Georgian

Shipwreck of the Fanny, January 1828

Wrecked at Jersey on New Year's Day, 1828; with Guernsey interest. The shock of this catastrophe traumatised the islanders, who were unable to help in any way despite the vessel lying just outside the harbour; the suffering of the passengers and crew was visible to those waiting for them on the quays, and eventually led to the introduction of a Jersey lifeboat. From the Star, 8 January 1828. As more bodies were washed up, the public and courts in Jersey began to turn on the vessel's Captain.

Christmas Time, Or the Passage from Southampton to Guernsey, 1814

From Le Miroir Politique, January 15th, 1814. The packet for Guernsey is held up by the weather; a familiar tale! You may have to spend Christmas at Southampton; how do you fill your time as you wait for the wind to die down? You can gossip, or take a walk for the day to nearby Netley Abbey; you can eat and drink, but the passengers for Guernsey will insist on confusing the waiting staff by speaking Guernsey French: 'Of all the gibberish, linguos, tongues unknown, Methinks there’s none that beats our Guernsey own.' Interestingly, the poet has written the Guernsey French to reflect its pronunciation. The visit to the Abbey and the quays of Southampton are exactly as described by William Money in his account of a visit to Guernsey many years earlier.

John Banister to Elisha Tupper, July 11, 1775

John Banister of Virginia describes the Boston Tea Party and the growing disaffection between Britain and New England, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, to update his business associate, shipping magnate Elisha Tupper. The illustration, from the Priaulx Library collection, is of a miniature of Elisha (1720-1802), in the background of which a date, possibly 1785, is just discernible. The photograph was taken by or on behalf of Edith Carey, c. 1920.

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