28 July 1864 Glenorchy My dear Donald I cannot go to rest this night without writing you the great sorrow I was made to feel on hearing when Boby came home of the only living and worthy uncle's death. O my dear D you must feel the same but you did not know him as I did for I knew him in my manhood. Worthy man. Many is the good advice he gave me and great was his care over all of his poor sister's family and you in particular was the idol of his thoughts and now he has gone without seeing you or your dear boy. No pen can tell how I feel when I think of all his goodness with his little means when we were not able to help ourselves he was always ready to assist to the utmost of his power. It was with him I first left my father's house and it is only now that his parting benediction brings tears to my very heart. Often have I written him for advice and safe and good ones he gave me altho I have not made the best of use of them still I feel I have him no more to apply to or write to. He was the only one in our native land that we had to look up to and it is only now that we have lost him that all his worth comes to our mind while he was their. I hope after hope to see him once more satisfied the mind but that now is gone forever. There is so many things around on my mind that I only wish I was near you to reveal to you this night regarding him. Look worthy man at the way he did when he made up his mind to get married to Mrs McCubbin. She would not have him without parting with his sisters and that ended the matter. That he would not do that it self speaks volumes in his goodness of heart. Now poor things they are destitute without any one except nephews and they some of them have not the heart or yet the means to assist. I have bothered my brain all this day about them and I have come to the concution [conclusion] that you will prosper all the better if you will only do what I would like to do that is I will do all I can and forgo many things that I may want to assist you in aiding them in paying their rent as I supose he has not left much for them to do it with. He always paid their rent for them and who have they to look to. I will try and put £5 to it and will write to John to put £10 so if you gave the rest it will never be mixed and God will reward us for it. I think John cannot refuse as he is now in a fair way of doing well & my dear brother if I only had it in my power I would never think twice of doing such a charitable act for it will be a sad thing for them poor things in their old days to be left so destitute. We thank God have our own sisters now with us and surely we will be able to get what will do us in this weary world with industry and care. I feel relieved now that I have pened you this as I think it a duty to do so. I recolect our poor mother saying to me once that Uncle Donald had sent her share of his first sallary to help to teach us. There is no good in telling you for you know plenty. My dreams have fallen on the side I lest expected. The death of my wife's parents is a thing that can only be surely expected as their years come to that time but he was not so old or so infirm. I would like to hear all the a/c of his illness and cause of death. If you had a letter please send it me with particulars of his death. There was never anything happened me that has filled my heart with real sorrow so much as this. Every word and act of the worthy man comes fast home to me now. He has left this world without any tarnish on his name for he was respected both by poor and rich and we have reason to be proud of his memory. It was him that could spend nights and days speaking of his favoured theme, the McLean boys. If their was anything he was weak on it was that every act of ours that he came to know of was made his table talk. I will forever regrete not having gone to see him before I came out here for he wrote for me to come. My dear little Douglas will have no one to gave him a warm welcome to his father's native soil now. His aunt Flora poor thing is the only one but thank God he is in good hand and well cared for. No more till we meet. Your affectionate brother Archibald John McLean