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High Commissioner's Office Johannesburg
Oct: 26: 1902
My dear old Mother
Many thanks to you and Anna for your last letter. I am delighted about Willie's success, and am writing to him this week. I hope my Aunt's marriage will go off all right, and that you will not over-exert yourself. You must take great care of your health, you old body, and cease to worry about the church. If you will concern yourself with things you need not, let me recommend
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as suitable things to worry about, the present condition of Ireland and the great drought in Australia.
I have had a miserable harassed week, driven between Pretoria & Johannesburg. The worst of having run a number of things oneself is that it is very difficult to get them transferred to the people, and I spend long hours instructing the Lieutenant Governor. The rain has come at last but not the proper warm rains but a cold blast which is doing more harm than good to the country. It is
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extremely trying after the great heat of a fortnight ago & most people go about green with liver.
H.E. is off on trek again next week, but I can't get with him to my sorrow. Tonight is a great banquet for the Lieutenant-Governor. Poor Brooke departed last Wednesday to my great regret. We gave him a dinner on Tuesday night, & he waxed very sentimental. He is going back to be an ornamental officer of Life Guards in London, a melancholy fate for so active a man. However he has gone home by the E. coast, & as there is trouble just now in Somaliland he will
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be in it if it is at all possible. He presented me with a fine double-barrelled elephant rifle, which I hope to use next winter.
People constantly turn up here with introductions from people in Glasgow I never heard of, but the other day a man arrived bearing a letter subscribed by the honoured name of Rooshby. I am trying to get him a post in the mines. Hugh Wyndham returns from Natal today with his people.
I hope they will enjoy themselves
With much love to all
Your affectionate son
John
