Saturday, 25 March 2017

William Moodie – Letter 15 - from Dumbarton, Scotland, June 1858

William Moody sent a number of letters from Dumbarton Scotland, to his emigrant friend Alex Dick in Victoria, Australia in the first half of 1858 (see picture below of envelopes), but the first letter I have was written at the end of June.


Wm Moodie Letter 29 June, 1858 – 12 pages

Dumbarton, Scotland

NOTES on Letter 15 from Wm Moodie -

p. 1-7 – comments and musings on Alex’s news, the Indian war, foreign and domestic affairs (including “wages kept down to the legal thirteen pence a day”)

p. 7-9- mention of locals from Dumbarton:

John Landale (?) (p. 7-8), Geo. Thompson, Pow (?) Galbraith, Robt. Pollock, Andrew Waddel, Hugh McLechtie, Old Baldie Galbraith, Wilsons, Hunters (p. 8);

Mrs McGregor’s (at the head of Frog Row”); Miss Miller (across the road) (p.9)
p.9-10 The Water of Leven – the prejudice against sacred music being accompanied with instruments & music generally!

p. 12 - local ship building - launch by Dennys bros of the Anglo Saxon & the North Briton
  - Compensation by the railway Co. for damage to the town to be used for a park

 - the railway opened from Helensburgh to Queen St station – good for trade in the town

 - an omnibus runs to Alexandria for the summer months


There is an extra few lines written across p. 12 re sending papers (see bottom picture).


Here are the scans of the letter - note that pages are in 'letter page' order, so the 1st image has page 4 at left and page 1 at right.

Click on the thumbnail images for a full-sized image:










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