Envelope
No. 4
August 15th
P. O’Reilly Esquire
care of J. C. Haynes Esquire Sooyoos.
My own best beloved
This time I am delighted for I have delayed writing until the evening but that is partly caused by my knowing that Mr. Ellis will give you this letter & that he will be able to tell you all about things in general & politics in particular. He will take the latest papers no doubt & they will tell you more than I can as to the results of the Govr. visit to Cariboo. He is expected to return her on Saturday, but the wires are down between Westminster & here so we shall not know until he comes. It is a week since I finished my last to you dearie and I must not take a moment in telling you both I have passed
the days that have inter _______________________________ since then very long & weary
day. They seem to me & yet not half the time of your absence has passed. On Thursday I drove Mrs. S to Esquimalt she went on board the Malacca. On Friday Mama & I went to see Mrs. Young, you will be very sorry to hear that we found her looking very ill. Tommy lunched here & he went with us to the door but would not go in. Mr. Mannsell drove us in the waggonette as Mrs. S, Julia, Miss Needham & Mrs. Pearse had the pony carriage to drive to the beach. Julia having taken a fancy into her head to learn the art of swimming from Miss. Needham. Mama was spending the day at Mrs. Alstons so we called for her to drive with us & Mary & the sweetie went with us. On Saturday they went again to bath drove & Mr. Mannsell & Lord Francis Cecil who had been lunching here walked
to the beach & Mr. M. drove his lordship (a Middy)(*6) into town. I witnessed the bathing performance I assure you it was most amusing Julia get up was very droll. I thought of dear John & the breeches. This occasion she wore knickers bockers made of scarlet flannel. Both the Needham girls swim well. Julia visit here terminated on Saturday. Mrs. Crease came from Westminster they both went to stay at the Pearses on Sunday morning we went to Church in the little carriage. There was a telegram from the Govr. to say that he was on his way down. In the afternoon Tommy came up & after chatting with Mrs. S for some time on the rocks, he went over with me to see Mama at the this Stahlschmidts. I had Franky to take care of as Mary went out for the first time since we came down. We walked down to Mrs. Alston & had tea there.
Tommy will tell you how cantankerous the Fuddle was but yet he will not say he thinks him a naughty boy which is very kind & good of him. I am glad that he got his money all right without delay or loss. I hope you will induce him to return with you when you come or make him promise to come soon. I have not seen half so much of him as I could have wished but he has been most kind to me & Mama & I like him if possible more than ever. He has told me all about dear John’s dreadful adventure in the river & it does seem a miracle that he escaped. How good of God to watch over my dear ones. Every day I pray for his favor & protection for you both & I trust in His Mercy that He will Grant us a happy reunion before long. On Monday morning I drove Mama down to the Woods to spend the day there, & Mama
and Francis went with us. Mrs. Wood wanted me to stay the day but I could not as I had engaged to go up the arm with Mrs. S in Capt. Oldfield boat. We had an early dinner, drove in to town & embarked at the Ferry. It was very hot & I cannot say that I enjoyed it except that it was lovely coming back. I was so tired I was obliged to go to bed right after tea. We always dine early now which agrees better with me. On Tuesday I went to lunch with Mrs. Pearse, Mama also & after lunch we all drove down to Esquimalt. I went to see Mrs. Foster & they
all went on board the “Zealous”. I found
Mrs. F in a sad state of discomfort & children & no servant except a China boy. She is looking very thin & ill & seemed quite low spirited. I am very sorry for her. The Colonial was very friendly but all the poor children seem poverty struck. Yesterday, I was obliged to send the carriage to be repaired as some I screws were broken in the front part. It has been a good deal knocked about since I saw it. Lester says it was done after you left & that Mr. Birch & Stapleton had it. One of the splash irons is much disfigured it has annoyed me a good deal because if I have anything I like to take care of it here & I shall be very sorry & unwilling to leave it here to be used by any and everybody. I have not yet seen Mrs. Woods. Tommy dined here last evening he also spent the day there. On Monday Mama said he is devoted to Miss Nelly.
Mr. Jackson looking very blue. I think Tommy is looking very well but he has a return of the cold & asthma I have given him a bottle of cough mixture which I hope he will not neglect to take. I have ventured to tell him about the boxes at Fairfield & he is going to pack & remove them. He says he found all his things right at Mr. Caves. He was here yesterday & to-day he lunched here also Mrs. Crease, Julia & Mrs. Pearse. The mail came in this morning but of course we can get no letters until the boys have been to Westminster. Mrs. Crease & Julia
talk of going up in the morning but there is a difficulty about the steamers, the “Enterprise” is laid up & the “Alexandra” has come to grief. I think the change has done
daring Fuddle a deal of good tho he has a little cough & for myself I am very well tho I have been put out by not having a nice toilette. You will say this is my own fault & so it is & I am really going to send to Dulaghuis by this mail & now my own darling husband I will say good night. No words can tell how I long to have you with me once more. I hope I may soon hear from you again, your note was very short one, you must not neglect to write to me something
your ever devoted wife.
Carry O’Reilly
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6 “A Middy” probably refers to a Navy Midshipman.
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This collection of letters has been digitized from an earlier transcription project and is for informational purposes only. This transcription has not been verified against the originals. Researchers interested in these letters should consult the original documents housed at the BC Archives.