Alexander Dick of Busby, Scotland - 1800s: William Moodie – Letter 16

Wm Moodie Letter 7^th (?) Sept, 1858 – 12 pages

Dumbarton, Scotland

This is quite a newsy letter so I have tried to transcribe it with the assistance of Google voice recognition (which has been fairly accurate). I have tried to correct the text as I dictated, though at times the script has been difficult for me to interpret. I apologise, too, for any stray errors, odd capital letters, spacing etc. which I have not picked up.

Scans of the original letter pages are below.

P.1

Dear Alex,

This is an answer to two of yours, one of which arrived immediately after I sent you my last and my... accompanied by ….. and two papers for which I have to thank you….

I am glad you still…. favourable…. a that will always keep hope above the horizon. Your father seems to be possessed of an intense hatred of The Colony. I wonder if he wants not to give in to your wishes a little in a matter seriously affecting your success. It must be very hard to part with him now after all meeting, as is as you might expect, to make your next home- home in reality. If he comes back I would not wonder to see you all back together yet. Which comma however desirable in one sense I could not to wish in another as I do think you would have a bad chance of getting far on here now unless indeed you come well stocked with that scarce commodity which sent you first on board the Sir William Molesworth, then you may go figuratively and knock at the Gate of….itself.

P.2

I hope John and William it may come into possession of some of those former double nuggets which turn up ever and anon. Somebody must be making the money when such quantities of gold come home every week, but I see by the compared statistics of the past years that while the population has increased seven times comma the gold had only increased a fraction, which gives the reason of as many blanks opposite the one prize. I hope you are getting on as you would have liked in your clerkship ( I had nearly said Courtship but of it anon). although there maybe less glitter before you I have little doubt you will wreak more gain in the long run; if more study less toil, if a little lighter purse, a lighter care hanging on you, if less excitement, more lasting enjoyment and Improvement.

About your “spiritual concerns” I have little to say. I always felt a kind of sympathy with you on these matters, quite below the comprehension of the Leckies and Hutchesons of these days.

P.3

I would like to have seen John's face when you'll be announced the “.....”. I suppose he thought a “ diet of worms” advisable to try to regulate the tone of your opinions. I forgot to ask you what kind of Sunday you had in the Colonial towns. more three opinions have spread on that subject at home within these few years than on any other that I know of, not even accepting the right of vote of labouring classes. it is proposed indeed to open Sunday steaming between Dumbarton and Glasgow soon, in connection with the “Petrel” & “Emperor” Sunday sailors from Glasgow for the watering places on the coast. We Scotch are kept moral by force once removed the pressure and we may become the most extravagant nation on this side of time. Our education is wholly guided by legislation or the want of it- and our legislation is entirely of that character which plants obstacles in the way of progress. I looked on our system of government as old logs of wood floating down a shallow stream.

P4.

They cling to the bottom as long as they can. When resistance is vain they g…. to the accumulated current and are…. by its angry force to the next rock, to repeat the same inevitable …. until they are either smashed to atoms by the fury of some growing rapids, buried in the sands of time like the stones of ignorance or prejudice they cling to or are carried by the majestic river unnoticed on its surface, and launched into the ocean of oblivion without a name greater than the rottenest stump that clings to them.

You will see that we have been getting some good measures passed through the last parliament, no thanks to Lord Derby indeed but it shows that out of good men you can get no good for fear of the consequences but get in horse jockeys and they will give you all you ask if you let them pocket the perquisites. we are surrounded by cons….. big with importance at….

P.5

India Kindles the torch. Now we have had The Massacre and bombardment of Seddah ( a little Timely castigation change them in that direction) and every mail from the Mediterranean brings news of fresh troubles among the Greek islands. Even in Constantinople itself my father says they are not safe a day. I would not be surprised to see him home very soon indeed common Prudence only dictates such a step. He says playing fever is very right among the natives and some fever among the English. he has it too when he last wrote but not seriously. if he comes home it may cause another s….. As I don't think he would get work readily here about. Engineering is very dull at present. Indeed trade altogether has not been worse since the “Western” (?) broke. about the Water of Leven little or nothing is doing except odd orders. All your friends there are well but suffering more or less through the universal depression. All our folks are in good health too except Elizabeth.

P.6

She had a rheumatic fever for a month and was left with St Vitus Dance ( Art nervous twitching of the hand and foot). Dr Cullen has ordered her to the Saltwater but it is rather late in the year now I doubt warm clothing and change of air will recover her he thinks. now I will finish Alexandria when I am at it. I am getting on phone with Mary last Saturday I got a present of a fire guard from her to my sister when she made herself. ( I forgot to tell you before that father gave me money to buy a watch of which I was very proud). Mary desires me send her best regards to you. She sees bits of your letters and thinks a great deal of you I can tell you.

Last Saturday there was a great turnout of instrumental bands in the public park in Bridge Street. ( Perhaps you remember Smollet gave them that park behind Parntnents (?) once when they had threatened to put him out at an election. Bond Hill band had invited “ the blind Asylum” “ Paisley” “ Partick” “Killarchan” “Dumtoche” (??) Strathblane, “Sterling”., Barrhead and Dumbarton bands so they

P 7

all met except the Stirling and Blind Asylum who could not get away owing to previous engagements. There was a stand erected on which they m…. in turn “ave…..” excellent music especially Partick, Paisley and Killarchan. I think it was a great success. Subscription tins here and there through the park relieved you of your overworked emotions and helped so far to relieve the Bonhill minstrels of the expenses of the treat.

next time I write you will get to the particulars of a jaunt we intend having on the Ballock jan day (?) to the top of Benlomond. We expect a good day this year, Last year we went and it rained for at least 12 hours without cessation but we went to the top in spite of it. It is all nonsense to say you can wander in the going up; that is, if you know where you are going at all there is a road that you can keep on at 12 o'clock at night all the way up.

P.8.

Now for a word about Busby.

John is getting on fine and he tells… engravers are so busy that a number of patterns have been sent to Manchester to be engraved. The machine printing is very busy too. They are building up on the side of the Kirk planting some new houses for preparing and washing. The block trade is very dull on the other hand James Thompson is paid away, he had the offer of a job in the a engraving shop at the cleaning off but he would not take it so he is paid off all together.

Jay Murdoch is going to work a pantograph machine and grid up the cutting too. John Nimmo is still getting some charge about the works. Old Mr and Mrs Nimmo died a week or two ago within a few Days of each other. John did say how he was getting on. Hugh McLechtie has opened a store where Leiper’s shop used to be And John says he is doing well in it. Crum is at his back and all the “creashies” (??) deal there who love their life better than their Liberty

The road to Black John is s... up

P.9

So you see the spirit of aggression is gaining power here too. Do you mind the might one frightened the Leven fellows who were down with their “women” viewing the beautiful spot; Windy Hill manage game too but with the dog “sprin”g threatened them from the long grass at the back of the hedge and how the gamie’s (?) two fellow ruffians enjoyed the hasty retreat. if ever you come back I will take a day with you away thro’ all our old haunts for “Auld Lang Syne”.

A friend of John's cold Janet McDonald and Mary had been… at Busby seeing him ( Mary has a sister married in Thornie). they went up one Sunday and John showed them a lot of the places which I had often referred to. Mary thought a great deal of Busby ( it was a good day) and was much interested in the different places for our sakes.

I saw my uncle John Ogles from my head the other day and he says that the printing has not been as bad there for 14 years. I hope your father maybe sure of a place at Gateside

as they are doing very little there.

P.10

Know about Dumbarton. I am sorry I put you to any…. through neglecting to state my reasons for…. my letters directed to Alex. I may shift my belongings at any time, indeed may be moving from Dumbarton altogether with a weeks notice so I want them sent home and they will send them here. I am still in Mr Dennys works …. despite (?) the general slackness we are very busy with his special orders Not much in either of them but enough to keep us constant for a month or two. I can't say that I am in love with my place but I dare say many better men have worse at this same moment. I am still organist in the English church and doing a little too at the private teaching but it is not worth counting on. I have not got paid for some of the lessons I gave last winter yet so there is little use In spending precious time with would be gentry who don't intend to pay till they be c…. for it;

P.11

I don't intend to say a word about it to any of them if they think they didn't get to the worth of their money they may keep it for this time. Our Choral ….. is making a terrific noise in the town every Wednesday evening; we are talking of getting a harmonium for (?) ourselves so that we may soon trial the one we had in Alexandria which has not been beat by any that I have heard yet although I say it that might be prejudiced. This is in no way selfishness because it was… owing to our good singers, one of which I was not. I cannot tell you anything about what goes on in the town because I am not capable somehow I'm getting acquainted with any …. companion here. There are not half a dozen in the whole place that I speak to at all. And only to them bidding good day also. I feel no fellowship with Dumbarton and I know if I lived in it for 40 years I could leave it without a regret. You may think that it is in myself where the wrong lies. But you cannot believe what an illiterate place it is. Although it stood on the banks of the flattest dumbest muddiest deadliest ditch in Holland it could not have less poetry, less imagination, less ambition, less life.

P.12

Now Alex, I am on to my last page. I must prepare to shake hands with you till I get your next. I send papers to you now and again when anything interesting occupies their columns. I hope you get them all regularly. I hope Mr and Mrs Leckie are getting on well and all the house, manservant etc. By the by, what kind of lover are you that you sharks… about jealous and fearful comma something must be wrong. you must not think that will lead to happiness, which planes no…. with short but single-hearted trust; it leaves no room for doubt. I hope you and she are still learning what it is to love better and better as the sun rises the Mists fade away, so as “Love gains the empire of the soul, fear and all her train are chased from the light of life's young day”. ( I have had no news yet from Syria).Now with best love and wishes from us all to you your father, John and Willie

I remain yours sincerely

W Moodie

Septr 8, 58 Best Wishes to W. Stevens