| Title: | John James Murphy to Martin Murphy, 1 January 1870 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4094 |
| Collection | Argentina - Murphy |
| File | murphy/69 |
| Year | 1870 |
| 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 |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1370 |
| Genre | money, having utensils sent, correspondence, sheep season, local economy |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Flor del Uncalito My dear brother Martin, I wrote you from Buenos Ayres about the 20th of November, enclosing a bill for seventy pounds £70 sterling, which I hope you have received before now. I also included a bill to James Murphy for £40. Dear brother, My letter this time is merely a repetition of my former, with a little more particulars on certain points. I mentioned in my last letter to bring the harness mounting apart from the harness. But on further consideration I think it better they be packet all together. Till the days you send to bring no parcels for any person let which ever two have the least luggage put in one box and be brought out as if owned by one, and the box the harness come in be in the name of the other. The box with the harness to have in every manner the appearance of a passenger box. That box I will give to the man that has no box of his own on his arrival here to hold his clothes. Let them on their landing see Terence Moore, Calle Piedad, and he will get the box with the harness passed the customs, as it will have to pay duty. Give them a card with Moore's address, which is as follows: Mr. Terence Moore, Calle Piedad N° 52 or 54. Give them also a card to Mrs. Austin, the house where they are to stop after landing. Her address as follows: Mrs. Austin, Calle Corrientes N° 63½, having those two cards and showing them to any Englishman, he will direct them where to find the place. Their luggage will be all examined when landed and it would well to see Moore as soon as possible after landing, so as that he will get them dispatched without delay. Tell Hore the saddler to be particular when packing the harness that they will be complete in all their parts, that nothing will be wanting. Let the bits be plain but of composition (German silver), as bits of any other material cannot be kept clean owing to the atmosphere of this country. Write me a fortnight or three weeks before the men start, so as that I may know of their coming. I intend not to begin the fencing till about the middle or better end of February, as the weather is now very hot for men to stand out at work. I find a difficulty in getting an instrument to boar the posts. They are so extremely hard there is no European wood has a shade of comparison to it as to hardness, and can only say that it is something softer than iron. Dear brother, I cannot account for the season of me not having received any letter from you this last four months, neither have I heard anything of the letter I sent you for publication in the People paper. I mean the letter of last May, which contained the calculation of sheep farming and the reply to the letter of the Child of Respectable Parents. I don't know if the steps I took in regard to that affair has caused your silence. However, I trust is has been nothing more serious, perhaps I acted in this affair according to your good sense too much on the impulse of the moment as I am somewhat of an impulsive nature temperament. But my letter I am sure did not lead you to acts that you considered unwise. The people this last two or three years turned greatly Tillage wheat farming is now all the rage. It pay very well when the crop and season hit the price is generally good. The consumption of flour in Bs. As. is much above the amount produced. I have commenced this last year on my place outside with about 15 acres English, which we are now cutting down. Pat say it is as good as ever he saw at home. I have about 70 acres under indian corn this year also, where there will be wheat next year. What don't answer here in land the first crop there has to be a crop sown in the land here previous to sowing wheat to cool the land. So next year I expect to have about 85 acres of wheat down. I intend to send home for some machinery next year, as labour here take the good out of every business that is trusting to it. I cannot give you the exact price that wheat sell at here as it's sold by a measure as per bushel. But flour best quality sell at about 3½ @ per lbs. Indian corn don't pay otherwise than by feeding pigs, which many has of late turned their attention. A pig of about 20 stone weight here is worth about £6 or £6-10s. To make this pigs there is but little trouble. The pigs run wild in the camp till about twelve months old, then put in a crib and get corn and pumpkin or other common food for about three months, which time if a healthy animal they are fit to sell. Domestic fowl is another branch of business spring up lately in this country. Fowl depending on what they pick up about a place, are worth from 1s-8d to 30 per couple. They sell at double that price in Bs. As. if they be in pretty fair state. They great downfall in the sheep business if it did harm it also did much good. The people had to try other experiments and form the retrograde movement in sheep business. This last few years arose a tillage, pigs, and fowl trade, which has all these paid remarkably well so far. Dear brother, send me out by the passengers also a hedge clipper, or hedge shearers, as there is none in this country but French-make, of an inferior quality and cost about 18 shillings each. I was intend to send James letter and bill by this mail also, but having some idea of soon going to Buenos Ayres and lest any mistake might happen about getting out the bill, thought it better to defer sending it till I see farther. I have the letter written and dated 1st January. The bill I send you for seventy pounds last November I hope you got it safe. See that Hore do not deceive you in the mounting of the harness. Examine them and see that they are mounted on German silver, or composition as we call it here. As I said in my last letter that I had about half the number of posts I require for the fencing already on the land. I am now thinking of trying a part of the work with iron posts, that is bars of iron 2 inch wide by 3/8 thick. The cost of these will be dearer than the wood, but the facility of putting them down will have the work done about the same. With the iron posts as with the wood there will have to be principals for large wood posts on which the iron posts will have to depend more for its firmness than will be necessary for the wood, and for their durability I have no proof of which is best. If I try the iron I will have to send to England for it as I can have it from there much cheaper. Dear brother, I hope this will find you all in the enjoyment of good health, and also hope and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and many returns of same. We pass it here much like any other season of the year. We were intend to hold a little spree this time but the heat of this season be not very pleasant for such pastime. John Boggan being also sick on our hands being one of our principal members cause us to postpone it. Give my love to sister Margaret, to James and all the little ones. Ellen join in kind love to you all, and I remain your dear and affectionate brother, John Murphy |
