Canada -- Description and travel; Canada -- Emigration and immigration
shipped away at an enormous rate. Going to shut up now suddenly.
Give my love to Miss Harley, or something a little milder if you
would rather, and believe me, with love also to the rest of the
family circle, which will now, I suppose, include a Mrs. Daddy
Cockburn,
Your loving Son,
J. SETON COCKBURN.
202, Bank Street,
Ottawa.
_November 7th_, '84.
Dear Mother,
This is Friday night again, and I have not begun a letter till now,
but the pure fact of the matter is, that I can say all I have got to
say in about ten minutes. I have been making enquiries in accessible
quarters about rents and taxes, etc., and it seems to me that in the
towns at any rate they are just as high as they are in England. Most
of the houses in the quiet, respectable sort of streets average
about twenty to twenty-five dollars per month, including everything
but water-rate, which is three dollars per month. The cost of living
I should say, is decidedly less, or else how can lodging-house
keepers board and lodge people for from three-and-a-half to five
dollars per week in the towns, and from as low as two-and-a-half in
the country. Of course, I can't tell you anything about the actual
cost of the different articles of food. I would as soon go and
bargain with a linen draper about a fathom of calico as go and
enquire the price of vegetables while standing between two fat old
market women. You see I know precious little about the country, bar
half-a-day or so spent at Hardy's farm, I have never been out of the
towns. Every time I sit down to write to you I spend half my time
thinking who I can tackle on the subjects of your enquiries, and
every time all that comes of it is, ask Barnet. Barnet and Hartley
are the only two people I know here as yet; the former, you know, is
the man that got me my job. He put my name down yesterday for a
member of "The St. Andrew's Society;" the subscription is one dollar
per annum, and the avowed objects of the Society are the finding out
and assisting of needy or unfortunate Scotchmen. I did not join on
account of any charitable feelings toward my countrymen, but simply
for the purpose of making acquaintances. It will all help in making
general enquiries about the country. Besides, who knows if I may not
be in want of a kilt myself some day. (When I send you a photo' of
myself in full war paint you'll know I am hard up again). Talking
about clothing matters, I do not think they are much, if at all,
more expensive than in England. You can get a very good great-coat
or a suit of clothes for ten dollars, though of course that is
mostly in the ready-made department. I asked to-day what a coat like
my ulster would cost, and they said from 20 to 24 dollars, equal
from £4 3s. 4d. to £5. The price in Gateshead was £4 10s. So it
seems that clothes made to order are very much the same, and ready
made are perhaps rather dearer. I got a fur collar put on my
monkey-jacket, which cost 7 dollars; it's a good deal, but I may be
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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