"Your words of sympathy re my little story, 'Trooper Peter Halket'" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box2/Fold2/July-Dec1899/18 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 17 August 1899 |
| Address From | Johannesburg, Transvaal |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Alice Greene |
| Other Versions | Rive 1987: 373 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The name of the addressee is indicated by salutation and content. Schreiner was resident in Berea, Johannesburg, from December 1898 until late August 1899.
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1
Aug 17th 1899
2
3 Thank you so much for your letters, dear Friend. I wonder if Miss
4Molteno has left for Cape Town. I am going to try a week longer to get
5better here, & then if I can’t we are perhaps going for a month to
6the farm of Cron’s cousin in the Hope Town district, 10 hours from
7the railway. The only reason I don’t want to go there is that it is
8so far from all news. But I don’t see how war can be proclaimed for
96 or 8 eig weeks & we shall be back by that time.
10
11 If I am only well I want so to be here if war does come. I don’t
12know what I can do, but I feel I ought to be here.
13
14 I can give you no news. Things are still touch & go touch & go. If
15England means to crush us at one blow she must bring out many more
16soldiers than she has now. You must be sure to read an article on "The
17seamy side of imperialism" in the Contemporary Review for June by
18Robert Wallace. It exactly expresses our views.
19
20 I am still not able to lie down; but it may be I shall get better as
21the weather gets warmer.
22
23 If we do go our address will be
24 c/o Ed Wright
25 Karree ^Karree^ Kloof
26 Via Kran Kuil
27 Cape Colony
28
29 Olive
30
2
3 Thank you so much for your letters, dear Friend. I wonder if Miss
4Molteno has left for Cape Town. I am going to try a week longer to get
5better here, & then if I can’t we are perhaps going for a month to
6the farm of Cron’s cousin in the Hope Town district, 10 hours from
7the railway. The only reason I don’t want to go there is that it is
8so far from all news. But I don’t see how war can be proclaimed for
96 or 8 eig weeks & we shall be back by that time.
10
11 If I am only well I want so to be here if war does come. I don’t
12know what I can do, but I feel I ought to be here.
13
14 I can give you no news. Things are still touch & go touch & go. If
15England means to crush us at one blow she must bring out many more
16soldiers than she has now. You must be sure to read an article on "The
17seamy side of imperialism" in the Contemporary Review for June by
18Robert Wallace. It exactly expresses our views.
19
20 I am still not able to lie down; but it may be I shall get better as
21the weather gets warmer.
22
23 If we do go our address will be
24 c/o Ed Wright
25 Karree ^Karree^ Kloof
26 Via Kran Kuil
27 Cape Colony
28
29 Olive
30
Notation
The article referred to is: Robert Wallace (1899) 'The seamy side of imperialism' Contemporary Review 75: 782. Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.
The article referred to is: Robert Wallace (1899) 'The seamy side of imperialism' Contemporary Review 75: 782. Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.