Description:

(AMERICAN MISSION IN SINGAPORE, 1836)
IRA TRACEY (1806 - 1875) American missionary to China; chief of the mission in Singapore. A.L.S. 4pp. folio, June 22, 1836, to Mrs. Sarah White in West Brookfield, Mass. Excellent content regarding his lifestyle, with two ink sketches of the layout of the Singapore American Mission house. In small part: "…you expressed a wish to be informed respecting our situation…I am very much harried with business, that must be done. It is asked what kind of a house we live in…I will tell about a house we expect to be soon…It is 50 feet long & 44 wide…two stones high and built of brick [here he draws the two sketches]. The rooms are divided…It is plastered inside & out…Thirty feet distant also is the end of the great printing office…What! you will say, does the missionary ? - in a two story brick house?...The reasons for the building…it is very cheap…The house is larger…because we have three families here now, & are told by Mr. Anderson that it must be a missionary tavern, where families could live some months at a time when they first arrive…What do we eat? We eat in the morning rice, & an egg & salt upon it, & a piece of bread, & if we chose a piece of fish, or sweet potato or yam, but I take no meat; one drink is hot water…coffee. At dinner we have rice and curry, (made of ginger & pepper& fish or meat or vegetable, & water) & fish, or fowl or pork (no beef, or mutton, geese, turkey, or other meet)…some times a pudding or pie…& fruit…none so good as the black berries or the apples, or pears &c of America…pine apples…are bought for half a cent sometimes…" Much more. Moderate water staining, affecting some words. Easily read.

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February 11, 2015 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

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