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High Commissioner's Office, Johannesburg.
Feb: 8: 1903
My dearest Mother
Do you think I am angry when you write melancholic letters? Who should you lament to if not to me? I am very sorry to hear of your many griefs. Wait till the Muck Black Deil gets Macrobert! [Sentence scored out.] I am writing to Eben [his uncle] this week as you say he feels neglected.
I have had a hard week as Lord M. has been away at Bloemfontein seeing Joe safely off the premises. The Board of Trade keep pestering me with questions which often take hours finding out. I accepted the job of Trade Commissioner with a light heart, but I am afraid that, as the Americans
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say, I have bitten off rather more than I can chew.
I hope Anna is quite all right again after the influenza. You must be sure to make her take a good holiday at Easter - to Paris or elsewhere. It is a pity I was not at home as Willie might have had some of my riding breeks - I have got some unco tight ones.
You seem to be having appalling weather at home. Here we are very hot, & far too little rain. In fact Providence seems to have
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made a hash of the weather all over the world this year. But yesterday we had a most cheering rain. I came back from Pretoria very tired, so I took a dog-cart, & David & Jonathan, put on a waterproof, & went for a long drive over the veld in the rain. It might easily have been the country about Muirburn.
I have had a lot of abuse in the papers last week, as I have taken away a lot of Town lands. I claim that Town lands are Crown lands, & the Attorney-General supports me. But the Towns claim that they are their own. Every Town-council meeting contains references to "that insolent young man". The papers said there was no more headstrong and unreasonable person in the
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country: but another paper undertook my defence & said I was a 'genial and courteous gentleman.' I suppose it is only my considerable personal popularity that saves me from very general abuse, as I have to do some most unpopular & arbitrary things.
Tell Anna that I have got a present of some fine garnets which I hope to get cut & set.
Gerard Craig-Sellar has sailed again for S. Africa. All last year he was utterly homesick, & now he tells me he is homesick for S. Africa. I understand this is a very common thing to happen after people go home. There is something uncannily fascinating about the country.
With much love to all
Your affectionate son
John
