Papers mainly relating to the Raine family and Eliza Dunlop, 1821-1870

MLMSS 10156

fonds

1821-1870

9614589

0.01 metres of textual material (1 folder) - manuscript

Thomas Raine (1793-1860) made six voyages to Australia in the convict transport Surry, the first as a junior officer and the remainder as captain. Between voyages he engaged in various mercantile enterprises. In the 1820s he founded, in partnership with ship surgeon, David Ramsay, the Sydney firm of Raine & Ramsay, general merchants, shipowners and agents. He made his last voyage in the Surry in 1827 by which time he had become increasingly involved in the colony’s affairs. However owing to a general depression and the Bank of NSW’s restriction of credit the firm of Raine & Ramsay fell into difficulties and in October 1828 Raine’s partnership with Ramsay was dissolved. In 1829 he was declared bankrupt but by an arrangement with his creditors was able to resume business. In 1825 he had been granted 2000 acres on the Fish River, near Bathurst and during the 1830s he extended this land holding and built ‘Rainham’, a substantial Georgian brick two-storey house. He married twice and after the deaths of his second wife and two of his children he retired to Sydney in poor health.

Edmund Raine (1827-1864) was Thomas Raine's eldest son and lived in Frederick Valley near Orange in New South Wales. His letters include mentions of a 'Mr Dunlop' (the Raines and Dunlops were connected by marriage).

Eliza Hamilton Dunlop (1796-1880), arrived in Sydney from Ireland in 1838 with her husband David Dunlop. He was appointed police magistrate and protector of Aborigines at Wollombi and Macdonald River, and held office until 1847. Eliza’s early poetry had appeared in Irish publications and she continued to publish in the Australian and the Maitland Mercury. Her lyrics were set to music by Isaac Nathan, and from 1842 appeared in his Australian Melodies series. She took a great interest in the welfare and folklore of the Aboriginal people in her husband's charge, and was one of the few people to appreciate the literary worth of Aboriginal songs and poetry. She transliterated some of the verse of the poet Wullati into English and also wrote on Aboriginal themes. She also did valuable work in preserving Aboriginal vocabularies.

References:
Library correspondence file
Australian Dictionary of Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au (accessed 25 October 2018)

Purchased at auction by the donor's mother

Comprises letters, lists of goods and household items, and original poems. Three of Thomas Raine's letters concern his early mercantile enterprises and provide a snapshot of his business affairs at a time when he was experiencing difficulties owing to the depressed market, especially in wheat, and facing financial ruin. His other two letters were written years later and deal with the wheat crop and the trade in gold. Edmund Raine's letters reflect an improved economic situation in the colony. His letter to his sister Fanny is full of family news and details his problems in securing labourers owing to the nearby gold diggings. Joseph Bamforth's 'shopping' lists and Mrs Raine's auction sale list document a small range of groceries and household items that were available to purchase in the colony at the time and the prices paid for them.

Letters from Thomas Raine to David Ramsay, 5 July, 28[?] July, 28 July 1828

Letter from Thomas Raine to Robert Campbell, 4 April 1849

Letter from Thomas Raine to Mr Christie, 18 January 1854

Letter from Edmund Raine to Robert Campbell, 22 December 1851

Letter from Edmund Raine to his sister, Fanny, 20 September 1856

List of furniture and household items (with prices) sold at auction (Willow Tree Sale Yards, Orange) for Mrs Raine, 30 September 1870

Four lists of groceries (with prices) sold to Joseph Bamforth, 10 July, 7 August, 1 October, 27 November 1821

‘Morning’ on Rostrevor Mountain, Ulster, Ireland. Manuscript poem by Eliza Dunlop (published in 1835)

‘The Hellehorus Niger.’ Manuscript poem by Eliza Dunlop adapted to the music of ‘Eveleen’s Bower’, for Mr G. Law, 1853

Notice of dispute in the Court of Petty Sessions, Wollombi, between George Pickering and David Dunlop, 23 September 1857

Poem by W.H. Braine, 4 August 1859

Letter in French to M. Mornay with a poem.

Copyright status:: In copyright
Research & study copies allowed: Authors have been deceased for more than 50 years
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Some letters have remnants of wax seals