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8 Jan 60 Julius Fyzabad Mother ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Fyzabad. 8 Jan. 60 –
My dear Mother
I suspect it must be nearly time for me to be writing home again, so I will attempt it now.
Since my last, I have really got into my house, and although it is not dry, and the doors & windows are not yet put up, still I like it better than the places I have been accustomed to live in, in India. It is now the cold weather & although the month of January is not the cold bleak month it is in England, still we find it cool enough for a fire so the luxury in my establishment is a fire place, round which we draw of an evening & sometimes with a rubber of whist and generally with that most disgusting habit of smoking. To say nothing of the pleasurable chat over the fire which, to say the least, we have not been accustomed to. We manage to make the evenings pass swiftly along.
Like most house builders, I have entirely ruined myself. Of course I knew what it would cost when I began? But of course I did not know anything of the cost. Several times it suggested itself that I should drop the whole thing, leave it as a Laurie’s folly and a warning to enterprising Subalterns. But no, perseverance carried me through after all. Now I begin to turn round & I cannot for the life of me see where all the money came from, with which this edifice was built. I know I drew on Cox for some, but that would not half cover the expense.
I find the Paymaster too has not yet cut me or dishonoured my checks. I certainly am a little diffident about going to examine my Account with him, but I suspect that will all wear off within two or three months. One thing is certain – I have got a little house, well built, one that ought always to sell and one that ought to keep out fevers & sunstrokes while I live in it, & although I have spent more money on it than I ought to have done, still I do not think I have done wrong or could have done better.
Several of us have been bitten. My old Captain, Boyce, tried to build a tasty House of two rooms. He intended spending £100. He has built a very nice little place, not quite finished, but already £250 has passed away.
China is the new excitement. I do not think we have a chance of going. A lot of Sikhs are to be sent. I cannot make up my mind whether to apply to go with them or not, but at any rate, I do not think they would send me as Colnl. Kelly is always writing for more officers.
We have been having beautiful hunting, capital sport, and the Hounds are getting in good condition. Yesterday a run of 30 minutes without a check & killed in the morning a couple & a half of Jackalls. I have not been much shooting this season as this house kept me always employed. Our Rifle Drill came to a standstill for want of Targets, which of course when wanted, were not to be procured or made by the Authorities.
By the way, Richardson, my friend with the V.C. has been sent to England, invalided, & he will be discharged. I should like to do something for him as I have entirely lost him the use of a finger by my first unlucky point. I am afraid he is not a man one could recommend for a situation, as he is fond of drink if he gets a chance & therefore not to be trusted, but I got him to give me a direction that would find him in Ireland where I could send him anything. I think it would be advisable to find if the person named was respectable enough to receive money for any one else (the very work for Willie) & then if my dividends of those U.B. Shares come to anything after paying all just debts etc. I think a couple of pounds would be well spent if bestowed on Mr George Richardson.
But I am almost ashamed to talk about giving away money as I suspect I cannot have much about, to say nothing of what I have been drawing lately from Cox. At any rate let me know what you think of it. The man I know has lots of money to go on with for some time, but I do not know how he will take care of it.
I have not been writing many letters recently, so probably that will account for it, but I have not heard much of John, & Arthur I expect has given up writing altogether for I never hear from him.
There are some ladies coming to Fyzabad. We have four now in the Regt. and another expected, so that we shall have to scrub up our manners, which I know, in my case, want a deal of polishing.
I do not think I have told you about our Xmas Games. They went off capitally. The men enjoyed themselves much. We had a Punch & Judy on the Course & lots of Ethiopian Serenaders * then some capital clowns. Of course all the old favourite things were done, particularly those which afforded amusement to the many, such as catching the pig with the greasy tail, sack races, blindfold races, greasy poles & lots of others. There were two days of it & the third day a great Cricket Match – officers agst. men, in which we beat them hollow, with the assistance of a large tiffin which we suggested when they were in a fair way to be winners. But they eat & drank so much that we won in a canter.
I have written a very long letter and I am afraid as usual not a very amusing one. At any rate I must close it.
I hope you are all well & enjoying a ‘Happy New Year’. With best love to Helen & All
I am
Yr affect Son
JDLaurie
* Ethiopian Serenaders – a popular American minstrel troupe from the 1840s