http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/Settlers.html
This website shows a bundle of letters that were retrieved from 1816 - 44, written by Welsh pioneers, most of which consisted of personal details and family matter, however some were of general interest, describing the land and the adventures, and those are displayed on this webpage.
"to all emigrants. 'With those Tools, a few in Number as they were, under providence I saved the Ship from Sinking and consequently the lives of all on Board while others were bewailing their wretchedness'. With four other passengers he contracted fever, and was very ill for three weeks, by which time they had eaten all their meat, and the water stank because it had been put in dirty casks. The captain of a small French schooner coming from the West Indies saved them by giving them all he could spare of rice, pork, water and sugar. After that they got into their right course, and frequently met American ships bound for England, who helped them with meat and water. 'But at last when we came in sight of land we forgot all our trouble and danger'.
'This Country pleases the heart of every Man when he sees it .... If I had come to this country 4 or 6 years sooner I should have been under no necessity of taking off my hat to any Man ... I hope that none of you are in trouble on my account: I live better now here than I have ever done before ... But I would rather than any thing I was ever possessed of had I known before I left Llwyngwril what I do know now since I came here: that is, I am concerned ... that I did not come, at the expense of Old England, to Canada and my family with me. There are in that province 100 acres of land for a Man and his wife, and one hundred of the same Acres for every boy for nothing, and all this for ever . . . 3 and their food for a year while they prepare the land for farming. Hundreds of picked Welshmen went there last year. The British consul 4 lives in New York, and gives a living to everyone from England who goes to him to ask for it. The land isn't anything like that in Wales. The Welsh are simpler than any people: 5 lots of Irish have gone there ... It gives me more pleasure to earn money here than to be safe in Llwyngwril. I came to this land on purpose to try and earn money, and I think my journey won't be in vain ... If I'm alive and well, I hope in a few years that you, my family, will see me, to your comfort. I don't doubt I have been a lot of trouble to all of you, but it can't be helped if we get no respect over there. "
I chose these two snippets in particular, from the same letter. It amazes me how, in the first paragraph the entire force endures so much turmoil, described in more detail in some of the other letters, however "The American Dream" as it were, is still so apparent. It's fine that they suffered so much because they are finding this great land to settle upon. It instills the American motto now that 'Anything is possible' and you can achieve your dreams. Even though these settlers were Welsh, they wanted to found America and achieve something, no matter what they came across. I think that attitude has carried across generations in a way, up until today even.
Much like the passage we read in the lecture on Monday, the settlers compare what they have found to be comparable to home, primarily because of the abundance, eg. "There are in that province 100 acres of land for a Man and his wife, and one hundred of the same Acres for every boy for nothing, and all of this for ever. . .". They are so in awe of the unknown and the sheer quantity of resources available to them. It was interesting to look at a Welsh perspective, as Wales is smaller still than England compared to America, and so the awe in all of the passages is clear to see. What I also found helpful on this website was the almost translation, after every few paragraphs. Because it was obviously written at the time, some of the phrases and words used are outdated, so the website has provided helpful translations and hints as footnotes of these letters.
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