Letters.

Approximately 20 letters (some are incomplete or missing parts) dated between 1903 and 1908 from John Catto of North Shields to his wife Harriet Isabel (nee Inch), from his ships the SS BOMBAY and SS CASPIAN, between Europe and the Far East. The letters contain a lot of detailed information about life on board ship and in the tropics. For example in a letter dated 17 August 1907 from Port Said: "My dear I assure you that I love vaccination no more than you do, but if you had seen as much of the ravages of smallpox as I have in the East... you would take the bairns to be vaccinated every year... vaccination is no fad". Letter of 21 August 1907: "Vicary had been keeping up the liquid fuel idea and by the time we passed the town of Messina he was blind drunk, he zigzagged the ship about the Straits... threw his glasses overboard and gave his orders in Hindostanee [Hindustani]". Letter of 5-14 February 1907 there is a mention of John and Fred Yule (page 16) and Andrew Yule (page 21). Letter of 25-29 November 1906 there is a reference to Jack Yule (page 14).