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19 Feb 60 Julius Fyzabad Mother ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Fyzabad
19th Feb 60
My dear Mother
I got a very short letter from you two days ago along with two from the boys. As I told you in my last, I have now very little time for letter writing, but Sunday coming round occasionally has to be made use of. Although a day of rest, as I have been at work during the week days between 10 & 12 hours, you can imagine that my inclinations point towards idleness for a change.
At last I have got a letter out of Arthur. I do not quite understand what to make of him. He talks of the doctor foretelling ‘Congestion of the Brain’ for him & says he has written to my Father to be allowed to leave the country. I cannot understand a man getting Congestion of the Brain, * or even a tendency to it in the cold weather.
When my work is over, which I hope will be the case about the end of next month, I think I must go & see what is wrong with him, as of course a man with congestion of the brain had better get out of the country. If he was bad, the Doctors have the power of sending him out so I do not think we need to be in any particular state of fear about him. If I hear any more of it, I shall certainly be tempted down towards Jubbulpore * to look him up.
Many thanks to my Father for attending to my request about the funds for the house. I see you are afraid I should make a mess of it. Here I am though. In this country a week is plenty of time for drying, so that did not delay me much. Of course (as is usual with people building) I thought I knew all about the cost before I began. I have certainly had to make several alterations & improvements as I went along. Then, when it was finished, there were the Servants & horses that had to be housed. We had to sink a well & make a garden, all of which I have at last finished & I have about as compact a little place as you could wish for. But all of which cost a certain amount of Rupees. I have laid out within a few of Rs 1,000 (£100). I have drawn £50 from Cox & Co., or rather through them, & if my Bal. Dr does not shortly decrease with the Paymaster, I am afraid I shall have to make another call. In which case I hope my Father will not mind deducting the amount from my U.B. Shares which, I suppose, are worth over £200.
I am perfectly satisfied with my arrangements viz: building (although at considerable cost). The quarters occupied by the officers are to be cleared of them on 15th of next month. Some are going to live in tents & get fever & others, regretting they have delayed so long, are diving deep into the midst of bricks & mortar. I suspect you will wish I had never turned Architect as then I might fill my letter with something a little more amusing than these details.
The Commissioner for this District, Mr Tucker * is here now. He leaves shortly for England. Before going, he wants to do the civil to the rest of his Countrymen in his District, so he has instituted an immense Pic-Nic for Tuesday next. Archery is to be carried on & he gives six Prizes, three to the ladies (of which there are nine). The first is a splendid diamond ring, value 20 guineas & three to gentlemen. The first, rather a queer selection – a Musical Box also value 20 guineas. For the last two days (also on Monday) everyone has been practicing & he (Mr Tucker) has provided a splendid lunch, nearly everything from Gunters, & you can imagine the expense. I managed to get down about 5 o’clock yesterday evening & I found them all going to lunch. After the ladies left, it was turned into a dinner & we all re-assembled. I have never seen such profusion in this country, & then the Host, quite of the old school, apologised for the appearance of the table as ‘he was keeping all the good things for Tuesday’.
Our Billiard Table is down at the Coffee Shop where the Pic-Nic is to be & of course every one adjourned to that, till all hours. Except a few, like myself, who had had enough walking about during the day to care about patrolling round the Table.
I do not know what we shall not see on Tuesday, the big day, judging from the fore-services. I rather wish it was Rifle shooting instead of Bow & as my chance I regret to say is small indeed.
I am afraid John’s chance of getting to England this year is rather like my chance of winning the Musical Box. I daresay he will try harder & there is no saying what perseverance may do.
With love to all of you & Helen
Believe me
Yr affect Son
JDLaurie
* Congestion of the Brain – Strokes and their relationship to cholesterol and blood pressure were, at this time, little understood
* Jubbulpore – now Jabalpore, Madhya Pradesh, about 270 miles from Fyzabad
* Mr Tucker – Henry Carre Tucker CB (1812-1875) Son of Henry St George Tucker, Chairman of the East India Company, educated at Haileybury, entered Bengal civil service 1831. District Commissioner of Benares (Varanasi). Church Missionary Society Trustee, writer and artist. Died St John’s Wood, London