[Transcript of letter from Thomas Falconer to John David Falconer, December [January] 5, 1841] Page: 4 of 8

Letter from Thomas Falconer to John David Falconer, dated Dec. 5, 1841, but the December is probably a mistake for January since Falconer was captive in Mexico in December 1941. The letter chronicles Falconer's trip by steamboat down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers from Louisville, KY, to New Orleans, LA. There is a small sketch of the steamer, the William French. The letter gives details of the price of passage; accommodations and food; how the steamer is different from "ours"; the stokers (slaves) who "make a most infernal singing"; fellow passengers; Americans for whom "the making of money is their chief pursuit from the time they can talk until they die"; and various towns and cities along the way. From New Orleans, Falconer went to Texas where he was caught up in the Texan Santa Fe Expedition. This letter has a modern handwritten transcription available via the Portal to Texas History.

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