John Campbell - Letter to his parents, 9 August 1789 MLMSS 7525 (Safe 1/243)
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Honord Mother & Father
Agust the 9th 1789 at Sea on Board of the Ship Lady Penrhyn
This Comes with my kind Respects to you
hoping that you are all Well I write to you at the
Cape of Good hope by a Flemish Ship that was bound to
Portsmouth in 1787 watterd & Sailed from thence Novem-
ber the 12th January the 25th Arived at Bottany Bay to the
Southward of the Bay Saw great Number of the
Inhabitants the Governore did not approve of the Ground heir
About 12 Miles to the Northward he found Out a very good
Harbour for the Shiping & better Ground Called port Jackson
the 26 Sailed & Arived the Same day the Governor went
on Shore to take Possession of the Land with a Company
of Granadeers & Some Convicts At three A Clock in the Afternoon
he sent on board of the Supply Brigantine for the
Union Jack then orders was Gave fore the Soldiers to
March down to the West Sid of the Cove they Cut one of
the Trees Down & fixt as flag Staf & Histd the Jack
and Fired four Folleys of Small Arms which was Answer
-ed with three Cheers from the Brig then thay Marched up
the head of the Cove where they Piched their Tents I
Wrote to you their by the Ship Alexander May the 5th 1788.
Sailed From their Towards Lord Howes Illand found out by
the Supply Brig on hir Passage to Norfolk Illand May the
15th Arived Histd our Boat out & went on Shore Expecting
to get Some Turtle but did not the 18th Saild from their to
Wards Otahita the 2d of June Discovered three Small Ilands
at 11 A Clock came up with two Smalest ons their was no
Possability of Landing then Bore Away for the other Histd
the Smale Boat out the Captn Mate & four hands went
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on Shore their was nothing upon it to Speak of July the 10th
Arived their with 16 of us bad with the Scurvy hundreds of the Cannues
Came on Board with the Produce of the Iland in three weaks
time all of us got well the 23d saild from their to an iland about
four Leagues Distance Called Euen[?] where the natives brought
the produce of the iland the 1st of August Salied from their to
Tinian on our Passage Discovered an Iland More pleasant than
the Other three But Did not Visit it Septembr the 19th Arived
Watterd & Saild for China October the 21st Arived their Decmr
the 23rd at Canton Saw John Reed And he was in good health
the 10th of January 1789 Saild from China for St Helena
After A very long passage Arived May the 18th the Ship
that John Reed was Saild 5 weeks after us and Arived the
day before us he was a Shore bad with the Scury we
saild both in one day for England the Next letter I Send
will inform you More of our Voyage So no More
at present But Remember me to all Inquiring Friends
your Efectionate
Son
John Campbell
I Should be very happy to have an Answere as Soon as
this Comes to your hand you will be So good as to Direct
to me the Care of Mr Charles McCollick Ceannemon Street
No 5 London
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To
Mr John Bell Writter Ayre
North Britain