Passionate Abolitionist and
Witness to the American Civil War
Passionate Abolitionist and
Witness to the American Civil War
We find that John cannot resist telling William that he does not punctuate his letters well. Instead of completing a thought and a sentence and finishing the sentence with a “full stop” (= English for a period), he tends to run on with one thought following another. “Just take care of that and your letters will read much better.”
He provides updated news of local folk whom William presumably would know, as well as his father’s farming practices. His seeming familiarity with farming may suggest that John Slater may have farmed sometime alongside his teaching career.
Also he reports that the nationally known lecturer/preacher Mr Vincent is going to visit the area to talk about Christianity.
Alfreton
June 12, 1858
My dear William,
I am very glad to find you are in good health and good eyesight, if that is not included in good health. It is quite natural to think if you say nothing about the matter. Take care that you always have a pair of excellent boots in wet weather but, I suppose it is frosty with you now. It has been very mild here we have had only a few short frosts as yet. The cows have been turned out every day I think up to this time and will be without an alteration in the weather. There is a good deal of grass and fog etc (forage) yet.
My father intends mowing the top close and will have it manured as soon as the grass is bare enough. Ben has dug up all the drum posts except those two against the first frost, and they are either rotten off or knocked off or chopped off below the ground or perhaps a little of all three and has carried the drums into the lace house and the stones likewise so it has seemed to make a good bit more room.
My father has talked of shifting the garden hedge a bit lower but I don’t know whether he will or not. Ben has also dug up most of those deep matching posts assisted in the operation at least by Henry Hole, is it was a tremendously long one. They were pulling and lousing at it when there was a great thick nouge about a foot in the ground, and broke tackles and nipper and almost every rope about the place.
Mr. Vincent has been to Ripley again I heard him his second lecture on Christianity. Mr. Wright came in when his second lecture on Christianity when the lecture was partly over and appeared very much pleased for after the lecture was over, and after Mr. Colledge had spoken Mr. college had spoken to Mr. Vincent, Mr. Wright went up and spoke to him and shook hands and exchange cards and said he should be very glad for Mr. Vincent to deliver a few lectures in the neighborhood of his house. I should think he will be sure to tell Mr. Plumptree Mr. Vincent told Mr.Colledge that he had a few nights at liberty at the later end of April and that if he would engage him for those nights, he would preach for him on the Sunday and I am happy to say that he has engaged him for
(p2) Ironville the particulars of which I do not know.
George Day has had a Bailiffs and I suppose kept them in the back room and feasted them above a bit and told him not to tell anybody but that injunction I fancy was not quite scrupulously kept.
Mr. Binney has started for Australia for his health. Mr. Wilkinson is rather likely to succeed Mr Garrett home at Derby. I don’t know I don’t know whether we told you that Joseph Walters is building a flash shop at the bottom of the town he means to be one in with them yet.
I spent one evening at Mr. Pickering’s last Saturday but one Mr. and Mrs. Prene not in Mrs P started off soon after I got there, to Nottingham and said that she was going and that no doubt which we should be as well please. or that we could do very well without her which I did not contradict.
We sang some hymns and pieces and Lucy and Sarah played so that we had a pleasant evening. Somebody asked Willey about a sailor retiring that he’s going to bed. Willey was rather disgusted he said retire!!! He meant to his bunk.
There is one thing you neglect in your writing and I find myself prone to make the same mistakes, and that is to write whatever should be a complete sentence and put put no full stop. And begin the next sentence with a small letter instead of a Capital. Just take care of that and your letters will read much better.
Give my love to all friends They have they are very kind to you, if you can do anything and that in the way of teaching the boy I think it will only be a return for the kindnesses to you.
My father did not exactly like you to receive money from Mr. T Jackson but of course you can return it when you get some work again which I hope will before long. I want to hear of you making a sum of money.
Is the face of the country about you anything like it is here? Is Mr. Watson’s farm anything like an English farm? We have been talking of sending you “Beyond the glittering” and a little tonic sol far music and I must try to do so.
Farewell for the present
From your affection brother
John Slater
The ambassadors are puzzled as to why John Slater would have written two letters within two days with no obvious explanation. We have thoroughly checked the date [see first scan] and see no alternative interpretation of the date of this letter and the one that preceded it.
It is easy to dislike John’s somewhat arrogant corrections of William’s letters. However family lore refers to him as an admired member of the family. In other letters we hear of him being a good uncle to the young Charles Lincoln Slater. He was certainly a very accomplished artist. One of the Ambassadors still has one of his oil paintings (of Scottish Highland Cattle) which he still hangs in a place of honor in his Library.
Harry Vincent sounds to have been a significant attraction in his day. He also is mentioned in the 1859 letter when he was speaking instead about Oliver Cromwell.
See Henry Vincent in Wikipedia “Henry Vincent (10 May 1813 – 29 December 1878) was active in the formation of early Working Men’s Associations in Britain, a popular Chartist leader, brilliant and gifted public orator, prospective but ultimately unsuccessful Victorian member of parliament, and later an anti-slavery campaigner.”
Also University Chronicle : V 1-3 Mar 2 1867-1869 on Google.
Finally, there is the important reference that Caleb Slater (their father) was not happy that William was receiving money from Thomas Jackson but was not working. This probably is related to the times when Thomas’s business was doing badly and that he could not meet his full payroll. He felt he had to pay his few key workers rather than William Slater who was really a family visitor who seemingly had been brought over just to get more life experience. William finally moved elsewhere in America before returning to England, but it sounds that TJ continued to pay him something even though her had no work for him.