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THE STORY OF AN IMMIGRANT OF 1847
A letter to the Editor of The Adelaide Observer 27 October, 1877.
Sir - I was born on 29 March, 1829, at Whitchurch, Bucks., and sent as soon as I was old enough to a dame's school, whence, at thirteen years old, I went out to drive a donkey and cart for a man at 2s per week. Two years later I served some masons at 3s per week; but being laid up with illness I had to leave. When I got well again I was sent to work in a brickyard for 3s per week - the farm men only getting 9s per week and no food at that time (1845) in our part of the country. In the latter part of 1846 a young man offered to go to Australia if I would accompany him; but, though we wanted to hear something about the colony, we could not get any information and so did not at that lime leave.
Having nothing to do, however, I was determine to leave England, and soon after went by myself and got an emigration paper at Aylesbury, got it signed by two farmers, the doctor, and the parson, and then sent it back. After waiting a little while I heard that a ship was leaving for Australia with room for a few young men in it. I left home in the afternoon of the same day, came up to London the same evening, went to Deptford, and got on board the barque Theresa the next morning. Two days after we sailed from Deptford for Plymouth, where we lay a week for some more emigrants to come on board. At last, on 19 January, 1847, we set sail with 247 emigrants on board, and arrived in Adelaide on 3 May, 1847.
Soon after landing I was engaged to drive bullocks for a man at 7s per week and board. I stopped with him for about eight months but as he would not or could not pay me half my wages I thought if was time to shift, and accepted an engagement at a public house to help brew and malt for 11s per week. At this period in the history of the colony money was so scarce that though you might earn it you had a job to get it, and finding my new master also a bad payer I left him and took to reaping wheat with a sickle. Then I went in for brickmaking, limeburning, and wellsinking, till, making but little money at these trades, I went to the diggings. I got a little money there, and determined not to waste it I got a section and turned farmer.
The season (1854) unfortunately was a dry one, and from 26 acres of ground I only got 86 bushels of wheat. Having got married, and having a large family, in time we found our place too small for us, so we sold it and shifted North. I then took up 640 acres of land on Gulnare Plain, and buying two farmers out we got between 1,300 and 1,400 acres. Immigrants coming here nowadays expect too much at first, for it is not likely a master will give as much wages to a new chum, whose capabilities he does not know, as to a man whom he knows to be a good and able worker. My advice to immigrants is to get employment as soon as they can at any wages, and if they are worth anything they will soon be able to command their proper price. What we want out here are not town loafers but agricultural labourers, and if we want good men we must sent into the agricultural districts of England to fetch them. To my mind the regulation forbidding a man with more than three children to have a free passage is absurd. The more the better. I generally find young men brought up in the colony better for farm labour than new chums.
I am, Sir, &c. AN IMMIGRANT OF 1847.
Is there any possibility that someone recognises this man who says he was born at Whitchurch on 29 March, 1829? From the tone of the letter, he has some education unless the Editor of the newspaper has done a lot of editing and correction. Perish the thought!
Passenger list Theresa by Di Cummins
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