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3 Aug 61 Peter Shanghai John ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Shanghai. 3 Aug 1861

My dear John

I have yet to congratulate you upon a further step in the road of life. It is some 4 years ago since we all wished you many good things upon attaining your majority – now after these four years have passed away we all congratulate you on obtaining your majority* & which I do heartily – the more so as it adds fresh lustre to that glorious race of whh. we are Scions. Julius I hear is to be a Captain too – truly you have both been lucky to have your Companies at 21.

I have not heard from you for a long time now & altho’ my Father says in his letter that you had written, I recd. no letter. I am now up in Shanghai – a fine place – rattling cold in winter and rattling hot in summer, but only about two months of the latter I believe, & which unfortunately I am undergoing just now.

It is awful work & I suffer from the heat dreadfully. Hong Kong was not so hot as this but it was more disagreeable & I dreaded another summer there tremendously for last year I positively was obliged to stop up in my room in pyjamas as I could not put on my clothes, I was so bad with (what by a mild name I may call) prickly heat, but whh. in reality was a most frightful rash covering me and making me red all over like a lobster & smarting – Oh, frightful.

I believe another summer of that would have done for me altogether – it is not only killing work but it sours me temper & ruins me body and soul.

Shanghai is a splendid place. It is not a city of Palaces but it is a settlement of splendid residences each situated in its own compound & surrounded by trees innumerable. Fine streets, a fine broad walk along the river’s side (called the ‘Bund’), a fine race course, Five’s court, bowling alley, raquets, boating & all these sorts of things & no doubt when this awful weather stops I shall be all right & like it very well.

But it is frightful work sitting at a desk & all that sort of thing in such heat – & with no punkhahs – ten times worse than India. Punkhahs are unheard of here except at the dinner table.

But I work steadily on & hope it may all turn out all right. Please do use your influence with the Governor & get him to tell me what he will do for me to start me. I very probably shall find it to my interest to cut this shortly & join something else or to start on my own luck with some one else. At any rate it is most essential that I should know how I stand & whether for instance he would give me £10,000 down to start a partnership in some concern.

It is most important that I should know this for it is very improbable that I shall find it to my interest to remain in this concern much longer.

I wrote to you to get me a good dog some time ago. I want a real out & outer & never mind expense – say not over £10 or thereabouts. I don’t want any riff raff mongrel cur, but a real out & outer Bull dog – Bull mastiff or big dog of that sort. This is a great place for fine dogs.

I have a splendid little Bull terrier of a friend’s just now, but the beast won’t take to me & insists on preferring my ‘Boy’ – he is the pluckiest little dog & the ugliest I have ever come across.

Yr. affect brother

Peter G. Laurie

* majority – A play on words, contrasting a 21st birthday with promotion to the rank of Major