| Title: | McIlrath, Hamilton to McIlrath, William, 1874 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4503 |
| Collection | The McIlrath Letters: A family history in letters from New Zealand to Ireland (1860-1915) [Bassett, McKee et al.] |
| File | mcilrath/22 |
| Year | 1874 |
| Sender | McIlrath, Hamilton |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Kowai Pass, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Destination | Killinchy, Co. Down, Northern Ireland |
| Recipient | McIlrath, William |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 546 |
| Genre | farming, local economy, family |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Kowai Pass Feb 15th 1874 Dear Brother I received your letter of the 20th Oct. on the 2nd Jan. and we were very glad to hear that you were all well as this finds us at present - enjoyment of the same blessing good health. We are busy harvesting now and it is a rather (busy) time for we have far more heavy hot winds here than you have got at home and this harvest has been rather more than usual stormy - however in another week I expect to have finished. I have about sixty acres crop this year the wheat is fair but the oats is a very fine crop and prices is likely to be higher this season than last. Wheat was 4s/6d per bushel of 60 lbs. last season and oats 2s/= per bushel of 401bs this last two or three years but they made a spurt at the latter end of last season up to 4s/= and 4s/6d and are likely to be the same this year. If we got the same prices for our grain and stock here as you get at home we could live like the sons of an Irish King for we do not go to the trouble of draining and manuring just ploughs and harrows and rolls and leaves it there until fit for cutting. No weeding or thistle pulling here, threshing the grain in the paddock and burns the straw makes no manure except what the horses make in the winter never houses cattle. Cattle is low priced here you can buy yearlings for about 30 shillings per head and cows from four to eight pounds according to quality horses is a good price I sold a pair of blacks for eighty pounds this summer. Beef 3d to 4d per lb. and mutton 2d to 3d per lb. and butter averaging about eight pence and whiskey 6d per glass or 22s/= per gallon. Labour wages is improving this last year or two - a good man in the harvest time can make about a pound a day piece work or from 1s/= to 1s/3d per hour and found. I can send you very little more news that you would know anything about - you asked me the name of my wife - her name is Eliza Jane Atkinson but she is going to write mother a few lines and give you her whole pedigree. I shall write no more at present but with my very best love to father and mother, John Mrs and family and the same to yourself Mrs and all the little ones. I remain your brother Hamilton McIlrath I should like father to write me a few lines and tell me how mother and he is getting on I hope he wont work too hard and John he might write too and tell me if his beard is nearly as long as the tongs still I was hearing from a Mrs Finlay and her daughter that came from Bangor that Joseph Logan was not doing so well as usual. Remember me to all friends enquiring and especially to Uncle William and Aunt Jane. Yours truly Hamilton Mcllrath Please do write soon and I shall have more leisure to answer your next. |
