2-303 (Original)

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<source><g=f><o=b><age=68><status=3><abode=53><p=nsw><r=prw><tt=pc><2-303>
Pencilville New Town, Near Sydney, 21st. June 1845
My dear Cousin
It is so long since I have heard from you and which I intirely blame myself for as of late I have become a very bad correspondent not only with you but with every one/ for with my breavements and embarrasments I almost gave up every enjoyment and social comfort till when I came to reflect I thought it wicked and sinful to dispair / it is the Lords will and it is right we should be punished or we should not know ourselves, /[127] you may remember in my last I told you of my making myself responsible for a certain persons bills to a very large amount/ will you believe it I have never had the slightest help towards returning them altho promised and I am sure might have been dupe [?] , but while they know my property is the fountains I am obliged to pay to the last pound to meet them & as the Bank are very kind in giving me time I shall best enabled to get through it in two or 3 years to save my property for my children/ and which I am obliged to exercise the greatest prudence and ecconomy still in my old age and so many years of perseverance and industry it is hard to be deprived of the many comforts I have been acccustomed too/ but that I do not think so much of as the unprincipled feeling towards me in the matter/ so long as I can be punctual in my payments and do what is right in the sight of the Lord I am willing to give up all enjoyment in this world trusting in the mercifull goodness of an all seeing God / I am afraid I shall tire you with my complaints but my dear Cousin I know you are nearly all I have to simphathise with me and I have ever since I knew you considered you more as a Br. than a Cousin / I open my mind to you more than any one else since the Melancholly death of all my sons - my son in law Mr Atkinson is living at Van Deimans Land or he would be of great assistance to me as far as advice etc: he is an exellent man a good husband good Father and a sincere friend and if we may judge by all accounts we hear [?] the Character of a honest and just man / he is a Magistrate at Launceston / dont you think that I ought to be proud of all my family turning out so respectable all my sons and son in laws with the exception of Mr Thomson were Magistrates. 
Mrs Atkinson and family 7 in number are coming up in a few days to pay me a visit several of them being in ill health which I hope the change may do them good/ Mr Atkinson will come up himself in a few months to take them back and me also as he says/ but I am now so taken up with my residence that I told you I had purchased I do not like to move and notwithstanding my dear purchase as I told you befor I consider it was the best I ever made as it has quite renovated my health/ and I am now in the enjoyment of as good health as ever I was, excepting my age and it is to the salubrous air that I account it to,/ it is a beautiful spot we have a pleasent view of the Botany Bay Heads and the sea and I am making a great improvement on it / there is 21 acres of all pretty good land I have an exellent garden on it which I re-made myself / it was all bush and trees when I purchased it with the exception of a small patch round about the House / I now also Fenced it all in with a close pailing; Since I have laid out a great deal of money on it since I bought it/ I also intend to Build a nice Cottage on it (as soon as I can recover myself a little) for Mrs Thomson and her family were she will be free from House rent a good garden and many advantages /[128] poor girl she is now living in Launceston, were her Farm is but it being let before she arrived there she was obliged to rent a Cottage and it is so expensive voyaging backwards and forwards / she must stay their till I get her House to live in here / do you hear of any of the young if they are inclined to assist her it is a hard task for her with 8 Children only one able to do anything that is her son James a very good youth he is and I think clever / he is in the Bank of Australasia at Launceston and I think his salary is £180 per annum/ but they are kept very close to it almost to the [?] of their health indeed young John Atkinson was obliged to leave on account of his bad health being impaired by too close attention,/ he was in the Branch Union Bank I think he got £100 per annum / forgot to tell you that Mrs Atkinson would have been with me before but she lost one of her litle girls / she died very suddenly and a great favourite she was with them/ she was called Celia Alice after my lamented dear girl/ they both took it very bad indeed / you see in so short a time so many deaths in one family ought to learn us to prepare for the one thing needful/ Mrs Innes is expecting to have an addition to her family next month will make seven / she has now 3 boys and 3 girls and I am glad to say she is looking as well and young as her eldest Daughter which is 15 years of age/ they are all very fine Children her Eldest Bessey is two inches taller than her mama and she is that much taller than poor Celia was/ they desire to be kindly remembered to you I think I have given you an acct of the most part of my female branch / I must now tell you that I had the pleasure of my two Grandsons and their wives they both coming by the way of Sydney I had not seen them since they were boys before they as you know are two very fine young men/ Thomas was ordained some time back at V. Deimans Land / he his mother and wife was up with us lately he preached in the parish Church of St Peters were I go / when I heard him my feelings was so overcome that I cannot discribe to you/ he made a very short visit on acct of his affairs requiring him / 
I believe he would sooner reside here than in V.D.Land for that place is getting into an awful state through the great influx of Convicts being sent their/ I must revert to your own family in the first place may I ask if you have Changed your situation - I began to think so through not hearing from you and let me know how poor John gets on/ their is no person on this earth has a more sincere regard for his welfare than I have altho he has not written me / I do not think it is but of any ill feeling to me but want of thought/ give him and Mrs H. my most grateful thanks and remembrance for their attentions to me & my family when in Manchester/ I shall never forget the [?] hour of my life /[129] also to William and his amiable wife make my kind regards to them not forgetting Alice and her spouse & her son,/ I recd 3 Blackburn papers the other day which I thank you for they afford me a great deal of Gratification to hear anything of my own Town, I sent you one Sydney Herald with the [?] of the Bank of Australia & Australasia & thought it would be Interesting to you / have you heard anything of Mr Cobal [?] lately you may thank him for me for the two [?] he so kindly sent me by Mrs Thomson/ but it must have been quite a mistake on his part he could not have known me. I must now Conclude with my most affectionate regards from your ever Cousin 
M. Reibey
Mrs Foster is still living with me and is something better tempered than usual
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