This comes to aquantacquaint you that
I was Eight MounthsMonths And EghtEight Days on
Sea, of which time I was Eight weeks
upon half pound &and 12 oūnces Oat meallmeal ,
and a BotleBottle of watterwater , in the twenty four
hoūrs, which we was oblig’dobliged to make
meallmeal &and water in the BotamBottom of AneAn Old BotleBottle 1597 (1597)
BotleBottle , therthere was One hunderhundred and
twenty five put On Board at Inver-
ness one the James &and Mary of FyfeFife
In the letter end of June we was put
Board of a TranceportTransport four hunderhundred
and Fifty TunsTons called the Liberty
&and property which we containūedcontinued the
Rest of the Eight MounthsMonths upon Twelve
Ounces of Oat Shilling as it came
from the Milln, there was thirty two
prisoners more put a Board of the
sdsaid Liberty And property which makes
OnOne hunderedhundred &and fifty Seven &and when
weewe Came a Shore we was but for-
ty Nine in Life which would been No
great Surprise If there hadehad not been
On conform to Our Ousages they
would taken us from the hold in a
Rope &and hysed is to the Yeards Arme
&and let us fall in the Sea in Order
for+ Ducking of ūs, and tying us to
the Mast &and whipingwhipping us, If we but made
watterwater in the Hold this was done to
us when weewe was not AbleeAble to Stand;
I will leave it To the Readers to
Judge what condition they might been
in themselves with the above Treat-
ment; we hadehad NeatherNeither BedeBed nor Bed CloathsClothes 1598 (1598)
CloathsClothes nor CloathsClothes to keep us warm
in the Day Time; the ShipesShip’s Ballast
was Black earth &and Small StonsStones
which weewe was Oblige’dObliged Diggedig holsholes
to lylie in too for to keep us warm till
the first day of NovrNovember that every man
gotegot about Three yeardsyards of gross harn 1
filled with Straw but No Bed cloathsclothes ;
I will not trouble you aneany more till
I see you There is none in Life
that went from Elgin with me but
WmWilliam Innes in Fochabers James
Brander Smith in Conloch DyedDied Sev-
en mounths agoeago. Alexander Frigg
dyeddied in Cromarty Road. Jo:Joseph Kintrea
that lived in Longebride DyedDied also —
During all this time I was but in
a badebad SteatState of health but blissedblessed
be god I’m in a prittypretty good SteatState
of health at preasentpresent , in SpyteSpite of
my EnimesEnemies those I mean who pre-
tended Some time agoeago to be my
frindsfriends Suposesuppose they proved Otherways,
But itsit’s possablepossible I’leI'll make them a
SutiballSuitable Recompence Sooner thenthan
they expect but I know some of them will [] 1599 (1599)
will Strive to ScrineScreen themselves with
Some ShaddowShadow or other but all theretheir
Reatrick will not take place for
once they gotegot me apprehended and
put one Board they thought they
hadehad the Ball at theretheir foot ex-
pecting they Should never see me
more;
Be so good as to aquantacquaint the ClerkeClerk
that I leaftleft playing at CairdsCards that
he will See his frindfriend verievery Soon,
&and that his Cautioner in his Suspen-
chan will take his head out of the
pock with great DeficualtyDifficulty &and that
Mr James Falconer is in good
health &and RemainesRemains on Board of
a ShipeShip Called the James &and Marry
lying off Tilbury fort; be so good
as to aquantacquaint my ffatherfather I RecivedReceived
his letter in the first of FebyFebruary last
&and will write him very Soon; Our
NewesNews gives us account that the
french Since theretheir war hasehas
taken On thousand Two hundred
&and upwards of Our Shipping;
Pray be so good as give my Com-
plements to all my ReallReal ffrindsfriends Not 1600 (1600)
Not for getting any of you &and your
ffamielysfamilies