Person:Francis Rockliff (3)

Died on return journey after visiting Tasmania - he wrote the letters.Diary at "Springfield".Parents recieved word from Norton (Long John)ROCKLIFF of his nephew Francis (Frank's) death. Visited Tasmania and died on return! Wrote letters home whilst in Tasmania about his journeys and theRockliffs in Sassafras.(see photo copies ex Carole ROCKLIFF Yorkshire.)

A letter from Francis (Frank) to his Family.

Thursday Nov 17 1888? Reference:Charles sonErnest was 28yo in letter!

Dear Mother and Sister,

You said Mother troubled a good deal about me since I left home,but she must not for I am all right, although I am not so well today as Ihave been, got a bit of cold somewhere but I hope it will work off in aday or two and have no doubt I shall be all right when I get to the otherend, although we are far away our thoughts are as near and dear as ever,I am living in hope of meeting on earth again and (2)if not I hope we shall meet in a better land, of course you willwonder many a time how I am getting on when perhaps I am fast asleep inbed and does not know but I was in my bed at home we have had days when Ihave enjoyed myself, as I never did on land last friday was a day of credit.(There) could be on a ship there was a (subscription) and they hadsome sports just the same as if we were on land and at night we had agrand concert in our saloon and I think everybody enjoyed it andhundereds of things to pass the time away when the weather is fit. Wellwe are expecting getting (3)to Melbourne on Saturday at 10 Oclock in the morning we shall have tostay there till Tuesday for the boat to Tasmania we are going to stay atan Hotel where Uncle John stays when he comes to Melbourne and I am goingto call and see John Schoffield. I have had two invitations to and havetea in Melbourne with strange friends on the ship.(J W) Cutt is going totelegraph from Melbourne home to tell where to meet us, he almost thinksour John will come to meet us somewhere. We expect getting to Latrobeabout Thursday night I shall not be sorry when we get there I am gettingtired of travelling, for it is a long journey six weeks (4) its a long way to where the sun shines straight down, but it isfurther than that a good deal we are having some splendid weather. Thereis one thing I notice that is the sun set I think I never saw anything aspretty, it is right what my Father said about the twilight as soon as thesun goes down it is dark, so I must conclude with, derarest love to all,your Affect Son and Brother Frank I was to remember Mr Cutts to you all and Kisses for Hilda, Harry andFrank.

PS. Well to tell you my oppinion about coming to Tasmania you must giveup all thoughts of coming here with children

(5)such an excursion And never been on a horse before I came to Tasmania. Well now I must say a little about Uncle Geo (Uncle of writer) he has gota nice eplace about two miles across from Skelbrook he calls itHighfield. He has four sons and 1 Daughter they are free open heartedlads Ernest the Oldest about 28 and Henry next then Jimmie and George andAlice poor little girl she is not altogether bright and poor Henry hashappened a bad accident since I came they were first starting to chop andgrind with the Engine he was oiling the chopper and got his coat fast inthe strap and it twisted him round and round it was a miracle how (6)he escaped getting killed it broke his leg and knocked him about a bithe has been in bed about 6 weeks he is out and goes with crutch. UncleGeo has got things handy he has got an Engine they set it in a big shedand it turns the saw and mill and straw chopper and several other thingsand they screw a pipe to the boiler and steam potatoes. Uncle Geo mindsthe mill Ernest drives the Engine the other lads chop all at one timethey get timbers out of the bush and saw it up for other people. AtSkelbrook they got 2 Engines and a good mill to grind flour. I think theygot the best saw mill I have seen in Tasmania. Sometimes they are (7)Two or three weeks at a time sawing they will have one man fellingtimber in the bush and another with 8 bullocks and - - - - wheelsbringing it to be sawn and two at the saw table and one driving theEngine. Uncle George has got about 900 acres of land at Sassafras and 200at the Leves the Leves is bush. None of the lads are married but I thinkthe oldest (Ernest) will not be long. He is courting a Miss Inghram theyare big farmers about 1 mile from Uncle Geo. Uncle John has a grand placeabout the same land as Uncle Geo but Uncle John goes in for nothing elsebut farming the lads are not as ingenious as U. G. at Skellbroke thereare 9 in family (8)at Uncle J 5 sons and 4 daughters. They are the Sassafras nobs theyare proud and haughty not so well liked as the other Rockliffs although Ispeak as I find them they are all very good to me Uncle John are not veryfriendly with U Geo and U Frank and Skelbroke. Our John (Norton (LongJohn) John) and U John cannot hit it Uncle Frank and U Henry are not verygood friends they have not spoken for 7 or 8 years. So some of theRockliffs in Tasmania dont agree very well , there is so much jealousyamongst them that one should get on better than another. They all roll inprosperity and money. (9)Uncle Frank has a nice place but he is a very slovenly farmer he has awater mill but he does not much out of it. I think he has some very poormanagement about him it is happy go lucky with him, he has a bit of aproperty at Latrobe. Got about 300 acres of land, poor old Aunt(Elizabeth) Frank is a great trouble to him she is very helpless. Ibelieve they have her to feed she is in bed now with a broken thy (thigh)fell down and broke it about two months since. Since I started to writethis letter I recieved your letter from home which I was glad to see as abit of news from (home) is (10)is worth a guinea an ounce to James and Tom letters are very short.John (Norton John) read it in Sassafras and then posted it to me atDeloraine poor little Hilda cannot understand me staying away so long,but it is not like being at Doncaster to come home and back on Sundaynight. As I remember one of the Stewards saying on the - - - - - (ship)to me the night we steered out of Aden to cross the Indian Ocaen he saidnow for the big duck pond and he was right to for it is the biggest pondI was on. We was 16 days crossing it and we only saw one ship all the wayit was a sailing trader. I remember it was a very calm (11)day they were just about at standstill and we were ploughing throughit at 20 miles an hour. This shows the beauty of steam but my idea aboutthe sea is you are just as safe on the water as in a railway train allyou want is to choose a good ship and you are all right for I believethey know to a yard where they are steering for. You could not believethe awkward places there is to go through. There is the straights ofGibralter where there are great rocks that did not seem to me more than100 yards from the ship as we passed but it was 2 oclock in the morningwhen we passed

(12)these but it was two oclock in the morning when we passed there butit was moon light. Then after we left Naples (I got the letter you sentto Naples) there is the straights (of) Messina that is between Cicily andItaly is just about the same but it was night when we passed there. thenthere is what they call Hells Gate way that is out of the Red Sea when wecoming into Aden. I remember one of the sailors saying in a joke one daywe had caught one of Pharoh chariot wheels with the bottom of the ship inthe Red Sea. Then there is King Geo (rge) Sound (West Australia ?) whichI think is the most dangerous in all the passage. You would think it wasnearly impossible to navigate

Clair Hotel Russell Street Melbourne To My Dear Home, Well you will see I have arrived at Melbourne all safe inbetter health (than) when I last wrote I think I have about got over thesea sickness we arrived in Melbourne about 11 in the forenoon Sat Nov the19. You will see by the papers we have made the quickest passage onrecord we passed the Carthage one of the P&O ships that started fromLondon a week before us we passed her 4 days before (2)before we reached Melbourne we passed within 50 yards of her oursailors held out the tow rope and wanted them to hook on. Well when wegot to Melbourne the luggage was soon got up x the steam tender like itwas at London was soon ready to take ashore there was many passengers forMelbourne but more for Sydney. Our luggage was all taken to the Customsto be examined to see that we had no dynamite or any thing that has notbeen in use you have to pay duty on. I had nothing to (3)