeed one of my greatest mortifications, if we come to action, will be to see our Poultry of which we have a large flock, sacrificed to our ^ own ^ safety, as nothing in such a case can prevent their being thrown over board to clear ship as the sailors express it–
We are all very busy in learning french–we have a Law on board, (which is observed as well as Laws in general are) that not a word of english is to be spoken in the Cabbin, so that were you to pay us a visit on board you would not be permitted even to enquire after M rs : Jay–s health without first learning a few french phrases for the purpose. Sally is a very apt Scholar, & if we have a tolerable long passage she will appear at the Court of Versailles free from the embarrassment of those who neither understand or speak the tongue of those about them– Seriously I beleive she will soon speak french, & with fluency– M r : Gerard is her Preceptor–and here I cannot omit informing you how very fortunate we are in having this Gentleman for a fellow passenger– He has a very strong attachment to M r : Jay & will not only be of service as a companion on the Passage, but of still more on our arrival in Europe– The task I have allotted to myself during the voyage is the study of the Spanish– This will keep me closely & dully employed– I shall have no assistance from any one, there not being a single Spaniard among near four hundred men we have on board– Perhaps the Sea sickness will save me the trouble of looking into any book–
Tell billy, I have seen nothing wonderful yet, & therefore shall defer writing to him– He may rely on my writing him from Europe–& Tho– I will not promise him any entertainment from my Accounts, yet they shall be such as he may depend on– I wish him much happiness, & Success at the Bar– I have a thousand times wished Johny was a midshipman on Board the Frigate––Tis a good birth for a young fellow, & a very certain road to honor & preferment– I am sure he would like it, & in a little time be very fond of it– M r . Clarkson–s son is well pleased–he is active, healthy, & in fine heart– He bids fair to command a squadron soon– I will write to Pappa from France or Spain, & if the Confederacy returns to Philadelphia I may have it in my power to send you a few necessaries for the family–
I must again bid you farewell– Tho– I shall be at a great distance from America I am in hopes I shall not always be without hearing from it, & from those friends I shall leave behind me; For beleive me when I assure You that one of the greatest pleasures I propose to myself in the long tour I am about to make will be is that of hearing from you & the family– God bless you all– May every happiness attend you– In a few years I trust we shall all meet again, happier for our separation– In the mean time be assured my dear Mother Of the best wishes & most affectionate Regard of your dutiful Son–
Harry Brockholst Livingston
To M rs : Livingston