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Letter from Frederick Scheer to Wlliam Morris dated 16 May 1862 regarding ,London: loss of son, William Knibb Morris not tried hand at gold digging instead of serving diggers, cotton market dull owing to American squabbles, business, friends [Frederick Scheer was a former employer of William Knibb Morris]

Letters from William Knibb Morris to his mother dated 1855. Description of embarkation at Liverpool on the "Boomerang", signing bounty tickets, etc. (incomplete letter, undated c Jan. 1855); part of letter describing voyage from Melbourne to Hobart in screw steamer "City of Hobart" and arrival, met by James and Isaac Cash "dressed in colonial style with large slouching white felt hats", James had only one child James William "a most beautiful little chap just running alone", another expected, landed on Queen's birthday - kept as strict holiday, rumours of Mr Bryan drinking false, Mr Freer proprietor of low theatre [25 May 1855]; Hobart: business depressed but father got job immediately with R.A. Mather, W.K.M. working for ironmonger Mr Marsh, serving in shop and keeping books, went to live with James and Mr Bryant but James charged 18s for lodging, not paid Mather for tickets but "James thinks he would not take it", Jim had daughter born last Friday [ie 13 July 1855] (16 July 1855); sorry to hear brother Tom had smallpox, sending money, kindness of employer, gathering "beautiful yellow flower of the wattle tree", father and James had built little shop in backyard to work at shoemaking - at work on pair of wellingtons (9 September 1855).

Letters from William Knibb Morris to brother Thomas John Morris dated July 1881-1891 regarding, Hobart: death of Mr Matthews [?Cephas Matthews, Chief Officer of "Lufra", drowned at sea 13 Sep. 1880, age 36], Mrs Matthews and little child (January [1881]), February 1882), Edney Morris [son of James], appointed Council Clerk of Swansea at ?210 a year (June, July 1881), children Percy, Tom & Albert at Government School (July 1881), smallpox at Sydney, signalling by light flashes or helestaph (sic), steamer "Patena" (1881), Percy died of heart trouble following rheumatic fever (October 1881), Paris Electrical Exhibition (October 1881), geology - visit of Prof. Denton (January 1882), Russian warship and electric light, Mr Henry of Electric Light Co. has 2 Swans electric lamps and 2 Siemen's Palfreyman opposite - children had treat talking and singing through it - used porcelain cupboard handles as insulators (February 1882), accumulator batteries, Juvenile Industrial Exhibition in New Market, Hobart - lit by electricity (1882-83), electric lamp arrived (December 1882), sending photo of Rocking Stone on Mount Wellington (December 1882), telephones on Kents Group Island to connect lighthouse with superintendent's house (January 1883), small lamps for microscope (May 1883), Hobart Telephone Exchange opened (July 1883), nephew Henry Stephens visit and death from TB (1883-March 1884), photographer Harold Riise [Riise & Barnett Elite Studio] insolvent - Susman's selling stock - beautiful pictures (May 1885), Edney Morris Superintendent of Police Swansea (8/10/1883), railway debate (8/10/1883), earthquakes in N.E. Tasmania and damage to houses in Fingal (7/9/1883, 8/10/1883), Australian Graphic pictures printed from glass engravings - a Tasmanian invention (3/12/1883), religious revivalists in Hobart (12/65/84), daughter Ada born June 1884 (19/9/1884), undersea cable broken (19/9/1884) fear of war with Russia (May 1885), appointed accountant to Building Society at ?150 pa - glad to leave Susman's (August 1885), scientific lectures by S. Clemes of Friends School (May 1887), sending photo "pan" of Launceston taken from Cataract Hill, lenses for microscope, lantern slide show "footisconopliscope" - William managed lime light and dissolving, Photographic Society (1888 April, May, November), Royal Society Conversazione, sending photo of Baptist Tabernacle (March 1889), Albert a telegraph operator, phonograph in Melbourne (July 1890), polariscope (1890), his little camera (August 1891).

Letters from William Knibb Morris to his brother Thomas John Morris dated 6 September 1872-June 1877. Fingal: store business, cost of transport and import of goods, elections, parents at Mangana, Willie [William James Morris, son of James] helping, Annie Ashton [sister] in hospital at Melbourne - skin graft on leg, Collis schoolmaster on Islands [ie Furneaux Islands], family: wife Sarah, son Percy, baby Thomas (April 1872), daughter Celia Sarah born 27 March 1876 (April, May 1976), brother James and his family, visit of Anthony Trollope to Hobart - "they make quite a lion of him" (January 1872), gold mining, gold at Mangana (1872), Wesleyan chapel built (1872), telegraph across Australia from Adelaide to Darwin, talk of railway (September 1872), bought large building in centre of town formerly Highland Inn (February [1873]), Governor's visit, coal mines - Mt. Nicholas, Seymour, transit of Venus (November 1874), telegraph coming - learning alphabet in preparation (November 1874, August-October 1875, April 1876), death of father Thomas Morris (December 1874), description of district and journeys, Clifford the photographer visited Fingal - William had views taken - borrowed C's camera to take views of parents' house Mangana (October 1875), measles (September-November 1875), "little single needle instrument" [?electromagnetic telegraph], description of St. Helens (April 1876), death of mother (20/12/1876) and Mary Marshall [daughter of James Morris] (December 1876), scientific experiments, papyrograph [copying] process (1876-77), business quiet - thinking of looking for another occupation (February 1877), business closed, creditors treated him kindly except P.O. Fysh (April 1877).

Undated or unidentified parts of letters from William Knibb Morris to brother Thomas John Morris: 1) J.W. Pepper (of Pepper & Perrin drapers, Launceston) going to England, unsettled weather since last transit of Venus; 2) [post 1885] received little book on "Electricity to date", Ackerman, bank failure affecting building societies; 4) note about newspapers sent; 5) 17 October -- Melbourne Exhibition, Mr & Mrs Fryer, Swansea relatives; 6) newscutting of Holy Trinity Club meeting - William exhibited views of microscopic objects on a screen with "oxy-hydrogen" light.

Letters from William Knibb Morris to brother Thomas John Morris dated 1898-1900 regarding Hobart: family news, Craig given up Officer College and gone to Sydney - too great expense in maintaining staff to run it at a profit - Fanny and the six children and Willie Morris' daughter Bessie travelled by Oonah - large steamer lit by electricity (August 1898), old vessel Aladin laid up in river and used as gunpowder magazine had been whaler but was formerly French vessel La Mutine taken by Nelson at battle of Nile 100 years ago (August 1898), sending photos of Albert and his fretwork (September 1898), received book on "Wireless Telegraphy" - lent it to J.W. Agnew (November 1898), South African War (March 1900).

Letters from William Knibb Morris to his brother Thomas John Morris dated 2 February 1855-18 October 1855. Journey by rail to Liverpool to embark on "Boomerang", voyage - very healthy, did not lose a single adult and only five children, arrival, job with Marsh & Brother, made galvanic battery, not done much photography as it was winter, glad to hear brother converting shed to dark chamber, several photography places in Hobart to get collodion, one [Walter] Dickenson showed his collection of pictures and hinted he needed assistant but "it would require great inducements for me to leave the commercial for the artistic .. ", photography processes, enclosing small sodium chloride print (July & August 1855), James' new baby daughter born (July 1855), description of job, Marsh's tokens - shortage of copper coins (August 1855), Isaac Cash, sending money, glad Tom recovering (October 1855).

Letters written by William Knibb Morris to his brother Thomas John Morris dated July 1860-July 1862. Sydney: his "governor" dying, might go to Snowy Mountain diggings, New Zealand War, store closed, Beamis also had store at Gayndah (July, August 1860); Gayndah, Queensland: journey via Maryborough, description of Gayndah, circus, Valentine who had rival store at Fingal absconded, aborigines, corroboree, planted some cotton seeds, thinking of going to Fiji Islands, mother sailed, (September 1860-March 1861); incomplete portion of letter: report from NSW on unsettled state and loss of life [?aborigines], bad news of "Victorian Exploring party" [Burke & Wills] which set out 9 months ago - his opinion that "without the aid of a tribe of friendly Blacks the Continent of Australia will never be explored", exploring in Queensland going on slowly - station after station with runs "more and more into unsettled country" (c June 1861); Sydney: left Gayndah in May and done nothing since except last three weeks in Hobart, NZ diggings not turned out well, Annie been to Port Albert [Vic.], London Exhibition, going to Orange [NSW], Mrs Hedburg died in Hobart , (October, November 1861); Orange: description of journey from Sydney to Orange on coach and district round Orange, recommends Mundy's Our Antipodes, NSW exhibits for London Exhibition included model of Sofala diggings; Orange newspapers with Sydney news, glad stereoscopic slides arrived safely - bought in Sydney - English views, working in Curran's store - not happy, Pizey manager of electric telegraph (December 1861); Forbes, Lachlan, NSW: goldfields, running store for Curran, description of work and Forbes, Mrs Reed's photography gallery in tent - portraits "very fair" (January, February 1862); Gundagai South: working in Gasse & Co. general store, brother James lost youngest child, framed picture of Queen Victoria from illustrated papers sent by Tom - calico mount, ?12000 gold robbery by Garner's gang [Frank Gardiner als Christie als Clarke], telegraph and local newspaper at Tumut (c May-July 1862).

Letters from William Knibb Morris to brother Thomas John Morris dated July 1877-1880. Regarding, Hobart: auction at Fingal successful, Sunday School gave Sarah purse of money - invested in small "Friend" sewing machine, train, job on Railways, Jerusalem [Colebrook] station, accident on line, going back to Susmans, Rev. Wade, temporary job with R. Lewis & Son then back to Susman (March 1878), experiments with telephone, Dr. Smart's telephone connected to another doctor's surgery across road (March 1878), value of electric telegraph, Mr Henry [Robert H. jr.] head of telegraph office, experiments with microphones - meeting at telegraph office, daughter born - "a regular Morris" dark eyes and black hair (30 August 1878), Prof. Pepper's lecture on electricity, Canon [Marcus Blake] Brownrigg missionary formerly at Lachlan goldfields 1860-1, sending photo of railway line at Jerusalem, also sending Father and Mother's cockatoo - they taught it to speak - on "Windward" which was carrying 2000 birds, electric pen (April-May 1879), winding up Duncan's estate at Fingal (May 1879), Cowper's writing telegraph, Edison's loud speaking telephone, Mr Henry to establish telephone circuit, experiments with telephone between New Norfolk-Hobart-Sandy Bay (31 August 1879), progress at telegraph office Mt. Nelson - connected with office by Bell/Siemen telephone, Collis family, Ackerman's museum at Launceston, Sydney Exhibition (August 1879), scientific experiments at conversazione in aid of organ fund (September 1879), Percy had rheumatic fever, Charles Bryant drowned in Derwent (February 1880), parrot skins and frames made by Martha Rothwell of Quorn Hall sent by Lufra for children (February 1880), "Star" newspaper, James Morris' tin mine (March 1880).

Letters written by William Knibb Morris to his brother Thomas John Morris dated 19 September 1864-1866. Fingal: family, Sarah ill [sister died November 1864], sending money but not much - his business doing well but started on credit, American war, New Zealand war, Annie [sister] ill at Port Albert, Annie had still born child, Fingal goldfields hopeful (description), James appointed Landing Waiter at Swansea - will not interfere with employment with Graham but gives him extra ?100 a year (c 1866).

Letters to R.J. Morris from relatives and friends dated 1902, 1905-1909. Casual letters from friends, aunts, cousins, etc., including Allan Marshall: church meeting (27 November 1902), Harry Sidwell, Charles Walch, E.C. Fuller, Howard Gandy: stationery business London - does work for Tas. Govt. Office - enclosed: photo of Gandy & Gandy store (27 January 1909; 18 November 1909), Morris L. Wright, A.E. Seabrook: mission school for blind girls Foochan.

Letters written by William Knibb Morris to Henry Stevens (1875): sympathy on Mary's illness [Mary Ann Stevens nee Morris], parents, Annie's death, loss of steamer Gothernberg on way from Port Darwin to Melbourne, flood in NSW. Mary (Morris) Stevens to brother William Knibb Morris [1876], birthday wishes, family, little Henry. Also souvenir letter card with views of Bournemouth, U.K., from Ada Crouch (nee Stevens) to her uncle William Knibb Morris. Also a booklet of photographs.

Miscellaneous papers 1871 -1886 including welcome to Rev. J. Graham program 1871; notes on making lenses and for finding the focal distance and power of a telescope (ND); receipt for £342.15.0. paid for discharge of mortgage on Arthur Street residence (20 December 1886); notes for Sara's letter to her aunt Mary (ND); news cutting about debts of E.T. Walker stationer and manager of business of Henry Stevens (d. 1897, widow d. 1906) (ND c1906-7).

Family photographs:

1. Lady Franklin's gum tree, Davey Street (sepia print, mounted)
2. Boy, R.J. Morris? c1890 - head and shoulders of boy aged about 10-12, Robert Morris? (Carte de visite portrait by Anson Photographers)
3. R.J. Morris (studio portrait by Rembrandt, standing, holding book, oval, mounted)
4. R.J. Morris and Ada Crouch, Epping Forest, UK July 1907 - seated on log "Forest Lovers, Ada & I on our way from Theydon to Loughton" (small snapshot)
5. Miss Ewell outside her cottage (UK?) c1905-6
6. "Annie's chalet, Haslemere, Surrey" UK c1905-6 RJM's room marked (small snapshot)
   7-8. Kellevie, Tasmania: Allan, Hook, Woolley, Tribe, Morris May 1905 (snapshots taken by Thomas R. Morris)
   9-10. Thomas Rothwell Morris 21 September 1906 - standing, holding football outside weatherboard house (snapshots)
7. Group in front of tent [1905-7] - two young men, two young ladies, in front of small bivouac tent, bush setting T.R. Morris?, Mary, Celia, R.J. Moore? (snapshot)
8. Two young men in paddock ND - dressed in breeches, boats and puttees, wiping hands on towels
9. Gandy & Gandy store, London 1908 (enclosed with letter of 18 November 1909, M13/30)

Presentation of purse to Mrs Morris "in remembrance of friends and the teachers connected with the Wesleyan Sunday School Fingal", listing 23 contributors. Note added by Sarah Morris: "I purchased a sewing machine called the 'Friend' and it was true to the name".
Note: the back of this document was used at a much later date for family reminiscences of John Rothwell, Sarah Crouch, etc.