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High Commissioner's Office, Johannesburg.
July: 18: 1903
My dearest Mother
I was very pleased to get Anna's letter this week. She seems in good spirits. I hope you enjoyed being in Edinburgh with the Walkers. Mrs Guthrie must have been rather an affliction. The news about Charles Dick is rather
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disgusting. An elderly and unhealthy U.P. sounds about the limit of human unattractiveness. I was always certain that "my tocher" would be "the jewel" for Mr Charles, as it is unfortunately for many members of his profession.
I gave a dinner on Thursday to some Peeblesshire
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people in and around Johannesburg - the two Hunters, a nephew of Robert Thorburn's, a man Mathieson an old clerk of my uncle's, & several others. They were good honest people & I think they enjoyed themselves.
I have had a busy week clearing up & getting the various Council publications out – also settling up my own affairs. Lord M. is off to
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Bloemfontein till Wednesday. He sails about the 5th of August. I leave on the 29th of this month for my farewell trek, so one week I am afraid you will get no letter. But as the next week will bring me in propria persona you won't mind.
I had a letter from Sandy Gillon this week in which he said he would be pleased
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to see my honest gnarled countenance again – an unfair way, surely, to speak of my regular & classic features. Old William Blackwood also wrote to me. He offers me a very large royalty for my book. I only hope it will be a success but there has been a very great slump in S. African
