| Title: | Murphy, Fanny M to Pettit, John, 1867 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4173 |
| Collection | Argentina - Pettit |
| File | pettit/13 |
| Year | 1867 |
| Sender | Murphy, Fanny M |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Partido Las Heras, 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 | 585 |
| Genre | photographs, water, account of the country, family |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Feb 20th, 1867, Partido Las Heras My dearest Cousin, I trust to your generosity to forgive me for not writing to you before this. I owe you a thousand apologies for not writing sooner but I will leave them for next time I write. My dear John, I cannot find words to express the pleasure I felt when I received your likeness for I thought you had forgotten your promise, it was such a long time since you promised and now I must give my opinion although you did not give your opinion of mine, yours is very nice also your dear father I hardly expected his. I only wish mine that I sent was as good as yours, but I will try and get a better one taken if possible when I go to town next time. I had no time to have any more taken before the packet left, if you saw the original you would say what I myself says, “with such an original it would be impossible to get a better likeness”. My dearest Cousin I hope the prospects of that country are more favourable then when you wrote last, here we expected to have a very severe summer but as yet it is very good, the water is not so scarce as last year. It is a very great trouble when there is no water for then the farmers have to make wells and draw the water for the sheep with horses, so you may fancy what work it must be. Dear John, I don’t know if I ever gave you a description of our country people, and now I don’t know how to give it for it is almost impossible. The most of them are very ugly, dark and their hair is black, also their eyes, they are like savages, in the line of education very few of them know how to read or write and those that do are look up to with respect, this is the very lowest of them, their chief weapon is the knife, they wear a long one behind their back which is taken out for the slightest dispute, they are very good to strangers, they are very poor the women sew mostly for their living. The higher class are those who live in villages for those villages of the camp very few English live in them, but dear Cousin I think I am tiring you with such a stupid letter but I have so little to write about that I am sure you will forgive same if my letter is dull. All my brothers and sisters are well. I told you in my last that my sister was engaged to be married she is to be married the end of this month but she is to remain in the house with us after her marriage. I suppose you hear often from Sally she has more opportunity of writing than I have as she is in town. I don’t know when I will go I hope soon. I must now bring this letter to a close hoping you will forgive all faults. I trust you will not forget to write soon, if not I must say you got horrified at my likeness that is the only conclusion I can arrive at. My Cousins all join in also my brothers and sisters also my Uncle and Aunt you and my dear Uncle receive the warmest Love of your fond and affte Cousin, Fanny M. Murphy |
