The James Cumine Parkinson Letters

Letter 215


Iron Pot Lighthouse,
South Arm, Hobartown
July 6th 75
My dear Mother,

Received your always welcome letter and note from Frances enclosing present for Chris with three weekly newspapers and one Down Recorder. I have sent Chris and youngsters up to town as that is the safest place altho it will be extra expense but perhaps not in the long run and shall forward her your present. I am sorry to hear that George has been ill and hope that before this reaches you that he will be quite recovered and that in future that he will try and take every care of himself. This climate though changeable must be mild to what yours is and I have not had a sore throat since I have been here and you know that I used to be subject to it at home. We get milk and vegetables from the main land or "South Arm" as it is called. There would not be sufficient food for a goat here and we can live better and cheaper here than in town. The winter season is very mild more like your spring only occasionally a little disagreeable weather. I sent you two views of this place and hope you have received them. There is not much fear of the youngsters falling as they soon got used to the places. If spared we shall be soon able to save a little, as there is no appearance to keep up and light fires and house rent saved and then we cannot be looking into the shop windows and admiring this that and the other but what we need we get of a lump. I am quite proficient at baking as we have a good oven and bake all our own bread and make our own yeast and I can tell you that is a great saving besides being pure, and it is not every poor man that can have a bag or two of flour or sugar, so many pound of tea et cetera in his house all payed for well. Thank God for his undeserved mercies to me and enable me to use them right. Chris tells me that Mr Babington was kind enough to say that he wishes that his house was larger so that she might stay with him while in town but she intends to rent a little cottage and her mother will stay with her and Annie and Willie will go to school. I have read in the "Christian" an account of the revival, and the people in town have got the hymns and are holding revival meetings. Give my love to sisters and brothers and E Miss L and Joe "I often think of Uncle E and think will write to him some of these times

and believe me ever your affect son

J.C. Parkinson