Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/67

 51 frosts, or of the underground work of a wire-worm, I am not yet agriculturist enough to determine.

22nd.—Some boatmen have just brought me five cwt. of flour, a barrel of herrings, a bag of coffee, and another of rice, all necessary for my winter comforts, though of winter there is no appearance, neither floods nor rain: in fact the weather is delightful, and the cow seems to feel the benefit of it, if I am to judge of her increase of milk, which Letty has already churned in a small box-churn, expressly borrowed for the purpose: the result of her industry has been one pound of very rich butter.

23rd.—Laboured again at the garden, and sowed a bed of carrots and two beds of turnips, cabbages, and radishes, each bed about twelve yards in length, and one yard in breadth: transplanted peas, which were too thin in their rows. My garden is nearly full, and it affords me radishes every day for myself and my friend, Mrs. Tanner.

25th.—Yesterday I walked through the river, which was a a little cold, to church, where I read the service. The congregation was respectable. I afterwards dined with Mr. Brokman, and met an officer in the navy, who has left the Canning River to settle here; he knew our friends E. L. and his wife, and Mr. Edward Scott, the barrister, and this acquaintance with them at once formed a link of companionship with me.

30th.—My diary for some time past presents nothing more than a detail of work in the garden, and the cooking of a dish of greens, with observations on the weather, which has been rather windy, (accompanied by some rain) but it has now moderated. Ah, woe is me! the calf became so weak and ill, that I have been obliged to cut its throat,—poor innocent! Some gentlemen came here, while my larder was so well supplied with veal, and did me the favour of dining and sleeping sub tegmine. Next day we all dined at Mr. Mackey's, across the river, where we had a noble feast of vegetables from his garden, which being on moist ground yields abundantly