January 1852
‘Desperate fight on Board an Emigrant ship.’
‘Father, read on, where, when? Could it be John’s ship?’ asked Malcolm.
‘On Friday great alarm was created in the vicinity of the entrance of the Liverpool docks, in consequence of a most determined fight on board the Australian ship, The Patrick Henry, having on board 200 emigrants bound for various parts of the empire.’
‘That’s John’s ship! Read on, tell us more,’ said Mary.
‘Come Kitty, Hear what your father’s reading. There’s news of John’s ship.’
John’s sisters came in to sit round the fire as their father read the news to them from the Down Recorder.
‘When was he to set sail?’ asked Kitty.
‘Are you sure that’s his ship?’ asked Nellie.
‘Yes, he was due to set sail on Friday,’ said their mother, curling her apron in her hands.
‘It appears that shortly after one o’clock a vast concourse of persons of both sexes assembled on the pier head; being principally the immediate relatives of the emigrants who were about to take their departure to Melbourne and as the vessel was being towed out of the docks by means of men and tackle, a disturbance was seen on board in the fore part,’ his father read on.
‘John’s always getting into bother,’ said his grandmother, ‘ever since he could walk!’
‘Immediately afterwards the passengers ascertained that a riot had taken place between several of the crew and the first mate, who were having a fearful contest with the Australian sailors, some of whom had been drinking, and were not able to perform their duties,’ he read on.
‘What sort of a country is he going to? asked his mother.
Kitty and Mary listened wide-eyed as their father read on. ‘Two of three men were bleeding from wounds on the face, and the mate was at one time striking him with a heavy rope.’
‘What sort of a ship is he sailing on?’ asked his mother.
‘The persons standing on the jetty or pier who witnessed the scene, loudly threatened the mate with violence, but the sailors were sent below and placed under control,’ he read on.
‘John will be grand,’ said his grandmother. ‘He can look after himself.’
‘Great excitement seemed to prevail among the emigrants, but a steam tug had arrived, the Patrick Henry was taken in tow and conveyed down the river on its outward passage’, read his father.
‘Is there more?’ asked his mother.
‘No, that’s all. John will be on his way by now, calling into France and Spain. We’ll not hear any more for a while unless he sends a letter when he calls into port,’ said his father.
‘I’m not sure he’ll be a great one for letter writing, despite all the schooling you’ve given him,’ said his mother.
‘He will be grand,’ said his grandmother. ‘We might hear form some of the others – Andrew Nairn is bound to write to his widowed mother and young Robert will want to tell his father everything.’
‘We will have to wait and see and pray for his safe passage to Australia,’ said his father
September 1852
‘The Australian Gold mines – Every mail brings more wonderful tidings from the gold districts in Australia and a louder appeal for improving machinery, so necessary for crushing quartz rock and extracting the precious metal. Did you see this father?’ asked Malcolm.
‘No. I haven’t seen this week’s paper yet’, his father replied.
‘And still no word form John,’ said his mother.’ Andrew Nairn has written to his mother, and Robert has written to his parents but John can’t write and tell me how he is.’
‘Well we know he is well from their letters. Give him time. He will write,’ said his grandmother.
‘We hear of one company alone possessed of rock valued at £200,000 sterling and lying in a wholly unproductive state form the means of reducing it,’ Malcolm read on.
‘He’s probably working so hard he doesn’t have time to write,’ said his father.
‘It doesn’t have to be a long letter. It’s not as if you didn’t teach him well to read and write. He can write as well as that newspaper reporter if he would put his mind to it,’ said his mother.
‘A new company entitled the London and Melbourne Gold Quartz Crushing Company has just been formed in London to meet this great desideratum’, read Malcolm.
‘What’s that?’ asked Kitty.
‘It’s a need,’ said her father.
‘It proposes the establishment of proper machinery at the various mines and stations of the mining companies, and working in the ore on their behalf, not joining them in any speculation, but charging a certain sum for the work performed. This company boasts among its Directors the well-known geologist, Professor Ansted and Colonel Landron of the Engineers; and the exorbitant royalties now charged for the work it proposes, amounting to 50% on the net produce, afford every prospect of the abundant success to the shareholders’.
‘That’ll help John with his gold prospecting,’ said Kitty.
‘He’ll be worth a fortune in no time,’ said Malcolm. ‘I should have gone with him.’
‘Let’s wait and see how well he does. Let’s hope he is successful. By all accounts its hard work out there, and as my own father used to say, ‘Hard work never was easy’,’ said his father.
‘Let’s hope he is safe and happy,’ said his mother, looking up from her mending.
‘He’s a good lad. He’ll know how to look after himself and stay out of bother,’ said his grandmother.
December 1852
‘No word from young John yet?’ asked the postman delivering the letters to 64 High Street.
‘No, not yet, said his mother. ‘At least we hear from his cousins and we know he arrived safely.
