Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century; London (England) -- Description and travel
Away she goes, and joins the Jobsons who are waiting for her, and stoops
and kisses Brigham Jobson—who appears to be considered too young for the
purpose, by several Mormons rising twenty, who are looking on. Before
her extensive skirts have departed from the casks, a decent widow stands
there with four children, and so the roll goes.
The faces of some of the Welsh people, among whom there were many old
persons, were certainly the least intelligent. Some of these emigrants
would have bungled sorely, but for the directing hand that was always
ready. The intelligence here was unquestionably of a low order, and the
heads were of a poor type. Generally the case was the reverse. There
were many worn faces bearing traces of patient poverty and hard work, and
there was great steadiness of purpose and much undemonstrative
self-respect among this class. A few young men were going singly.
Several girls were going, two or three together. These latter I found it
very difficult to refer back, in my mind, to their relinquished homes and
pursuits. Perhaps they were more like country milliners, and pupil
teachers rather tawdrily dressed, than any other classes of young women.
I noticed, among many little ornaments worn, more than one
photograph-brooch of the Princess of Wales, and also of the late Prince
Consort. Some single women of from thirty to forty, whom one might
suppose to be embroiderers, or straw-bonnet-makers, were obviously going
out in quest of husbands, as finer ladies go to India. That they had any
distinct notions of a plurality of husbands or wives, I do not believe.
To suppose the family groups of whom the majority of emigrants were
composed, polygamically possessed, would be to suppose an absurdity,
manifest to any one who saw the fathers and mothers.
I should say (I had no means of ascertaining the fact) that most familiar
kinds of handicraft trades were represented here. Farm-labourers,
shepherds, and the like, had their full share of representation, but I
doubt if they preponderated. It was interesting to see how the leading
spirit in the family circle never failed to show itself, even in the
simple process of answering to the names as they were called, and
checking off the owners of the names. Sometimes it was the father, much
oftener the mother, sometimes a quick little girl second or third in
order of seniority. It seemed to occur for the first time to some heavy
fathers, what large families they had; and their eyes rolled about,
during the calling of the list, as if they half misdoubted some other
family to have been smuggled into their own. Among all the fine handsome
children, I observed but two with marks upon their necks that were
probably scrofulous. Out of the whole number of emigrants, but one old
woman was temporarily set aside by the doctor, on suspicion of fever; but
even she afterwards obtained a clean bill of health.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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