Robert Smyth, Philadelphia, to his family, Moycraig, County Antrim, 14 August
1844
Philad August 14th 1844
Dear Parents brothers & Sisters
with friendly fealings I write to you all once more to
inform you of my good health
thanks be to God it is still good. also of the situation in
whitch I am placed I now hold a respectable situation in this City as a customs house
officer there is 12 of us in the same branch of Custom house dutey
I have charge a
set of scales although I have onley been there one month
we are what is called
weighmasters we take cargo off all the foreign ships that arives at this port and weigh
all the goods subject to dutey
it is a very hard situation being SO mutch exposed to the
burning sun along the crowded warves there is nothing but a strong constitution and a
daring spirit can stand sutch bodily exercise but I am still about as the Negro says
I
have weighed with one company of men in one day 1,000 casks of sugar my salary is
365 Dollars per annum my Appointment was given to me by the president of the united
states and I have the honour of beaing appointed through my oun merit we
have
in
the
Custom House 200 officers and there are onley 3 Irishmen in that office and I am one of
those
I owe it to the stand that I have taken in the political field
I am a Democrat out
and out and takes the platform for the cause against monarchy and aristoc[r]acy I am
for free & republickan government
I have the promise of a reanstatement to 3 Dollars
per day owing to taking part for the president while in the western country the[re] was
a man in the town of mount jaxon who attempted to vilify the president Mr Tilers
c[h]ar[a]cter but with my drove whip I made him sing that glorious news SO often used
Robert Smyth, Philadelphia, to his family, Moycraig, County Antrim, 14 August 1844
Description
Smyth informs that he has been appointed as a "respectable" customs officer in Philadelphia city, in charge of weighing cargo subject to duty, from arriving on foreign ships. His inclusion as one of three Irishmen in the 200 custom house officers, is attributed by Smyth to his taking "the political field" as a Democrat, standing "against monarchy and artitoc[r]acy...for a free & republickan government". This included Smyth using his "drove whip" to silence a man in the town of "mount jaxon" who tried to vilify the character of the president, Mr Tiler. Smyth then recounts that the city has experienced bloody disturbances, arising from "native american Citizens forming themselves into a body to deprive all foriegners of their rights & privileges guaranted to them by the constitution [especially] Irish Roman Catholics". Several were shot on both sides with "Catholicks churches and nunnereys burned" and the military called in to quell the riots, which saw many killed. Smyth observes that his brother Jonathin's intention to travel to America "might be like the rest" [returning home again] and suggests that he may do so also if the political administration changes in spring and he will be out of his office.
Date
14/08/1844
Date Issued
27/03/2023
Resource Type
Text
Archival Record Id
p155/1/3/2
Publisher
University of Galway
Extent
4pp
Topic
Smith/ Smyth Letters
Geographic
Philadelphia (city),Philadelphia (county),Pennsylvania,United States,Moycraig Hamilton (townland) Antrim (county),Ireland
Temporal
Nineteenth century,Eighteen forties
Genre
Letter,Transcription
Note
Title and transcript provided by Professor Kerby Miller. This transcript includes handwritten corrections to transcript from PRONI, made with reference to original letters. Letter description provided by University of Galway. The names Smith and Smyth are used interchangeably in this series so both are quoted.
