Part 01: G. W. Rusden letters, 1846-1900

23 March 1899

Cotmandene, South Yarra. Melbourne

My dear Mrs Onslow

I can hardly express to you my gratitude for your great kindness in looking into the matter about which I wrote to George:- though so far as yet appears the matter is not established in the manner desired. The odds and ends of MSS which I have in my house I have searched in vain for confirmation of the statement in my History about Divine. It is absolutely incredible to me that I would have made it without apparently sufficient authority.

The impression on my mind is still strong - that I derived it from the Camden papers or from Sir W Macarthur's conversation.

You know how accurate and minute his memory was with regard to bygone events in his youth.

We had much conversation about the Bligh episode. However, I would in no manner impute the statement to him. I have no right to do so. It may however be discovered to be true.

Mr. Bladen's own statement is manifestly wild. (i.e. "There can be little doubt that this Philip Divine whose name appears in the early lists of superintendents was identical with the Nicholas Devine of later years". p.345 note).

My little doubt? and why does Mr. Bladen speak of the Nicholas Devine of later years when he produces two fac-similes of the man of later years (in the addresses to Johnston) in which the Nicholas Divine writes himself above Divine?

Very wrong if the superintendents of convicts in those days had been convicts: and the custom of appointing them to be so was long continued:- therefore the fact of their employment in that capacity implies nothing incompatible with the facts that they had themselves been convicts.

I would take Sir William's memory as Hamlet took the Ghosts' word for a thousand pounds.

I will hunt the matter up here however if I can. But we have not ancient records here and I cannot travel from here.

But I must not weary you. I am rejoiced to hear that you have had rain, and that Sir Alex & his wife are enjoying themselves and looking all the better for the change. Theirs is a fine climate however, and the Southern Ocean winds impinging on the S W coast of Australia will I presume tend to keep it so.

My Kind regards to the W Austalians, perhaps I should say respects, to the C.J. and also to my friend the Alderman.

I have not seen Essn. [Essington] King since he returned from Sydney.

Recently he removed to a greater distance from my house than he was in formerly and I am afraid that my chances of seeing him or his family are reduced very low.

Please tell the Alderman that I shall highly value any information that may come from him.

With kindest regards to all of you

Yours very sincerely

G W Rusden

12th Augt 1899

Cotmandene, South Yarra. Melbourne

My dear Mrs Onslow

For a long time I seem to have been without any tidings from or of my Camden friends, for of course I have not been able to hear from Philip King as much as formerly. My idea was that I had last written to you – about among other things the man Divine whom (relying on Camden recollections) I described as an emancipated man in my History, and whom W Bladen in the Historical Records speaks of as not having been an emancipist.

You kindly wrote to me on this subject and said that your MSS at Camden had been vainly searched for confirmation of my statement.

You may remember that in the