The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-07-10 00:00:00

EMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA.

The following is a copy of a letter from Geelong, dated
January 14 :
" Dear Father, Mother, Sisters, and Brothers, and all
inquiring Friends,—l hope these few lines will find you
quite well, as it leaves me, thank God. After a most
beautiful voyage of four months all but one day we drop-
ped anchor on the 7th of December. The commissioners
came on board on the Bth and the masters on the 9th.
There were masters enough to employ three times the
number, if they had been there; they were offering from
£2O to £25 a-year, and 121 b. of meat, 101 b. of flour, 21b.
of sugar, and a quarter of a pound of tea weekly, for sin-
gle men ; and from £lO to £2O a-year for single women.
Nearly all engaged on the Saturday, but I did not engage
till the Monday following, for I was constable, so 1 could
not get away, but I spoke to one gentleman, who said he
would give me £23 a-year to be groom, which I took on
Monday at £25 ; but I only engaged for three months,
and he has offered me £36 a-year to stop, but I want £4O,
and I dare say he will give me £3B sooner than lose me ;
but I only want to stop six months longer, for I mean to
set up in the milk business, for milk is 6d. a-quart and
they only carry it out once a-day, and we think it a great
favour for them to do that ; but let them stop till I get
£lB or £20,—1 will show them the way to sell milk. I
was at a sale the other day, and there was some as fine
cows as any man need wish to have. I bid money for two
that was half gone in calf. I bid as much as I had got.
I bid £2 Ns. for the two, and they were sold for £2 12s.
6d. if they had been in Smithfield they would have
fetched £lB each. People think more of fatting calves
and making butter than they do of selling the milk, for
they keep their cows on the runs, and pay the herdsmen
Is. a week. They never tie any up in the house to feed
them ; and grains are only Is. 6d. a quarter, and hay £4
a-ton ; the best of it is made out of green oats, cut down
when it is coming into ear. There is plenty of sweeds
brought in here at £1 a-ton ; they buy them for horses.
I am living at the largest butcher's I ever saw ; they kill
6 bullocks every day, and about 100 sheep every week;
the prime joints are 2d. per pound, and the other lid.
All sorts of clothing and hardware is very dear, just about
double the price they are at home; so anybody coming
out ought to bring plenty with him. House-rent is very
dear. If Joe comes over he will get plenty of work.
People are as smartly dressed here as they are at home—
they that live in the town. It is 60 miles further up the
river than Melbourne; the first house was built seven
years ago, and now they cannot build them fast enough.
All sorts of beer and spirits are shocking dear; beer is Is.
per pot, gin ls. 6d. per quartern, brandy 3s. per quartern ;
but it is the landlords that have agreed not to sell it under.
They get it very near as cheap as the landlords get it at
home ; and the gingerbeer is 6d. per bottle. I have
turned teetotaller, for I mean to have some cows, and tie
them up, and go round with milk twice- a-day. It
is a very fine country. I was made constable on the
17th of September; one of the others gave up the
berth, for it is a very unthankful office. I got £2 for
it. We bad a delightful passage; we did not have three
days' rain all the way. We had five births and three
deaths ; our captain and doctor were very kind to us.
Who would stop in old England and starve, when they
can come over here and make their fortunes in ten years,
if they keep from drinking ? Do not hesitate one day,
but go and get your papers, and come out here to the
Land of Paradise. I wish I had come three or four years
sooner; I should have been a gentleman ; it is not too
late now, I hope, but I shall never go back again to stop.
Bob has got a place near me at a public house ; he is
quite well. I hope some of you will come over, if not all.
Tell Allen not to stop in that country, and work hard,
and at the end of 20 years not have a farthing more in
his pocket than when he began ; let him come over as
soon as he gets a chance ;—and all of you-come. It is a
fine country; it is the height of summer now. On
Christmas-day 1 had lamb and green peas for dinner,
gooseberry pie and plumpudding. My master sent two
bottles of brandy and two bottles of rum amongst four of
us in the kitchen. When you come bring plenty of
clothes with you, and remember to have your boxes lined
with tin.

" Should none of you come out persuade Allen and
George to come• as soon as they are old enough, if
I should not return before ; but if I were to return I
should not stop three months before I should come back
again. Thank God for bringing me here safe, and may
He watch over you, and bring you as safe !"