Newhope, November 23 1842

Dear Sirs,
According to promise I now write to give you an account of my travels and trials in America. When we landed in Quebec I went to the steamboat office and took passage for the family and sailed that night so that we scarcely saw the place. In Montreal we were only one night and never stopped till we were in Hamilton which took 8 days when my change grew scarce and I thought it was time to think of stopping so I left the family and came up here and took a house and John Drue and Robert Campbell came with there waggons and brought up. I only had one dollar when I landed in Newhope and 25 pound of oatmeal, that was all I had in the world so that you see I had but small beginning, no loom, only one reed that would answer but my spirits was always up. I always let on that I had plenty of money so that I was always looked upon as a rich man. Offers of land and houses for sale was given me every day but I managed so that they never found out that I was poor and they pronounced me a cautious Scotch man. I went to the sawmill and bought about half a dollars worth of wood for a loom expecting that he would not have change for the rest of my dollar and it just answered so that he credited me so that I went to the mill and bought flour for the family, 25 pounds and two pound of butter, one bushel of potatoes so that we had something to eat the next day. I went and bought as much wood as I wanted without paying anything and commenced making my loom, lay, pirn, wheel, shuttles and shafts which surprised my beighbours very much and they pronounced me a first rate weaver and carpenter. Square Fea in a Scotch man gave me the first web and paid me the price of it and another web the price to be paid in trade, that is flour, beef or pork, sugar or butter or anything but money, likewise he told me that I could not do without a cow so we went to a vandoo or roup and bought one at 15 months credit. He was my cashier. Work I had plenty so that Magdalene thought this was the America that she wanted not the one she expected. The next thing was the cold winter. I could not weave without a stove. I went and bought one with an oven in it at eleven dollars, four months credit, so that we can keep our house very warm in the coldest days in winter and Magdalene fires her loaves and pies for it is very different here. My family would look very blue to be set down to a Paisley table now for every meal here is like a wedding supper for variety. Magdalene had to learn the cooking for she knew nothing of making pies, puddings, sauces, cakes and I have got my cow and stove paid. It is very different here. In Paisley I was owing everybody, nobody owning me but here it is everybody me. You want to know how far we are from Hamilton. It is 25 miles or rather 30 miles. We are four miles from Galt, a fine village all Scotch about 500 inhabitants, three miles from Preston about 300 inhabitants mostly Germans, 12 miles from Guelph about 600 inhabitants mostly Irish. The village of Newhope is a small place like the Sleats. The village of Newhope is a small place like Sleats. The inhabitants is all Dutch but seven, two English, two Paisley bodys, their name is McKarcie, three Irish. There is a sawmill and shisky distillery, four weavers and a blacksmith. The village is on the bans of the river Speed. My place is one mile west of the village. I have one acre of land with the house and 18 acres more for Magdalene's washing the proprietors shirts. We are on the road between Newhope and Preston so that we get too many visitors in summer for drinks and in winter to get warmed. Instead of being dull we have more visitors than ever we had. The two Johns and I was up at out land and built a shanty to sleep and cook in. It is 13 by 16, just in the shape of peatstraws buildings. We have 10 acres underbrushed, that is all the small treas cut and piled for burning and we go up in January to cut the large ones and clear it for spring ctop. Mary will like to know if there is any wild beasts. Serpants is very plenty, the garter snake is very pretty, yellow and black stiped, the milk snake is rather ugly, it is a faw colour with blotches, the black sname is all black with a yellow ring round the neck. We killed them every day in summer but we never knew any person bit altho' I have seen a man catch one with his hand. Wolves is not vert plenty altho' we have seen them. Little John met one and thought it was a large dog. We never seen bears yet. Good night. We are just as well as you would wish. Give our kind compliments to our dear and beloved mother and brother and sisters, nieces and all friends.
No more at present but remains
Yours, James S. Good.