Dalriada
May 16th 1853
My dear Mamma,

I suppose that you are anxiously looking out for our arrival and therefore I sat down to write this letter altho still about 150 miles from Land’s End to have it ready to send ashore by Pilot at the Downs. As I will not perhaps have another opportunity, as we have a fair wind and expect to see land tomorrow. I wrote from Batavia and suppose that you have received my letter before this. We were 7 weeks from there to the Cape and had to lay??? 3 more there as it was difficult to get a crew. We had some very heavy weather before we arrived and it felt rather cool. I may tell you now, that I am so near home, that I had the Fever and Ague about 3 weeks in China and all the way to Batavia and was a month in the Hospital there where I got cured but since that have not had a day’s sickness and am as stout and harty as ever. It is a very severe sickness and very prevalent in the East.

I wonder much how you all are and how Grandma gets on. I will be exceedingly glad to get home and see you after being so long away. I have got on first rate this passage and like the sea a great deal better as I am getting more used to it. There was a Belfast Barque in the Cape, the Elizabeth going to Accab? and from one of the boys I heard of Miss Grace’s death of Strangford and we passed the Eliza Parry Belfast from Bombay on the line.

Please write as soon as you receive this, this ship will stop at Nieudeep near Amsterdam and dont forget to send me some money as I have not a decent suit and what I have are rotten. Tell Frances that I have brought her a Java sparrow so far, and I hope it lives until she receives it as it would be a pity to loose it after bringing it from the streets of of ..... I have also a case of insects from China and a pair of Ostrich Eggs from the cape. Give my most affect love to ‘I believe I must call him Father now’ as Dada sounds queer, Grandma, Aunt Eves & Riddall sisters and brothers not forgetting Georgy, Joe and Mrs Surch Miss Lascelles and all my friends and believe me,

Ever your affect son,

James C. Parkinson.

closed 19th off the Land’s End. Write as soon as possible.