[ ]ane Thompson ALS to "Sister" [Susan Wright?], July 20 - August 6, [1819?]

{This page is written in two columns; the transcription reduces them to a single column}

{begin column one}

George-town 20th of July

Dear Sister

I begin this letter some time before
it can be sent, but I do not like to leave it
to the last day, as I find when I do so, I often
omit what I wish to write and my paper is
sometimes filled ere I have well begun. I will just
give you some account of the fruit, flowers &c
as I used to do in my letters to Pishey, it will
interest you I know, who are a lover of Nature
and an observer of such things in your world.
I shall continue this, and also some account of
the weather, until I have completed this first
year, when it will be no longer new.

10th of June Holyoak in flower, meaner than English generally
13 Jessamine in flower very good. New Potatoes in mar-
ket & pease, green. am quite disappointed in these,
they are not good for anything, yellow, tasteless, &
very few of them. they were soon over. am told it
is the dryness of the season has burnt them up, Miss
Rainsford says, they are as good as she ever knew
them since she has been here. Clover cut generally
it is got in same as with you. Wild Raspberties
very mean, not the least flavor of a Rapsberry, I
like to gather a few very will when I walk, as they
are sweet and cooling, they are so crush'd and spoild
in the market they are not worth having. Mr. Redin
met with one lot from a Garden, they had a little
taste of Raspberry. The man he bought them of
said they were English. Mr. Redin askd him for a
joke if he brought them from England? No sir, the
man replied. Their Progenitors came from England
he was a "Neger," they are very fond of fine words.
The Negroes in this part are called Negers, to the
North they are Niggars. Mulberries in plenty,
they are wild too, but very mean small & insipid
not the least like the English Mulberry, the
latter kind grows here, but are very scarce. Roses
were quite over early in June, I described them
before. Rye cut mostly, harvest general in
the middle of this month. I do not understand
Farming, but to the best of my knowledge, I
should say, the corn here is about such crops
as I have seen on the worst land about Cais
tor. I have been to see Mr. Simpsons Farm, it is
the best place I have seen he has been on it about
26 years, it is much dried up here, I think it would
be but an ordinary place in England. he has done all
for the land it is capable of. he has thorn hedges, and
a good common garden & orchard, it happened to
be a rainy day, so we saw but little. I had a
good deal of conversation with him (Mr. Simpson)
he was obliged to purchase Slaves, as he could not de-
pend on having hired laborers when he wanted them
He has four stout men, he pointed one out to me
a fine looking fellow who had four wives & families
belonging to him in different places, one family
he has at Mr. Simpsons. the others are slaves to differ-
ent persons, and are no expence of course to the
Father. he divides his holiday times amongst them
all. Mr. S. is a very indulgent master. they are a lazy
set. I think they have about ten women & Children,
and Mrs. S. is almost worked out amongst all
her help. She is obliged to have the Management
& superintendence of every thing, or there would
be fine confusion, they are not to be trusted in

{begin column two}

the Dairy or anywhere else. We saw the latter or
Springhouse as they call them, from being built
on a Spring, all American farmers have these and
you have often seen them described, they use this place
in winter too, as it is then warmer than other
places. I asked him concerning fruit, and whether
they could not have the variety of fine Plums that
we have in England, he thought they could, but said
you would never get a single Plum for your
own use if you did not fa cultivate plenty for all
your blacks, and plenty for them to give to all their
friends, after that you might hope to enjoy a few
yourself, that if you had anything better than the
common fruit or scarcer, he would defy anyone
to keep it. Pears, he says will not prosper on
this soil. There are fine ones in other places.
He is his own Blacksmith & Carpenter also farrier
he has workshops on his farm for this purpose.
he has a son about 30 or 28 years of age. I took
him to be forty at least. from the 11th of this July
Month to 18th it was at 96 we had a gust in the af
ternoon when it fell as we watched it in ten
minutes 13 degrees. July 4th. Ripe Apricots
but very few are brought. 11th. Ears of green corn
this is boiled for the table. I like it better than
any other Vegetable. it is too dear for us yet,
but we shall soon have plenty. I believe the
common Price will be 6 3/4 English the dozen
ears. I cannot eat more than one at a meal, they
are very good roasted in hot ashes or before the fire.
15th. a few Ripe Water Melons in Market, they
like the corn are too dear yet. for about a fort-
night we have had Blackberries plentiful &
very good indeed, especially cooked with a
little sugar, we have them to every meal, they
are 3 Cents per Quart. I often when the Ther-
mol is under 90 go out to gather them. I do not
then like to be out from 11 in the morng. to
5 in the afternoon if I can help it. I take
an umbrella always, or a large Parasol which
I have bought on purpose. They are of much more
use here than with you. The Sun at noon is
nearly over our heads, I expect it would be death
to anyone to be an hour bareheaded exposed to the
sun at that time. I am told so and I believe it.
you have no idea of the force of the suns rays at
that time. It looked strange to me when I first came
here to see people (women) who had to step into the sun
for a minute put a thickly doubled shawl, or any-
thing they could catch up on their heads, in such
hot weather. The Althea Frutex is now in flower,
several kinds of Amaranths, Convolvolus Major,
the latter very fine. I see immense Sun-flower
plants, but they are not yet in flower, a few
very mean Lark spurs. what few pinks I have
seen, were burnt out with the first hot spell
in June, and they were miserably poor dwarfish
things. flowers are very scarce indeed now,
I sometimes find wild ones. the Trumpet creeper
with large scarlet blossoms as large as a Tobacco-
pipe head but longer, is now in flower, it runs
up trees and or spreads over pieces of Rock &c and is
very ornamental. I sent you some seed
last winter, I think it will easily grow in
England. The Mullein grows in great abundance