# 23:  from James Ogilvie in New York to his brother, John Ogilvie,  Description of life in New York, yankees and Americans in general.  Issues of blacks and whites.

				147 Greenwich Street, New York
				January 24th 1832

Mr John Ogilvie
James Ogilvie Esqr
Dundee
		
My Dear John,
			I wrote my mother on the 7th acknowledging receipt of the first letter from home in which you were kind enough to say something, but I am sorry that I have not the pleasure of being able to thank either you or any of the rest for any more epistles.   Since the Caledonia three other parties have arrived, bringing me no accounts of you.   But I really felt very much vexed when the Standard, a vessel from the Port of Dundee reached us and brought me no letters. I think this is really too bad. When I first heard of her arrival I was in perfect transport, not having the least doubts but that a vessel from the very harbor where my friends reside should bring me some parcel from them, but now I feel very much disappointed in not hearing from you. I can only say one could [imagine] that the Heila might have left about the same time and that you did not choose to write by both, but still it should be considered that although vessels may sail within a few days of each other that it is very difficult with their arrival, I may not see the Heila for a month yet.  Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, and in no case does this hold so true as when you expect a letter for a great length of time. I wearied sadly after I arrived when packet after packet reached this port without bringing any tidings of my friends and I am again almost out of all patience.  I wish that you would all consider that the greatest happiness which can befall any person in a distant country is the sight of a letter from home, and I wish that in this way my friends would minister much oftener to my gratification. It is about four months since I left Dundee and almost three since I reached New York, and in that time to have received no more than one letter is most distressing. I would also like to hear on George’s account as the letter mentioned his being so unwell. In these fears they take so many turns when they are apparently recovering that this long silence makes me rather anxious until I hear more about him. I gave you all a scold for your laziness when I wrote my father about four weeks ago, and I hope it will have produced a good effect so as not to put me to the necessity of this disagreeable measure again -
	This letter I suppose will find you in Edinburgh, but not knowing your address I shall direct it to the care of those at Dundee. I trust that you have been more fortunate this winter if it was your determination to go into an office or finding a more agreeable master than you had last year.  I hope that you like the Metropolis equally well as you did but I fear the attractions are diminished by the marriage of the lovely and adorable Sophia.  Miss Balfour, however, may yet be in existence, so that as a young lad I trust you may bear up gallantly.  I am the more in hopes that your spirits will not sink from the knowledge I possess of your susceptible disposition although could I form any judgement from your letter the lawyer has dropt into the politician. I was extremely sorry to see that Miss Kennedy had met with such a misfortune - I would have liked to have been over in Dublin and to have consoled her under this account as I recollect with the deepest feeling of gratitude of her kindness to me whilst I was ill.  This is a most excellent girl and I am sure will make her husband happy. I wonder when the marriage will take place.  I would like to hear particularly about her and indeed about all whom I used to meet with as it is a fact which I myself did not know till lately that the longer one has been away from home the more they think on those they have left. 

	Andrew or Melville Jameson I suppose will also be in Edinburgh this winter.  I wish you would convey to them my kindest remembrances and urge them to write me.  I hope they have been fortunate in getting situations.   Melville, I fear, would rather experience some difficulty as, if I recollect, he wished to be taken into a Writer to the signets office. 	 I was glad to find that James & Robert Jameson were getting better I hope the next letter will bring accounts of their complete reestablishment in health.   Poor fellows they have had a long time of it.

	You will I suppose be very anxious to hear about the Yankees, but the best information I can give is that to make you suppose them as like our own Countrymen as you can. In speech they have got a few solecisms and a great many of them, but particularly the lower orders have got a considerable nasal twang. The higher classes have not much of it and some speak very prettily and very like the English. Some words however are used here in rather different senses from what we employ them in. You are pretty well aware of “Guess” which is just the same as suppose or think - but I expect is a much commoner word and of almost the same satisfaction. Strangers seem to get the use of this word very soon so you need not be surprised if in some of my letters I should      not tell you I expect you have been long of writing me.  “ Clever “ signifies good or civil or good-natured while our meaning of this word they express by “smart”.  A Scotchman is chiefly known here by his pronouncing the “r” none of the other nations giving it such an emphasis - the Americans pass it over altogether. A good many people told me they would never have supposed me a Scotchman for my account, which as you may be aware is a “pretty considerable” compliment to my speaking.  I have seen some Scotchmen who have been here for more than twenty years and yet I could have told at once what land they came from.  By the way our countrymen are very much respected here and it is rather in a young man’s favor that he is from Scotland. They are much more steadfast       than other countries and are much more prudent and they all take so good care of each other that I believe there is scarcely an instance of a Scotchman being in distress. The Irish are anything but respected, the lower orders consist chiefly of them and they are so numerous that they have the power of turning the elections.

	The term Yankee is not properly applicable to a native of New York it is confined in its strictest acceptation to the inhabitants of the New England. The other American states, but particularly the natives of the Southern states, hold them in great abhorrence - they think them a bad mean spirited set who will seize every opportunity to overreach their neighbours. You may get an Arkansaw to talk for hours on the meanness of their northern countrymen.   A great many of them are peddlers who travel south & west with their packs and many are the stories you may hear of their tricks and impositions. In the theatre there are a good many pieces brought out ridiculing those in the back settlements who are a rough unpolished set particularly those in Kentucky where they appear to be ignorant of all the arts of civilised life.

	What people in New York complain [about] very much is their servants both white and black. They are paid & engaged by the month not by the half year as at home and the consequence is a continual change of service. In this boarding house where I reside the lady has changed her servants three or four times since I came. They are very careless and it is behooved a great point if they are honest. It gives one the impression of style when dining at any hotel you may be asked to.  A negro girl always stands immediately behind her mistress leaning upon the back of her chair whilst a black man is also in waiting. - The negroes here although they are free are yet held in complete contempt by the whites.   A white servant would not for the world sit down & eat with a negro. If a person should hear the smallest trace of negro descent it would be enough to keep him out of all society. A young gentleman of fortune was once on the point of being married to a young lady in this city but it being discovered that his grandmother was a woman of color the match was immediately broke off.  It would be considered the greatest insult you could put upon a man to ask him to dinner when he might meet a person of colour and he would break off all connection with you immediately afterwards. The prejudices are very strong against that despised race.  There are a great many of them in this city I believe from ten to fifteen thousand and are certainly the ugliest race under the sun.  I don’t think I even saw in Scotland the tenth part so ugly as they are here, some of them scarcely look like human beings with immensely thick and protruding lips and their features of nearly equal hideousness. When I first landed I thought almost every other person I met was a black and the effect was certainly striking upon landing in a new country. The negroes have a great taste for dress in Sundays.   It is very amusing seeing them strut along. The females are most gaudily clad and you may observe the men marching along arm in arm dressed in sartouts and with a Bond street swagger in their gait.  I have seen a negro blood while passing one of his fair acquaintances take off his hat and give one of Mr Cosbyn’s best bows.

	You ask how the representative systems act.  If it were not for the newspapers I don’t think I could know anything about their politics.  The gentlemen whom I have met with seem to take no interest in the affairs of the nation.  The United States are divided into two great parties the Nationalists and Democrats the latter of whom I think have greatly the preponderance.  I do not know very well the distinction, the latter being however, the more radical of the two. About a month or two ago was the election of senators for Congress and during that time the Newspapers had several very angry discussions, but the Democrats carried the day. Those papers that support the other party are notwithstanding better conducted and supported by more respectable people at least in this city.  There are a great many journals both daily and weekly published here and at less than half price of what they cost at home but I would rather give sevenpence for one of our papers than threepence for those here. I can never bring my self to take any interest in the American news.   The only paper I read is the Albion, which is published weekly and gives all the English news. I think upon the whole the representation system acts well no one having much in his power to do harm. The greatest squabbles are those that relate to the duties of the manufacturers in the Eastern states wishing their articles protected whilst the mercantile and agricultural classes wish the duties lowered as obstructions to Commerce and augmenting the cost of consumption.  Both parties have formed themselves into associations or conventions for the promotion of their several purposes and will have a pretty tough struggle before they shall have settled the point. The duties however must be lowered as the national debt will be paid off in a year or two and then they will have more money than they can make use of.

	The Americans complain with good reason of Capt Basil Hall. When he      appeared here they all paid him the greatest attention and were extremely hospitable to him and no sooner did he get home than he ridiculed his former entertainers.  His accounts are in my opinion representations. There are People of as genteel manners as any in the old country although of course they are not all alike. You must not suppose that the citizens are all on a footing of equality.  There is a fashion and a tone in this city as in London or Edinburgh and I am assured they have quite as much of the exclusive spirit as in cities in Europe. One evening I went to the theatre with one of the top families and the same remarks were made about the fashionableness of the audience as I have heard at home. Vanity - nothing will uproot thee from the hearts of man?
	I must now bring to an end.   This is, you must allow, a pretty long letter.   I trust   you will find patience to go through it.  I was delighted to find when the letter reached me that it was a double sheet, but had it been crossed, I think I should have been beside myself with joy. I expect the Heila will bring me from ten to twenty letters and all packed as full as they can hold.  I have now got more time to myself than what I had.   I used to be confined till nine or ten but I now get away betwixt six and seven. I dine at three and      go back at four and this allows me to get my business so soon over.   Write me as often as you can and please solicit correspondents meanwhile with best love to yourself and all those near and dear in Dundee and also in the country, town or the neighbouring Country.

 I remain My Dear John
						Your very affect brother
							
James

P S According to usage time out of mind I must transmit my lineal measurement I stand in my shoes five feet eleven inches, which is rather an increase since last year. I would like to know how high you all stand in each other’s estimation at home.    My solid dimensions are very much increased, but I am not as yet prepared to give you the number of cubic inches. I suppose you will soon be fit for an alderman.  God Bless You.