File 3: Hassall family, correspondence, volume 1, pp. 1801-8095, ca. 1830-ca. 1900

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Denbigh Jan' 3/ 77

My dear James We have been looking for a letter from you and were delighted to receive one this morning to say you will sail on Tuesday week. I do hope you will get this letter & the enclosed P.O. Order for £10 in time of course it all

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depends when the next Steamer sails - the "F. Irving [Florence Irving] was to go at 11 o.c. this morning so we have missed that and the "Herald" does not say when the next goes however, I trust - nothing will prevent your coming on Tuesday I am sure Mr Hartley or Graham will lend you a horse if you cannot let us know when to Leave. Mr Moreton desired me to say he would

be very glad to see you if you would call on your way through Sydney Mamma is very well & sends you her love & joins me in best wishes for young and old for the new year We think of re turning to Sydney the end of this month There was a large gathering on N. Y's Day

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over 700 people at Cobbity & they took £110 with sale of Tickets (I think) - it came on a storm & spoilt the Concert most unfortunately Love to all Yr affec ate Sister EM Hassall

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Highfields 16 Feby 1877

Dear Sir I hope you will excuse my not having written to you before to tell you how I have been getting on up here, this has been owing to our unsettled life scarcity of time and of writing materials I arrived at Mr Delisser's camp about the middle of last month and shortly afterwards he shifted camp - a few days after I had been working with him he told me [word deleted] he could not give me any wages as I did not know enough of the work so at the first opportunity I left him which occurred about a week ago when the two other pupils and a hired man he had [indecipherable]

[See E A Delisser - surveyor - named the Nullabor?]

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dissatisfied determined to leave and we resolved to take up some job in the neighbourhood I had to leave the same day as the others as I could not take up a job by myself and it was imperative that I should get some employment at once as when I sold off my things at the Office I paid off all the debts I could with the proceeds only reserving to myself sufficient to pay my fare up here as I trusted to the salary Delisser promised to give me - this failing I had to leave him almost penniless & the other chaps backing out of the job we engaged to take up together - one going home & the others getting jobs on their own account - I had to take the first job that offered which was becoming a kind of odd hand at a small bush store here at a paltry

few shillings a week - I am stuck here for a time as worthless as my billet now I am obliged to stick to it to enable me to get a few shillings so that I can go about and seek for a better one, without begging my food. If you could let me have the ten pounds you promised when I left Oxley to pay me at this time (the middle of February) it would be most acceptable - you might send it up to me either by cheque or Post Office Order addressed to post office Murphy's Creek. If you are [indecipherable] to let me have now or soon the whole sum (forty three pounds) still as it would enable me to make a fresh start in a way in which I think I could succeed. I could not afford