Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Adeline Seward, September 20, 1859

  • Posted on: 10 November 2021
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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Adeline Seward, September 20, 1859
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transcriber

Transcriber:spp:cnk

student editor

Transcriber:spp:amr

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1859-09-20

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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Adeline Seward, September 20, 1859

action: sent

sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16  Death: 1872-10-10

location:
Unknown

receiver: Frances Seward
Birth: 1844-12-09  Death: 1866-10-29

location: Auburn, NY

transcription:  

revision: agw 2021-02-04

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Page 1

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Editorial Note

William Henry Seward’s series of travel letters in 1859 are organized and listed by the date of each entry.
Tuesday morning 10 AM, 20 sept.
Still on board "Mah Brookah." We passed Asdoad Asdod in the night, and
since 5. oclock have lain becalmed in full sight of Jaffa – which
we are now trying to reach by being towed by men in the small
boat. We have skirted the shores of the Amalekites and the
Mochites of old. We see persons bathing in the surfesalthough
only one habitation of man has been seen outside of the
villages – That is the castle of Anwad
Unknown
the shiek of the
Bedouin Arabs who dwell in tents under his protection
and execute his commands. We should have left the ship
and advanced by land to Jaffa or directly to Jerusalem
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were it possible to pass with safety through the country of
this Philistine Land.
Abdallah
Unknown
is a mussulum who with his wife
Unknown
is just returning
from a pilgrimage to the Holy cities of Mecca and Meedina.
Having performed this act of devotion the event mentions one
in the esteem of the Prophet Abdallah now has taken the
pronoun of Hadji or Saint, and has become Hadji Abdal-
leh His wife this morning said to my travelling companion
Unknown

^in Arabic^ when saluting him. God is Merciful and if we had had
a better wind we should have arrived earlier. My friend replied
Yes and quoting the Koran added "Il Sha Alla – Be it as God
pleases, Hadji Abdallah who had just completed the saying
of his prayers, with the due prostrations took offence at the
Christians quoting the Alcoran. Do not mind said his amiable
wife (who was at the moment picking the vermin out of his coat
tunic that he had handed her for the purpose.) "It is true
they worship Fire and they will have enough of it in their
next world, we ought therefore to have compassion on them
in this world" – Was not that amiable –
It is amusing to see these barbarians who in every way confess their
inferiority to us, get sublimely happy in the possession of the true religion
while we are destined to the devil.
Page 2

Hand Shiftx

Frances Seward

Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21
26th
On the
Mediterranean
Sep 17
1859