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Letters from Walworth Baguley, Smithton written 12/8/1914 and 20/5/1915. Two photocopies of original letters, signed W. Baguley, written from Smithton and Irishtown, addressed to 'Wilkie'. He describes attempts to establish a settlement in North West Tasmania: 'Blythe and I are at present squatted in the midst of a vast forest…' They hoped to obtain a grant of 10,000 acres on condition 50 people were settled there within three years and has had a promise from 5 cabinet ministers to that effect. The organisation was to be known as 'The Tasmania Colonizing Association Ltd.' In the meantime they were clearing timber and living in an old surveyors' hut 24 miles from Smithton - 'Smithton has a population of about 500, six stores, seven churches, 1 pub. 1 school, a sawmill, post-office etc.' By the time Baguley wrote his second letter they had been joined by 3 men, wives and children from British Columbia, Canada, but the bill to authorise the land grant had been defeated (although they hoped to try again) and so they had taken various jobs, including road making. Baguley also referred to the war - 'Bad job isn't it' - and sent 'kind regards to all in the office', probably his former colleagues since he also commented that now 'I ... shoulder an axe and walk into the forest, just as naturally as I used to walk up stairs to that refrigerator called an office in Birch St., Dunedin!

The copies of the diaries are dated between 1889 and 1926 and contain brief entries for each day. They relate to both personal and farm activities and appear to relate to a comparatively small general farm.
For example: "stayed at house and made a set of steps for the dairy"; "reaped 1 1/2 acres oats for seed"; "stocked up oats and made a rake"; commenced putting in culvert down by cottage"; ''2 loads of hay - too green"; "grubbing large boulder stones out of 18 acres"; "went to morning service ¬ Archdeacon Richards preached"; "made organ stool for Black River Church"; "party of young people from Smithton for evening"; "picked the quinces and some apples, killed a sheep"; "8 loads of cut up wood for home during winter"; "putting up wire fence by potato shed to let calves get shelter under the pines"; "pottering around all day, Leon called"; "1/2 day in vegetable garden"; "marked lambs. Worked 4 hours at P.O."; "Carl finished ploughing 6 acres for peas"; "helped to cut chaff for Mr L. Medwin"; "carting hay, Frank Medwin with team". The entries appear to relate to a comparatively small general farm and by 1918 Anderson's children (daughter at Stanley, and Leon) were grown up and were living independently. One diary is dated 1889 and was much damaged with parts of pages tom or worn away. The 1889 entries are similar (eg: "made bullock yoke"; "Joe took load of potatoes to township"; "boiled pig potatoes").

Letter from Michael Maxwell Shaw dated 7 July 1869 to William Boyer about the 'Castra' settlement - "I think that a society of gentlemen at Castra would do much to establish a sound tone of feeling and manners through the island". He also describes
his own home 'Deans Point' La Trobe, formerly a coal mine and good dairy land.