Fonda de Alemeda
Malaga, Wednesday, 14th January 1857
My dearest Mother,
I postponed writing to you yesterday waiting to get your letter which reached us today; No English mail came in yesterday evening I suppose to some storm in the English Channel which delayed the post a day. Your kind letter with Annie’s to dearest Cha’ & the nurse bring us good news of everyone but yourself. We do not like to hear of you having caught cold but hope it will soon leave you. It is so pleasant to hear such good tidings of our two dear children that they have escaped colds so far and are good children not entirely forgetting their absent papa & mama & brother Roddie. Since last writing dearest Cha’ has become a little stronger and is able to walk for a quarter of an hour in the Alemeda after her hour’s drive. She has suffered less from her cough and does not need to lie so long on the sofa as she had to do before, although the improvement as yet is very slight still as the weather has been rather trying it is encouraging; and I feel most thankful to God for it. Roddie is famously although he coughs sometimes from irritation in his throat but this doesn’t prevent his being fat and thriving and enjoying himself with several little mates frequently; he is taken a good deal of notice of which pleases him much; he said today however he would much rather be at Churchfield than here. He wishes me tell Brab & Johnnie that he saw some nice golden fish in a pond and a lady helped him to swim a little boat in it. Cha’ desires me to thank Annie for her kind note and that she would have written a little one to you & Brab if there had been paper. Bonny will often find a fresh egg for Grandmama’s breakfast and that he & Johnnie will take nice care of their Cxmas boxes and have them to show Roddie when he returns. Roddie spent a pleasant evening with the who had the Cxmas tree which cost £30 on Saturday and enjoyed himself. I do not know whether you recalled that I told you of a payment to be made to Mrs. Mary C. Ramsey, Solihull near Birmingham of £50 on the 1st February for one quarter board & tuition & of the Robertsons. When leaving home I thought you would have been able to manage & get an order on London in her favour for that amount and send it to her when you were paying your intended visit to Ballymena. If you do not go in time to get the order I think perhaps the easiest way will be to send over one of my deposit receipts to Mr. Knowles and endorsed in her favour together with the letter I enclose for him; and I will mention in the letter that he will get an order in her favour for £50 and send it to her and send you the balance. I also enclose a letter for Mrs. Thos. Casement which you will kindly post by itself. With regard to money matters I think that I have enough to bring me to Churchfield about the 1st of June should anything occur to make me need any more I will call upon you Dearest Mother without hesitation.I hope when this reaches you that the labourers will be behaving to your satisfaction, whatever they do try not to be too much troubled by it. Annie’s visit with Tom Luscombe will have helped to pass some of the shortest days of the year: But I am quite sure that Braby & Johnnie are a great source of pleasure to you in the long evenings now. We are very sorry to hear that Mr. Miller has been so seriously ill; he is a most good natured & kind hearted man it is a pity he has been so early unfitted for business. Catherine is glad to hear that her father & mother are well; she is quite well and has been at a Ball where the ladies of the Xmas tree played and she and others danced. They did not neglect Cha’ however and came over in time and put her to bed and then returned to her amusement. She dines with several other English servants at half past five and seems quite contented and happy. I was very glad to hear that Tom L. made some use of the dogs and gun and I trust he had some amusement. Say to Walsh I am glad to hear that Fily behaved well ; Dearest Cha’ and Roddie join me in fondest love to you and the dear children Give our kind love to the sisters and brothers when you write and kind remembrance to Mrs McNeill, Miss I. Miller and all enquiring friends.
Believe me, dearest Mother
Your very affect. Son
John Casement.
Malaga, Wednesday, 14th January 1857
My dearest Mother,
I postponed writing to you yesterday waiting to get your letter which reached us today; No English mail came in yesterday evening I suppose to some storm in the English Channel which delayed the post a day. Your kind letter with Annie’s to dearest Cha’ & the nurse bring us good news of everyone but yourself. We do not like to hear of you having caught cold but hope it will soon leave you. It is so pleasant to hear such good tidings of our two dear children that they have escaped colds so far and are good children not entirely forgetting their absent papa & mama & brother Roddie. Since last writing dearest Cha’ has become a little stronger and is able to walk for a quarter of an hour in the Alemeda after her hour’s drive. She has suffered less from her cough and does not need to lie so long on the sofa as she had to do before, although the improvement as yet is very slight still as the weather has been rather trying it is encouraging; and I feel most thankful to God for it. Roddie is famously although he coughs sometimes from irritation in his throat but this doesn’t prevent his being fat and thriving and enjoying himself with several little mates frequently; he is taken a good deal of notice of which pleases him much; he said today however he would much rather be at Churchfield than here. He wishes me tell Brab & Johnnie that he saw some nice golden fish in a pond and a lady helped him to swim a little boat in it. Cha’ desires me to thank Annie for her kind note and that she would have written a little one to you & Brab if there had been paper. Bonny will often find a fresh egg for Grandmama’s breakfast and that he & Johnnie will take nice care of their Cxmas boxes and have them to show Roddie when he returns. Roddie spent a pleasant evening with the who had the Cxmas tree which cost £30 on Saturday and enjoyed himself. I do not know whether you recalled that I told you of a payment to be made to Mrs. Mary C. Ramsey, Solihull near Birmingham of £50 on the 1st February for one quarter board & tuition & of the Robertsons. When leaving home I thought you would have been able to manage & get an order on London in her favour for that amount and send it to her when you were paying your intended visit to Ballymena. If you do not go in time to get the order I think perhaps the easiest way will be to send over one of my deposit receipts to Mr. Knowles and endorsed in her favour together with the letter I enclose for him; and I will mention in the letter that he will get an order in her favour for £50 and send it to her and send you the balance. I also enclose a letter for Mrs. Thos. Casement which you will kindly post by itself. With regard to money matters I think that I have enough to bring me to Churchfield about the 1st of June should anything occur to make me need any more I will call upon you Dearest Mother without hesitation.I hope when this reaches you that the labourers will be behaving to your satisfaction, whatever they do try not to be too much troubled by it. Annie’s visit with Tom Luscombe will have helped to pass some of the shortest days of the year: But I am quite sure that Braby & Johnnie are a great source of pleasure to you in the long evenings now. We are very sorry to hear that Mr. Miller has been so seriously ill; he is a most good natured & kind hearted man it is a pity he has been so early unfitted for business. Catherine is glad to hear that her father & mother are well; she is quite well and has been at a Ball where the ladies of the Xmas tree played and she and others danced. They did not neglect Cha’ however and came over in time and put her to bed and then returned to her amusement. She dines with several other English servants at half past five and seems quite contented and happy. I was very glad to hear that Tom L. made some use of the dogs and gun and I trust he had some amusement. Say to Walsh I am glad to hear that Fily behaved well ; Dearest Cha’ and Roddie join me in fondest love to you and the dear children Give our kind love to the sisters and brothers when you write and kind remembrance to Mrs McNeill, Miss I. Miller and all enquiring friends.
Believe me, dearest Mother
Your very affect. Son
John Casement.