CHIPS.

EASY SPELLING AND HARD READING.

An interesting case of educational destitution presents itself in the following letter. It is written by the son of a poor, but honest, brickmaker of Hammersmith, who emigrated to Sidney, and is now a shepherd at Bathurst. While the facts it contains are clearly stated, and the sentiments expressed are highly creditable to the writer—showing that his moral training had not been neglected by his parents—the orthography is such as, we may safely affirm, would not have emanated from any human being with similar abilities, and in a similar station, than an Englishman.

England stands pre-eminent in this respect. The parents of this letter-writer were too poor to pay to have their child taught, and consequently with the best will in the world to be an ordinary scholar, he is unable to spell. The clever manner in which such letters are selected as represent the sounds he is in the habit of giving to each word, shows an aptitude which would assuredly have made 562with the commonest cultivation a literate and useful citizen. More amusing orthography we have no where met; but the information it conveys is of the most useful kind. The reader will perceive that the points touched upon are precisely those respecting which he would wish to be informed; were he about to emigrate.

The epistle not only gives a truthful picture of an Australian shepherd’s condition, but is in itself a lesson and a censure on that want of national means of education from which at least one-third of the adult population of England suffer, and of which the writer is an especial victim and example:—

“Deer mother and father and sisters i root thes few lines hooping to find you All well for I arr in gudd halth my self and i wood root befor onley i wos very un setled and now i have root i houp you will rite back as soon as you can and send how you all arr and likwise our frends and i am hired my self for a sheeprd 12 munts for 19 pound and my keep too for it wos to soun for our work when i arive in the cuntry it is a plesent and a helthay cuntry and most peple dows well in it as liks onley it is a grait cuntry for durnkerds and you do not Xpket for them to do well no weer i have not got any folt to find of the cuntry for after few theres man can bee is own master if hee liks for the wagers is higher then tha arr at hom and the previshen is seeper and peple do not work so hard as thay do at tom and if any wne wish to com com at wonce and don with it same as i did and take no feer oof the see whot ever for i did not see any danger whot ever and it is a cuntry that puur peapole can get a gud living in hoostlue wich thay can not at tom i arr vrey well plesed off the cuntry and i should bee very happy if i had som relishon over with mee and i am 230 miles up the cuntry and wee had a very plesent voyge over in deed and likwise luckey and vrey litle sickenss and no deths deer mother and father i houp you will lett our frends no how i am geeting on and der frends you take no heed what pepole says about horstler take and past your own thouths about it and if any body wishes to com i wood swade them to com con pepole can geet a gud living there wer tha cant at tome and pepole beter com and geet a belly full then to stop at tome and work day and night then onely get haf a bely ful and i am shuur that no body can not find any folt off the cuntry eXcep tis pepole do not now when tha arr doing well [price of pervison] tee lb 1s to 3s suuger lb 2d to 6d coofe lb 8d to 1s bred lb 1d to 2d beef lb 1d to 2d mutten ditto baken lb 6d to 1s. poork lb 2d to 4d butter lb 6d to 1s chees lb 4d to 8d pertos price as tome sope lb 4d to 6d starch and blue and sooder home price candles lb 4d to 6d rice lb 2d to 4d hags hom price trekle lb 4d to 5d solt lb 1d peper nounc 2d tabaker lb 1s to 6s beer 4d pot at sednay and up in the pool 1s spirts hom price frut happles pars horengs lemns peshes gusbryes curneth cheerys cokelnut storbyes rasberys nuts of all sorts vegtbles of all sorts price of cloths much the same as tome stok very resneble sheep 2s 6d heed wait about 80 pounds fat bullket about 1000 wit 3l pour hors from 2l to 10l ther is wonderful grait many black in the cuntry but tha will not hurt any one if you will let them aolne.

traitment on bord ship,

wee arive in the 7 febery and sailed to graveshend then wee stop ther 2 days then wee sailed from ther to plymeth and wee stop ther 9 days and took in loot more emigrant then wee sailed from ther to seednay we arive to seednay 8 of June wee had it vry ruf in the bay of biskey and three mor places beside but i did not see any dainger of sinking not the lest for wee had a vry plesent voyges over in deed the pervison on bord ship Monday pork haf pound pea haf pint butter 6 ounces weekly tea 1 ounce per week 9 ounces daily biscuit Tusday beef haf pound rice 4 ounces flour 1 pound per week Wendesday pork haf pound peas haf pint raisins haf pound per week cooffee 1 ounce and haf per week Thursday preserved meet haf pound Friday pork haf pound peas haf pint Sadurday beef haf pound rice 4 ounces sugar three Quarter pound per week Sunday preserved meat haf pound fresh woter three Quarrts daily vinegar haf pint per week Mustard haf ounce per week salt tow ounces per week lime Juse haf pint per week my der sisters i houp you will keep your selvs from all bad company for it is a disgrace to all frends and likwise worse for you own sellvs o rember that opinted day to com at last tis behoups that wee shal bee free from all dets o whot a glorious tirm it will bee then wee shal feel no more pains nor gref nor sorows nor sickness nor truble of any cind o whot a glorious term it will bee then o seeners kip your selvs out off the mire for feer you shuld sink to the bootem the sarvents wagars of houstler tha geets ges haf as much mour as tha gets at tome and my sister Maryaan shee kood geet 16 punds a year and Sarah get 20 pound and Marther get 8 or 9 pound and tha arr not so sharp to the servents as tha arr at tome i houp you will send word wot the yungest child name is and how it is geeting on and send the date when it wos born and i houp this will find you all weel and cumfortble to. J. R.”