Temperance > Autobiography and personal recollections of John B. Gough

DEPARTURE FOR AMERICA.
31
into one of my shirts. I could not read it for a long time, and
not till I had shed a great many tears; but I shall keep it as a
particular treasure, as there are a great many things which will
be of great service to me now, as well as in the future. Oh! as
I lay tossed about on the wide ocean, I thought of my poor dear
mother, and how badly I had behaved to her, as also of my dear
father; and thought, if I was at home how cheerfully I would go
to work for him, and not grumble, and go with such unwilling
steps as I have done. But I hope, my beloved parents, you will
forgive all that is past.
Dear parents, on Sunday, the 2d of August, we were looking
out for the lights at Sandy Hook—with that sort of anxiety
which my dear father well knows- after we had been fifty-three
days at sea; but we did not see land till the 3d, about sunrise.
We drew nearer and nearer, with a fine fair wind, which brought
us to Sandy Hook about twelve o’clock, where the pilot came on
board. At about one o’clock p.m. we arrived at Staten Island,
where the doctor came on deck and examined us; also the printer,
to take an account of our voyage. About three o’clock p.m. we
arrived at New York, &c.
A letter I wrote, dated Sandgate Farm, Westmoreland,
December 26, 1829:—
Dear and Honoured Parents,—Having an opportunity of
writing to you, I shall endeavour to improve it, by first describing
to you our journey from New York to this place, which is a
very comfortable farm, about twelve miles from Utica.
On the 30th of August we left New York for Albany, when
we went down to the steamboat, and at five o’clock in the after¬
noon on Saturday set off, and had such a grand sight all the way
up the Hudson Biver, as I cannot describe to you. It is past
description. We saw large hills of solid rock, with pine and fir
trees growing from between the crevices. On the next day we
came to the Catskill and Alleghany Mountains, which surpassed
all we had seen before; but yet we had something more grand to
witness. About six o’clock we arrived at Albany, a large and