To: Robb, [Dundonald, County Down?]
From: [Alexander Robb, near Panama, c. 1862-1863?]
[ -top of letter missing- ]
...tell Uncle Corchard that I bought as good
a pineapple as ever he grew ( and that is saying
a good deal ) for ten cents. Cocoa nuts a[at?] 5 cents
each and other fruits in proportion. We changed
vessels there and the next morning sailed for
Aspinwal. We had a beautiful run [--torn--]
of four days down to the latter place and on Sunday
March 20th arrived there. There is no third class
on the steamboats so that even from St. Thomas
to Aspinwal we got second cabin berths and were
in everyway as comfortable as we could have wished
to be. We stopped on board the steamship all
Sunday afternoon and night and on the next day
took the railway cars for Panama. I wish I could
give you the faintist idea of what we saw on
that ride of 48 miles. The whole way it is as
beautiful as an Eden but it is an Eden turned into
[ -top/bottom of page missing- ] ...were just about entering that port. Well we
got in the next morning about five October.
I will try and give you an idea of what that
place is like. Imagine yourself then entering
Belfast from the queens island and fancy
[--torn--] surrounded by high hills rising very
nearly perpendicularly from the sea with the
town stretching out right before you on the only
level bit of land on the island, and this will give you
an idea of what it is like. We stopped there for
about twenty hours. Most of the passengers went on
shore myself among the rest. But such a place
and such a heat. Why you would literally thought
you were breathing fire. Up on the mountains it
is not as bad but in the town where the heat of
the sun is reflected back from the hills that tower
almost above it, it would almost roast one.
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...and write me a long letter about everything and
you can direct it to the care of Mr Kyle
who has promised to forward it to me by this [-torn-]
a letter two or three months sooner than [-torn-]
and I am very anxious to hear from home [-torn-]
would enclose a letter [----?] telling me how [-torn-]
is getting on. The [boat?] starts for New York [- torn-]
time so I must now quit. Give my love to [-torn-]
Aunt Ellen Uncle Crick[land?] Frank Joe and Bo[-torn-]
know who I mean) and all the rest of my f[-torn-]
believe me dear
Your aff[-torn-]
P.S. The whole of us are in [-torn-]
health and as [-torn-?] accounts fro[-torn-]
are very good. Of course we are [-torn-]
good spirits
