Montreal July 6th 1873
My very dear Isabella,
I cannot tell you how glad
I was to see your dear handwriting once more. I was
longing to hear from you, and felt sure when you were
able you would write. It is sad to think of the many
changes which have taken place during the last year
and here, I so often hear my dear brother remarking on the
death of old friends in Canada. As we grow older this is
always the case and I always feel a certain relief when
I open my letters and find no bad news. I had as lately
written to Bella, that I did not answer yours at once. I
returned here last week after a very pleasant visit to
my nephew & nieces. I was very fortunate in not having
too warm weather in Boharret and I took a great many
long & pleasant walks through the woods there nature
is certainly very lovely wherever one goes there is
always beauty to be seen, the luxuriance of the Fern is
wonderful. I like them doubly because dear Hannah
was so fond of them, William had been in Boharret and I
saw the places loved, and the beauties he admired. I
live much in the past, though I enjoy as I go along
and I think little of the future feeling now that I
can hardly look forward. I saw Andrew Rothwell today
looking comfortably well. Rosa will have heard from him
soon after you wrote, but Sir Francis went at once to
the Gazette office as I feared he might be ill, or have
gone off to some other place, I am glad to say that Sir
F [Francis?] heard a very good account of him true
from Mr Partrite who said he was doing very well, but
that he would tell him his friends had been looking
after him so Andrew told me today that Mr White had
spoken to him, he said he was not aware he had been so
long without writing having commenced a letter to his
mother & laid it aside thinking she would have
changed his home, however I think he will not leave
her so long again without writing.
8th - I wrote so far on Sunday, because the morning
was cool, and I am very glad to say, it has continued
so, mornings & evenings; I do not like the extreme heat,
I think it much worse to bear than the cold, but happily
we have now again some cool days to make the heat
bearable. Rain is wanted a good deal about the country,
and a little would be pleasant in town too. I am glad
that you had such a fine spring and I do hope you will
have fine weather at Portrush. I am glad Eliza & Jane are
so comfortably settled at Portstewart & I do hope Eliza will
have strength for painting. Have you been doing anything
lately at flowers? It will be a trouble having your house
overhauled and painted, but a great comfort when done. My
brothers house is now nearly finished & we are longing to
get into it, but I fear it will be still a few weeks before
we can move. It will be a much cooler house than this. The
flies are most troublesome here there is no keeping them down
without living in darkness and that some of us like. What a
long time the Meeting house has taken to do. I thought
it would have been ready this month. It is very sad that
discussions have again risen in our body, we seem fated
not to be long quiet in Belfast, and it must all be very
trying and annoying to Mr Porter, and I am sure he and all
his people will be thankful to get back to their own house.
I am very glad that A [Andrew?] James is so much stronger
and has grown so much; I always fancied he would take a
spring some day. Mrs Bersford and I are obliged to addict
ourselves a good deal to our sewing machines, as it is next
to impossible to get any one to make for us and
we cannot even get a woman into the house to home to work,
we thought we had one but she changed constantly by the
day, and wasted half her time besides not being a first
rate hand. Lady Hincks & Mrs Beresford are greatly well at
present but Mrs Frank is again laid up with a severe attack
of rheumatism and will I fear have to go off to Shone Springs
but is very sad for him than follow & for three and he is
a most patient sufferer. Little Stewart is thriving a
pace of a darling little fellow; Alice means to nurse him
up if she can till August when the worst of the heat
will be over and children here suffer so much when they
are teething; she has made a most excellent nurse, but looks
thin enough herself, they were to have gone for a visit
to the Keadys today but have to give it up. It seems
strange that Frank got through the winter so well and
should be laid up in the warm weather. I had a few lines
from Sarah Hincks last week, she is about to return to
England expecting to be there on the 15th of this month,
she has now quite made up her mind with her father's consent
to go into one of the Hospitals in London for a year's training
and then she will be fitted to take the situation of nurse
on superintendant in some Hospital. This has long been
her desire, and I only wish she had begun to it sooner on
account of her age, but I fancy she will be found to
know so much that she will hardly require a great training,
she has heard once from Miss Nightingale who recommended
her to go to one of the Hospitals in London rather than
remain in Germany which she had had some idea of and I think she
was very glad to find it was not necessary. I have not
heard from the Richdern very lately, but I wrote to
him just before I left Boharret. I fear Mr Hincks still
suffers a good deal from his eyes and Sarah thought he
might have wished her to go home on that account but he
gave his consent at once to the other place. Sir Francis
is now installed as President of the City Bank here, as
my letters in future may be addressed in this case. I
wonder whether Mr Allen will be likely to meet Mr Moat
who has just gone home. I scarcely know him, but he called
on Lady Hincks before leaving and I found out from
his conversation that he knew the [-------?], and he is I
think an Irishman. I must send as few lines to Isobel
Jennings this week. I suppose they have moved now into
the new house or are in the act. Miss Carpenter of Bristol
has been paying a visit in this country; she was in
Montreal last week and on Sunday last spoke in the
evening in Dr Corofin's Church about the state of the
prisons here, and urged upon the people to make a change,
she sails from Boston the end of this month, and is now
gone to Niagara. I must now close with very much love to you
all, and hoping this will find you enjoying the [-----.?]
Love to the sisters also. Ever your attached friend
Anne Hincks.
