7 July 1887

On board the Djemnah

On board the Djenmnah, 7 July 1887

My dear Friend Canon,

Excuse the paper and the pencil;[1] I am on board, I don’t know where the inkstand is and I have no other paper but this. I have received your two letters with the two keys: One of them, the one I requested, I received half an hour before my departure when I was on deck, an employee bringing it to me. I have arranged for it to be sent to me by the next boat as a box of merchandise, and I believe it will be done. What I regret is that the box or case cannot go with me and your gift book may be confiscated at the customs in Manila, for not going with me I cannot hide it. But I went through the warehouses of the Messageries Maritimes on the 2nd and 3rd, in the morning, looking for the blessed box and I could not find it nor could anyone tell me about it.

On Sunday morning at 8:00 I was at the postal station and I found two letters, one from Hidalgo and the other from Blumentritt. In short, what can we do, the shippers and consignees of this happy country called Spain believe that the ship has to wait for them. The consignee ought to have told you whether the box would arrive on time or not in order to charge one for something useless. Neither you nor I have the fault. You have done enough to bother yourself and work for a friend: you cannot be expected to know the hours of departure and other details; but the consignee has the duty to tell you if such and such a box can reach on time its destination. In short, lad, I thank you and c: g: m: n: s: in the consignees.

Lad, we are some fifty passengers: One general Chanu [French] with his wife, 3 children, and two aides; two French couples with 4 children; 3 Chinese with two English p., 2 Japanese, 4 English, some Frenchmen, 2 Germans, and I. I am the only one who can talk with all of them, for the Chinese speak only Chinese, French, and English; the English, English and a little French; one Japanese, only Italian and the other Japanese only German beside their native tongue. There are besides two Filipino servants who understand only pidgin Spanish. We play chess. The sons of the general, one English p. and one Scotch make music on the piano and accordion; they sing in a low voice.

The voyage so far is good. Tomorrow, Friday, at 6 or 7 we arrive at Port Said. The sea is a little agitated. One of the Germans goes until Manila with me.

My French fellow passengers molest me for they talk nothing else but how to exploit their colonies; the English do it better. Hungry people, beastly people.

Tell our friends to consider this letter as addressed to them also. Tomorrow I buy paper at Port Said. Tell them these news of mine.

In your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. Within 35 days we shall see the faces in Manila. Come as soon as possible. Come.

Farewell, lad; I reiterate my thanks and command me at Calamba, Laguna de Bay.

Yours,

Rizal

02-250 [Blumentritt V.1]