The envelope bears the postmark for London dated 18 August 1866.
| To: | Miss Calkin 39 Stafford Street Longton Staffordshire |
| From: | Ellis V. Calkin Port Elizabeth Cape of Good Hope South Africa |
Dated: Sunday 10th June 1866
My very dear Aunt,
One of my greatest pleasures since I have been in the Colony I have experienced this morning in
perusing the last two letters you wrote to me when in London, and I sit down for the first time at so great a distance to write to you.
I arrived here on the evening of the 26th of May after a longer voyage than expected by 10 or 15 days.
We had a very pleasant voyage a fine one only 3 days rough weather and that was in the bay of Biscay.
You will see I have now been here a fortnight,
I am 8,000 miles from England, the mails leave here for England about the 7th of each Month and England for here on the 9th of each month,
so a letter posted by you on the 8th comes out by the mail on the 9th and gets here about six weeks after.
Tis now Winter here. Next month is our coldest month & it is as warm here now as in the Summer in England, so the summer here will be very hot.
This town is built close to a large Bay, a beautiful Bay, jutting out from the sea 9 miles and about 12 miles wide, the town is on a hill.
As I sit writing I can see so far as my eye can carry, Hills, Mountains & Sea.
We have no smoke here, we have a beautiful clear atmosphere, the sun shines nearly every day in the year & we have very little rain.
The colony suffers often for want of rain more than anything, sometimes 12 months and not one hours rain.
We have no Railways, the towns are from 100 to 700 miles apart and the travelling is chiefly done by wagons drawn by 16 Bullocks.
They travel about 2 miles per hour. There are very few horses, and they are small.
I am 450 miles from Cape Town and 90 miles from Graham’s Town.
I must tell you this, my Governors are two brothers, one went to England the beginning of the year.
He engaged me in London and in coming here we (the steamer) stays 3 days at Cape Town and the letters are sent on from there in a cart overland, getting here 3 days before us in the steamer.
When we arrive here in the Bay we fire 2 cannons announcing our arrival.
We cast anchor about a ½ mile from the shore and come ashore in a little boat.
Nearing the shore (it was dark) I heard someone call out “Is Mr Calkin in the boat?” I said “Yes, I am.”
Up some steps and Mr Tilbrook had come to meet me with the carriage, so we drove down to his house about a mile,
had tea and a chat about how his brother was and business and so on.
He introduced me to his wife. I like him and her very well, they are both English.
I spent the next day, Sunday, with them and went to business next day, Monday.
We do not live in the house, here we provide ourselves with lodgings and board which is expensive.
I am paying £6.10.0d a month for Board and Bedroom besides washing (15/- month).
Every thing is dear in proportion except a few things that are produced in the Colony, such as Cape Wines and Brandy 1/- a bottle, Oranges etc.
Everything that comes from England of course is dear on a/c of the distance.
The Colony does not produce the Comforts that England does.
Though the climate is far preferable, there is no smoke, for it is very few houses in which we find a fire grate.
They do not want them for warmth, and they do all the cooking over a little fire made of wood at one end of a back kitchen.
They don’t look for fireside comforts. People here often go 12 months without seeing a fire, there’s mo such thing a cold weather here.
We have 5 shops in the Colony, two in this Town and 3 away, the Governor manages one of these here and I the other. I must tell you I have a good situation.
You know I have had I consider a roughish patch the last 5 years, but I hope now that I shall begin to find a smoother one.
I have come a long way for it and worked hard. I am continuing to work hard for coming into a new situation is like beginning life afresh.
Whatever hard work a man has gone through to prove his worth to his employer, when he learns he has it all to do over again, and
having come the long way from everyone near and dear to me, I am doubly anxious to get on in business.
The Governors are very business-like men and I have little doubt that in a few years I shall find some benefit resulting from my present undertaking.
In the Colony a man is thought much more of than in England, and if he keeps himself respectable he gets introduced to good and highly respectable families.
The first 4 or 5 days I was here I was anything but happy at finding everything so unlike what I had been accustomed to.
But now I am getting much more reconciled and at home with everything.
You know I worked hard in London to get the position in St. Paul’s Ch. (?) I had which was a very good one.
I was a buyer and had been some time when I left and my situation was worth £130 a year to me, but I attribute my success there to
perseverance cause by an occurrence that took place the first year I was in London, or at least in August 1864.
I became engaged to a young lady who lived in London.
She was a girl I admired very much for her good qualities, amiability and care, and I determined that as soon as I could see my way clear I would be married.
This caused me to push forward and has caused me to leave England for here and try to do better.
I signed the agreement to come without saying anything to her or her family, and as my time was so short before I sailed, I found it necessary to mention it to her that same evening.
I told her it was for her benefit as much as mine, that I was going, and that I should send for her to come out to me as soon as I could, providing ….. well for me to do so.
I found her family, sisters especially, began to make a great trouble of her even thinking of coming so far away from them to me, and that I saw would try all they could to persuade her not to come.
But, as she was anxious to follow me, I made up my mind to get married before coming away, and did so three days before I sailed, knowing that they would consider I had a right to her as my Wife.
So you see Aunt, I am a married man at last, though have not got a wife to live with.
I am in hopes of sending for her in 12 months time.
2 days before I left London I had a letter from Bernard in which he said they were both very well and very happy.
July 8th 1866
I am just sealing up for the mail so I hope it will find you as well as it leaves me.
Be sure and write to me soon after receiving this.
I would send you some money to defray the expenses but cannot just now as the funds are low.
It has cost me so much to come out, tis now more than 3 months since I rec’d any money, and it has cost me 73 pounds to come, so til I get on a bit I shall be poor.
I must conclude with best love. Believe me my dear Aunt to Remain your affectionate nephew -
Ellis V Calkin.
The heading of the letter will find me.