| Title: | John James Murphy to Martin Murphy, 26 October 1871 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4108 |
| Collection | Argentina - Murphy |
| File | murphy/83 |
| Year | 1871 |
| 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 | 1336 |
| Genre | sending utensils, family, new arrivals, acquaintances, property, cattle business |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Flor del Uncalito My Dear Brother & Friends, Yours very welcome & interesting letter of September 7 to hand on the 12th October. In the first place I am rejoiced to find that you are all in good health & getting on so well. My letter in reply to your about the machinery could not have reached you. It must have been mislaid. As I told you in it that I had got a supply of all I required for the present, & that what I may yet need they are to be found here & have the advantage of seen them proved. Another advantage if a post break it can be got here as there is a supply on hand of all those posts most liable to break. Brett sent home to Pierce to send him out a post for that which got broken, but I believe he has not even replied to his letters. Mrs. Gaul is safely arrived. I happened to meet her on her way out at Mercedes, about half way, & we were the rest of the road together. The deed of assignment in order to insure its safe arrival. Should be registered I shall do same on returning it. You say Willie & Kate are in school in Wexford. I received no letter from James this long time. The letter you speak of him acknowledging the money I never got as you say he did so about a month before you wrote. I note all the deaths you speak of. The most of them I had an account of before. The people of Kilrane, particularly Ballygeary, will get a start at Matt O'Connor's arrival home. Bill will shuffle great at seeing him. There will be likely some fine about Matt if he had enough to pay his passage home it's all he could have. He took home money for some firm here to them friends. James Pender sent £4 or 5 to his father. I hope it may reach him. He did not come over see us before he left, & for reasons you may guess having owed me £8 or 9 but I forgive him. The new owner of Ballygeary has yet an old fish to dale with whom he has Matt being none improved by his stay in this country. It was said about here that his sister Margaret sent for him to go home. If so what a fix! John Furlong (Ballygilane) may have £10 or 20. He was a very steady boy out here, but knocked about rather much which arose from causes he had no control over. I am glad to hear that James has sent Willie & Kate to school, that is a thing he should not neglect in them all at least so for as become their position. The business of poor Frank Whitty's property is not as yet dispatched. Our neighbour Luis, who was a partner in the flock of sheep, is still continuing to give trouble. The criminal case I brought against him is nearly brought to a close. He is likely to be taken in prison in a few days. I hear he will have to account for his acts. He did all he could to destroy as do away with the flock. You will naturally say how slow things are done, but imagine my own case as regards the purchase of the Caldera, two years last September I solicited the purchase of the place from the Government, and is not yet dispatched. But I gain by the delay. I finished my shearing on the 14th October, the wool in splendid condition. I have been offered at the house $70 (seventy dollars) per arroba of 2 lbs., but declined. Perhaps I may not do better by sending it to market though the price at present is good & demand great. How long the market may continue so it's hard to say, but accounts seem to say they are likely to stand. I sold 808 fat sheep on the 4th October at $50 dollars each, the highest price paid. The number were small but I felt disinterested in selling this year on account of the high price offering for wool & with a view of letting my stock increase, as the camp since it has been enclosed well keep a quarter more stock. We had a few heavy rains since the 15th. The drought, which continued this last four months, began to tell on many of the camps about here, but more particularly in the adjoining provinces, where the cattle had began to clear out in search of pasture. I expect there will be a nice sum to James lerided after the sale of he wool, say about £120. I may send some of it to him when in with the wool. I expect to clear off all my debts this year paying for the Caldera & all (I mean after the sale of the wool). From sales of sheep both here & on the Caldera I have about $80,000 (eighty thousand dollars) to my credit in the Bank of Salto. I expect to realize about $170,000 (one hundred & seventy thousand) by the sales of my wool here, & forty thousand by the sale of wool at the Caldera, which in all make about $290,000. I have to pay out of that $160,000 (one hundred & sixty thousand) for the purchase of the Caldera, $23,000 (twenty three thousand) for the killing of the biscachas on Uncalito, & about $50,000 (fifty thousand) over up & down, make in all about $233,000 dollars all told. The balance to meet the expenses of the coming year. Brother William paying off the debt he owed my account, in a great measure for my present independent position. His account reached the sum of $100,000 dollars, which he had for eight years at an interest of exactly half what I paid myself for cash raised. Dear Friends, this has been a very unhealthy season, as always do every years of droughts. Smallpox has been very prevalent & has caused numerous deaths, particularly amongst children. We had no case of it yet on the place, but has been all around us. On the camp Mr Brett is on which is close to, there has been some very bad cases. Patt Ennis & Peter Cleary, some of the worst. They barely got through it. Brett & my sister-in-law got married after going through a great many forms on the last of July. He is still manager of a wealthy native Estanciero's property, the owner of which died of apoplexy a few days ago & left a widow & five children but independent. Such an accident may bring a change in the place after a little. Mr. Richards, from near Goffs Bridge, who with his family came out here a few months ago, lost his eldest daughter. She took sick of smallpox on the same day they got married, & was buried in six days after. Her husband James Furlong, a steady good man from Mor Tenacre, is now lying ill with same but not of a bad type. Edward Farrell, County Surveyor's son, has fell into a good situation at $1,000 per month. James Furlong, Dr.'s son, was here a few days ago looking for employ. I fear he is not doing much. Let me know occasionally as you did in your last all the news about the people at home, particularly of Matt & his achievements. I expect to be able send you a New Year gift this year God willing. I conclude by asking another request, that is to send me the making of two pair of flannel drawers by the first that come out from that neighbourhood, as the flannel here is all too fine. We are all well, with kind love and regard for all I remain your dear & affectionate brother, John J. Murphy |
