Glimpses of the Past Part 49

A few days later the ships proceeded to New York, and then there followed an uncomfortable period of waiting. They hoped to have sailed on the 9th of June, having been already a fortnight on shipboard, but it was not until a week later that they got away. While at New York the pa.s.sengers spent much of their time on sh.o.r.e, visiting their friends and making purchases of things needed on the voyage. Mrs.

Frost had a touching interview with her father, who came in a boat from Stamford to bid her farewell. She writes under date of Monday, June 9th; "Our women all came on board with their children, and there is great confusion in the cabin. We bear with it pretty well through the day, but at night one child cries in one place, and one in another, while we are getting them to bed. I think sometimes I will go crazy. There are so many of them, if they were still as common, there would be a great noise amongst them."

Two days later the ships weighed anchor and dropped down to Staten Island where they remained until Sunday the 15th of June, when Mrs.

Frost writes: "Our ship is getting under way, I suppose for Nova Scotia. I hope for a good pa.s.sage. About three o'clock we have a hard gale and a shower which drives us all below. About five o'clock we come to anchor within about six miles of the Light House at Sandy Hook. How long we shall lie here I don't know. About six o'clock we had a terrible squall and hail stones fell as big as ounce b.a.l.l.s.

About sunset there was another squall and it hailed faster than before. Mr. Frost went out and gathered a mug full of hail stones, and in the evening we had a gla.s.s of punch made of it, and the ice was in it till we had drank the whole of it."

"Monday, June 16. We weighed anchor about half after five in the morning, with the wind North-Nor'-West, and it blows very fresh.

We pa.s.sed the Light House about half after seven. It is now half after nine and a signal has been fired for the ships all to lie to for the Bridgewater, which seems to lag behind, I believe on account of some misfortune that happened to her yesterday.... It is now two o'clock and we have again got under way. We have been waiting for a ship to come from New York, and she has now overhauled us.[141] We have a very light breeze now, but have at last got all our fleet together. We have thirteen Ships, two Brigs, one Frigate belonging to our fleet. The Frigate is our Commodore's. It is now three o'clock, we are becalmed and the men are out fishing for Mackerel. Mr. Miles has caught the first."

[141] It is a question whether or not the pa.s.sengers of this ship are included in Sir Guy Carleton's return of the 17th July, which appears at p. 354.

"Thursday, June 19. We are still steering eastward with a fine breeze. We make seven miles an hour the chief part of the day.

About noon we shift our course and are steering North by East. At two o'clock the Captain says we are 250 miles from Sandy Hook, with the wind West-Nor'-West. At six o'clock we saw a sail ahead.

She crowded sail and put off from us, but our frigate knew how to talk to her, for at half past seven she gave her a shot which caused her to shorten sail and lie to. Our captain looked with his spy gla.s.s; he told me she was a Rebel brig; he saw her thirteen stripes. She was steering to the westward. The wind blows so high this evening, I am afraid to go to bed for fear of rolling out."

"Friday 20th. This morning our Frigate fired a signal to shift our course to North-Nor'-East. We have still fine weather and a fair wind. Mr. Emslie, the mate, tells me we are, at five in the afternoon, about 500 miles from Sandy Hook. We begin to see the fog come on, for that is natural to this place. At six our Commodore fired for the ships to lie to until those behind should come up. Mr. Emslie drank tea with Mr. Frost and myself. The fog comes on very thick this evening."

"Sat.u.r.day, June 21. Rose at 8 o'clock. It was so foggy we could not see one ship belonging to the fleet. They rang their bells and fired guns all the morning to keep company. About half after ten the fog all went off, so that we saw the chief part of our fleet around us. At noon the fog came on again, but we could hear their bells all around us. This evening the Captain showed Mr. Frost and me the map of the whole way we have come and the way we have yet to go. He told us we are 240 miles from Nova Scotia at this time.

It is so foggy we lost all our company tonight and we are entirely alone.

"Sunday, June 22. It is very foggy yet. No ship in sight now, nor any bells to be heard. Towards noon we heard some guns fired from our fleet, but could not tell where they was. The fog was so thick we could not see ten rods, and the wind is so ahead that we have not made ten miles since yesterday noon.

"Monday, June 23. Towards noon the fog goes off fast, and in the afternoon we could see several of our vessels; one came close alongside of us. Mr. Emslie says we are an hundred and forty miles from land now. In the evening the wind becomes fair, the fog seems to leave us and the sun looks very pleasant. Mr. Whitney and his wife, Mr. Frost and I, have been diverting ourselves with a few games of crib."

The pa.s.sengers had now become exceedingly weary of the voyage. The ships had lain buried in a dense fog, almost becalmed, for three days.

An epidemic of measles, too, had broken out on board the "Two Sisters," and served to add to the anxiety and discomfort of the mothers. But a change for the better was at hand and Mrs. Frost continues her diary in a more cheerful strain.

"Thursday, June 26. This morning the sun appears very pleasant. We are now nigh the banks of Cape Sable. At nine o'clock we begin to see land. How pleased we are after being nine days out of sight of land to see it again. There is general rejoicing. At half past six we have twelve of our ships in sight. Our captain told me just now we should be in the Bay of Fundy before morning. He says it is about one day's sail after we get into the Bay to Saint John's River. How I long to see that place though a strange land. I am tired of being on board ship, though we have as clever a captain as ever need to live.

"Friday, June 27. I got up this morning very early to look out. I can see land on both sides of us. About ten o'clock we pa.s.sed Annapolis. The wind died away. Our people got their lines out to catch cod fish. About half after five John Waterbury caught the first.

"Sat.u.r.day, June 28. Got up in the morning and found ourselves nigh to land on both sides. At half after nine our Captain fired a gun for a pilot and soon after ten a pilot came on board, and a quarter after one our ship anch.o.r.ed off against Fort Howe in Saint John's River. Our people went on sh.o.r.e and brought on board pea vines with blossoms on them, gooseberries, spruce and gra.s.s, all of which grow wild. They say this is to be our city. Our land is five and twenty miles up the river. We are to have here only a building, place 40 feet wide and an hundred feet back. Mr. Frost has gone on sh.o.r.e in his whale boat to see how it looks. He returns soon bringing a fine salmon."

"Sunday, June 29. This morning it looks very pleasant. I am just going on sh.o.r.e with my children.... It is now afternoon and I have been on sh.o.r.e. It is I think the roughest land I ever saw.... We are all ordered to land tomorrow and not a shelter to go under."

Such is the simple story told by this good lady; the reader's imagination can fill in the details. At the time of Mrs. Frost's arrival she was a young matron of twenty-eight years. Her daughter, Hannah, born on July 30th., is said to have been the second female child born at Parrtown.

In the case of the June fleet, as of that which arrived in May, the captains of many of the transports seem to have been remarkably considerate for the welfare of their pa.s.sengers. The "Bridgewater,"

staid at St. John more than a fortnight before she sailed on her return voyage to New York, as we learn from the address presented to her captain by the Loyalists who came in her.

"To Captain Adnet, Commander of the Transport Bridgewater.

"The Address of the Loyalists, that came in the Ship under your command, from New-York to St. John's River, Nova-Scotia.

"Your humanity, and the kindness and attention you have shewn to render as happy as possible each individual on board your ship, during the pa.s.sage, and till their disembarkation, has filled our hearts with sentiments of the deepest grat.i.tude, and merit the warmest return of acknowledgments and thanks, which we most sincerely desire you to accept. Wishing you a prosperous voyage to your intended port, we are, your much obliged and very humble servants.

Signed by the particular desire, and in behalf of the whole.

JOHN HOLLAND, CAPTAIN CLARKE, NATHANIEL d.i.c.kINSON.

St. John's River, July 15, 1783.

Vessels continued to arrive during the summer, each bearing its quota of loyal exiles. Those who came were in nearly all cases enrolled in companies, and officers appointed, who were commissioned by Sir Guy Carleton. Several of the ships came repeatedly to St. John. The Bridgewater, one of the Spring fleet, came again in June, and made a third voyage in October. The Cyrus, one of the Spring fleet, arrived again on the 14th September, with 194 pa.s.sengers, whose names are given in the collections of the New Brunswick Historical Society. The Sovereign, one of the vessels of the Spring fleet, came again in August, as we learn from the letter of thanks addressed to the captain by her pa.s.sengers, which follows:

"Dear Sir: Your Generosity, Kindness and Attention to us while on board your ship, and a.s.sistance lent us on landing our Property from on board, demands our most warm Acknowledgments: Permit us therefore to return you that unfeigned Thanks for all your Goodness that feeling hearts can: and as your are about to leave us, accept of our most sincere wishes for your Happiness and Prosperity; and that you may have a safe and easy Pa.s.sage to New York is the sincere wish of, Dear Sir.

(By Request of the Company.)

Your most obedient, humble servant,

JOHN MENZIES, Capt. 24th Company.

St. John's River, Aug. 12, 1783.

To Capt. Wm. Stewart, Ship Sovereign."

About this time the Americans began to urge upon Sir Guy Carleton the speedy evacuation of New York by the British forces. But Sir Guy was too good a friend of the Loyalists to allow himself to be unduly hurried in the matter. He stated that the violence of the Americans, since the cessation of hostilities, had greatly increased the number of Loyalists who were obliged to look to him for escape from threatened destruction. That their fears had been augmented by the barbarous menaces of Committees formed in various towns, cities and districts, which had threatened dire vengeance to any who ventured back to their former homes. He therefore adds, "I should show an indifference to the feelings of humanity, as well as to the honor and interest of the nation whom I serve, to leave any of the Loyalists that are desirous to quit the country, a prey to the violence they conceive they have so much cause to apprehend."

Sir Guy did his best to facilitate the emigration of all who desired to leave New York, and by his instructions the following notice was published.

"City Hall, New York, August 14, 1783.

"Notice is hereby given to all Loyalists within the lines, desirous to emigrate from this place before the final Evacuation, that they must give in their Names at the Adjutant-General's Office, on or before the 21st instant, and be ready to embark by the end of this month.

"ABIJAH WILLARD."

Before the arrival of the date, mentioned in the notice, 6,000 names were entered at the Adjutant-General's Office for pa.s.sages, and the evacuation proceeded as fast as the number of transports would admit.

Four weeks later another and more emphatic notice was issued.

"City Hall, New York, September 12, 1783.

The Commissioners appointed to examine the Claims of Persons for Pa.s.sages from this Place, give this Notice to all Loyalists, who have been recommended for Pa.s.sages to Nova Scotia; that ships are prepared to receive them on board, and it is expected they will embark on or before the Twentieth Instant.

"And the Board have Authority further to declare. That if they neglect to embrace the opportunity now offered, they must not expect to be conveyed afterwards at the Public Expense.

ABIJAH WILLARD."

There can be little doubt that many who continued to linger at New York would gladly have returned to their former places of abode, but the experience of the few days who attempted it was too discouraging.

Here is an instance, as described by one of the American "patriots."

"Last week there came one of the dam'd refugees from New York to a place called Wall-Kill, in order to make a tarry with his parents.

He was taken into custody immediately, his head and eye brows were shaved--tarred and feathered--a hog yoke put on his neck, and a cow bell thereon; upon his head a very high cap of feathers was set, well plum'd with soft tar, and a sheet of paper in front, with a man drawn with two faces, representing Arnold and the Devil's imps; and on the back of it a cow, with the refugee or tory driving her off."

The forced migration of the Loyalists was a source of much amus.e.m.e.nt to the whigs of that day. A parody on Hamlet's soliloquy, "To be or not to be," was printed in the New Jersey Journal, under the t.i.tle, The Tory's Soliloquy. It begins:

"To go or not to go; that is the question, Whether 'tis best to trust the inclement sky, That scowl's indignant, or the dreary bay Of Fundy and Cape Sable's rocks and shoals, And seek our new domain in Scotia's wilds, Barren and bare, or stay among the rebels, And by our stay rouse up their keenest rage."

We have now to consider the circ.u.mstances under which the "Fall fleet"

came to St. John.