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Title: Anne Hincks, Montreal to Isabella Allen, Belfast.
ID1443
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileHincks, Anne/29
Year1873
SenderHincks, Anne
Sender Genderfemale
Sender Occupationmiddle-class housewife
Sender Religionunknown
OriginMontreal, Quebec, Canada
DestinationBelfast, N.Ireland
RecipientAllen, Isabella
Recipient Genderfemale
Relationshipfriends
SourceD1558/1/5/77: Presented by the late F.D. Campbell Allen, Esq., 15 London Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex, England
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, Northern Ireland
Doc. No.9804178
Date28/09/1873
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogDocument added by LT, 08:04:98.
Word Count1237
Genre
Note
TranscriptMontreal Sept 28th [18?]/73.

My dear Bella,
I could not answer your welcome letter
by return mail as I generally like to do, so I shall
begin this early that I may be ready for emergencies.
We had such a large household for more than a
fortnight that we had enough to do, 10 in the parlour
& 5 in the kitchen! It kept us all pretty busy. We
had the Keadys with us, and we enjoyed their visit
very much, and felt quite lonely on Friday when they
left us. Mary is such a merry sprite, and so full of
mischief she requires constant watching. She and her
little cousin became great friends, and Stewart quite
missed her the first day. How you would delight
in him he is the perfection of a baby so good tempered
and bright, and has been such a healthy little man. I
am very glad the Photo gave such general
satisfaction; I did not think I should ever have been
persuaded to have another taken, but Fanny Hincks
urged me so much to let her have one, as when she
married she could not even have one of the old ones,
that I thought I could try, and when it proved
successful, I wished to send them to other friends.
Certainly the climate here is very favourable for
taking them. We had great heat yesterday and a
tremendous thunder storm last night, with such heavy
rain, this has been a lovely day after it, but I
should not condemn if we had more to-night, the heat
is very great, and we feel it all the time, as we had
been having quite cold weather. The foliage is grown
most lovely, and we have such pretty trees just
opposite to this house. My brother has been quite an
invalid lately, he had a slight touch of gout in his
toe, and I was in hopes when that disappeared he
would have been much better, but he is still far from well,
and very much depressed, as all men are when
any thing is wrong. Lady is much better, but her arm
has never got perfectly well. Frank is very much
better and able to attend at the Bank and can walk
pretty well, and he is generally better in the winter,
so I hope he will escape another attack during the
Autumn. I cannot say that our housekeeping troubles
are at an end, we have a very cross old cook, who
carries the life out of me sometimes by her
forgetfulness, I have been doing the housekeeping
ever since Lady Hincks was ill, so I get the receipt
of the crossness, but you seem to be no better off at
home. Certainly servants have it in their power to
make you very uncomfortable. I am sure you must have
been all glad to get back to the meeting house, and it
must certainly be much improved by all the
alterations. I believe we have to thank your father
for the copies of your Uncle's sermon, which certainly
was most excellent, and I am sure must have been very
impressive delivered by him. It is a pity not to have
some memoline of dear Miss Cunningham in our Church,
she and her mother were so long connected with it, but
I suppose the Thompsons wished to have something under
their own eyes, and that seems natural too. How
pleasant it is to hear that your Mamma is able to be
down to breakfast every day. She must be very much
better. I hope she will go on so and have a good
winter. The accounts of Aunt Eliza too are very
cheering, and I am glad your father is so flourishing,
but he ought to take a holiday on Saturday sometimes
at least. I am sure it must be pleasant for you
having the Nixons at Ireland [bious?], and I am sure
they will enjoy the country. I am glad Mr Drummond
keeps so well, you must give my love to Miss Bella
C. [Campbell?], to Lizzie Nixon. So the Windsor
cousins met Peter Boult in the Continent. I heard
his daughters were going for a year to Dresden & that
they did not much like the thought of it. I was
dining last Monday with some old friends of my
brothers, and the niece & her husband have not long
since returned from England. They had been a [on ?]
Continental tour, and had met the Campbells of Mossley
somewhere. Miss [---?] Lang was with them, and I
suppose my name was mentioned & she told Mr Masson she
knew Frank. Mr Masson seemed to have been quite taken
with the whole party; she said Mr Campbell was
suffering from rheumatism, and as the husband also
suffers that way, I suppose it was a bond.
Oct 1st. I write so far on Sunday & must now finish
up rather in a hurry as I have several letters to
answer this week. I went last night to hear a
"Beethoven Quintet Club" and it was quite a heat &
there were 5 of them, 2 violins Viola, Flute, & Cello
& the sounding was beautiful & all first class music,
we had also a soprano who sang well, above the
average. I do not often hear music now, so enjoyed it
all the more, the want of it is one of my deprivations
though it saddens me to hear it. I suppose that
feeling would wear off if I heard it oftener. One
thing sung last night was "Angels ever bright & fair"
and you can fancy that took me back to Fannoran & the
old times that can never be again, but I must not
begin to write sadly. When we returned home we found
Charley Keady had come from Ottawa and his appearance
I fear will greatly strick [strike?] his mother as I
am sure it did all of us, he looks fearfully delicate,
about a month or 6 weeks since he had a bad attack of
Bronchitis, & he does not seem to be shaking it off,
but I trust going home, & being well nursed, will soon
improve him. Sir Francis is better but had
another [-----?] of gout, & has not been out of his
room for some days. Have you ever come across "Lords
& Ladies?" If not I would recommend you to get it; I
think it would amuse your mother & your fancy very
much, but try to read it aloud, for you will enjoy it
more together. I am sure parts of it would amuse
Andrew James if he had time to listen. We seem to be
having equinatial gales just now. Did Jim Quinsy talk
of having the new carpets washed? It would not surprise
me if he is most eccentric about such things! I expect
to hear of their moving soon. I hope A [Andrew?] J [James?]
C [Campbell?] will not work too hard for his scholarship
examination. I shall want to hear the result. I am glad
James enjoys the school of Design & I have no doubt he
has made great progress. Well I must come to an end so
with very much love to you all and the Aunts & Believe me
Your affate [affectionate?] friend
Anne Hincks
You have not mentioned the Beattys lately. Are they well?
Remember me to them.