March 1 What great alterations do I find in this
little Town. during my absence of 4 Years!
O the changing Scenes & visisitudes [vicissitudes?]
of Human Life. they that made a Bustle & a Noise & a figure
in the World 100 Years agoe [ago?] where are they? & yet
how absurdly do we Act. Temporal Concerns engage
us as if they were Eternal & Eternal as if
they were only Temporal. as Hervey say
in the Character of a Dying Person _______
Ye Lying Vanitys of Life. [Vanities?]
Ye ever Tempting Cheating Fram, [Frame?]
where are ye now.
and what is your amount.
O God grant us thy Grace, to know & Act,
by a Medium in all Things _________
14 met with the Bowmans, in order to settle
about the Farm in their possion [possession?], but find
they will neither Hearken [Harken?] To Reason nor Justice
altho [although?] they have made the Bleach House &
improvements on it a perfect waste _____ 21 I planted
7 Ash Trees in the Garden being the first of my Planting,
but I do not intend it shall be the last. as I look
Planting to be a kind of a Half Virtue, for what is
more Usefull [useful?] or ornamental that at the same
Time requires so little trouble or expense ____ 20/.
will Buy & plant as many Trees on ditches and other
waste Grounds as in a few Years will sell for as many
Pounds & even if one could not purpose to reap any
Benefit by them themselves, yet their Children or
a [at?] least their Country will ______ &
the Scocietys [Societys?] for the good of the
Publick [Public?] utility by the Premiums the [they?]
offer to encourage it ______ But Indeed the Beauty
& ornament which Trees give us I think a sufficient
compensation for all the Trouble & expence [expence?]
if it were twice as great ______ it really surprizes me
to see so many People Neglect it _______________
April 4. went to Lisburn _______ what a different appearance
does this part of the Country make from
that about Carrickfergus &c by the Spirit of
Planting & improving which is amongst the
Farmers & Gentlemen hereabouts what a pleasing
& delightfull [delightful?] Air does Trees &
Hedges give a Place & to see the Houses tho' [though?
mean yet neat & clean in & about them ____ it
prepossesses a Stranger with a favourable Opinion
of the Genius Taste and Industry of the inhabitants
as they are I am told in England tho' [though?] to be
sure it must be own'd that the Farmers in England
have greater encouragement to make improvements
May 1. got into Possession of The Farm But
oblidged [obliged?] to settle with the Bowmans that
had it upon their own unjust & unreasonable Terms
rather than go to Law, which strange as it
seems proves often a Remedy worse than the
Disease especially for small matters _______
September ___ To my great grievance & uter [utter]
disappointmt [disappointment?] my Domestic Uneasinesses
are now greater than ever, so as to make me almost
weary of my Life _____ good God remove them, or
give me ability to bear them with becoming Fortitude
& Patience, & forgive for Jesus sake whatever by my
conduct I have or do against thy will, in this
matter. & direct me in some measure how to remove
the intolerable uneasyness [uneasiness?]
which I at preasant [present?] labour under ________
October ___ no Account from my Uncle he having never
so much as wrote to me, or to Mr Craige at
New York who he was at least to send Crooks's
Money to to remmit [remit?] to me long before this Time,
Therefore, as I can't possibly begin to any Business
till Crooks's Money be pay'd, I have concluded
to go over again myself for I have no
Reason to think my Uncle will do me Justice
otherwise ____ unjust & Cruel he has used me already
______ also will take about œ120 Sterling worth
of Linen with me which Mr James Craig has
been so good as to let me have on 6 Months Time
2d I went to Larne to Embark for NYork [New York?]
my Domestick [Domestic?] uneasynesses [uneasinesses?] as
well as the above having great weight in my undertaking the
Voyage ______ 7. Sail'd from Larne on board the
Snow James & Mary ____ To Thy protection O
God I commit myself _____ grant me Sucess in the
purposes of my Voyage _______ 20. A Dangerous
Storm ahead. Lay to for 30 Hours, when the
Wind comes Fair from the Eastward, & continues
so fresh & steady for 5 days, that we have made
8. or 900 Miles of our Course, which is
a verry [very?] extraordinary thing when the Wind comes
B from the Eastward. ________________________
November. 9 being by our Reconing [Reckoning?] withing [within?]
a Days Sail of NYork [New York?], the Wind coming verry [very?]
fresh ahead Oblidges [Obliges?] us to lye [lie?] To, &
continues ahead tho' [though?] more moderate for 12 Days,
having drove us as far to the Southd [Southward?] as South
Carolina. ______ 23d in the Latitude of NYork [New York?]
& at 12 at Night got Soundings 48 Fathom 24. at 3' in the
Afternoon made the entrance of New York Harbour with a fair
Gale. _____ But increasing to a Voilent [Violent?] Storm.
oblidged [obliged?] to Hale of [Hail off?] the Land for
Fear of being put ashore.
The Storm continues most voilent [violent?] for 2 Days
& drove us 2 Degrees to the Southd [Southward?] & out of Soundings,
which makes us begin to be a good deal discouraged
at our disappointments _____ 27. Soundings
again 36. Fathom Water. _________ 30 made
NYork [New York?] Harbour again ____ 31. got within Sandy
Point ________________________________________
December. 3 got up to NYork [New York?] ___ To my verry [very?]
great Surprize I find my Uncle has been so
ungenerous, as not to Pay the small Draft I
gave on him for œ18 ___ nor ever wrote the scrape
of a pen to Mr Craige about my Affairs!
shure [sure?] He must have lost all sense of Honour Justice
or Equity _________5 Sail'd for Albany _____ 9 _______
arrived safe _____ find my Uncle Wife & Sister in Law
well. his Mother in Law being Dead in may last
February. finding that I cannot Possibly get Settling
with my Uncle in Time to go Home with the
Flaxseed Vessels, upon his Promising to deal
Handsomely by me against May, I have concluded to
stay here till that Time _____ 12. Mr. Neile
of whome [whom?] I borrowed the œ18 last Year, having money
to send Home to Andrew Crooks, for Linen of his
which I left with him to sell last Year. he lets
me know by a Letter that he is so straitned [straitened?] for
Cash that He will be Oblidged [Obliged?] to stop the œ18 out
of Crook's Money, which that should happen
would be worse than all the rest, therefore as
I have not rece'd [received?] but a Triffle [Trifle?] of
money for Linen yet. I applyed [applied?] to my Uncle for to
enable me to pay Neile setting forth in lively coulors [colours?]
what a necessity I was in to send it. But to
my utter astonishment he refused me in a
verry [very?] unkind & even insulting manner! never
did I meet with any Person so void of all
discretion or Reason. _______ Money is scarce it's True
but if he should Beg it I think he ought to
give it to me at this juncture _____________
13. Reson [Reason?] has wrought so far on him as
To give me the money I asked Yesterday _______
March 19. went to Schenectady to endeavour to
sell some of my Linen ______ Schenectady is
about 2/3 as large as Albany. situated
on the South Bank of the Mohawk River
& on a fine Plain ____ there is a Dutch &
English Church in ___ it is 18 Miles from Albany
on the Road to Sir William Johnson's.
The German Flatts, Oswego &c ___ unhappily
the Land betwixt it & Albany, is
intirely [entirely?] Barren, so that there is no
Inhabitants betwixt the Two Places._________
22. Return'd from Schenectady. __________
28. my uncle Jno [John?] Cobham. & his little Son
Jno [John?] arrived here from Scotland but last from Carrickfergus
_____ my Uncle here wrote for him to come over, but if He Uses
him no better than me, he had better stay'd in
Scotland, where he was settled ______ He brings me
News from Carrickfergus. my Mother, Sister,
Freinds [Friends?], & acquaintance all verry [very?] well._______
April.4. Sail'd for New York. To transact some Business
of my Uncle's._______ I have all allong [along?] purposed
To my Uncle To send home a small Bill the Beginning
of this month To Mr Craige along with Crook's
Money, but what Money I have got for Linen I
lent to my Uncle (like a blockhead as I was) to oblidge [oblige?)
Him in his Necessity. But neither can I get a penny
of That or Crook"s _____ so he has again disappointed
me, how things will turn out , God only knows ____ my
Uncle still continues to fix May for the Time of
Settling with me. ______ 6. arrive at NYork [New York?]
12. A vessel being here to Sail for Dublin about
10. of May. I write a long Pathetick [Pathetic?] Letter
To my Uncle, pressing by him all the Arguments
I could possibly think of, to Settle with me, & let me
go with this vessel in May, agreeable to his Solemn
Promise, & that as he might not be able To raise
Cash for what was coming to me on my own Account
I would Take rum for it, which he could get on
Time for me from his Creditors in New York ______
& that I waited impatiently for an answer ____ But
upon second thought, I sail for Albany the 17
& on the 22d get to Albany, my Uncle having wrote
an Answer to my letter some days before. ________
23s. this Day, looking for a pair of Gloves, in a
Drawer of an Escrutore [Escritoire?], where Combs. [Pomatum?]
& other loose things are kept. I happened to find
a letter from my Mother to my Uncle, & was
Reading it, when my Uncle coming into the Room,
flew into a most Voilent [Violent?] Passion, & declared he
would have me laid in Jail, & Trounced me for looking
over his papers, roundly Charging me with
Burning & destroying his Papers in his absence
in particular when he was at New York in Jany [January?]
last. _______ which must be a Callumny [Calumny?] of my Aunt's,
& is the first Instance that I could be sure of
her prejudicing my Uncle against me. But
from which I may Learn it has not been
the first Time, Tho' [Though?] so Cunningly done that
I never could Possibly find it out before _________
May. 1. having my Uncle's answer to my Letter
return'd from New York, I find it is no Ansr [Answer?]
at all only for me to come to Albany. That
he had not Cash to send me for Crooks or
Craige's Money. & not a word of my proposal
to take Rum for what's coming on my own
Account. _____ my Uncle's going to NYork [New York?] To Day
& never making the Least Apology about
the Affairs betwixt us. I Reason'd the Case
A little with him _____ how my Credit was
suffering, by not sending Mr Craige his Money now
a Month due ___ & Crooks his Ballance [Balance?] not 2 years
due _____ also how my Interest would Suffer by
the Loss of my Time, & of [if?] I did not get home
now in Time, it will be too late to Finish the
Buildings & Repairs, necessary to put the Bleach
Green in readiness for Bleaching the next Spring, &
of consequence my not getting him in Time to get
it ready this Season, will be very loseing [losing?] of a whole
Year. _____ likewise several verry [very?] necessary improvements
of Mason Work to be done about the Farm, Viz
Building Pillars for Gates, repairing & rebuilding
the Office Houses &c which all must be done Early
in the Summer or deffer'd [deferred?] till next Season ____ To
all which my Uncle in a careless way Answer'd
that as for Craige's Money. he might
think himself well of [off?], if he got his Money a good
while hence! ____ & that Crooks may think the same
for many a One has been Bankrupt since the
Time he bought his Linen & their Creditors got little or
nothing! ______ & as for my other disappointments
& Troubles that I complain of he thinks nothing
of them, & wishes I may never have more cause
of Complaints, whilst I live in the World!
verry [very?] Reasonable, & Just Answers to be sure!_____
O Reason, Justice & Equity! _______ O Tempores! O Mores!
also if I hold my Tongue, keep myself quiet &
Behave myself he will do me the greatest Justice
but I Fear it will be great injustice ______ & must
I just stay here & dream away my Youth, in
Idleness till my Wordly Interest is intirely [entirely?]
Ruin'd, it cannot be. I must call on the Laws
of my Country to do me Justice & will in a
verry [very?] short Time, if I see not more Sign of
having Justice done me._____________________
May 30 went for Crownpoint slept my Uncle
John Cobham who is lately come Over from
Scotland & my Uncle James has let him have
Goods to set up shop at Crownpoint
at Night Slept at Still Water 31. at Fort Edwd [Edward?]
June 1st. at Fort George 2d at Sabbath Day
Point 3 Saw Mill ____ remain'd till 7 at Putnam's
Point 8 Crownpoint 29 went for Albany got
to Sabbath Day Point 30 Fort Edwd [Edward?] July 1st
safe to Albany _____ my Uncle's House almost
Burned since I was at Crownpoint
Augt [August?] 14 went for New York could get nothing
done with my Uncle except getting Crooks' Money & even
had much difficulty [difficulty?] to get what money I lent
him of the Linen
I might go to Law but his Affairs is
in so bad a way that he must give up to his
Creditors _____ & of [if?] I should push him he might
say that my severity Obliged him to shut
up _____ & it might also make the rest of his
Creditors more Severe upon him when it
would be known how he was using me &
it would expose him sadly ____ For all
which Reasons I have quit thoughts of
Obliging him to pay me _____ he still
promises but indeed I put no dependence
on them I was deceived too long by them
17th Arrived at New York where I find great
disappointment about Bills that I had got
in payment for my Linen being just perplexed
about them at last got them settled & there
being no Vessell [Vessel?] here at present for Ireland
September 2d went for Philadelphea [Philadelphia?] to
take my Passage from that I arrived there __________
Bought Flower [Flour?] with all my Money & Shipped
it on Board a Brig called the Munster Lass
Abraham Russell Master NB left Money with the Owner
of this Brigg [Brig?] for Bristol in Company
October
in a gale of Wind parted Company & in a
Day or Two got in Company ____ & the
9 parted for good ____________________
29 made the Old Head of Kinsale in the
evening of Corke [Cork?] Harbour _____ 30 of [off?]
Waterford 31 at 4 Afternoon made St Davids Head in
Wales & stood St George Channel with
a fair Wind for Dublin expecting to be
there next morning _______ But at 9 o'clock
came to Blow ahead & increased to such
a Terrible Storm that the Vessell [Vessel?] was laid
too [to?] not being able to carry Sail _____ by lying
We Drifted on the Welsh Shore _____ & expected
in Morning to be all lost the Storm continued
24 Hours _____ Novr [November?] 1st moderated something
so that we got some Sail set to draw us of [off?] the land
2d a Storm again lay too [to?]
3 more moderate in the afternoon ran into
a Little Bay when a Boat came of [off?] & to our
verry [very?] great surprise told us that we were
in a Bay called Cloughey 2 Miles to the
Northward of Portaferry 70 or 80 miles to the Nd [Northward?]
of Dublin, we expected that we had got past
Dublin but did not imagine to be nigh so
far down the Channel ______ Calm this evening
came to an Anchor
4th. at 6 in the morning came on a Tempest
& in a little Time we drove with our best
Anchor out ___ let go the other which quickly parted
& the Vessell [Vessel?] was so nigh the Rocks
that if She had not Sheered the right way
we Should have been on them _____ Sail'd for
a Mile along shore. & having no Anchor
aboard the Vessell [Vessel?] verry [very?] Leaky & the men
wore out & all of us impatient ______ by the advice
of the Pilot we run the Vessel into a little Bay call'd
the milling Bay. but it being but half Tide
She Struck in the Entrance & beat Violently
& expecting her to go to pieces imediately [immediately?]
hoist'd out the Boat & all in her got safe on Shore
in the Afternoon it Moderated when we went of [off?]
to the Vessel & got our Chest & Bedding on Shore
found them full of Water _____ next Day part of her
Cargoe [Cargo?] being got out & the Leakes Stoped
[Leakes Stopped?] the Vessel was got into the Bay _______
Novr [November?] 7 I went for Carrickfergus 30 Miles of
[off?] & at [------?] arrived safe find my Mother and
Sister well 9 went for Portaferry ___ the Vessell [Vessel?]
brought round there _______ 10 Mr Edwd [Edward?] Moore
to whom the Vessell [Vessel?] is Consign'd arrived from
Dublin & concludes to repair the Vessell [Vessel?] &
reship the Cargoe [Cargo?] for Dublin ______ 14 I returned
to Carrickfergus
February began to have my Land plowed & to Farm
March rece'd [received?] a Letter from my Factor Mr Moore
B at Dublin ____by which I learn that my Insurance
affair is likely to be verry [very?] Tedious ____ it has
been a great Loss to me the Vesell [Vessel?] being Stranded
& my Flouer [Flour?] Damaged _______
It has pleased God to make my Worldly
Affairs as yet unsuccessful _____ I thank him
I have been enabled to bear uo with Christian
Patience and Fortitude _______ having Food & Raiment
I am therewith Content in Patience possessing my Lord
_______ June I went with my Mother for Dublin
from Carrickfergus, a most Ancient Wall'd
Town, with a Castle Built 2000 Years agoe [ago?]
the Town Walls are about One Mile round, the
Houses within & without about 500 _____ it is
Situated on the NW [Northwest?] Side of a Bay of the same
Name, with a Key [Quay?] for small Vessels ________
this Town is a County of itself & is incorporated
by a verry [very?] ample Charter _____ Governed
by a Mayor 16 Aldermen & 24 Burgesses
send 2 Members to Parliament who are chose by the Foremen
[Freemen?] formerly there was 1500 Acres of common belonging
to the Town by the Charter but the
Gentlemen who have Land ajoining [adjoining?] have from Time
to Time got Deeds for & encroached upon 5 or
600 Acres of it, & there yet remains upwards 900
this Place also formerly enjoyed by the Charter
a Right to one Third of the Customs & Dutys [Duties?]
of all Goods Landed within the Bay _____ but this
Priveledge [Privilege?] was thought too great for them to
enjoy long. For when the Earl of Strafford
was Lord Lieutenant in Charles the 1st Reign
he Threatened to bring a Quo Warranto against
the Charter & have it Broke as this of the Duty
& Customs was too great a Priviledge [Privilege?] for any
Subjects to have ____ but if they would Surrender
up that Clause of the Charter the [they?] should have
3000 given them & the rest of the Charter to
stand good _____ which proposal was accepted
but the Persons who were entrusted to receive
Money Cheated the Corporation out of the
whole ______ in this Town is the Ruins of a
verry [very?] Grand House belonging to the Earl of
Donegal, indeed the Walls is also in Ruins &
the Town much on the decline ________
8 miles from this Town is Belfast a
Handsome Seaport about 2 or 300 Houses
Situated at the Head of Carrickfergus Bay
& on the West side of the River Lagan Over
which there is a Bridge of 21 Arches & Qr [Quarter?] of
a Mile long _______ it is a Town of good
Trade & improves verry [very?] Fast incorporated as a Borrough
[Borough?] with a Sovereign & 12 Burgesses sends 2 members
to Parliament who are chose by these 12
Burgesses only ______ & as The Town belongs
entirely to Lord Donegal, they return whoever
he chuses [chooses?] to Nominate this is the very worst
kind of Burroughs [Boroughs?], & are verry [very?] justlty
called the Rotten part of the Constitution _______
Lisburn 7 Miles from Belfast a verry [very?] handsome
Town of about 1000 Houses the river
Lagan runs by it & is made Navigable from
Belfast by a Canal which is carrying on from this Town to
Lough Neagh 16 Miles distant ______ this is a
Borrough [Borough?] Town returns 2 Members to Part [Parliament?]
everry [every?] Householder has a vote in chusing [choosing?]
them which is the fairest & most agreeable to a free
Constitution of any Method that the Wit
of Man could invent _______ For can any thing
be more consistent with a free State than
everry [every?] Man to have a Vote in chusing [choosing?]
the Persons who are to make laws by
which he is to Govern himself _______ & Yet as
this Town as well as many others belong all
to one Landlord, whoever they Nominate is
chose [chosen?], but this is what can never be helped
Whilst Men will Vote for Interest or to lease
their Landlords ___________________
June 9 past Hillsborough 3 Miles from
Lisburn a verry [very?] small Borough Town & one of
the rotten Kind sending 2 Members to Parliament
Nominated by lord Hillsborough a Bishops
See _____ Banbridge 6 Miles from Dromore
a small town but improving the River Ban [Bann?]
runs by this Town over which the [there?] is a wretched
bad Bridge ______ Loughbrickland 2 Miles
from Banbridge ______ Newry 8 miles from Loughbrickland
a large Town with a good Trade a Seaport situated on
the East Side of the River Black Water 4
Miles from the Sea & communicates with
Lough Neagh & the Inland Country by
fine Canal ____ it is a Borought [Borough?] Town sends
2 Members to Parliament chose by the House Holders
Jonesborough 5 miles from Newry a small Village
June 10 past Dundalk 4 Miles from Jonesborough a long handsome
Town about 7 or 800 Houses _____ a Seaport for Small
Vessells [Vessels?] situated at the Bottom of a Bay of
the same Name a Borough Town sends 2
Members to parliament chose by
Lurgan Green 4 Miles from Dundalk a small
Village _____ Castle Bellingham 4 Miles from
Lurgan Green a small Village ______ Dunleer 4 Miles
from Castle Bellingham a small Borough
sends 2 Member to Parliament _____ Drogheda
6 Miles from Dunleer a Large Handsome
& verry [very?] Ancient Walled Town about 1500 Houses & County
of itself incorporated & Governed by a Mayor Alderman
& Burgesses sends 2 Member to Parliament chose by the Freemen
it is a Seaport with a good Trade situated on the North side of the
River Boyne 1 Mile from a large Bay of the
same Name ____ 2 Miles above this Town King
William 3 of Glorious Memory in 1790 [sic] crossed
the Boyne River & defeated the Forces of King James
_____ Balrothery 9 Miles from Drogheda a
small Village _________ June 11 past Swords
a verry [very?] Ancient but small Burough [Borough?] Town
sends 2 Members to Parliament chose by the
House Holders _________ Dublin 6 Miles
from Swords _______ which is upon the whole
a Handsome Elegant City with the River
Liffey runing [running?] through it the harbour is but
indifferent great Sums of Money have been expended
in improving it ____ the last Numbering of the
Houses they were 14000 but much increased since
the Parliament House Colledge [College?] & one or Two
Churches & Several Hospitals are verry [very?] fine
Buildings but the most of the Churches make but a Poor
appearance in the outside & have no Steeple but like Pigeon
Houses this is verry [very?] disagreeable when at the same
time there is so many Handsome Streets & private
Houses _______ the Market Places is small & inconvenient
the Courts of Justice make a poor appearance
both inside & out, situated in a Dirty narrow
Lane ______ however there is Money raising
to Build a Grand Exchange & they talk
of Building Steeples to the Churches & making
many alterations to improve the Streets &
Publick [public?] Buildings _______ There is in this City
_____ Churches of England 6 Presbyterian Meeting
Houses the Congregations of which are more Numerous
than all the Protestants together ____ some say 2 for one ____
June 24 left Dublin & 28 get safe home
July 1st my Mother & Sister fall out & my Sister leaves
the House 14 I take her to Larne for some Time
Augt [August?] 12 She returns with evident signs of Lunacy
upon her ______ Good God thou hast been pleased
to Afflict her now more than onst [once?] with the worst
of all Maladys [Maladies?] to the great Grieve [Grief?] &
perplexity of us her Relations. but thy will be done
shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right
September 1st We are obliged to confine her
close _____ Novr [November?] her disorder still increasing
we have with great Difficulty got an Order for her
Admission into Dean Swifts Hospital in Dublin
& the 17th set of [off?] with her & on the 21 arrive
without any accident but much perplexity on the Road
24th leave Dublin & got safe home on the 28 -