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6 Jun 60 Peter Hong Kong Mother 5. Hyde Park Place West ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Hong Kong. 6 July 1860

My dear Mother

I was very glad to receive your letter by this mail which told me that my Father, although still so ill, was to all appearance better & I hope by the time you receive this that he will be quite well again & quite recovered from his very serious illness.

I thought very much on receiving your letters of hastening home myself to be of what use I could to you, but when I recollected that it would be three months before I could reach you I thought it would perhaps be foolish & rash to do so. Besides which, I could not get away from Hong Kong without first filling my place & throwing up all my prospects.

I sincerely hope that my Father will get better & better but after so serious an illness all cannot come right at once. It is strange that his dreams should be of Mr Jardine. It shows where his thoughts are lying & I feel it as such, but I say it is strange that you should just have mentioned it for both the Mr Jardines go home this mail.

I do not think however that my Father can do any good with them. They are pleasant looking but as hard as nails. They advance those who cringe before them & lick the dust & snub them every way they can. The straightforward get on best in the long run, by never giving in to them. Only there you stand on dangerous ground. This is the position I take up. But they are as hard as nails & close to a clique & there is nothing, especially in the way of promises, to be got out of them.

I trust that this letter will reach you finding my Father much better. You cannot tell how dispiriting it is to me out all this long way receiving such sad news & with what anxiety I look for every mail. (We have lost one mail I suppose you know – the steamer ‘Malabar’* with all the letters).

Good bye. My love to my Father & my kiss to little Helen

Your affect. Son

Peter G. Laurie

* Malabar – Wrecked in Galle Harbour, Ceylon, on 22 May 1860 after her anchor chain parted during a severe squall. Lord Elgin had been on board with his mission to China, but they had just disembarked and lost only their luggage