19 Anersley Park
13 July 1888
My Dear Chris,
I am at home today. I just send you a few lines by way of keeping you in touch with home. I am afraid you do not get many letters from other members of the family – at same time they say you don’t give them a line in reply. I know how much you must be engaged at the desk and how sick of writing letters you must be, but you ought to send a few lines now and then to various members of the family in the me letter.
Archie passed as Master this week and seems to have acquitted himself well having finished on the second day. Of course he comes out again in the Sobraon.
The weather has been of such wintry character lately I have not been much about the city and have not seen Mr Brandon again, but will soon.
I hear that the land and house speculation mania has increased again to an alarming extent at Melbourne. I was dining with several men of that city at the Metropole a few nights ago and they all agreed that a great reaction must set in before long and many of the banks who have been making large advances on the inflated returns of (real?) property would suffer seriously. In fact a great financial crisis may take place at any time and break up one of the banks. I think you ought to have a care and not keep your resources in a Victorian bank, and not all in any one bank. A smash up at Melbourne would seriously affect you at Croydon.
The Queensland loan has been taken up at a good rate. This shows the public here have confidence in the Colony. Further there is such a dearth of trustworthy investments they readily go for anything in connection with the Colonies. One cannot foresee what will happen but this lending business cannot go on for ever and it seems that none of the Colonies can go on for more than twelve or eighteen months without a loan. Even New Zealand with all its entrenchments recently wants more money with a debt of 37 millions for a population of 650 thousands. It seems about time they walked alone. The Argentine Republic without any debt or any sign of wanting money are going on at such a rate and becoming such a formidable rival of our Colonies productions that they bid fair to cut out Australia in a great measure in wool, and frozen as well as fresh meats.
If you succeed in getting a little money together take measures to make it secure, in case of a bust up.
I have no home news except that May Cheyne nee Berkley is at home from the West Indies and is with us for a few days. She is but the shadow of her former self but is ge00tting stronger. Her mother still refuses to see her or to be reconciled. Her brother Charlie was married today and he is in the staff corps in India and is a very fine young fellow. He had to choose between breaking with his mother or ignoring all his other relations who he would not meet, and as he is dependent on her for paying the expense of his marriage he was obliged to choose the later, but not to break with his sister, cousins and aunts who he is more attached to than to his mother. She is certainly possessed of the most diabolical temper and disposition of any person living.
Mater and all at home are well, but all are out at the present moment.
So I will end with best wishes for your continued good health and prosperous career. We all remembered you on 1 July.
Your loving Father
Jas A Elmslie
Give loving remembrances to Alec. Archie is going to see May and meet her at Hamburg next week. Don’t forget to say if you have seen or heard of Harry Douglass