Letter from Ambrose Elliott Gonzales to his sister Harriett Rutledge Elliott
Gonzales, April 9, 1882, describing Castle Garden. Elliott-Gonzales Papers,
Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
My dear Hattie:
Your letter has remained unanswered for quite
a while, but you will forgive the delay as you know how hard I have been
working recently. I've had a couple of days rest from the extra but hope
to get at it again on Monday. I amused myself yesterday by sitting in the
sun down at Castle Garden, a place corresponding to the Battery in Charleston,
only not near so neat or pretty. There is no sign of bud or bloom on the
trees & shrubs yet, save a few forlorn buds on a pirus Japonica that
looks quite lonely & foolish in that big open place. The grass is green
however, & the English sparrows congregate there in thousands. They
are a very pretty & lively bird resembling a bullfinch, more than our
house sparrow & are very combative, allowing you almost to step on
them when engaged in bruising [torn] little heads. They Bay loo[ks] very
pretty from the "Garden," all the incoming & out going vessels passing
quite near, & as I have no horses to criticise, now tis a great pleasure
to watch & take in the points good & bad of these Ocean flyers.
There are dozens of lines, each with different rigs & flags. The New
Steamers of the Inman, & Guion lines are the largest & best appointed
the "Arizona" being a four master with engines of 10000 horse power. She
is as long as from the shanty to the echo Oak almost being over two hundred
yards long. This craft made the trip to Liverpool within seven days making
the average of nearly 20 miles an hour for the whole voyage. The owners
claim that she is the fastest ship afloat, but the Captain of the German
Steamer "Elbe" a two master of half the usual size claims the same for
his ship & I suppose it will never be settled. I wish Bory could see
the swarms of Emigrants at Castle Garden, at times a thousand will come
in on one or two vessels in a morning of half a dozen nationalities, Russian
Jews with fur Caps and noses that would make Sydney Legare's look infinitesimal
in comparison, & Germans with rosy cheeks & waists about the size
of a walnut tree. The roughest looking set are the Italians these fellows
are as dark as old Boatswain almost & a very hard looking set. You
would be surprised to see what quantities of things they bring over with
them. Bags of field & garden seeds, queer earthenware cooking utensils,
old saws & hatchets, tin pans & children & so many odds &
ends that seeing a cart load of them & their belongings one might take
it for a "nigger mare." Speaking of niggers I have no doubt they enquire
about me & when I'll return. The Captain may tell them that when I've
learned to [torn] I see with my own eyes, [torn] say "No" -- why then I'll
run the risk of being victimized again, but that is probably a long time
off. I have not forgotten Stephens Coat, but as I did not owe him anything
I was in no hurry, but some time soon when I've paid one more debt. I'll
go forth upon the "Bowery way" some Saturday night, when the path
is resplendid with electric light, & there will I look about me with
much circumspection, and will finally purchase from the persuasive hebrew,
a garment those like has not been seen in the land of the pines, and the
cost thereof will be a few shekels, and much pleasure will it give the
wearer thereof & much envy will he be the subject of when he walketh
upon the highway or appeareth clad therein, in the Councils of the church
of his race. I suppose that Old Boatswain is devoted to Milly is he not?
How are the cows? Has the grass spru[torn] well yet? I'm glad that [torn]
but, sorry that he should bite the Captain. No one at "home" seems to care
to tell me anything about the planting or farm details so I hope you will
make an effort to enlighten me, will you not? What fields are the Captain
planting & in what? & has he much trouble with getting labor? Tell
him he ought to plant as much rice as possible in that quicksand section
of the orchard below the pear trees, 'tis too swampy for corn tho' doubtless
the crows & coons will denounce me for the suggestion. I saw a few
crows flying over the park the other day & they looked like old friends
& had the same sly way of peeping down sideways, as your friends of
the orchard have. I'm very glad that Jimmie King has had a little [torn]
& am rejoi[torn] can take my place so nicely in the family ear, but
I know the Owls along the Broad road will miss me if the ladies dont. Tell
Aunt E that I've received her letter & am delighted that the matrimonial
bat has become so opportunely entangled in the mosquito net of Mrs Legare's
daughters hopes. They are good girls & I'm very glad. As this is the
season for fish& freckles down South, It has occurred to me to mail
you three little outfits which I flatter myself will just suit the mouths
of the Cypress fish. Aunt Emmie says you are studying a little better nowadays.
Thats very pleasant news & I hope you'll keep it up. T'would never
do to let Muggs beat you, & he is fast getting ahead of me in writing,
& the knave says he can beat me running. I don't know what this generation
is coming to-- The snow is coming down like a blanket & as soon as
I'm off duty I'll run home, get a ho[torn] into bed & try to sleep
off this [torn] dear. Much love to you [torn] fond old
Bro'