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Diary Of Laurent Clerc's Voyage From France To America In 1816

Creator: Laurent Clerc (author)
Date: 1816
Publisher: American School for the Deaf
Source: Available at selected libraries
Figures From This Artifact: Figure 2  Figure 3  Figure 4  Figure 5  Figure 6  Figure 7  Figure 8  Figure 9  Figure 10  Figure 11  Figure 12  Figure 13  Figure 14

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Sunday, July the 7th: How inconstant and variable the weather is in this month!! Our hope of yesterday was not realized. It was very cloudy in the morning, but it began to clear up. One perceived that the wind had changed a little in our favour, so that the Captain ordered the sails to be set for a direct course. About eleven o'clock we all descended into the cabin to pray to God. M. Gallaudet preached. His sermon did not tire his auditors because I perceived they heard him with great attention. He always says good things and he has the talent of saying them well. I have reason to say so, for after dinner, M. Wilder told me that he much regretted that I was deprived of the advantage of hearing his sermon today and that I must ask him to permit me to peruse it. I answered M. Wilder that M. Gallaudet would be so kind as to give me all his written sermons to read when we should be on land. M. Wilder was glad of it and removed from me. The bad weather fatigued me much and I thought of my relations and of my friends in France. I awoke and rose a moment before supper and ascended upon deck to take the air. After supper and prayers, M. Gallaudet and I spoke a long time of France, of America and of England. This conversation made us both glad, for nothing is so agreeable as to speak of one's country and of his acquaintances.

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Monday, July the 8th. I have nothing to say on this day because I did scarcely anything, except that I passed the morning in writing my diary of yesterday, and the evening in studying English. After supper and prayers, I talked with M. Gallaudet as usual. We spoke of things of so small value that they are not worth the trouble of being related here. We had not, at first, a wish to sleep, but by dint of conversing, slumber came and surprised us by degrees. We began to nod, so that we rose from our seats and went to bed after having wished each other a good night.

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Tuesday, July the 9th. I have said above that I slept ill. It was true, but at present I sleep better than I have done for some days. The reason for this is that we leave the door and the windows of our cabin open during the night and that the air penetrating everywhere, inclines us to sleep. It rained. We were of course obliged to stay down after breakfast; but the rain soon ceased, the sun appeared again and embellished the Heavens. I was not yet upon deck when a gentleman came to inform me that a whale (un Baleine) was passing through the waves and advancing toward the ship. I had a great wish to see this large fish and ascended quickly, but it had already disappeared and did not appear again. I conversed a little with M. Gallaudet and told him that the speaker of the House of Commons in London was a man of mean parentage, and that nevertheless he was not a mean orator, and that he had made his way by his merits and talents; a wonderful, admirable and unusual event!!! Afterwards I translated from memory into English a passage out of "Paul and Virginia". Then I laboured with M. Gallaudet on the method of figures which we employ, in France, to facilitate the progress of our deaf and dumb pupils in the contruction of phrases and periods. Then we dined. Then I walked a little. Then, with the aid of my dictionary, I took a lesson in geography and learned to write in English the names of all the nations or states of Europe. When M. Gallaudet had corrected my work he saw, with regret, that I spoke nothing of America. I answered him that America was not comprehended in Europe; that it was another part of the world and that I should learn all its principal states when I should be there. That answer seemed to content M. Gallaudet, who, in the meanwhile, was so kind as to give me the list of all the provinces of his country, but I did not keep them because I shall learn them at Hartford. We had hardly ceased speaking when the steward came bareheaded and barefooted to tell us graciously that tea was served and that if we delayed longer to descend it would soon grow cold, and that consequently it would he impossible to warm it again, the fire being extinguished. We were reluctant to sup so early, and so much the more as we had no appetite, but the advice of our servant prevailed and we all went to the table. Two bowls of tea and a piece of buttered bread were all that I took.

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I profit by this opportunity to speak of our steward and cook; and when I shall have spoken of the first, I shall speak of the second. Our steward is named Joseph Sexton. He is a young man, very intelligent, diligent, laborious, dexterous, civil, complaisant, obliging and all that we could wish. When we are up in the morning, he presents to us some water to wash our faces and our hands. When we are yet in bed and sleepy, he never forgets to awake us and to tell us that breakfast is soon to be ready. At breakfast he takes care that we want nothing. At dinner he is very watchful and changes our plates, knives and forks in proportion to the number of courses served, and at supper he is not less provident. Besides all that he makes our beds well every day and sweeps our rooms and cabin as neatly as possible.

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