John Sanderson & Co. letterbook, 28 August 1894 - 27 April 1895

MLMSS 7697/Box 1X

fonds

28 August 1894-27 April 1895

455782

Microfilm : CY 4677, frames 1-528 (MLMSS 7697)

0.35 metres of textual material (1 volume in outsize box)
Textual Records

John Sanderson & Co. was established in Melbourne in 1858 as the Australian branch of Sanderson & Murray, wool merchants of Galashiels, Scotland. The firm was established by John Sanderson (died 1903) and was later managed by his sons and members of the Murray family. In 1864 John Sanderson bought Brie Brie in the western district of Victoria, the first station to be owned by the firm. When John Sanderson left for England in 1870, his son William took over the management of the firm and made his home at Brie Brie. By the 1890s John Sanderson & Co. were wool merchants, stock and station agents, and commission and shipping agents. -- Source: Joan Gillison, Wool and Ships: the Story of John Sanderson and Co., 1958.

Letterbook containing copies of reports and letters sent by the Melbourne office of John Sanderson & Co. Most letters are addressed to Sanderson, Murray & Co., London, with some to banks, solicitors and managers of sheep stations. Letters are signed by William Sanderson, John Roberts, Charles C. Murray and William Murray. The letterbook includes detailed reports about a number of sheep stations, giving an assessment of factors such as water supply, grazing conditions, weeds, rabbits, soils, weather, sheep diseases (including anthrax), and current management. Detailed reports are included for Moulmain, Mowabla, Mumbledool, Murrill Creek, Warri, Whoey, Windermere, Kiacatoo, Merri, Merrigal and Huabba. Less detailed information, including financial statements, is provided for Bolygamy, Brie Brie, Kerribree, Grubben, North East Mangoplah, Barenya, Willurah, Olive Downs, Wangaron, Mumboana, Carlisle, Dundoo and Cherry Mount. Most of these properties are in New South Wales, especially in the Lachlan River district. A few are in Victoria and Queensland. The letters and reports reflect the difficulties facing pastoral industries during the 1890s, including economic depression, drought and the rabbit plague.