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Observer, Volume 1, Issue 13, 11 December 1880, Page 109

Lovers of the characters immortalised "by Dickens will "be pleased to hear that the jovial ever-hopeful Mark Tapley is still to the fore, and engaged in agricultural pursuits not a thousand miles from Cambridge. Farming does not seem to prosper with him in his present locality any better than it did in Eden, but as will be seen from the extract given below, and which I take from a letter just received from him, his heart is as light as ever.

;uid he looks on things in general with a true Tapley philosophy. He says :— " Shearing is about to begin, and I think as we have had a good year we shall succeed in shearing nearly as many as last year, although I am not so sanguine as to expect anything like the same quantity of wool; that would be too much luck. The little sparrows of the Bible would have no trouble in providing for themselves here ; we have put in two acres of oats for them, but the improvident little devils have . nearly finished them already, I suppose counting on the potatoes for a rainy day, but I fancy they will be sold, for not one has come \vp, and the chagrin of the slugs, caterpillars and co., is beautiful to contemplate, but we wont see them want, and we are getting some maize ready for them, and pumpkins for dessert, so we have done all we can, and shall continue as heretofore to get onr crops from the only reliable source, viz., Messrs. G and Co." Here he names a well-known firm in town with whom he deals for stores.