| Title: | Alexander Robb, New Westminster to Eleanor, [Ireland?]. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2297 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Robb, Alexander/14(2) |
| Year | 1863 |
| Sender | Robb, Alexander |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | just finished a job cutting a waterditch |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada |
| Destination | N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Eleanor |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | T 1454/5/8: Copied by Permission of Dr J. C. Robb Esq., M.B.E., M.C., M.C.H., Cambourne Park, Belfast. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9006035 |
| Date | 04/06/1863 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 07:02:1994 |
| Word Count | 916 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | New Westminster June 4th 1863 My dear Sister I received your letter dated March about three weeks ago I could not answer it any earlier for the simple reason that where I was then I could neither get pens ink or papers I was then working on Burrows Inlet an arm of the sea that comes in about 8 miles from there. Three other parties and I took the contract of cutting a waterditch for a saw mill [sawmill?] about eleven weeks ago and we only got it finished last week Ive made pretty well of it averaging nearly 12 Shillings per day and board which is considered good wages in this part of the Country I just wish you could see what kind of a place we had to run it through Of course it was all through the woods "and such woods" You may remember a little song that commenced "Some love to roam through the dark sea foam When the wild winds whistle free But a chosen band on the mountain land And a life in the woods for me Now Eleanor you may just put it down for a dead certainty that the fellow who wrote that song was either a fool or had never saw any more woods than is contained in a gentlemans park You can have no possible idea what a forest is in its prim-tive [primitive?] state In the first place the trees grow almost as thick as they can stand, and such trees why the largest I ever saw at home were mere waking [walking?] sticks in comparison They run from three to five [ten?] and very often 15 and sixteen feet in diameter and from two to three hundred feet in height I think it is Sam Slick who says that it is impossible to look at the falls of Niagra [Niagara?] without thinking of a cotton mill and I am sure I cannot look at one of those monsters without thinking of David Grainger. Then fancy that those fellows have been tumbling down for centuries and are lying in every stage of rottenness some places three and four deep add to this a thick growth of underbrush and you can just fancy what pleasure one would have #PAGE 2 with "a chosen band" in such a place why three miles walk is enough to tire one thoroughly for two days You may guess its pretty bad when it scares even Canadians who I sometimes think are born with an axe in their hand I think it very singular that you have not had a letter from me before you wrote as I wrote to you immediately after I came down country the week before Christhmas [Christmas?] I think it was and also once since that. I had a letter from John the day before I started for the Inlet it was the first intimation I had of the death of poor James it also told me of Uncle Whites death I meant to have written to John immediately after I went there but could get not an opportunity. John will think it very ungrateful of me and I would not like to have him think so as he is a man whom I esteem and admire as much for a friend as I love him as a brother You can just tell him that I will write to him in about three weeks from now I also mean to write to Frank McRoberts at the same time Tell Frank I expected a letter from him before this and if he has not written to do so immediately on pain of my heaviest displeasure. The same mail that brought your last letter also brought one from R. Murdoch inclosing one from [Alex?] Robb. I was very glad to get them especially Ellens. I write to her by this mail. Dear Sister I don't think that I will go up country this summer as I am afraid I [torn]ll [will?] not have enough money do so with any prospect of success The four of us however who are in company are thinking of sending up two of the party to prospect a claim for next season. The two that remains below to give an equal quantity of money and work down here and try and make as much as will keep the others next winter in case the [they?] should come down broke Two of the party are Californian miners and very decent steady men so of course it will be them will be sent whether this arrangement will stand good or not I cannot tell but I think it will. In the mean time I am going out to the Inlet to work for a month or two and then I mean to cut hay plenty of which grows on the banks of the Frazer and for which a good market #PAGE 3 can be had in Victoria I dont know that I have any thing [anything?] more to say although I am almost ashamed of my short letters after getting your fine long ones Give my best love to Father tell him I expect a letter from him in your next To Lizzie Mary -ana Andrew John Martha and the rest of them at home Give my love to Aunt Ellen tell her I would sometimes like to spend a Saturday night with her & all my old friends I need not mention their names for you know them And believe me dear Eleanor Your affect [affectionate?] brother Alex Robb |
