No 4 Letter

Balla Rat Gold Diggings

June 12th 1853

(Note: Balla Rat – Ballarat, Victoria, Australia)

My dear Father, Mother, Brothers & Sister

I have the pleasure once more to write you a few lines, hoping that they meet you once more in good health as I am. Thank God for his kindess, my health is better now (than) since I came here. The weather is cold now and twice as much rain as at home. We had some days of frost last week and the night was awfully cold. The bed-clothes were quite (wet) in the morning. (Rain) came through the tent but it is very healthy weather. I have not had much luck since I wrote to you before but I don’t know what day I will get it. Somebody is doing well every week. Everything is getting very high now. The roads are getting bad this wet weather. I began this letter last Sunday and I went to Ballarat which is three miles from here. Morton and Seth Evans are in town (Melbourne). Seth wrote a letter up to Ballarat to Wm. Jones, Waterloo and he said in the letter that my brother John is dead which surprises me very much, but that is all I heard. I hope it is not true. (Note: John Jones probably went to live in the Isle of Man and was alive at the time of the 1861 Census, being listed under Marown – Eyreton and described as an agricultural labourer aged 50, living with his wife and 4 children). There are a great many Welshmen about here then. Son of Ty canol – I went to him on Sunday when Waterloo told the son of Ysgubor fawr that there is a cousin of Cornelius, Rhos wen here. Please tell him that Henry Jones his cousin is quite well and doing well. I have not seen any of the Llanerchymedd boys yet. We paid this day 35s/0d for one bushel of oats for the mare, 4s/0d lb. butter, 1s/0d 1 lb. salt. You shall see Mr. Owens’ letter. I am not going to write a long letter to you. I hope that I shall be ready to start home next Christmas with near a thousand pounds, perhaps more or perhaps less. (Note: William Jones did not leave Melbourne for home until 4 June 1855). It is very uncertain here but everybody will be able to make good wages if he will work.

I must conclude in the hope that you are all well and happy.

This from your son Wm. Jones

If I had 100 pairs of shoes from Llanerchymedd I would clear £150 profit. I must pay tomorrow £7 for one paif of boots, £2:10 for a pair of shoes and poor ones too. These boots are higher than my knees for working in wet places, worth 25s/0d here

Wm. Jones

Mr. David Jones

Glybcoed

(Note: William Jones’ brother David was baptized on 11 Nov. 1821 at Llangristiolus church and died on 8 Dec. 1887 aged 66. He was buried at Sardis chapel, Dulas, Anglesey.)