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Pernambuco          21st/25th Feby.    1893

My dear Mother,

I wrote you the other day by “Sorata”. Since then the “Clyde” has come in with a large mail, which is not yet all sorted in the post-office though it is now twenty-four hours since the steamer landed the letter bags – a fair sample of Brazilian official despatch. But I have received two letters from you, 30th Jan. & 6th Feby., two from the Pater, & one each from Julie & Annie, the last from London.

Many thanks for all birthday wishes. Last night we were speaking of birthdays & abt. mine being 29th Feby & not coming for eight years after 1896 – a fact very few people are aware of. Mrs Latham expressed her astonishment & then said thoughtfully “So you’ll celebrate your real birthday again in 2004”. I said I should if I lived so long but I did not expect to, at which she looked as startled & distressed as if I had told her that I had only a few days to live. Curiously I made the same mistake myself not long ago quite overlooking the fact that the next century is 1900 & not 2000. I like Mrs Latham very much. She is such a sympathetic motherly woman, & gives me little bits of kind advice; – not to walk in the sun without keeping my umbrella up, not to get wet, not to smoke too much, & so on.

Everybody is much concerned now about the English parson, Mr Ding, who is dangerously ill. His wife & two children came out by “Clyde” y’day, & they knew nothing of it till their arrival. It must have been a great shock for the poor woman.^[1]

In my last I told you about my going to the ball in borrowed plumes & meeting Mrs Williams & her sister Miss Boxwell.^[2] I forgot to mention that Miss Boxwell was at school with Miss Violet Dunlop^[3] & was over on a visit to the Dunlops last year. – It must have been the week before Sissy Weinberg’s visit^[4] for Miss Boxwell left the week before Dixons’ dance.

Mrs Williams is living with her uncle Mr John Boxwell^[5] & she asked me to call, so I went up on Monday evg. Mr B. asked me for dinner the following evg. – they were having some people. I accepted but early next morning I remembered I had already made an engagement for that evg. so I at once sent a note of apology. I was very sorry for the Boxwells are nice people, as well as being in a way the magnates of the English Colony here, so I should have had a good dinner & likely met some other nice people.

The other engagement was to the Tucknisses. Keiller lives there & both he & young Tuckniss had asked me some days before for that evg. Tuesday being their at-home night.

Mrs Tuckniss is a pleasant, dignified, middle-aged lady, whose heart I won by listening with interest to her account of the different ages at which her children had had measles. Miss Tuckniss is really a nice girl, rather pretty, pleasant, graceful & musical. Confound that adjective “nice”! But there are no other words to convey the same meaning, so I may as well plunge at it “right away” & say that Harold Tuckniss, the son, is one of the nicest fellows here, & the whole family among the nicest in Pernambuco.^[6]

I dined one evg. at Mr Guimarães.^[7] Both Mr & Mrs G. are English. Mrs G. is young, pretty, & lively. She was very amusing about her own name. In England she is called Mrs Jimmyrags or Mrs Jimmyrash. Here when she goes shopping the people ask “What name please?” – “Mrs Guimarães.” – “I beg pardon?” – “Mrs Guimmer-rangs” (very distinctly) – “Excuse me, would you mind writing it” – “Certainly, so!” – “Ah! – you mean Gueemaraingsch!”         And then she feels so small at being told how to pronounce her own name.

I was at a pleasant little tennis-party given by Mr Guimarães, & we had afternoon tea &cake, rather a treat out here. I was asked to call on some people called Rawlinson, whose at-home is this evg. but the parson lives near, & his illness has upset the arrangement.

To-morrow is a half-holiday & I have been asked to go out by four o’c. train & visit & dine with the Gatises, – former fellow-passengers.^[8]

Glad to hear all your chatty news about people. Lots of engagements & marriages, but I don’t hear of any of the numerous heiresses “going off”. Perhaps they are all too difficult to please.

Mr Jim Ferguson is a promising youth. What’s he going to do in New York.

Annie is in luck, “doing” London; – very kind of Derenbergs.^[9]

I congratulate you on the new carpet. It was certainly about time to replace the dining-room one. When you took it up to clean it you must lately have had some difficulty in knowing which side to turn up.

By the “Clyde” Mrs Adamson & her little daughter also came out from England. Mrs A. is a daughter of Mrs Tuckniss & is married to the Commander of the cable-ship “Viking”. We were fellow-passengers on the “Clyde” last year. The little girl is a dear little child, with blue eyes, & always laughing.

25th Feb.

The parson, Mr Ding, died y’day morning at 10 o’c. & was buried same afternoon at five.^[10] It is fearfully sad. His wife only arrived three days ago, & she returns to England to-morrow by “Thames”. The occurrence has cast a gloom over the whole English community. Mr Ding was very popular. Only a week ago I was present while he conducted a glee practice at Mrs Latham’s house. He had been seedy for some time & was not strong, & instead of taking care of himself he worked too much, imprudently exposed himself & got a chill which became serious & he had not strength to rally.

I went to Olinda y’day afternoon to the Gatises.^[11] Olinda is a bathing-resort about half an hour from here, an old town with lots of old Dutch houses built before those early colonists were driven out by the Portuguese. Mr & Mrs Gatis, the governess, Miss Browning, & another guest, Mr Fletcher, all came out with me last year on the “Thames”.^[12] We had a pleasant quiet dinner & a walk on the beach afterwards.

I was rather busy y’day forenoon – took three orders – small ones – for Belfast, & now I must write them out. I think I shall go on board the old “Thames” tomorrow, Sunday, morning. Keiller has offered to take me in his launch. A boat costs £1, – big surf-boats with six men to row & one to steer, so that luxury is better avoided.

Best love. I hope there will be another mail in a few days to send you “many happy returns” of the 17th March.^[13]

Jack.