Ronald C. Scrimgeour letters to family in England

MLMSS 12283

fonds

14 September 1879-17 February 1880

9684650

0.02 metres of textual material (1 folder) - manuscript, ink

Ronald Cameron Scrimgeour was born in Highgate, Middlesex, England, around 1857. He graduated from Oxford and went on to be ordained as a reverend when he returned from his travels to Australia.

Reference:
Library correspondence file

Nine letters to family in England providing an account of English tourist Ronald C. Scrimgeour’s trip to and through parts of Australia and New Zealand, with a particular focus on Sydney and wider New South Wales.

1. Letter dated Sunday 14 September [1879], S.S. Cuzco. 6 pages.

2. Letter dated Sunday 21 September [1879], S.S. Cuzco. 4 pages. [Incomplete - letter ends abruptly suggesting there may be pages missing].

3. Letter dated 8 October-19 October [1879], S.S. Cuzco, Southern Ocean. 6 pages. Includes description of Cape Town, with a small illustration of Table Mountain with the town at its base and ships in the harbour.

4. Letter dated 29 October [1879], The Exchange Hotel, Sydney. 6 pages. Includes descriptions of locations in Adelaide and Melbourne, and a small schematic map of Sydney Harbour.

5. Letter dated 12 November [1879], Petty's Hotel, Sydney. 4 pages.

6. Letter dated 25 November [1879], Sydney. 3 pages. [Incomplete - third page has part removed].

7. Letter dated 28 November [1879], Petty's Hotel, Sydney. 3 pages.

8. Letter dated 30 December [1879], Sydney. 4 pages.

The letters sent from Sydney describe Scrimgeour's social life with prominent families, visits to the Botanic Gardens and descriptions of Sydney Harbour. Also included are descriptions of visits to the Blue Mountains, Parramatta River, and Middle Harbour, plus trips to Newcastle, Maitland and Brisbane.

9. Letter dated 17 February [1880], Kumara, New Zealand. 6 pages.

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

The S.S. Cuzco left Plymouth on 11 September 1879, reaching St Vincent's on 18 September and Cape Town on 3 October 1879. It arrived in Adelaide on 24 October before sailing on to Melbourne, then Sydney where it arrived on 27 October 1879
Reference:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70974116