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viaAmerica 11 Welfiled Place – Saturday
19 April 1862–4 p.m.
Dear Ann
It is, I think, more than a fortnight
since I last wrote to you, & in this interim I have
recd., I think no less than 4 letters from you – the last
being dated 3/4 April viaNova Scotian.– Today I had
a few lines via Saxonia from Matthew, dated 5th:
& concluding with “All well;”? & I hope it may so con-
-tinue until we meet again.-
In writing to him today I say that you seeming so
desirous that I should close up the Cotton, & after tak-
=ing a look at the London Exhibition, return home,
& I being of the same mind, I now think I shall
embark from hence on the Cunard steamer of 7th:
June for N. York. – I could readily leave a fortnight
sooner I suppose, or even earlier than that, if there
should seem to be any necessity for it. – I observed
it stated in the London Times of today that altho’
the Exhibition will be open on the 1st: May. it will
be in much confusion for a fortnight afterwards; &
so I would rather not go until until all is in apple=
-pie order. – But indeed, I do not feel that degree of
curiosity to see the present Exhibition that I did
to see its predecessor 11 years ago; & for one reason,
I am now 11 years older.
I sold 41 bales of our Cotton 2 days ago at 14¼
pence, for which Matthew paid 11¾ cents in N. York
in January ’61 – a profit that quite satisfies me,
as I hope it may him also. – There are now 77 left
of that lot, for which I want about 14d:, and 76 of
the great purchase of 1261 bales in April last at
12½ ¢, & now worth I suppose 12½ c 12 5/8c., and
those 203 (including 100 for Mr. Walter G. Miller) that
I bot. at 12d: on 14 Janry. & that may be worth 12 1/8
c 12¼ d: Altogether our present stake is reduced
to 256 bales: - & like you, I shall be glad when
it is all sold. –
You give me too much credit for that April
purchase. It was quite as much the result of
Matthew’s foresight as mine; and it is more
owing to him than to me, that it was held
long enough to yield us so handsome a profit.
It is a great thing at our time of life to make
so large a sum of money, so as to be relieved
from all anxiety as to the wherewithal to live
upon for the rest of our days, seeing that both
Matthew & I have so often felt that anxiety
of late years; tho’ I do not think it is good for
either of us to be in a position to be entirely
without motive to exertion in our business. Still,
as I grow older, I would like to have the cares of
business lighter & lighter – or less of the all-absorb
=ing nature that they have been during the
greater portion of our business career. –
At the present time, I think Matthew is giving
himself more trouble in correspondence, & in
looking after the “main chance,”? than there is any
call for, or than is good for him. But everybody
is the best judge of what is more conducive to
i.e.
his own happiness & welfare - ˄ as compared with the
judgment of his fellow mortals – or at least he
ought to be, if blessed with common sense.
I am glad to hear of the bust of our Father
being executed in marble. –
I cannot say much for my own taste in
having laid out so large s sum as £101 upon
the 2 Hhds of Sherry. –
When I decided to allow William & Fontaine each
40/- per week, I was aware that they could manage
with less; but I preferred to err on the side of
liberality. –
Fontaine came to the office 3 days ago, & told
me that he had a stye in one of his eyes, & so
was giving himself a holiday until Monday next.
He said that any how there would be a general
holiday at the Works from Friday to Sunday in
-clusive. – I saw nothing amiss in the peccant
eye on Thursday. – He says the hours of work
are from 6 till 6, with an intermission of ½
an hour from 8, & of 1 hour from 1 p.m. for
breakfast & dinner. And he carries with him
in the morning a tin-can, supplied by Mrs.
Williams, containing his breakfast & dinner.
I suggested that this was needless, - that he could
have both meals provided for him somewhere
in the neighbourhood of the Works; but he
said that that would be more expensive. Of
course I leave him to his own devices in such
matters. –
When we were all leaving New Brighton, to return
to town two days ago, Magt. Addison commissioned
me to write Wm: & Fontaine to dine with them on
Easter Sunday at 3 p:m:, & if they pleased to cross
over in time to go to church with them at N. Brighton,
at 10 ½ a.m. – I wrote her a note by post on Thursday
eveng. to say that they would come with much plea
=sure to dinner, but would probably go to some other
church. – I believe they are intending to go to Wallasea
church tomorrow, where they had already been when
spending a Saturday evning & Sunday with Mr. Rich
-ard Loundes.-
Whilst Fontaine was with me at the office 2
days ago I recd. your letter of 3/4th: inst. announcing
the parcel that had been left on board the Edin-
=burgh, which reached Queenstown Thursday.
Fontaine undertook to look after it, & I found it
at the office this morning. And as luck would
have it, Mr. Cropper Senr. came in soon after
it, and he kindly took it in charge to deliver
to his wife. – At his request I wrote her name
on the title page – “Mrs. Cropper with Rutson
Maury’s kind regards.”? I am obliged to you for
so satisfactorily & promptly executing this com-
=mission. –
Two days ago, I asked Mr. J. W. Cropper if
5
there were any late tidings of his Aunt Mary.
He said there were, & that she was very well.
This morng. I put the same question to his
father, & he said that there was a letter from her
this moring, giving a very good report of herself.
The Howsons have the Measles in their family, &
in consequence Dr. Howson (who I fancy has never
had them) is absent. He is at Sedgwick. I ob-
=served that Mrs. Howson (& as the Bold’s observed
Maggie Cropper too) was at church yesterday; &
Mr. Cropper today told me that the little Howsons
are going on well. –
In the course of his talk with me this morning
when speaking of American affairs, & the Merimack
he spoke of Fawcett Preston & Co.'s works as well
worth my visiting, to see some enormous
cannons that had recently been cast there &
which he had seen himself; and he said
that if I would ask for Mr. Jacob Willink
who, as I understood him, is a partner in that
concern, he would shew them to me. – I was
glad to learn that a brother of Mr. & Mrs Cropper's
son-in-law, is a partner in that concern, as
it seemed to me it might somehow be turned to
Fontaine’s advantage; & perhaps with this view
I may make the visit that Mr. Cropper suggests.
I was here interrupted by a summons to dinner,
& that meal ended. I now resume my yarn.
I had today a note from Robt. Leech dated
Boulogne16 April – He says in it: - “Your
“nephew Tobin has my best good wishes.
“I don’t see why he should not have all the
“good fortune he expects, if he have only half
“the energy of his excellent old Aunt & Uncles.
“He was always a special favorite with all of
“us in Clinton Place.”? –
Mary Bold has had the lumber room fixed up
so as to answer as a bed-chamber for Master
William Edward during his 10 days Easter
Holidays. therefore I am not under the ne-
-cessity now of sleeping at No. 9 as I did du-
=ruing his x mas vacation. –
The Addisons made much of us; and Lau=
=ra’s stay with them was extended to 5 weeks,
ours being for 15 days only. Their daughter
Emily is better, & better satisfied with Sheffield.
She walked 10 miles the other day; so she must
now have entirely recovered her strength.
Margt. (her mother) has such an extraor=
=dinary taste for fresh air & ventilation, that
I should have enjoyed myself far more if
the weather had not been so cold. We had
little else than East winds all the time.
We dined at 6 p.m. & breakfasted at 8¾
a.m. – I usually took a walk of ½ an hour
to an hour before breakfast, & both going to
town & returning I commonly walked to & from
Seacombe. – On Thursday 10th: after 3 miles
walk before I reached town, it was so fine a
day that I set my mind upon a further long
walk. I left town in the 2 p.m. boat for
Woodside & was on my feet until 6 p.m.
I walked thro’ the Birkenhead Park up to
Bidston light-house, & stood upon the
site of signal pole No. 5 which appertained
to John Gladstone & Maury & Latham. I
did not enquire after the ladies, the
pretty Misses [Murson?] who in my youth-
=ful days had charge of the light-house
& private & telegraphic signals, - but I
thought of them. – I took a close inspec
=tion of the old Manor House at Bid-
=stone, the property of Mr. Vyner, lord of
the manor, but now merely a farm
house. It is coeval with the old church
which was built in 1593, & the body of it
rebuilt in 1838 – the ancient tower of [missing word?]
remaining unchanged. Some 7 or 8 years
ago there was a novel with the title of
Zaidee, published in Blackwood. This
old Bidstone Manor House is the spot
described in the tale, & it was in one
of its rooms that the little girl Zaidee
accidentally found the old parchment
Will, on which fact the story rests.
From Bidstone I took the high road
to Moreton (within 2½ or 3 miles of
Hoylake); & thence after quaffing a glass
of good ale, I walked to Mockbeggar
Light house & along the embankment
fronting it & Leasowe Castle, to the
shore, & along the shore to N. Brighton.
Two days afterwards, I went to Hoy
=lake races, riding thither in a car
=riage with Tom Bold his sons, Mr.
Shand & young Mr. Tobin. - The fine
forenoon was converted into a violent
& very heavy snow storm in the after
=noon. After witnessing 2 races in
the midst of the snow storm, I
got tired of the sport at 4 ¼ p.m.
& then walked back to N. Brighton
accompanied by snow nearly half
the way. I reached N.B. at 7 p.m.
very tired, but none the worse.
Your affectionately
Ruston Maury