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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Letter, Reuben Gatward to Polly, Life on the Goldfields |
| Author | Gatward, Reuben |
| Date | 11 Oct 1858 |
| Document Type | Correspondence; Manuscript |
| Reference | HT 3535 |
| Library / Archive | Museums Victoria |
| Collection Name | Diaries / Journals / Letters |
| Description | The letter was written while Gatward was working on the diggings at Tanengower [Tarrengower?], Victoria. He writes that he has been unsuccessful on the diggings: "After leaving you I expected to meet with many hardships and discomforts, and in that I have not been disappointed, but I certainly did not expect they would extend over such a length of time". The letter gives an indication of the homesickness felt by many young men, especially those who came to Australia to make their fortune and were disappointed and the accidents common on the gold fields. |
| Biographical Note / History | R. Gatward was a miner who came from Bedfordshire and appears to have worked in a draper's shop before emigrating. |
| Theme(s) | Arrivals: Ports and Early Experiences |
| Places | Tarrengower, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | English |
| People | Gatward, R |
| Keywords | gold rush, emigration, family, prospecting, miners, mining, explosives, injury |
| Additional Information | The letter is written on a wrapper for 'The Polygot Newsletter, a Summary in English, French, German and Spanish, for Transmission to Europe'. The Polygot was printed and published for the proprietors at the 'Punch' Office, Melbourne, October 1858. The wrapper has an etching of 'View on the Yarra near Dight's Mills' by F. Grusse on the front. The newsletter is an early example of a publication produced in several different languages; an indication of the 'multi-cultural' nature of the population of Victoria in the 1850s. Please note: Some of the metadata for this document has been taken from the Museum Victoria catalogue. |
| Catalogue Link | Museums Victoria Catalogue |
| Language | English |
| Copyright | Museums Victoria |
