| Title: | Moore, Sally to Pettit, John, 1866 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4169 |
| Collection | Argentina - Pettit |
| File | pettit/9 |
| Year | 1866 |
| Sender | Moore, Sally |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Destination | Melbourne, Australia |
| Recipient | Pettit, John |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | cousins |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1005 |
| Genre | photographs, friends, family, financial problems, war, correspondence |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Buenos Aires, Oct 25 1866 My dear Cousin, Your letters of the months of April May and June I have received, also the long looked for likenesses, at first one of your father’s and afterwards your own with some more of his. You wish me to tell you the remarks I heard past on your fathers picture. All his friends agree that he looks remarkably well and stout for his years. I am sure that he would have been pleased could he have seen the reception his likeness got, many a tear it brought, poor Mamma was very much affected it reminded her of old times and friends now passed away, also Mrs Kirk poor old lady she too cried and kisses it, she said that he had been a very kind friend to her and told of the many St Patrick’s day dinners they had had together and how when she would speak of what they should have, he would say “never mind old woman give them plenty of fish and potatoes”. Mr Bookey too fell to moralizing and hoping that his son Patrick would be as good as his Godfather, poor Mr Bookey you will be sorry to hear, and your father too has been obliged to give up all his property into the hands of his creditors, he was very much embarrassed before this war broke out and now since has had a hard struggle to pay interest for money he had from the bank, always in hopes of being able to dispose of some of his property in order to pay the principal but with this unfortunate war no one would buy, so the poor man at last gave it up to them, he is in hopes that after all is paid, he will have something yet remaining it is a great pity after all his work to see him reduced to such straits, he is very much obliged and pleased at your fathers remembrance of him and desires to be remembered to him. Uncle James I have not seen since I sent him the likeness but his daughter wrote me that he recognised it immediately and I may as well tell you that they are quite jealous at not receiving one of yours too. I told them that they did not deserve one as they had never written to you so don’t be surprised if you receive a letter from some of them soon reminding you of your forgetfulness. For my own part I am quite satisfied I have you both and shall ever treasure them in remembrance of you. The papers you send I receive regularly. I cannot think what is the cause of some of the papers I send going astray, perhaps some one takes them out of the post offices there, it sometimes happens here, papers from Europe are often taken up and the owners never get them. I am sorry that my uncle was disappointed in not getting the Spanish paper but I’ll send him one this month and I am sure he will receive it. About the war there is little to be said that a “partisan” likes to say, you will see by the newspapers that the Allies are getting enough to do and so far at least doing very little towards settling affairs it is a great pity that they don’t do something besides getting all the natives killed. So far thank God our friends are escaping but at present those who have not got Consular protection dare not come to town as there are pressgangs going about in all directions, some of the young men of the country have through telling stories got protection and those are pretty safe where they are not known, but now the Consuls are too careful and won’t give them unless they have good proof that the applicants are really foreigners. My brother John has got one but the other two have not. Patricio is very much afraid but he is so far out in the camp that it is not likely he will be molested. I hope not at all costs, we are not so much afraid of it now as we were. I have an idea that in my last letter I promised I would send you some more likenesses soon so not to break my word I will do so now although some of them are not very good but if I wait to get better ones I may have to wait a long time the ones I will send are those of Uncle James three sons and Uncle Mike’s oldest son afterwards, I may send some others. About the new line you mentioned in your last letter as being a shorter way for our letters to go and come, I have made enquiries and find that it will not do. I am told that to send a letter to you I should have some one at Panama to take it up and post it for Australia or else it would like there and that as they go from here by land in the winter time there will be no travelling so although a longer time elapses on the old way it is the safer way. My mother is at present away from home on a visit to my brother Robert, we had a little son of his stopping with us to go to school and he got sick and was ordered to the camp by the doctor, so Mamma took him a fortnight ago and has not returned yet, he lives at Mercedes about thirty leagues from town but the western railway runs within four leagues of his place so that it is very convenient to go or come. Now I think I have written you a long letter. I hope soon to receive another from you. I sent your last letter out to Fanny a few days ago. Remember me to your father and believe me your most affectionate cousin Sally Moore. |
