Recently I wrote an entry about Patrick M’Robert’s tour of the northern British colonies in North America in 1774-75. I omitted how his account actually starts:
We met with nothing material on our passage; only a little girl of about nine years of age fell over board and was lost.
Oh my! Do you believe that post shows the temperment of the natives of those times? And also, kind sir please tell me, do you believe that it is inevitable that history repeats itself? As an expert I would really appreciate your opinion. Regards, Tricia
ReplyDeleteChildren died more frequently in the eighteenth century, so people would have seen the loss of a little girl like this as less of a surprise. It's clear from sources that parents grieved at such early deaths, and I have to believe that Mr. M'Robert didn't know this family well for him to write so cavalierly about the daughter drowning.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's inevitable for history to repeat itself. Indeed, there's a saying that history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. In other words, there are always going to be strong similarities among events, and human beings are keen to notice those patterns.