My dear Chris
From what Alec tells me in the only letter he has sent, his work at Rockes is not either pleasant or instructive. If you are not going to leave Townsville and can see your way to get him employment, I would wish him to leave and go to you at once.
I have written to this effect both to him and to Mr Chas Crosby to provide him with funds if you say he can come. He is such a peculiar boy and cannot seemingly bring his mind to bear upon what concerns himself most, that is the occupation he would prefer. I thought that a few months of any kind of work would in some way develop and make him think more seriously of this. I feel ???? ????
???? ???? if he learns but little where he is the experience will prepare him for something more congenial to his taste and genius. He has considerable genius if it can but find a ready way of turning it to good account.
I am anxious to know further about your movements. I don’t like the idea of your going to Normanton to stay or settle there for a time. I doubt ???? the climate not suiting you and am trusting to something turning up to suit you at Townsville.
I would gladly assist you with money if you saw clearly some way of pitting it to good account, but I have not so much that I can afford to lose with all the responsibilities hanging to me. By the time I come out in December, perhaps you might manage to come up for a time, and by that time your experience for ???? ????]
???? judge of what may be undertaken successfully. If you could but scrape together a thousand or two and come home. London after all is the place to make a great success. Rawson and a man named Clayton, formerly in Queensland, have opened an office in London for providing colonial information and they seem likely to make a good business of it.
Don’t you tell Alec to join you if you have an intention of leaving Townsville. He can hang out where he is until I return if need be, and if he can then say definitely what he would care to take to, I would either find a place for him in Melbourne or bring him home again.
I tried last year to let or sell the house we live in but did not succeed. New grammar schools are to be built on ground at the bottom of our garden. This will enhance the value of the house and ground and no doubt enable me to get a good price for it as a master’s house or as a hospital for sick ???? ????
???? ???? a very nice property last year in the Bromham road intending to live there if I sold or let this house, but have disposed of this again at a small profit.
Mater will have to remain at home this year to look after the education of the children. May and Mary have been doing well at Ramsgate where they were placed at a school kept by two daughters of the Revd. Sutcliffe of the Moravian church here. I shall keep ???? at home and have them taught by a lady who I know and have great confidence in.
Mr. Cheyne died a few days ago.
Hoare has gone out as Chief of the ????. I put some pressure upon the managers and got him the ship. Of course he stood well but he had two senior to him in the 2nd rank.
Edie, Jessie and Jean are still as they were, nine of them coming home this year.
We are all well and are only in want of some more sunshine to make us cheerful. There has not been a bright summer as yet. The Australian ???? have come in for a good deal of rain and storm, in being so kicked about from place to place.
We write in loving messages to you, and believe me ever your affectionate
Father