PRG 101 Series 2
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ PRG 101/2/1-50 Letters of Arthur Hardy and family correspondence Transcribed by Barbara Wall, Volunteer at the State Library of South Australia, 2012 PRG 101/2/1 Letter from Edward Hardy (1811-1869) to his younger brother Arthur Hardy (1817-1909). [One folio and one single sheet. On one side of the single sheet is the address] Arthur Hardy Esquire Adelaide South Australia [Written crosswise alongside the address in another hand] Recd Feby 1839 Ansd Feby 1829 [When this letter was written Arthur was at sea on the ‘Platina’ on his way from England to South Australia. He arrived on 9 February 1839. Edward came to Adelaide on 26 August 1839 and departed for England on 23rd December.] [page 1] Peniston1 Paterson N.S.W. 28 Oct 1838 My dear Arthur I received your letter of the 10 June three days ago with the greatest pleasure. I am convinced that there are no friends so good as brothers, when they do suit each other, and it is therefore a very fortunate thing for Alfred & you & myself that we are likely to be more than brothers to each other, that is sincere friends, more especially as it is our fate to be so distant from all other friends – I sympathyse with you in the regret that you must have felt in leaving home under such melancholy circumstances. but when you find yourself in this beautiful climate, I feel no doubt that you will recover your health & spirits. – As to your success I do not feel the slightest doubt of it – perseverance & economy is all that is requisite and I believe you to be possessed of both qualities. – What a melancholy picture you give of the Montgomerys and poor Withecombe. – I am glad to find that all my friends remember me – You give me a gentle reproach for not having written to you, but you should remember this is the first letter I have received from you by post and I made a point of answering none others, But as you say, now we are closer together we must write much oftener Alfred2 is a very bad correspondent, he does not seem to like writing. I have not heard from him for a very long time; and I much wish to hear what he is doing I heard a rumour that he had resigned his appointment as Surveyor – I think that it would have been a much wiser plan if you had come direct to this Colony and made your purchases & taken them with you to South Australia, and I now think it 1 Peniston (now Penistone) was a small town in South Yorkshire near where the Hardy family lived in England. 2 Alfred Hardy (1813-1870) was the brother in between Edward and Arthur. PRG 101/2/1-50 Hardy, Arthur letters transcript Page 1 of 161 _____________________________________________________________________________________ [page 2] would be your most advisable plan to come up here – I believe the passage up is very trifling compared with the advantages of judging for yourself and making your own purchases – While you were here you need not be at much expense. – If Alfred has resigned his situation, why not both of you come up, you would not lose much time by it and I think you would save a great deal in the long run – I confess that I am rather selfish in this wish as I have the strongest desire to see you both once more If you should come immediately you arrive in Sydney write me a letter informing me what day you will leave town, and I will meet you at the Steamer and bring you home, you ought at once to buy a horse (at Jones’ livery Stables) a good saddle & bridle – you will get a good horse for £35 or £50 & be able to sell it when you are leaving with very little loss I shall try to make you both as comfortable as I possibly can, & I can give you much more information than I can in a letter besides introducing you to people who have the means of affording you more information than I can give you I think in every respect it would be better for you to come here to make your purchases, than to trust to an Agent, or to buy at Adelaide – Thank you for your offer of quarters, if I am ever compelled to accept it be sure I would do so in the same spirit in which it is made. – For myself I am struggling my hardest, and I am in hopes that I shall clear myself with my ensuing crop I have written to my Father asking him to purchase my farm & rent it to me & telling him if he should not that it was my intention immediately to return to England – But I am not sure but that should I find I can do no good for myself here, I might try my chance in South [page 3] Australia I do not know how it may be, but I fancy my experience in this Colony would enable me to do well there, however this fancy only crossed my mind since I sat down to write this letter. I quite agree in your opinion respecting William3 & in fact I have long since ceased writing to him.– With respect to the information you require about Tobacco &c &c – I will always answer every question you ask, and shall be very glad if I am able to tell you anything which will be useful to you – but I cannot manage to give it you in the form of a narration – Tobacco – The seed is not sold but given – if you cannot get it there I will send you some. The most profitable sort is the large broad-leafed – the leaf from 2 ft 6 in to 3 ft long & 18 or 21 in: wide – Books will tell you only to leave 8. 9. or 10. leaves on the plant, I leave from 15 to 25 according to the health of the plant & I find it answers – The best quality of land for it, is the rich black alluvial flats on the river banks in nooks not containing more than 15 or 20 acres at the outside & well sheltered – but not overhung by trees it should always be new land, which should be thoroughly worked & cleared until the soil is like that in a garden – The seed should be sowed in beds of the following description choose a piece of rich land on a gentle slope towards the morning sun make your beds any length you please but not more than 3 ft wide they should be thoroughly dug & cleared, until the soil is fine, then sow the seed as you would Cabbage, only being very 3 William Hardy (1809-1840) was Edward’s older brother. He had been a surgeon in the Royal Navy and died in Italy in 1840. PRG 101/2/1-50 Hardy, Arthur letters transcript Page 2 of 161 _____________________________________________________________________________________ particular not to sow too much or to let it fall in patches, the seed being so fine this is a most difficult job, after scattering the seed do not rake or cover in any way, but tread the bed after the manner in which Carrot beds are trod The beds should never be watered [page 4 written crosswise over page 1] unless you are so late with your Crop as to make it a dernier resort – In which case you might cover the beds with fine boughs to keep the sun from them & water them every night until the plants shew, when immediately uncover & cease watering. – These plants however cannot be depended upon. – The beds usually take from 6 weeks to 2 months to come up in the ordinary way, and about a fortnight when forced – The proper time to put in the seed is just as the frosts are over, so that the plants when they come up should not be cut off by the frosts; If the beds all come up fairly it will take about 5 beds to the acre, of the following dimensions 24 feet long by 3 wide. – The best time for planting out is when any one leaf of the plant is the length of your little finger but you may plant them at any size. – Having your land properly worked cleared & sweetened – you should open drills four feet apart from centre to centre by drawing the plough up the furrow & then back again, thus throwing the earth out on either side – & then with a hoe draw the earth in again to a level with the top of the drill at every three feet – this hole being about 9 or 12 inches in diameter, as soon as your plants are ready to put out you should commence whether it is wet weather or not. In dry weather you should have a wide shingle about 6 inches square for each hole – At one o’clock P.M. let your men commence watering by putting a quart of water into each hole & covering it with the shingle thus watering as many holes as you think you will be able to plant, about an hour & a half before sundown draw what plants you require with a small knife so [page 5 written crosswise over page 2] as not to disturb the earth from the plants you leave as should you do so they will probably die. – then plant them one in each hole with a dibber as you would cabbage plants only taking especial care that the roots are quite straight down, cover them as close as you can with the shingle to keep out the sun or hot winds, in two or three days if they do not look fresh you might put a pint of water into each hole without removing the Shingle, The very first continuous rain you have uncover them & leave them open.