Letter #42 to son Alex in Australia
Renton,
8th. Oct'r., 1859
My Dear
Son,
Yours and John's of 4th.July came to hand. All well
is cheering. There is still some lively hope in Ballarat
Your tale of John Leckie deprived me of one night's
sleep. Had you not been very prudent your joy in this world was at an end. It
is probable had you married Miss Bruce that a tragedy would have followed, I
was overpowered when I thought of the danger you escaped. Trust not in men's
sons is impressed upon us every day. What foul monsters turn up now and then
among our friends. But the less said about it now I believe the better. You had
need of Miss Strickland to amuse and interest you.
I see the 'Royal Charter' made a quick run and I
hope you are now in love with "Queen Mary". Mrs. Leckie and family
are blasted for life. What an amount of misery that act of John Leckie's has
poured upon the heads of the innocent. Give my compliments to Mr.& Mrs. King,
I hope they see peace and plenty looming in the distance and remember me to all
my friends in Geelong.
I have been printing at Cordale these two weeks, it
is hardly necessary to state that I have been somewhat disappointed in my
canvass for work, I expected a table where I have not got it. Some of the young
men that wrought with me at Daimonach are still out, most part have gotten jobs
at other work. I am too old to learn turkey reds, but I will stick to thern as
long as they will allow me. I expect a job at Daimonach at 12/- or 14/- per
week.
I lodge with Peter Colquhoun's mother, I am not out
of money and I have no fear but I will be able to keep myself, I was at Paisley
and saw your friend Andrew Hall; he is manager at Morgan's. I was at Kilmarnock
and stopt two nights with John Gill (??). He keeps a public house and is making
money. I called on Allan Tweedie,
Springfield Lane, Paisley Road. He has an eating house and works at his trade.
He was engaged in packing oatmeal in small barrels for Melbourne. He had been
packing rotten herring in small barrels for Melbourne..They were quite unfit
for food while he packed them; they were spoiled before they began the voyage.
Wm. Moody is engraving at Busby; the work at Dumbarton got dull. Neil Mclnnes
has a store at Castlemaine. He made £100 in a few months in it. Maggy Mclnnes
is married to a very lucky digger named Morrison; he has taken a farm. John
Mclnnes and Tom and Jock are employed as gardeners. You have likely heard that
Hugh Wilson died at Busby.
There are now 20 cylinders at Busby and they finish and dress their
muslins. There is a
two-story row of houses from the doctor's to the
Black castle. Mary Moore and her mother &c. go
out to Australia to join
Samuel.
It is amusing to see your intelligent "Argus"
stating that the ballance of trade is against you because your imports have
exceeded your exports. These are exploded notions. Every merchants expects to
import more than he exports; therein is his profit. Get down from Ballaarat the
volume of the library of useful knowledge that has the article on commerce. You
might be able to enlighten some benighted folks in Geelong & Melbourne that
cling to restrictions on trade. You mention you got an "Examiner"
with my letter. I have sent 3 or 4 papers with every mail since I came home.
The Italian war has not settled Italy. There is
some appearance of them fighting among themselves. The pope is the head of the
agressing party, but it does not appear France or Austria will fight any more
about Italy. I think you Australians need not spend a penny on account of
Napoleon. He knows the power of Britain too well; no fear of him willingly
making war with Britain. But there is a pressure on our ministry by the public
and the papers, that to prevent themselves being expelled as traitors, they are
obliged to spend millions uselessly on the Navy and on fortifications. Britain
and America would resist all Europe successfully. Aunty is still going about; Annie is at the looms and Sandy is in the
grocer's shop. He does not seem to think of the wright trade now. You may hear
of him being a merchant by and by. Joseph Docherty seems to have got completely
over his late attack. James is to build a house for his summer quarters down
the water. Jessie and her husband have separated; he went with other women. She
keeps a fish shop on her own account and makes a living.
John is to try the Gravel Pits for some time
longer. Could you not get Jack employed as an apprentice storekeeper or as the
makings of a clerk, if Jack had a twelvemonths practice he would pass for a
learned hand. Perhaps it not be so much against the grain now for Jack &
William to improve their writing and brush their Arithetic a bit. They should
accept a job at low wages for some time if you get them employed. Stir them up
to improve themselves, it is perhaps the likeliest way to get on in Australia.
Or you might write to Mr. Sloan and see if he could employ them as wrights or
get them employed.
Mr. Maxwell and family are in there usual. James
Wilson goes to the Mediterranean as engineer in a Government vessel. Joseph is
still poorly. I saw James Dick several times; he is still agent for Mr. Sim. He
told me that a merchant twice bought £70 worth of oatmeal from him and sent it
to Melbourne and cleared £50 each time, I have shown my Arithmetic to 2 or 3
but I get no encouragement to publish it.
I saw Mr. Veitch. He had no intention of
prosecuting John Leckie, but he thought it very unkind of Mr. & Mrs. Leckie
to stop writing him and he did not mention Miss Bruce. But from what he said I am
satisfied he knew of the unnatural alliance. But I think Mr. Veitch does not
lose by Mr. Leckie save in character by his recommendation. Parties had sent
the goods at their own risk so I understand it. I saw David Alexander lately;
he is looking better. He had a paper from you and sends you one.
A Revival in religion is making a great stir in
Ireland and in some parts of Scotland. Some ministers have 2 or 3 meetings
through the week to forward the movement. And one or two, or more, of the
audience scream and moan and are taken to an adjacent room. These are said to
be truly converted. There is great stir in
this way about Carnlachie. When I left, there was great dissatisfaction amongst
a large portion of the inhabitants and some agitation to get up meetings to put
a stop to the revivalists. The girls were frightened and holding prayer
meetings at their work and some took to bed. And some writers boldly assert
that the new conversion is hysteria.
I have just been informed that James Wilson's ship
goes to China. You will have learned long ago that we are having another tiff
with China. We have been rather troublesome neighbours to the Chinese lately
and I doubt we lose as much in
character as the Chinese. We cannot expect the Chinese to have the same code of
honour we profess to follow, any more than we expect them to have the same
religion, I think we have been rather too exacting, too unmerciful; that it
would be more becoming in us
professing to be christians to bear more with the spirit of the Chinese.
Next mail I will write to John M. Dick. I hope Miss
Strickland has tranquilised you a bit and that you can now think of J. Leckie
& Miss B. with little emotion. I pray you may have better luck next time. Hoping
there is a store of happy days before each of us,
I remain
your affectionate Father,
Alex'r Dick
A "Post" and a "Citizen"
accompany.
I wish John or William to call on James Miller, or
McKinlay, that lived beside us at Ballarat and wrought in the White Flat Company and ask them to let John Shearer know,
if they have an opportunity, that his sister Mrs. Monach is anxious he would
write her. He can direct to Mr. Monach, Printer & Dyer, Rahway, New Jersey,
America.
Names &.
Notes on Letter #42
John (Dick ??)
John Leckie
Miss Bruce
Miss Strickland
"Royal Charter"
Mrs. Leckie
Mr.& Mrs. King
Peter Colquhoun
Andrew Hall
John Gill
Allan Tweedie
Wm. Moody
Neil Mclnnes
Maggy Mclnnes
Morrison
John Mclnnes
Tom Mclnnes
Jock Mclnnes
Hugh Wilson
Mary Moore & her mother &c.
Samuel (Moore [Muir] ??)
Napoleon
Mary Russell, Annie & Sandy
Joseph Docherty
James (Docherty ??)
Jessie (Docherty ??)
John (King ??)
Mr. Sloan
Mr. Maxwell & family
James Wilson
Joseph (Wilson ??)
James Dick
Mr. Sim
Mr. Veitch
David Alexander
John M. Dick (???)
James Miller
McKinlay
John Shearer
Mrs. Monach
- transcription and
Names/Notes by Ian A Scales, c.1989
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