Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Letters from Early New Zealand

Ricarton. February 10th 1852

page 283
Ricarton. February 10th 1852.

My Dear Mother,

I find there is a chance that if I send this by a vessel to leave Lyttelton to-morrow it may still be in time to go by the Midlothian, and I want to thank you, without loss of time, for our parcel, which we got last night, when my husband got back from the Port. The opening was, as usual, a most exciting and delightful moment. Arthur was specially delighted, because it was Monday, and he had sneezed before breakfast; a sure sign, as you probably know, of a present being received during the week, but we had not imagined so many! And a knife, too! and our bit of india-rubber had just been lost, and is so very often wanted, in all our scribbling, that it was a most welcome sight. The socks which Louisa sent him are, I am ashamed to say, rather short for him; but it does not at all matter, as Elisabeth can open them, and add a bit at the top, too. They will be most acceptable when our cold mornings begin, in a month or two. Then my husband sends a great many thanks for his purse. He is a perfect object, at this moment, from terribly sore lips, with great blisters down over his chin, and up on to his nose; the effect of four days' exposure to sun, and very strong wind, when he went "up the country" to see some of the stations, last week. It is much worse than it sounds, but almost everyone suffers from this who tries to live out-of-doors, here, without a moustache; which makes a very good excuse for the young gentlemen here to wear them. And now I must thank you, too, for all the William Hyde letters, as you know, a month later than the parcel, which was almost in time for the Fatima. I shall have to despatch this so quickly that I shall hardly have time for a special letter to John, or perhaps to Louisa, to tell her how beautiful I think my dress, and how much obliged both Arthur and I are to her for the socks. I have begun a letter to Sara, but that must go next time. page 284You can imagine the delight and the relief it was to me to get her letter, for I read the good news only in Tom's bit at the end. I am thankful to hear of her having anything, and being so well; but if I had had my choice I should have chosen a little god-daughter! I don't see why a boy is "nicer"? However, it is all very nice as a companion for Vernon. But though I talk so, I can only realize that she has any, in letters. How different everything in Hereford Street will be! What would become of her if she had to toss half round the world, like me? I think she would almost die of seeing the children so put about, and put out of their way; and as for nurses! I know she would just be her own, and I should like that very much; but there are some ways in which it would put my husband out very much, besides all my visitors! Besides one's own wishes and fancies, it certainly is much better for children to lead a more regular life than I can manage for Arthur, unless I gave myself up and made our hours suit him: but we must do the best we can, and I must not go on prosing, for there will be little time for writing, as it is.

I am sending a horse, to-day, in to Mrs. Rose, who is coming with her baby, and her eldest boy, out to dine here, and spend the afternoon. I told her what there was of her people in your letter, when I saw her on Sunday. She is so very nice, and really seems much happier now, but I am afraid she makes the best of it to me. Mr. Rose, we think, absurdly enough, very like John Lloyd, only very rough and cross, and without his fun. However even he is, I believe, in better humour, and better pleased with his section and prospects. He has made a fence all round his land (it had a natural one for some extent), and means to have it, I believe, as a great paddock, to fatten sheep and cattle for the butcher. I should think it would answer very well, more especially in connection with a run up the country. The Simeons have been out to Christchurch for a three-days' visit; Mrs. looking very well, and very cross. She is disappointed with the Plains, she says, and lets you see that she is, with everything else. I never saw anyone like her as a talker, and manager of everything and everybody. She has managed her own servants all out of the house already, and page 285changed some of the new ones; only the nurserymaid stays, but the story of it is much too long for me to give you any idea of her; and when she wants a new servant, instead of its being a perfectly simple, open affair, there is as much intrigue about it as about any secret piece of diplomacy. She is, of course, unpopular, and drags him into her affairs too, and then she thinks it is all "the Colony" She came out to see me here one day, and dined. My. husband was away, and so she gave me her ideas a little more plainly; she is afraid to abuse things here, to him. But after a good deal, she said: "Of course, if one's expected to write home and say one's in tearing spirits, and that everything's exactly as one expected to find it, one can't quite do it". So I said quite jollily: "Oh! no, of course not. It isn't likely you should be able, or that you should like it much, till you've got more comfortable; but then I think it's very easy not to give one's views upon things in general in every letter you write; but to tell what you are doing, and the little things that go on every day, which will make them imagine your life out here. I try to do that, and my people always say they like it, and can fancy so well what we are about." She looked rather "sold", for she meant it to be very severe upon the Settlement. She is far from a pleasant addition to our society. You are obliged to be so very careful in what you say before her. She still likes her governess, which is a good thing; and that is enough, and too much, about her. I gave E. Lewis your message. She is very well, and likely soon to be well married, to a very good kind of young man who came out in the ship with her, and is now setting up as a saddler. He was Mr. Wortley's servant as long as he stayed in Lyttelton, and made a little money in buying town sections besides; but the future home is not quite ready. Otherwise, I do not think either she or Charity would think of leaving us; and Mrs. Simeon could, if she pleased, make her servants as comfortable as ours; not like many here, who keep only one, which one must almost be worked to death. We are, so far, very much better off here, about servants, than they are at Wellington. I can't say how much I sympathize with you about all your changes, and that dear David should be translated, and away from page 286you. You don't say specially how Frances is, so I hope well. I am very glad she promises me a drawing, and I opened the parcel quite hoping that one would pop out. I am so much afraid she thought me ungrateful about your daguerreotype, but it is very like you, only not pleasantly so, so that it vexes me while I look, and that makes me look more seldom at it. But I can't think how I omitted to write to her by the first mail after its arrival.

And now I am finishing my letter, with everyone else asleep, and I shall indeed have no more time I fear; for, besides ordinary and extraordinary interruptions, I have had a bit of a letter to copy for my husband. He goes (D.V.) up the country again to-morrow, but I hope only for a few days. There has been lately a most promising vein of coal discovered, which would be, I should think, the best thing materially that could happen to the settlement; worth fifty "diggings". John hopes to see the spot to-morrow. Please to thank John (Wynne) very much for his souvenirs. Powles is not a little proud of hers. I am so sorry about nurse, and then Coombes! William is rather better for a time, but I dare not have him out here, for we have not room for him to be ill; indeed, we have not at Lyttelton. When anyone stays with us, besides Hamilton Ward, he is obliged to have his room when he gets quite ill. When we were here before, he had one fit of illness, and when we had, in all, only three rooms, he was obliged to have one all to himself for two or three days. You see, I am writing you a regular prosy supplementary bit of letter, not worth showing to anyone, on which I have presumed. Arthur's thanks, although warmly expressed in words, have as yet only expanded into four lines of printing, and his pictures from here must be wanting in brilliancy, as we have no colours with us. I am sorry a letter from me seemed to be missing, when you wrote, but I dare say it soon turned up. We never know which opportunity will turn out the best, and sometimes they vary very much. For instance, we hear now of certain public news, of what occurred in Wellington at the end of June. Mr. E. J. Wakefield happened to be there, and sent a notification of it by the Challenger, which ship happened to be sailing the next day, I forget by which line, and we. page 287find it arrived in England just at the same time as Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, who left here on March 15th, and Wellington on April Ist; and hundreds of private letters were sent by them, though we sent none. I shall indeed be glad if he does not come out again. Now I must to bed, though I have not said half of what I meant, as usual. Only I send a great many thanks and a thousand loves to all. I think the accounts of Charles are cheering, If such a word can be used at all on so sad a subject; but I am very thankful to hear of his being, on the whole, so well in all ways, Henny's* being so well, will be a comfort to him too. It makes me cry, out here, to think how his poor face will look now. Please to give a great many loves to Stokesley. I wonder whether you are there now. Wherever it is, God bless you, one and all.

Yours very affectionately,

Charlotte Godley.

* Her nephew, Heneage Wynne.