| Description | Because of her Aunt's 'always kindly encouragement' she is glad to write whenever she has the opportunity. It is long since she has heard from her Aunt and she hopes she has not been prevented from writing because of illness, and that before long she will have the pleasure of a letter from her. She thinks her Aunt by this time will have heard about the fever (spread throughout Hobart town) that her mother, Sophy and Mary have had. The fever's most notable feature being 'great weakness'; and although Mary is quite recovered, her Mama and Sophy remain weakened by it, though considerably better than they were. She writes that on the 24th it will be the Queen's birthday, so her Papa will hold a Levée and in the evening there is 'to be a large ball at this house, to which upwards of a thousand have been invited' at which her Mama hopes to be in attendance, but Sophy is not yet strong enough to attend. She tells of the British frigate Conway being in harbour, which has brought the Bishop of Australia, and of her father knowing the captain (Captain Bethune) , whom he had seen in Portsmouth (on the fitting out of the Rainbow). She goes on to write of how her father 'enjoys anything to do with shipping'. Major Smith who travelled with the Franklin family on the Fairlie has given Eleanor Isabella two tails of the Great Pheasant from Port Philip which she believes from her Aunt's description of the Lyre Bird to be one and the same, although she had not heard it called by that name. She describes the tail of the male bird as being in the shape of a lyre, about three quarters of a yard long; the female shorter 'and like the tail of any other bird', and though she has not seen the bird she thinks 'it must look very graceful'. She explains how Port Philip is in the South of Australia and that it is said to be very beautiful. They have recently seen a man 'who has lived thirty two years with the natives who treated him very kindly': he had been sent out to the Colonies as a prisoner. |
| Sender Location | Government House, Hobart Town |
| Recipient | Eleanor Isabella Franklin |