The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-23 00:00:00

(Copy of a letter from Margaret M'Leod.)

My dear Brother and Sister, —lt is with the greatest
pleasure that I write you these few lines lines to let you
know that this leaves us in good health, hoping and
wishing that this may find you all in the same. My dear
brother, I am sure you would be longing to hear
from us how we are coming on since we came to
this colony. In the first place I have to tell you
that Archy, James, and Sandy M`Pherson went to
the gold diggins about two months ago ; that was
what was keeping us so long without writing you till
we would hear from them. We had a letter from
them last Saturday, and they were mentioning in it that
they did very little since they went there, but there is no
saying but what they may get a little yet ; but the gold
diggins are not at all so well as the reports in our country
are about them, and in general they are not so well
this year as what they were last year. Roderick is
working in a smithy in town, and is getting 3/. 6s.
a-week ; and Donald is in a lemonade shop, and is
getting 3/. a-week ; and Angus is working in a public-
house and is getting El. 55. a week along with rations.
There is plenty of work here for every person that will
work, and good wages for tradesmen and labourers.
Tradesmen get from Si. to 6/. a week, and labourers
from 3/. to 4/. a-week. I wish that you and Margaret
would take the courage to come out here, for you
would both do very well. Margaret will do very well in
washing. She would get Bs. for every dozen of linings she
would wash and dress. Emily and I are getting a good
deal of washing, and it is very useful to us, as the men
are not successful at the diggins. Mother, Emily, and
I are all living together ; Roderick and Donald are along
with us. We have got two rooms, and are paying 2/.
a-week for them. Rents are high. Everything is dear
in this place. Loaf bread 2s. per pound, eggs ss. the
dozen, and every other thing according to that- I would
not get a pair of shoes for myself under a 1/. If the
Mackings were here they would make a fortune in no
time. The Free Church is as near as twenty yards
to • our house, and there is service in it twice a day
on Sabbath, but they are not like the ministers com-
pared to those we have left behind us. But who came
here about a fortnight ago but the Rev. Norman M `Leod,
from America. He is very old now. He is just like
old Norman M‘Leod in your own place. He seems to
be a very good man. There is a Gallic sermon preached
every Sabbath, so that the place is not so bad off as
what we heard from the want of the means of grace, if
a person wishes to attend them ; but this is a very wicked
place, and people given greatly to drink here, especially
women. I never saw a town yet where there is more
women given to drink than this town is. Mother, dear
brother, I am sure you will be happy to hear is in good
health since she came to this colony, and says that her
mind is far easier than when she was at Herbost, and the
colony is agreeing with her very well. This is a beautiful
country, and always fine weather, but it is very hot some-
times, but I suppose it is never very cold. When Archy
will come home he will write you all the particulars,about
the colony, for he will know better about them, and also
will write to all those whom he promised to write to there,
for letters are so uncertain to be sent from the place they
are at, for there is no post-office where they are. You
can tell John M 'Pherson that he was very foolish he
did not come out here with his family. He would get a
situation for every one of them, and drivers gets the
highest wages that goes in the colony. Give them
all our kind love. I hope you would have got the
letter Thomas wrote you out of the harbour, where
he mentioned you all the particulars about our voy-
age. We had a very long passage, but very favour-
able. I dare say he mentioned the death of our dear
little boy, who suffered a great deal before he died.

Poor John M‘Kinnon that left Roag lost all his family;
the only one that was living after coming on shore died
last week, but, they are both quite well themselves.
John M`liinnon and Thomas are in the same shop
working. They have 51. a-week. Thomas's wife was
delivered last week of a son, and are both doing
well. Dcnald and his mother-in-law are living along
with him. Donald is working along with him in
the smithy. My dear brother, I wish you and Mar-
garet would take the courage of coming out here, for I
know it would be better for you and your family than
staying there, for every person here has plenty to
eat and drink, and could save a little moneys also, if
they will be industrious. Hector Thaburn is along with
James at the diggins, and is quite well, but we
have not seen him yet. Alexander Macleod, from Tay-
inlone, was down in Melbourne since lite came. It was
along with that our men went to the diggins, and I
suppose that he has done middling well at the diggins.
Who is coming to us very often here but William Tolmie.
He has got a situation in the town. I think they are

from all quarters of the world here. My dear brother,
give our kind love to all who inquire for us, especially
Mr. M'Coll, and all acquaintances. Mother sends her
love to Mrs. Cameron, family, and all friends. My
dear, I hope you will write whenever you receive this,
and let us know all the news of the place, for we are as
anxious to hear about you as what you are to hear from
us. My dear, I add no more but our dear love to you
and Margaret, and the children, and all friends.
Your ever affectionate sister,

MARGARET M‘LEOD

(Copy of a letter from John 111‘Kinnon to A. M'Kinnon,
sheriff's officer at Roag.)
Melbourne, Victoria, NOT. 8, 1852.

Dear Sir,—According to promise, I took the pen
in my hand to state you the ways of Victoria colony.
But first about our passage, which was the quickest ever
was known. We had a splendid start from Liverpool,
reaching the Madeiras Island in eight days, where
we meet the hot climate, and were two days lying in a
calm—the only calm we had since starting till we ar-
rived in.lVlelbourne, but we had 10 days of wind a-head
at the line, but constant gale during all that time.
He steered his course to South America, and we came
within 80 miles of South America, where we meet
the trade winds, and then the trade wind took us
to Melbourne. Strong gales of it for a month, and
we made passage in 68 days. Ann was seasick the
first 12 days. As for myself I did not feel as much as a
sore head since I left home, and she was in good
health ever since, but oh ! Sandy throwing out my two
boys into the deep sea it will never go out of my
heart. The youngest died with the measles as cross-
ing the line, and the other six days after with a bowel
complaint, a disease which raged greatly in our ship
among children. Fifty-three children died, and two
women in childbed, and of e sailor. We had too many on
board, buthad plenty of room ; I had as much room in the
ship as I had in John Macleod's little barn, and the
whole of them the same. Now I have to tell you that I
was working a fortnight in-Melbourne before the Smiths
from Herrebost landed. I meet them, and took them to
my master, and he engaged Thomas as a smith, and
Rory and Donald Macdonald as hammersmen at 10s.
per day, but Thomas and I have 1/. sterling per day.
I saw John M‘Fie and Donald Cameron, but I was
in Melbourne before them all. I and Thomas M`Pher-
son and Donald M'Donald, his mother and sisters,
and Angus M‘Kinnon Smith, from Bitree, are in
the same house, but separate apartments. lam work-
ing at my old trade .(cartwright), one mile out. of Mel-
bourne, at a place they call Lowes Collingwood, on the
banks of the river Yarrow. We are not scarce of water.
We are paying 10s. a-week for my room and firewood.
There is no peats here.
Now, Sandy, it is no profit to me to tell you lies.
That I will not. I heard at home good accounts of
Australia, but I never believed it till I saw it with my
own eyes, and I think more of it than I ever heard at
home. Partly green and partly thickly wooded. Now, I
think this is the richest town of its size in the world.
All the go is gold, gold, gold. They do not care about
a sovereign here more than you of a penny at home.
And I will tell you I am only six weeks and two days
at work, and I have in my possession this night,
after clearing all my expenses, 201. sterling, and
that may tell you what kind of place this is. How
long I would be in Skye before I would gather
as much, but here they are no more in a per-
son's eye than twenty farthings. But, oh ! Donald
Campbell, what are you doing in Roag with you strong
family? But I would not advise, a man with a weak
family to come ; but it is all for the fear of the pass-
age. But I will tell you another good sign of the
country. There is not a beggar to be seen here. If
they come here they must work, for every person will
get work to suit him. If there is a -lazy man he will he
will get herding. There he can sit and roll himself all
day. There is very little cultivation in this colony,
and if a man will work hard for money he can make
money ; but all works are as easy to do here as at home.
Herds gets from 50/. to 701. a-year ; labourers 10s. to 15s.
per day ; and tradesmen from 18s. to 21s. per day. John,
your son, would get 355. for a pair of blucher boots.
I would fully advise you to send your sons here,
where they can do something for themselves. See myself,
I came here without any person to direct m; or tell
me what to do. When I came ashore I had only 10s.
I will tell you now about the provisions. First—flour
6d. per lb. arid meal 6d. per lb. ; beef and mutton
from 3d. to 6d. per lb. Potatoes sd. • eggs 6s. per
dozen. Tea, ls. 6d. to 2s. per lb. ; tobacco, ss. per
lb., and every other thing according to that. But,
although, we do not think a great deal about it,
as the money is so plentiful. I saw the other day
Peter M'Donald, the major's son, and Donald Mug-
stot's son and his brother, and their houses are beside
ours. The men are away at the Diggins. Little Angus
M'Pherson is in a hotel 1/. a week, board and lodging.
His mother, Donald, Margaret, and Emily in the same'
house, about a mile from us. Now I have to tell you
that I live- with as little fear as I would in a Roag. They
will be speaking at home that a person would be in dan-
ger of his life day and night, but it is not true. I saw
some of the natives going bare naked, but they will hurt
no person, and the people here are as kind and free as
ever I saw.

(Signed) JOHN M‘KINNON.

"GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH
OF SCOTLAND.—The annual sittings of the General A -
sembly of the Church of Scotland commenced at Edin-
burgh on Thursday. Lord Belhaven and Stenton, as
her Majesty's representative, held a levee at Holyrood
Palace in the morning, which• was well attended. • His
lordship afterwards went in state to the High Church,
where an impressive sermon was preached by. the Rev.
Dr. Forbes, of Boharm, the moderator of the last as-
sembly. Lord Belhaven next proceeded to open the
General Assembly, which was done in the usual form.
The assembly elected the Rev. Dr, Barr, of St. Enoch
Ohurch, Glasgow their moderator.