Hong Kong Hotel, Hong Kong, May 13/98.
We arrived on Wednesday night at 6:30 & all passengers got ashore by 7. On enquiry, I found the “Australian” had sailed early same morning & I shall not get away from here till the 20th, a week today, but on enquiring yesterday at China Navigation Office, they said it might be 22nd (see the paper I have sent by the post). I felt somewhat a regret, however, “all things do work together for good”. I shall now have the pleasure of spending a few days with Frank. He is due in 2 or 3 days &, you will see, sails again 21st. Then I shall also meet Capt. Leask, who is due here on Monday. I have enclosed his letter & I wish Mr. Leask to see them, & again I shall be none the worse for a rest ashore, seeing I’ve been on the Rohilla over 3 weeks & I am as comfortable here as it is possible to be, & amongst a few folks whose acquaintance I had made per Frank, & Hong Kong is really a lovely place, & but for detention, I could not anywhere I’ve so far been, have [3:88] been stranded at a better place. Enclosed with the paper, I have sent you Australian & New Zealand sailings (the CP Ry. office[1] is next door here) & I am doubtful now it will mean an extension of time & it may be October early. You will see a steamer leaves Sydney on the 20 June. Well, we can’t be at Sydney before then, however, that is matterless, but the following one leaves 18th July. Now, this would only give me a month in Aus. & N. Zealand, & only a few hours in N. Zealand, or I would have to spend 14 days or so in Australia, take passage on my own account to Wellington, spend 14 days in N. Zealand, & pick the steamer up at Wellington, which leaves Sydney July 18th, Wellington 23rd, in order to get home end of August or early Sept, whereas the next again does not land me in Vancouver till well into September. However, I won’t go so far into the future. 2 or 3 weeks won’t make much difference, only it gets into short days & besides I would like to relieve Willie & Mr. Nawton for their holidays ere the fine days expire. Had I saved [3:89] the Australian, it would just have fitted my time splendidly, & given as much time as I required in the colonies, but then I should not have seen Frank, so there’s compensation. You see, had I as originally intended & gone on straight from here to Japan, it’s just possible I should not have met Frank‘s friends, nor accomplished what I eventually hope to do. The Japan part of my tour has been a failure by force of the circumstances described to you, yet that circumstance produces other results, as we’ve described. So let it be. I will write D.V.[2] next week again so that you get another letter soon, & note what I said about the interval. You won’t get a letter for maybe 2 or 3 weeks after I leave here. We call at Port Darwin &c., you’ll see what the advertisement says, but at none of these places will the ship stop long & she does not go up to Brisbane. Here I may take train for Sydney, which will give me 2 or 3 days more, but I’ll drop that & wait the issue.
I got your Feby 17th letter yesterday [3:90] morning when I went to the Institute. I didn’t expect any. Capt. Leask‘s 2nd letter was there also. The letter referred to had been sent on from Calcutta with papers. I got the papers & told Albion the letter had not arrived. Mr. Walker undertook to forward them, however, I have now told Albi I’ve got it.
Yes, I saw in the papers Mr. Steel was improving. Ah, I doubt, I doubt, poor man. How often I think of him & his wonderful partiality for me. I should like to have him restored but hopeless, I fear. Pleased you had such a happy party. Mary & poor father would enjoy it. Oh, how I do think about father‘s death, yet I have such happy thoughts about him. Isn’t it happiness to know we were circumstanced so as to make his declining years so very cheerful, & how indescribably appreciative both he & mother were. We certainly have much to rejoice about, & they were both far advanced & there we should feel happy they were both taken before all of us. I do feel thankful after every meditation I have on their & our lives. I’m getting brighter now [3:91] & I am glad, as it took a great hold of me, & I could not forget it. God’s will be done.
I am writing Mr. Nesbit to take in my correspondence. Also Sarah, but all the address I have is Simcoe, Ontario. I wish you would also write her. I am going to ask her to write me to Vancouver & tell me the best way to get to Simcoe from either Toronto or Niagara. You can also state this in case mine does not find her. No more letters for me till I get to Sydney – a long while – I like the letters dearly.
Willie said he had taken my journals up to Mr. Adamson to read. I am very pleased, only I am conscious of both very bad grammar & spelling too. Much I could alter, were I to read them over before detatching [sic], but I’ve tired of that. I did so at first, and now I am sorry I did not begin & use pencil to write. So much easier for you all, but I prefer the stencil. So much easier to write with.
[3:92]
The mail leaves tomorrow but I’m going to get all into post this evening, as on mail days you can’t always get near the office window for stamps. The SS Coromandel takes them. The Paramatta, from Colombo, has come in today. I shall call at Institute & see if any letters.
Well, I spent most of yesterday hunting up the information I wanted, then the barber. I had a most uncomfortable crop, especially whiskers. What a relief when I got it off. A bit tailoring & shoe making I had also. It was a very hot day & it began to rain at 6. I was out, got into a rickshaw, & home. Oh, during the forenoon I went down to Mr. Plage & got my baggage, also went to the bank. I was nearly ashore. It rained in torrents through the night & well into the morning. I went out 9:30, took coolie chair up the hill to the gardens. Oh, what a treat, tropics you know, & what most lovely vegetation: every [3:93] description of tree, shrub, plant, & flowers in great profusion. Everything lovely, & buds on trees & shrubs bursting. Others in full bloom, ferns, thousands, & your lillies [sic] countless, & all with flowers: geraniums, carnations, pansies, begonias, convolvulus lovely colours. Oh, what a richness. I continually thought of you. Caine does not half describe it. Fountain playing & in the water are beautiful plants bearing flowers, but the tropical vegetation is beyond description. I sat & enjoyed it, only regretting I had so little knowledge of botany. I haven’t one quarter described it all. I am going again tomorrow. I then had a rickshaw for an hour & just landed at hotel at 1 for lunch.
Mr. Roberts is not away to Australia. He did not get liberty so is just now up at Amoy. He will be here in a day or two & may yet get with me.
In your letter of Feb’y 17 about my clothes, yes, I am all right. Only I have just 3 times the quantity of under clothing I shall need. Only one trouble [3:94] is so much baggage & clothes to look after. No room for anything extra. (“I’ll know better next time.”)
On the back of one of the sheets of Willie‘s letter you will see what I have requested. You’ll understand what it means.
Glad Charlie is so well, bless my Comely & kiss him.
This is a memorable day to me. 25 years this 13th May, I took possession of No. 58 Church St.[3] I read out of my text book several little cheery memos that recalls happy incidents: Berwick such & such a day, Chatton, Willie went to BC School,[4] & such like. All give me something to think & thank about. Oh, how hot it is. I have sweat all the while writing. I left off to have a cup of “Afternoon”, refreshed me, but hot, hot. I circumstance myself very nicely to climate & bears [sic] it well. I’m expecting again to be worried with mosquitos. So far this time none about. I’ve a curtain [3:95] on my bed. No, what I brought away is no use at all.
Now it is nearly 6, so I will close. You will get a big batch by this mail. I hope postage is always right. On ship board, I was never sure – no weights – but I get all weighed when I go to post myself.
You will like the Jap photos, I think. I will use my Kodak here, when sun is bright, but air is damp here, & not good for photographing, especially films, so experienced people say.
Good night to you all & sweetest love. Am very well & trust all you are.
Willie.
Tell Willie to send Mr. Adamson a tin of fruit up from Hong Kong with my compliments. My kindest regards to Mr. Leask & Mr. Adamson.
[1] Canadian Pacific Railway
[2] Deo volente: Latin for “God willing.”
[3] William’s shop in West Hartlepool.
[4] Barnard Castle School, boarding school in Barnard Castle, Northeastern England to the west of West Hartlepool, founded in 1883.