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28 Mar 58 Peter Hong Kong Father ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Hong Kong

28 March 1858

My dear Father

I think I said my say in my last letter to you and I hope by this time, or rather by the time you receive this – that you will have already written off to [give] me your advice. It is however a long time to have to look forward to before I can receive an answer but that cannot be helped so I must wait patiently.

We have had miserable do-nothing weather here ever since I have been here – for ever raining & scotch-mistified, and I am very much afraid that as soon as this goes away we shall have hot weather which is equally unpleasant in its way. However I always make a point of going out morning & evening unless raining very heavily and there is nothing like it for health which in this climate must be taken care of.

It will soon however be too hot for walking so I must borrow a horse until I have one of my own. Goddard has left two or three behind him which are for sale so I must try & get a gratuitous moment now & then.

I have been thinking about R & B* & will see how that sort of thing does out here. I should think they would sell well but H.K. is a place which may easily be overstocked. Now is the time if ever, while all the troops & men of war are here.

There was a sale the other day in which I saw some saddles &c. but I don’t know what they fetched. Of course as a matter of business charging the usual commissions &c. &c., also I think some very good specs might be made in the curio line out here, carved ivory work & so on. I mean in a small way such as studs & brooches &c. which here cost comparatively nothing & in England are invaluable but then it wants a great deal of tact & must be done in a retail not a wholesale way.

I think you should try & make friends with some of Matheson’s people in London. Sir Wm. Matheson is the great man and I think there is a Mr Jardine, brother of the Mr J’s here and a Mr Magniae whose son is also here – it may be of use hereafter.

Mr Percival of Shanghai is, I find, a relation of Sir Wm. His name is Alexander which means the chosen or the King of Men & he is well worthy of it. I wrote to thank him & say that you would be happy to see him. Still I think from the position of affairs that you should rather call upon him.

We expect him down here every mail from Shanghai but he never comes. I think he is waiting for Mr Robt. Jardine (No 2) to go up there before he leaves but we are always kept in a state of mystery here. They say he rushes down to every steamer that arrived to see if Mr R.J. is on board & almost faints when he finds he isn’t. Such is the excitement of returning home, even in the breast of Alexander.

I have written a long letter to my Mother altho’ I feared I should scarcely find time for one at all this mail – and I have given her all the news that I can collect together which is pretty considerable for Hong Kong.

Your affect Son

Peter G. Laurie

* R & B – Messrs. Rand & Beckley, Saddlers, 297 Oxford Street

Post Office Directories record the following progression:

1810 Peter Laurie 296 Oxford Street

‘Army and hunting saddlers and harness makers to the Prince of Wales, His Majesty’s Cavalry and East India Company’

1820 Peter and John Laurie 296 Oxford Street

1826 John and Robert Laurie 296 Oxford Street

1855 Laurie, Bedford & Rand 297 Oxford Street

1858 Bedford and Rand 297 Oxford Street

1861 Rand and Beckley 297 Oxford Street