| Title: | O'Sullivan, Edward to Downing, John, 1857 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4272 |
| Collection | Oceans of Consolation [D. Fitzpatrick] |
| File | oceans/34 |
| Year | 1857 |
| Sender | O'Sullivan, Edward |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | digger |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Victoria, Australia |
| Destination | Kenmare, Co. Kerry |
| Recipient | Downing, John |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers-in-law |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 708 |
| Genre | trade, labour |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Dunolly Sandy Creek Diggings July 6th. 1857 Dear John, I for the first time embrace the opportunity of writing you these few lines hoping to find you Lucey and the children all in as good health as this leaves Flory and myself at present thanks be to god. Also I hope Eliza and James & family are well. I always had information through Richd's letters how you were getting on as well as of his own private matters which was always gratifying to me to hear. Dear John we have enclosed in this note to you the sum of fifteen pounds drawn in Dunolly [another hand: Maryborough] July 7th. on the Bank of Victoria No. 974, which I hope you will get with safty. It is not much but at the same time it may be some help as a little at home is better than a great dale here. There is no great dale of Comfort in this Country. Jack is as good as his Master and every man man must work for his livelihood even men better than 60 years of age and perhaps may have 4 or 5 sons men and not eased the more from being employed to make out his living. As for tradesmen there are as many of them on the diggings if not more than of any other class of people. Boot and shoemakers are little needed here to the exception of a few, the generality of the people wearing English and American Work which is no more than something more than one third of the price of the colonial work. I dar Say there is not one out of forty wears colonial worked Boots or shoes. The price you give here for a pair of English Bleuchers [Bluchers] is 12, to 14s/- and Colonial 30s/-, for Wellington Boots English made £1 or £1/5s- and for Colonial £3/10 to £4/- also for Riding boots £5/-. The Maker is generaly allowed half price for Making any shoes or boots Say for Bleuchers 30s/ the Maker gets 15 out of it. There are very few dealing in this trade as in all stores there is boots and shoes kept for sale as well as any other article. I am well acquainted with a chap from Macroom a closer by trade his name is Creed. Very likely Dan Sullivan Master W. H. [workhouse] knew his Father I beleive a Schoolmaster, or if he did not the Matron of the W. H. did. He is doing very well, keeps one or two men at work to make a pair for any man who may give his measure out of every 30 or 40 pair of English work that he sells and is chiefly employed in brushing off the dust of the work hanging in his place. You can judge how things stood when there was only him and three more Kept a Boot and shoe store, that is living by the bare trade itself without Keeping any other goods where there was a population of 20,000 or 30,000 people on a large rush named China mans flat. I would not recommend to Tradesmen or domestic Servants to come to this Country that is if there was any young or helpless family with them. Give me no male or female for this Country but the young and Strong Constitutioned persons that will be able to endure with hardships both rough and smooth when put to it and Moreover Men as their first resource to look to is the Gold Diggings and indeed they will not have the warm houses th[e]y have at home too. Let them say to themselves that they must be satisfied to live in a Tent 8 by 10 or what is considered a large Size 10 X 12 made of strong calico which is cold in winter and hot in summer, mostly suffocating. Dear John there is a letter with this to Richd. and a draft also for him for £35 drawn on the same Bank as yours No. 975. Dear John you can see at any time more information in my letters to Richd—I am yours truly Edward O Sullivan Mr. John Downing—Boot & Shoemaker Kenmare Co. Kerry Ireland |
