| Title: | John James Murphy to Martin Murphy, 8 April 1868 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4083 |
| Collection | Argentina - Murphy |
| File | murphy/58 |
| Year | 1868 |
| Sender | Murphy, John James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | cattle breeder |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Uncalito, Argentina |
| Destination | Haysland, Co. Wexford, Ireland |
| Recipient | Murphy, Martin, Margaret & James |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1570 |
| Genre | money, request for labourers, family, cattle, profits / homesickness / money |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Flor del Uncalito My dear friends, I enclosed to you by last English mail a bill for one hundred and six pounds, six pounds to be handed over to the very Rev. C. Reville and eight pounds to be given to Lar Whitty (Rosslare), Frank's brother, and the remainder for James and you. The amount I hope you have received in safely before this reaches you. My object for writing by this French mail is merely to let you know of the above in case anything should have befallen my previous letter. Brother William has sent home for two men. I believe he expects the two Gauls (Milltown). If you can send out a man or two along with them till well they be men accustomed to horses at home. If such be all right in other respects. Patt Rowe spoke of a son of John Penders (Hill) being anxious to come out, but I leave yourself to judge. Since the Zingara has been sold we know of no ship that bring out passengers. By the steamers we have either to send the money home to pay the passages or pay it here in advance. In the latter case should this passengers fail to come we forfeit 5 per cent of the passage. Brother William has paid the passages here as he is pretty sure of the boys coming. But should there only one come on William's account (this you would do well to know before securing the passages of those you intend sending to me), you may in the case let one of those you send to me come on the ticket of the one that fail coming to William. It may be that brother William may write to you to send out men in place of the Gauls providing they decline coming. But you see how the matter stands and I leave you to act as best you can under the circumstances. Dear brother, let me know how poor James is getting on with all the little ones. There is no night but I say a prayer for their spiritual and temporal welfare, and for the happy repose of their poor dear mother. I hope James has been able support himself under these trials, and trust to God for some particular blessing on his family in return for the irreparable loss he has sustained by the death of poor Bess. May God grant her his Mercy, and save and protect her little family from the hands of the enemy, both soul and body. Dear friends, The times has very much altered with us, sheep-farmers. I sold half a flock of sheep on the first of March at $20 dollars, what a few years ago I would not sell at twice the amount. Twenty dollars are equal to 3s-4d. Mind a sheep for three shillings and four pence. But mind this is not the general price paid. All the sales that has been made this last year with few exceptions have been made at from 10 to 12 dollars per head. But these have been all forced sales to pay debts or breaking up the business, and these sales were so many that the number of sheep offered were more than supplied the demand of purchasers. In consequence of which the average price paid for sheep this year has been from $10 to $12. Of course the man that bought from me has entered in a medianero (on halves) for two years, and that account for the price he paid. I intend to finish my next page with a few lines to sister Margaret as it's long time since I wrote her or she me. My love to all and am as ever your John J. Murphy There were only two bills given for the cash I sent you last mail: one I sent you , the other I keep myself. If the letter with the bill be not at hand in due time give notice or consult with the manager of National Bank of Wexford, as it was on that bank it was drawn in your favour. N° bill 785, Written N° 1359, signed Wanklin. Dear sister Margaret, With feelings (as ever) of the most unlimited affection I take up the pen to write to you a few lines. I do (while at this pleasing duty) draw myself away from the busy pursuits of this world to that I may give vent to those feelings which console my heart when I think of you, dear sister, now the only one which God has been pleased to leave me. It is a pleasing duty indeed to converse with you (as it were) even in this manner and what make it more is that I know that every word you hear from me afford you consolation and pleasure. I trust you will consider that such is the case with me in return for I should consider my life deprived of a great deal of its happiness were I not to hear from you and the rest of my dear friends at home. Home I still call and consider it as it was there all the pleasures of my youth were enjoyed. Six years and more of my manhood were spent amongst you, and I look upon them to be the six happiest years of my single blessings. From the first thirteen years of our first separation I had almost ceased to remember of home or its attachments. But the six years of return has enkindled a fire that shall never be extinguished. I would be uneasy on account of you not writing to me occasionally were it not that I know brother Martin's letters express your sentiments also, and that your both feelings are guided by the same feelings. But even so a word from yourself will always add to my happiness. Don't conceal from me anything you wish me to know. Pray for me and mind as I do for you and friends. This shall ever be considered the duty of your dear and affectionate brother, John J. Murphy Dear brother James, On beginning this letter I did not expect to assign any part of it to you, but there is some advantage in doing so as you can always save a shilling postage, and with that you can buy some cakes and sugarsticks for the little ones in my name. Dear James, you have a hard card to play now, but I hope God will enable you to carry yourself manfully throughout the remainder of your life, as you have done to your credit heretofore. Dear James, It is well I should know each time I send home money have you and Martin divide it. I cannot see your demands as you do yourselves, consequently my directions are merely provisional until you see the arrangement made at home. My reason for knowing is that I may carry out your account and mine properly in the book of general accounts belonging to the establishment. As I am speaking on the subject you will no doubt wish to know have your account stands and what I sum I have placed to your account. The £80 (eighty pounds) I sent home last July, the whole amount is placed to your debit account, and £60 (sixty pounds) of the £106 sent home by last mail is also placed to the debit side of your account, that is to say £140 in all per two last bills, as per account of you. You may perhaps think from the above figures that you owe a large sum in my account, but I have the pleasure of informing you (though bad the year was for the business) that you owe me only about £2, of course there were about one half of the amount placed against you, remained as a balance in your favour from last year. That speaks for the £140 this year when I say year it means from March till March each year as the term. Hoping this will give general satisfaction to all friends, I remain your ever sincere and affectionate brother, John J. Murphy [Note] Dear brother Martin, From the amount of money I sent home, I acted under the impression that you don't require any at present as you only mentioned of James likely to need fifty or sixty pounds. I should not have given instructions as I did (in my previous letter) did I think you were in need of any help from me. The reason why I let these matters run till they are brought before me is that I trust to your confidence in me not to conceal from me your feelings on those matters. I assure you it would cause me pain did I know you were hard up to have concealed it from me either through delicacy or other reasons. Dear brother, as to the men you send me look to the cheapest mode of doing so by steamer. The agents here has their rules but with the company their terms may be conditional by paying the cash there. Let the men know particularly that they have to serve twelve months for their passage counting from the day they arrive to the estancia. The same as the other men that came before them. Adieu, J.J.M. |
