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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