| Sender Location | Penetanguishene, Lake Huron, Canada |
| Transcript or Index | Pentenguishene Lake Huron 22 April 1825
My dearest Love,
I am sure you will be rejoiced to learn that we arrived safely at this place, to which you may remember a part of our stores were forwarded from Montreal. The Canadian Voyageurs had not reached York at the time of our departure from thence. I therefore left Mr Back to bring them up. Part of these men have already come. Mr B and the remainder we expect today, so that we shall perhaps commence our voyage this evening or tomorrow. We are first to cross Lake Huron & then Superior and at Fort William on the North side of the latter lake we embark in the proper travelling Canoes, which are of a smaller size than those we now use.
Penetenguishene is the most northerly of our naval stations in [a]ll Canada and the key to Lake Huron. At the close of the war they were preparing to build a frigate of 32 guns, but its construction was deferred when the peace was concluded, and the establishment was then reduced. We have found however very comfortable quarters in the house of the Lieut Commanding – there are a Lieut of the Army with his wife and a surgeon & his wife stationed here, these form a social party and cause the time to pass very pleasantly. Each officer as well as the men have their gardens and the former some stock of Poultry, Pigs and a Cow or two, which with the meat supplied by government enable them to live very well. In the war this place was commanded by Capt Roberts a friend of mine who had his wife and her sister with him, who were very comfortable. I do not think however that either you or I would relish such a secluded life. If we could convey our library it would be the very place for me to get through it and at the end of three or four years I might be able to converse better with you on subjects with which you are well acquainted and become somewhat more companionable than I can be at present. I think I see you shaking your head and attributing my ignorance to want of application & inclination to study. Residence in this place however would drive me to it as a resource. The fact is few people are more fond of reading than myself, but I want the talent of applying what I collect <from books> to useful purposes or rather I am unable to retain what I read. Which perhaps you will say arises from not endeavouring to do so. This may partly be the reason but not entirely. I certainly strive to measure up much of what I read but even then I <cannot> preserve the matter in detail, though I may have a general impression of the whole.
I should have rejoiced at having <had> you by my side in our journey from New York, there were many scenes which you could have described so well, and I am sure it would have given you sincere pleasure to have witnessed the industry & perseverance of the American character evinced by the number of the towns & villages which have sprung up within a few years, and where there was every appearance of prosperity & comfort. Many of the best informed Americans whom we met complain and I think with justice, of the mistatements that have been made of their country by the English Travellers, though they comfort themselves with the reflection that the greater part of these men are persons who in their own country are considered as desperate Adventurers, and who have in consequence been excluded from good Society. I certainly have no partiality either for the Americans or <for their> Constitution but it is impossible not to admire their industry. The state of New York is perhaps the best division of their country for an Englishman to see, as its principal city owes much of its importance to their commercial intercourse with England; and therefore the inhabitants are well disposed towards us. The internal prosperity of this state is mainly to be attributed to the Western Canal affording easy communication from one extreme to the other of it, on <the banks of> which are built the Towns, or on Lakes from which there are short communications with the Canals.
We have seen but little of Upper Canada. York its Capitol is a very poor place in comparison with those in the States, the ground however is better cleared on our side and better farmed, and as far as we have gone, the roads are much better, and were I to come out as a settler I should prefer Canada. These settlers by the bye seem to have but a sorry time, for some years till the land is prepared for cultivation and you will readily imagine this, by fancying a man arriving <with his family> on his allotment of ground which is a complete forest and separate several miles perhaps from any other person – His first care must be to build his Log House and then to clear a way for his garden – this will occupy the first summer – the next he has to prepare a few acres for his wheat and if possible to procure a team of oxen to plough, and if he gets a crop of seed into the ground the second Autumn he is well off – another dreary winter has to pass before he can hope to reap the fruit of his Labour and ‘till that does appear his means of subsistence must be precarious if he has not money <to purchase land>; not withstanding all these disadvantages there are many who brave out the storm & afterwards find a comfortable livelihood, though very few get rich. We were much affected at the house of one person on Lake Simcoe at seeing the destitute state of his family. He was a Irish Gentleman and his wife a Lady of good connexion the daughter of a Post Captain. They have been four years in the same spot which is excellent land but as he had not the means of hiring labourers he could only clear the ground himself, and had not been able to do <more than> just sufficient to rear corn for the support of his family. Their dress in this case was of course a secondary consideration, and these <[?] poor> little children were not only barefooted but in tatters. The good woman provided a supper of fish for us and insisted on my taking their bed.& <she> sitting up. We of course gave them a renumeration the next day, but it was with pain I offered it to her.
I was in hopes that before we left this place I should have received letters from Mrs Kay & Hannah to inform me that you continued to improve, the packet from Liverpool must have had a long passage to New York, or I should have had that gratification. I shall embark however with every hope that the Almighty has been pleased to restore you to health before this and that you are now in the enjoyment of every comfort. I daily remember you and our dear little darling in my prayers, and I have no doubt yours are offered up in my behalf.
On my birthday in particular I was often present with you and fancied our little sprawler on the floor and we reclining on the sophas, she must be growing very entertaining, and I sincerely trust she will be a source of great comfort to us and especially to you in my absence, with what heartfelt pleasure shall I embrace you both on my return. I suppose Capt’n Beechey has sailed before this time and hope that he will bearer of a letter from you or from some of the family if you should have been unequal to writing.
As it is doubtful whether James may be in England when this reaches you, I shall not write to him, but trust to your saying everything most affectionate to him & his wife for me. I shall be very anxious to hear whether there is a young captain on the stocks if so I presume Margaret will not be in condition to travel with him to India. I shall also be glad to hear what has been done with his little girl and it would be well in your letters to let me know how they all do in Lincolnshire.
Your flag is yet snug in the box and will not be displayed ‘till we get into a more northern region. Mr Back & the men have arrived.
7 PM The distressing intelligence of my dearest wife’s death has just reached me
John Franklin
[Addressed to]
Mrs Franklin
55 Devonshire Street
Portland Place
London
(written in pencil) Penetenguishene April 22nd
Captn. Franklin to his first wife – broken off by receiving the tidings of her death
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