Foxearth & District Local History Society
Suffolk and Essex free press
November 4th 1846.
The following extracts are from a letter just received by the parents of the labouring class who emigrated from the parish of Langham in 1840,it is pleasing to peruse encouraging reports from the writers who so late in 1839 were living in Langham and encoutering all the difficulties in bringing up a young family on scanty return and uncertain employment.This letter has been received at Langham from Hurtevale near Adelaide in Australia.
Dear Father and Mother,
I take this opportunity to write to you,I am
sorry that I don't write oftener.
I have three little girls and
expecting another,
You say the neighbours say we carry bundles on our
backs and dig allotments,no we have 60 acres and let George have 10
acres and 40 acres we rent,we have cropped it all this season,we have a
new dray to carry the corn and 8 bullocks,a very good team,we gave �20
for the dray and from �10 to �16 a pair for the bullocks. Before we had
these we paid 15s an acre for ploughing,we now have a plough and harrows
and plough for other people at 16s an acre,we put 6 bullocks to the
plough and have a boy to drive them with a whip which is about 12ft
long,to the boy we pay 7 pounds a year with food and lodgings,
wheat
sells at 3s 6d to 4s 3d a bushel and still have 100 bushels by us,
We
have no money laid by us as we are always wanting things for the farm,we
have plenty to eat and drink,we fat pigs which we kill when we want
one,we use 30lbs of meat a week but little butter or cheese.
We cannot
go to Mrs Sadler's (the village shop in Langham) for we mostly have 3
months provisions by us. Clothes are very cheap,men's shirts are 2s 6d
each,we hope Mr Wilson will send out more people for many men work in
the copper mines and farmers cannot get the work done.
A rich gold mine
has been found recently in which they are working very rapid.
The season
is the best since we came here,the Lord has given us rain every month to
nourish our crops,we are busy sowing wheat. Isaac is still with us and
remains single,George and family are well but I will leave them to write
themselves,tell Mrs Major we have heard nothing about her son and tell
Mr Plummer we gave the lines found in our letter to his son. John Mills
and family are a very long way from us
Excuse this ill written
letter,kind love to you and all our friends and relations and may the
Lord bless you all.
Dear brothers it would be well if you came to us,you
can yet come,there is no mistake if you work well and be steady,men's
wages are 12s a week with food,flour is �1 a sack,meat is 3 �d a
pound,tea is 2s.
Your affectionate
John and Mary Wright,
please write as
often as you can.
November 17th November 1846. .
Letters to the Editor
----Reference to the expence of
sending the emigration of the family of Mills and Wright from Langham to
Adelaide.
It amounts to �112 3s 2d for 18 persons or �6 4s 7d a head,the
passage is free to adults and to children of a certain age,each family
is supplied with clothing and cooking utensils for the voyage,a small
sum is also remitted to the Colony,each adult receives �5 when landing
to look around for employment,conditional for free passage with
something in his pocket for immediate wants.
The conditions can be
certified from the Immigration Commissioners at Westminster.