John McPhee Family - Blue Vapours

Letter 2
Natimuk
28th Feb. 1881
Hon Richardson esq.
Minister for Lands
Dear Sir,
In answer to Circular of 22nd inst to know if I am
going to pay my rents that I am in arrear, I beg to
inform you that I cannot nor owent be able to keep my
selection if I can’t get transferred under the Land Act
1880. The Ballarat Banking Company holds my lease
on mortgage for two hundred Pounds and I can’t pay
rent and interest, which is fifty Pounds per year. I have
a family of ten and all my children are young and they
are attending State School 1623 within one mile of my
selection and if I am forced to part with my land it will
be a great misfortune to them and me, as we as we will
be thrown destitute on the state.
If it is possible that my lease could be redeemed from
the mortgage by the Government, paying over to them
the rent I have paid on my land, and I to pay into the
Receipt and Pay Office, Horsham the balance, and grant
me a new lease under the Land Act 1880, then I would
be sure of a home for myself and children and would
for ever pray and thank them. My land, when I took
it, there wasn’t a quarter of an acre I could plough
without grubbing and clearing, and now I have 50 acres
cultivated.
I remain
Dear Sir your most obedient servant,
Thomas Murphy
(Note: the recipient of the letter observed that the word
“owent” in Tom Murphy’s letter would mean “won’t”.)
Letter 3
SUMMARY
Date of letter: 13/7/1881
To Minister for Lands
In this letter, Mr Murphy referred to a letter he had
received from the Department of Lands, asking him
to transfer his lease under the new Land Act 1880 if he
could not pay his overdue rents.
John McPhee Family
Mr Murphy said that he had applied to the Bank of
Ballarat who held his lease on mortgage to do this, but
they could not do so unless he paid two rents of the three
overdue.
He said he couldn’t pay and asked the Dept of Lands to
wait until “after the harvest”, that is 1/3/1882, when he
would pay three rents together.
A note, made by the Lands Department, at bottom of this
summary of Tom Murphy’s letter, made the following
observations: “Under the Land Act of 1880 Mr Murphy’s
payments were reduced from thirty Pounds a year to
fifteen Pounds a year. He did succeed in having lease
transferred.”
Letter 4
Natimuk
25th July, 1881
Secretary of Lands
Melbourne
Sir,
In reply to communications of 18th inst stating that I
can’t be granted such a long time to pay my rents and
asking me to send my licence to have it transferred
under the Land Act 1880, that I would like very much to
be able to do. But the Ballarat Banking Coy holds my
lease on mortgage & ownt consent to it being transferred
unless I will pay two of the back rents & that I can’t do
it at present unless I will sell my horses and Farming
machinery & them at one half their value, and if I did
that I couldn’t get on with my farm at all. But if you
could get my lease from the Ballarat Banking Company
and transfer it under the new Act 1880 it would be the
means of keeping me and my family in a home. I have
a young helpless family, eleven in all, the eldest only
sixteen years and the youngest six weeks. So I hope that
the Department will do what they can for me.
I am Sir Yours truly,
Thomas Murphy
P.S. If you can’t do this please leave the rents lie over
until 1st March. But I would rather come under the Act,
as I want a home for my family.
T Murphy
Post Office Natimuk
On the bottom of this letter there was a hand
written note from the recipient in the Lands
Department, who observed that: “Ownt – another
Irish way to spell won’t”.
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