27 Sep 59 Peter Hong Kong Mother 5, Hyde Park Place West
Hong Kong – 27 Sept. 1859
My dear Mother
I am so busy now that it is only by positive stratagem that I am able to find time to write to you each mail. I never like missing one but sometimes lately I have put it off till too late & have found myself unable to write. There is very little doing. We are waiting in suspense to hear what is to be done & whether the dignity of Old England is to be upheld among the Celestials. The most astonishing thing is that notwithstanding what occurred, we in the South & even the settlement at Shanghai are at perfect peace & undisturbed by any hostile demonstrations. We go on, even holding Canton, which is perfectly quiet, just as if nothing had happened. The Chinese are very anxious to know what we are going to do, but of course we don’t know ourselves. The American Embassy in Pekin has of course opened our eyes as to the unmistakable bad faith of the Chinese.
Poor Teddy writes to me that he has sustained a sad loss. Poor fellow. He seemed always to be so fond of his wife that I feel very much for him. I put a notice of it in the paper here, which you will see, for she was an old China resident & has a sister at Amoy* who by all accounts is rather peculiar. He talks of volunteering for China again & I hope he will.
I should like to see an old face again. It is so long now since I have seen any one with whom I have the slightest sympathy except of the present. I am sorry to say too that the kind feeling which has been shown me by those who are living in luxury at home – to me who am living all alone, a perfect hermit away from all friends & sympathy – the only society which surrounds me being a series of squabbles & scandal & which I therefore decline mixing myself up with. The kind good feeling which has been manifested by certain parties from whom I could least have expected it is hardly calculated to make me happy, contented & comfortable in my present isolated position & to inspire me with ardour.
I think you make John out worse than he is. He appears to me to be restless & unhappy at having nothing to do. If he only had a n to run through the body up to the hilt like Julius, he would be all right; but not having it he is uncomfortable. Like my Father, he has an active mind & an active body & cannot bear to be in a state of inaction. As long as he is physically employed he is mentally employed, but I think his mind is far more active than his body & I think it is far too active for his present position.
He ought to be Governor of Van Diemen’s Land* or something of that sort. Something to look after; something to take up his time; something to think about. It is like the rifle instructing. There he is in his glory.
I shouldn’t mind a good appointment in the Diplomatic service myself. I think I am cut out for it & should rise. Attaché or something of that sort to begin with. Julius will do very well for a soldier. Only unless there are lots of ns to run after & to run thro’ with Sir Peter’s true & trusty sword, I’m afraid he’ll get very fat. I think if I killed a n I should have it inscribed on the blade. It wouldn’t do, like Robinson Crusoe & the flagstaff to cut a notch in it for each one.
Please remember me, when you see them, to all my old friends, who appear now to be increasing the population to such an extent. It will be quite a different matter to take the Census now. I only know them by their old names. Their new names come upon me like Legion. I wish you would draw up a sort of statement something in this style.
Mrs Pulley – formerly Honor Jeffery &c. &c. &c. & so forth. Mrs P being the only one almost I know without reference to piles of old letters. Will you also give me a list of the birthdays.
And I must go & take my bath & dress for breakfast. Give little Helen a kiss for me. I wrote a long letter to her by last mail which I hope she received, & with all sorts of things to everybody.
Believe me ever
Your affect. Son
Peter G. Laurie
P.S. I wish you would suggest to whoever stamps the letters to stamp them properly. They generally arrive here something in the Punchinello* style, with stamps like butterflies flying about in all directions –
* Amoy – Chinese port in the East China Sea about one third of the distance from Hong Kong to Shanghai
* Van Diemen’s Land – The island now known as Tasmania, but initially named in 1642 (after Anthony van Diemen, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies) by the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, whose voyage he had sponsored. It was renamed Tasmania in 1856
* Punchinello – Clown from Italian puppet shows, the origin of Punch (& Judy)