Rockhampton Queensland
Brigg Prairie
April 13th 1863
Dear Mother,

If I go on going to every strange place every voyage I shall very soon be all over the Colony. We were three weeks on our passage here from H.town in fine weather all the time.

This place is very hot, the town is 35 miles up the river and is very full of mosquitoes, snakes and alligators. I would not like to live here. The poor emigrants do suffer when they land here as there is very little work for them and in the summer people fall down dead from the heat of the sun. A white man has come in who has been 17 years among the natives and had forgotten his own language. The only sentence he remembered was I am a white man do not shoot me. He had been cast away in a vessel in Torres Straits and was the only survivor. I have not seen any opening on shore yet but am more comfortable than a great many on shore. A good many are glad to come and get a feed from us. We hope to go from here to Sydney and from there to Newcastle and H.town. I hope at last I am getting into the Way again altho I cannot rejoice in God as once. Yet I believe that he has said to me as he said to the adulteress. Neither do I condemn thee go in peace. I have had so many proofs of His long suffering that it is sinful to doubt that he will heal even the Backslider. I have gained ten pounds in weight since I left Lpool so you can account for that. Give my love to Miss L Mr S? Sisters and Brothers, and believe me,

Your affect son,

James C. Parkinson

P.S. A man the name of George Seed of Strangford piloted us up the river.