An interesting case of educational destitution presents itself in the
following letter. It is written by the son of a poor, but honest,
brickmaker of Hammersmith, who emigrated to Sidney, and is now a
shepherd at Bathurst. While the facts it contains are clearly stated,
and the sentiments expressed are highly creditable to the writer—showing
that his moral training had not been neglected by his parents—the
orthography is such as, we may safely affirm, would not have emanated
from any human being with similar abilities, and in a similar station,
than an Englishman.
England stands pre-eminent in this respect. The parents of this
letter-writer were too poor to _pay_ to have their child taught, and
consequently with the best will in the world to be an ordinary scholar,
he is unable to spell. The clever manner in which such letters are
selected as represent the sounds he is in the habit of giving to each
word, shows an aptitude which would assuredly have made with the
commonest cultivation a literate and useful citizen. More amusing
orthography we have no where met; but the information it conveys is of
the most useful kind. The reader will perceive that the points touched
upon are precisely those respecting which he would wish to be informed;
were he about to emigrate.
The epistle not only gives a truthful picture of an Australian
shepherd’s condition, but is in itself a lesson and a censure on that
want of national means of education from which at least one-third of the
adult population of England suffer, and of which the writer is an
especial victim and example:—
“Deer mother and father and sisters i root thes few lines hooping to
find you All well for I arr in gudd halth my self and i wood root
befor onley i wos very un setled and now i have root i houp you will
rite back as soon as you can and send how you all arr and likwise our
frends and i am hired my self for a sheeprd 12 munts for 19 pound and
my keep too for it wos to soun for our work when i arive in the cuntry
it is a plesent and a helthay cuntry and most peple dows well in it as
liks onley it is a grait cuntry for durnkerds and you do not Xpket for
them to do well no weer i have not got any folt to find of the cuntry
for after few theres man can bee is own master if hee liks for the
wagers is higher then tha arr at hom and the previshen is seeper and
peple do not work so hard as thay do at tom and if any wne wish to com
com at wonce and don with it same as i did and take no feer oof the
see whot ever for i did not see any danger whot ever and it is a
cuntry that puur peapole can get a gud living in hoostlue wich thay
can not at tom i arr vrey well plesed off the cuntry and i should bee
very happy if i had som relishon over with mee and i am 230 miles up
the cuntry and wee had a very plesent voyge over in deed and likwise
luckey and vrey litle sickenss and no deths deer mother and father i
houp you will lett our frends no how i am geeting on and der frends
you take no heed what pepole says about horstler take and past your
own thouths about it and if any body wishes to com i wood swade them
to com con pepole can geet a gud living there wer tha cant at tome and
pepole beter com and geet a belly full then to stop at tome and work
day and night then onely get haf a bely ful and i am shuur that no
body can not find any folt off the cuntry eXcep tis pepole do not now
when tha arr doing well [price of pervison] tee lb 1_s_ to 3_s_ suuger
lb 2_d_ to 6_d_ coofe lb 8_d_ to 1_s_ bred lb 1_d_ to 2_d_ beef lb
1_d_ to 2_d_ mutten ditto baken lb 6_d_ to 1_s._ poork lb 2_d_ to 4_d_
butter lb _6_d to 1_s_ chees lb 4_d_ to 8_d_ pertos price as tome sope
lb 4_d_ to 6_d_ starch and blue and sooder home price candles lb 4_d_
to 6_d_ rice lb 2_d_ to 4_d_ hags hom price trekle lb 4_d_ to 5_d_
solt lb 1_d_ peper nounc 2_d_ tabaker lb 1_s_ to 6_s_ beer 4_d_ pot at
sednay and up in the pool 1_s_ spirts hom price frut happles pars
horengs lemns peshes gusbryes curneth cheerys cokelnut storbyes
rasberys nuts of all sorts vegtbles of all sorts price of cloths much
the same as tome stok very resneble sheep 2_s_ 6_d_ heed wait about 80
pounds fat bullket about 1000 wit 3_l_ pour hors from 2_l_ to 10_l_
ther is wonderful grait many black in the cuntry but tha will not hurt
any one if you will let them aolne.
traitment on bord ship,
wee arive in the 7 febery and sailed to graveshend then wee stop ther
2 days then wee sailed from ther to plymeth and wee stop ther 9 days
and took in loot more emigrant then wee sailed from ther to seednay we
arive to seednay 8 of June wee had it vry ruf in the bay of biskey and
three mor places beside but i did not see any dainger of sinking not
the lest for wee had a vry plesent voyges over in deed the pervison on
bord ship Monday pork haf pound pea haf pint butter 6 ounces weekly
tea 1 ounce per week 9 ounces daily biscuit Tusday beef haf pound rice
4 ounces flour 1 pound per week Wendesday pork haf pound peas haf pint
raisins haf pound per week cooffee 1 ounce and haf per week Thursday
preserved meet haf pound Friday pork haf pound peas haf pint Sadurday
beef haf pound rice 4 ounces sugar three Quarter pound per week Sunday
preserved meat haf pound fresh woter three Quarrts daily vinegar haf
pint per week Mustard haf ounce per week salt tow ounces per week lime
Juse haf pint per week my der sisters i houp you will keep your selvs
from all bad company for it is a disgrace to all frends and likwise
worse for you own sellvs o rember that opinted day to com at last tis
behoups that wee shal bee free from all dets o whot a glorious tirm it
will bee then wee shal feel no more pains nor gref nor sorows nor
sickness nor truble of any cind o whot a glorious term it will bee
then o seeners kip your selvs out off the mire for feer you shuld sink
to the bootem the sarvents wagars of houstler tha geets ges haf as
much mour as tha gets at tome and my sister Maryaan shee kood geet 16
punds a year and Sarah get 20 pound and Marther get 8 or 9 pound and
tha arr not so sharp to the servents as tha arr at tome i houp you
will send word wot the yungest child name is and how it is geeting on
and send the date when it wos born and i houp this will find you all
weel and cumfortble to. J. R.”