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Donald Macfarlane, Canadian Emigrant To Australia [Gold Fields]

1852. Daguerreotype, accompanied by two handwritten letters and one postmarked envelope, letters inscribed and dated in ink, envelope addressed in ink with two wet stamps, one with partially legible postmark “Melbourne Victoria…1853”, the other “L JY 3 A”, 6.7 x 5.3cm (image), 9.3 x 8.2cm (case), approx. 24.7 x 38.7cm (letters). Slight tarnishing to right and lower edges of daguerreotype, some wear to case cover and discolouration to fabric portion of interior padding. Stains, old folds and tears to letters and envelopes. In original case.

The two letters are written by a Donald Macfarlane, who migrated from Elgin, Canada to the goldfields in Forest Creek, Victoria. Both letters are addressed to his father “Mr Parlan Macfarlane, Elgin, County of Beauharnais, Canada East, North America.”

One letter dated “Cabotville, July 25, 1852,” describes Macfarlane’s trip to Springfield, Massachusetts to visit some friends in Cabotville, a factory complex, before he travelled to New York to board a ship to Port Phillip, Victoria. He states that the ship’s accommodation is “very clean and neat” with everything provided except “towels.”

The other letter dated “Forest Creek, December 12, 1852”, which has an accompanying envelope, describes Macfarlane’s rough sea voyage from New York to Melbourne, and then walking about 80 miles with his unnamed travelling companion to the Forest Creek goldfields. They “paid one Pound each for getting…traveling bags and blankets” transported. Macfarlane expresses concern about the cost of living on the goldfields, including the high prices of provisions, such as “flour per 200 lb £6, bacon per lb 2s6d, mutton the quarter 6s, potatoes per lb 6d, tea 2/, sugar /6, tobacco 7/.” He notes that some miners are “getting from one oz to one lb of gold per day.” Macfarlane feels that the journey has not been as profitable as he expected: “I will not advise any person to come here unless there is some better prospect than what I have seen, although we were not at all misled by the news that we heard for there was many a one who made their fortune about 10 months ago. I am not sorry at coming here yet although I do not advise any other to come.”

Full transcript of letters is available on request.

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Item #CL208-3

Price (AUD): $16,500.00  other currencies