I hope this is not considered off-topic. If not, it may be nice to start a thread on this. It is a letter written by my G. Grandfather Archibald McKinlay to his parents in Rothesay just after his arrival in the colony (Australia) on the ship 'Edmond'. It contains quite a few names that may just tie in with others families. Spelling and grammar are the original, the bits in brackets I've added. Melbourne 12th March 1853 Dear Father and Mother We arrived hear on 3rd March after a pleasant passage of 110 days. Was quite well all the passage so was all the rest of the Rothesay folks. I enjoyed the voyage very well. We were all well pleased with the captain & officers. Our ship was out before ships that left two & three weeks before us. The Malabar, which left three weeks before us was five days after us, the ship that Anderson the Drugist [possibly David K] sailed in is not arrived yet so that we are better off as regards the passage. We had the very best of provisions & plenty of them & lots of ammusements to keep our spirits up. Their was two newspapers kept going all the voyage, one is the Punch Hole & the other in a more serious strain. They were well conducted, both written by Scotchmen. The ship was pretty free from disease. Their was ten deaths & four births. Those who died was mostly ill before leaving Liverpool. I wish I had not taken so many cloths with me as they are a great trouble and expense storeing them in this country. They charge one shilling per week for storeage. I like the climate of this country very well. This month is like August at home & the air is very clean and pleasant. The soil is very sandy about the town but farther back its very good. Wages is very good at present, tradesmen of all sorts can easily make from 20/- to 30/- per day. Common laborers can get 14/- per day. 3 pounds per week and board is given for driving a horse and cart. House rents is very high. We are living in an empty house with two rooms for which we pay at a rate of fifty shillings per week. Our party has one half of the house & McLean the upholsterer the other. There is two Rothesay folks staying next door. They have been out some months. Their name is McPherson & Stewart, joiner by trade. They were married previous to leaving home. I have seen a great number of Rothesay folks since landing. John, Robert and Thomas Stewart [cousins] I saw yesterday. They had been at the diggings but did not do much. John & Thomas is got into a situation. Robert intends going to Sydney. James was here about three weeks since but did not see his brothers, they having been at the diggings They came down to town two days before the ship sailed for Sydney but did not know of his being here till I came & told them the ship he was into. They say they had no letter from home since they left. Its very difficult to get letters out of the post office here if they are to be left in the office to be called for. The best way is to address letters to the care of some of the merchants as they can be got at at once. Tell Mrs Mitchell that Alex is here just now and is quite well. He arrived from the diggins yesterday. He tells me he sent home some gold & a letter two months ago. I saw Colin Smith some two or three times since I came here. His wife thought him dead when he left. He has been in this colony for two years, previous to that he was in Calafornia. He says he wrote often & sent home some sixty pounds last July. He has been at the diggins since he came here & would have made money but he spends his money too free. He puts up in Lauries – the mason – house. I met Malcolm Stewarts wife yesterday. She has been up at the diggins along with her husband. She was in town selling their gold and says she would not stay in the town upon any account. She was going to start for the Bendigo diggings today, her husband being up their, they were making money and had bought some ground up at that quarter. You may tell Peter Stewart that they are well. Let Mrs Gilchrist know that I did not see William as he is up at the diggins & is doing pretty well their. Tell Ann Dun..[possibly Duncan]… that John McKinnon is working at his trade making 5 pounds per week, Board and lodgings costs 30/- per week but the way we live costs us about 8/- per week & we live well. Roast mutton or beef with loaf bread every day. Sugar is 4d per pound, tea is 1/3, mutton is from 5d to 6d, the 4lb loaf is ¼. The baker trade pays well here but the shop rents is very high. Vegetables is very dear. 1/6 for a cabbage, 6d for a small turnip & other kinds in proportion. Any person renting a few acres of ground & raising vegetables would make a fortune in a short time. I intend, along with our party to proceed to Bendigo digging next week & will likely be up for three months or so but will write every opportunity from their. If we don’t succeed we will get lots of situations in town or country and good wages we used to hear of at home. As regards the bad order kept is all together untrue as I have not seen any squable since coming here. The Police here is very strict in taking drunk up people on the streets and they are often fined five pounds next day so it is no joke to get out of order. We are not going to take our cart with us but are going to sell it. We expect to get from 45 to 50 pounds & for the harness will get 12 pounds so that we are not to be losers by our speculations. It would be a risk to buy a horse, us being new to the road we would be sure to lose it so we thought it would be better to sell them. Any quantity of people would get as much as they like to do and well paid for it. A steady person is sure to make money here. Tell Mrs McAlpin that Robert left this place for Geelong to enter a boat in conexion with the custom house. He gets 18 pounds a month & a house to live in. I did not see him, he having left the day I landed. Wages for young women is good. They get 80 to 100 pounds a year as housekeeper. I wish I had taken a lot of herrings in firkins as you could easily get 18/- to 20/- each wholesale. They retail them at 4d each. Butter – Irish – I could have got 2/6 per pound. Bricks for building any person could make 300 per cent on them. Any person sending out any of the above would pay them well. Give my best respects to Janet, Isabella & John,[siblings] Jessie and Agnes.[McAlister, cousins] I enjoy very good health thank God & I think the climate is good & will do agree with me. Hope this will reach you in good health. I expected letters from you all on arrival but there is mail since we left but there is one daily expected. If I could, bricks, butter flour –Sept. – herrings & oats or cheap cane bottom chairs consigned to me hear, I would make at least 200 per cent on the invoice price. The invoice coming a month before goods could have them disposed of before their arrival. The purchaser paying all landing charges etc. etc.