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24 Feb 59 Peter Hong Kong Mother ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hong Kong, 24 Feb ’59
My dear Mother
I find I omitted to enclose the portrait of Sir John Bowring as he appeared after his defeat on the Bowring Praya affair – which I alluded to in my last letter & so now send it.
We are as usual very busy so that I am afraid I shan’t be able to write much of a letter this time & to tell you all about the races as I intended.
We won everything this year & if I can, next time I will give you a lengthy description of the whole.
We are all dreadful gambling betting people here, from the two Jardines downwards & as we are expected to back their stable & this year their stable won nearly everything, of course we have won too.
I have pocketed £20, I am happy to say, but that is nothing. One of my confrères has cleared £250.
I daresay you will think me growing a dreadful character but the fact is when people are in Turkey, they must do as the Turkeys do.
How is it that I have never heard anything more about my Journal which I sent home. I have been expecting for at least six months to receive a printed copy but the subject, altho’ my Father promised to attend seriously to it, appears to have been entirely forgotten.
I also asked you to find my old Crimean Journal & send it out to me. I took great trouble about both of these but have been very poorly rewarded.
A kiss to little Helen from
Your affect son
Peter Laurie