Long letter from Lieutenant John McCaskill, 97th (or Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot,
to a friend (Mr. Murdoch Robertson) in Edinburgh. The letter is dated 14 May 1833.
Aripo, Ceylon May 14th, 1833
My dear Murdoch,
Tis now I think a period of 7 years since I wrote you, immediately
after my arrival in this island. From you I have not received a line
. I am not inclined to infer to your silence to want of
against every rule of
. I have determined again (to) readdress
you. My sister Jane ever my kind &
. Prudent since I left home in
1817 for Sandhurst. In almost every letter
.. to mention how
.
getting on, - and I feel a
. pleasure in thanking you for the
.
You have paid her & the rest of the family which she never failed to
acknowledge.
not
. how much I feel her loss, the gloom that it
has thrown over my mind and the
. Happiness that it has
appointed generally speaking I should be thankful for the position
I at present occupy in the service. It is now upwards of eight years
service. I left England & I am in the enjoyment of good health perhaps
better than I would have experienced in England. I have got on
well in the regiment having I think 5 or 6
.. on the list.
I suppose in 8 or 9 years in the ordinary course of promotion
purchase I shall be captain.
In August last I got appointed "Field Assist; to the .......... master
general" which makes my pay about upto that of a captain. In this island
we have allowances under the head on "island allowances" very nearly equal
to the King's pay of the respective ranks. I have in starting money about
2350 a year altogether. If I had got this appointment soon after landing
I should probably have been enabled to have purchased a company before
now. It is an excellent job & hon. For a young man of activity and fond
of drawing &c. My
.. does not lie this may I confess at what I should
prefer would be a
. Appointment in the interior. My
. Of late years
have inclined me to this & as the governour has promised to do something
better for me. I may even barely attain my wishes in this respect. I am
at present making a road from the coast to the interior. The duties are
. At the regiment. There is not a white person within miles
of my present position & I have 100 labourers executing my orders - cutting
down forests & opening the line of road. I am sitting just now in a hut made
of leaves half naked with a pleasant breeze whistling through the room.
I have a few books which
.. of course my chief comfort & everyday I get four
or five papers from India or Europe.
Mr. Tindall Esq.
4 Clements Lane
Lombard St.
London
Colombo May 10th, 50
Dear Sir,
We are in receipt of yours of the 25th March and glad to hear the
Morning Star was off. We are much obliged for your communication
respecting the
coffee in 1848. It is an omission on our part
and shall be rectified in our next account.
We are sorry to inform you Mr. Bird has again been very ill. But is
now a little better and gone out to the estate. He had been in Kandy.
Things are progressing satisfactorily at the estate. Our Mr. Smith was
there last week and Mr. F Mackwood goes early next month. If anything
should happen (to) Mr. Bird we consider Mr. Thomas a very respectable
young man, capable of taking charge of it.
Freights shall remain at 4 £. Steam is loading home and will bring
the last of our coffee this season.
The next shipment of candles you send please send all sixes, they are
for the most salable.
We are yours very
truly
Mackwood & Co.