1890-1891
South Africa, Tasmania, Australia, New Zealand
April 18th, 1891
Adelaide, South Australia
My Beloved Angee,
I returned here from Western Australia on the morning of the 16th after a very pleasant voyage from Albany and was very thankful to find among my budget of letters sent from Melbourne three from your dear self, dated Feb. 16th, March 5th & 12th bringing as usual in the tender mercy of God good tidings of His preserving care over you all at home for which I do give Him unfeigned thanks in that precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ who makes all the love of God and His manifold mercies so sweet to us. Your good wish and prayer for me that I may be preserved and meet kind friends in my travels is very abundantly realised I assure you. There were some nice Christians on board the steamer with whom I was soon friendly and the Captain "a nice fellow" was very kind. A Wesleyan minister with his wife and three young children and more on the rod were moving from Fremantle to a suburb of Adelaide. His name is Roberts from Penzance and she was called Dunstan from St. Ives, her father a mine captain – I also met a young dandy sort of minister called Dunstan at Perth now among the Congregationalists but also a Cornishman and at the beginning of his career was a Wesleyan minister – I fancy I have heard his name at Wadebridge – I feel very thankful to the Lord for His leading me to visit Western Australia not only for the sake of the gathering there but for the unexpected success in the business. I was much exercised that I felt quite happy in my spirit about going.
The dear brethren here gave me a hearty welcome on my return and three others have been added to their company the oldest brother and his wife in the meeting and their daughter who is the wife of a brother who refuses Ravenism. The old brother and his wife have been among brethren for 50 years and he is even now and she too quite youthful in mind and bright in their souls. I had not seen him before, so that it is not my work and he was not disposed at first to think that leading brethren could have tolerated any bad doctrine so he read Mr Raven's letters and papers for himself and denounced as little short of Unitarianism. He much wished to see me on my return and a brother promised he would endeavour to bring me down to his house, so we went down on the evening of the day I landed and we were soon at home with each other. He farms a large vineyard and had a fine supper of grapes and wine and bread and cheese, and a feast of that love which is better than wine for our souls. There is a little company of 14 now delivered and I was very thankful to find that they were not only clear of an evil thing but that there was purpose and faith to come together on the first day of the week at hand to bread bread and D.V. I expect to be with them. On my way to Melbourne on Monday next (today and Saturday) I purpose halting at Baltaratt for a couple of days in the hope that I may get hold of some business and Mr Whitaker of Melbourne will probably meet me there as he wishes to visit some of the saints there well known to him.
The letter from Bombay was an answer to one from me with a directed envelope for reply giving the rate of exchange for calculating the wages due to Lazarus – he was sharp enough to know that the rate had advanced in his favour at which I was not over pleased seeing that for 4 months it had not cost him a farthing for his living – however as he claimed it of course I had to pay it – i.e. the difference between the 1/5 ½ at which the exchange was when we left India and the various upward fluctuations up to the time of his return to Bombay. I get on capitally in every way and am sure I did the right thing in not bringing him down here – thank God that I have strength to buckle to the work and can pack up or unpack as well as I could 30 years ago – if the weather is hot I get up for the job in the early morning. It is a real thing to be girded for your work whether the Lord's or in connection with our business which is certainly the Lord's too.
I am thankful you have managed my finances so well as now to be able to pay off the last mortgage – it has been a struggle to do it but in sovereign mercy God has graciously granted me a continuance of good health enabling me to work and you my beloved wife have been worthy the name of one, in the real help that you have rendered. It is cheering to hear that Arundel's business is prospering and I do trust that he may soon be able to get it into a profitable concern. Sorry to hear of poor Arthur Shapland's illness – it is very sad and I do hope God may mercifully restore him – poor Mr Shapland must be a heavy burden altogether and I am sorry to hear that he does not attend any of the meetings. Am not sorry to hear of the intended removal of Mrs H. to London.
It was quite a relief to my mind to receive your latest dated letter and to find that you had all been preserved in the terrible storm which so recently swept over the West of England especially. The strain upon your patience will have removed long ere this in having to wait a few weeks before the regular weekly letter series begins again. I was glad to see the dear children's letters you enclosed – dear little Harold's is first rate and Daisy's too, only she is much older and therefore we expect more. The Lord preserve and bless them each and all – it will be a treat to see all their dear faces once more and I am looking forward to the return and do not think it will be many months longer now. Sorry to hear dear Eliza is not feeling very well and hope the warmer weather of Spring may set her up again – give my kind love to her and dear Eunice and I am thankful and appreciate their kind love so constantly sent to me – I will leave this letter here to be picked up by the next mail – one might paradie[sic] Hood's song of the shirt "week in week out" by saying "Mail in mail out".
Once more with much love to you my dearest Angee, dear Arundel and Harry and Emma and all the darling children believe me.
Being very affectionate Husband.