Lancing
11 December 1891
My dear Chris
I have your letter of 12 October and Balchines sent me your letter to them dated 14 October to peruse and return. I have advised them to continue the shipments as directed by you and that I would meet the draft as the quantities are small and cost of conveyance great even with the advantage of direct shipment. I doubt if your profits do more than meet your expenses. You don’t seem to make much heedway with Foster’s ales. I have no doubt you work very hard for not much result but I hope you will be rewarded with a business that will be profitable before very long.
Your success depends so much on your gold-bearing fields maintaining their output. You know how many towns have arisen and flourished for a time, and soon become a desert again in various parts of Australia. I hope this will not be your case at Croydon.
The government shows its confidence in the district by completing the railway. You were fortunate in getting that done before the government fell into monetary difficulties.
I don’t believe any of the Colonies will succeed in floating loans for some time to come. They must ???? ???? and make the???? ????. I am glad the difficulties of your government will not much affect you in the north. I believe your national and Loyal banks are in a very unsafe condition.
My right arm is lame with ???? ???? I write with difficulty. It is getting better.
I want to know how ???? you desire me to go on taking up your drafts. If you have money ???? ???? send a few hundreds to keep the thing going and save cost of exchange and drawing. I suppose however as you are not flush of money in the colony home drafts would be at a premium. Can’t you buy and send gold home and make a profit out of it?
I told you something of my finances. I derive about £230 from my Bedford property.
The few other investments I have pay nothing. The cash I have at Devitt & Moore they gave me the ???? for the present. My deposit at bank yields but little as money is cheap.
I reckon to have about £350 a year at present not more. This will scarce maintain us and my prospect of getting employment is remote. We can live here for less than half at Anerley. My expense from September 1890 to September 1891 was over £1000.
The young members of the family will be an expense to me for some time yet. Edie is at home – her eyes are defective. I do not know when she will be well enough to go to France. The lady she was with wishes her to go back but she cannot for some time.
Mater has been suffering from a peculiar severe pain around the region of the heart which a Dr is muscular???? ????. The children are all well.
I hope you will continue to meet with success in your business and keep you health. I should say you were rather inclined to over work you brain – do not get that out of gear – it would take a long rest to mend.
I am very pleased Alec is such a satisfactory help to you. You won’t be able to spare him to go away this summer.
I hope the weekly Times comes to you regularly – it is the best summary of the week’s news published – a lot of interesting reading in it.
The weather has been stormy and wet but not cold up to the present. We have had some terrific gales and falls of rains.
Love from Mater and all our home circles.
Your affectionate Father
Jas A Elmslie