Above: Joseph Bishop, son of Joseph Bishop and Eleanor Barnes, and eldest brother of Henry Bishop's father William. This photo was taken in c. 1862-3, around the same period that he wrote the following letter to Bertha.
" 37 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.
May 20, 1862.
My Dear Bertha,
Oh how CRUEL and UNKIND of you to say you hate me. What is to become of me if I lose your kind, affectionate, pretty approving smile. How can I be happy if Bertha frowns? I know I have been negligent indeed. I am an unmitigated scamp to allow your two kind letters of 12th February and 26th March to remain so long unanswered, but never did I think however great my faults that with my dear Bertha it would be an unpardonable one -neither is it.Come, let me beg you will write me one of your nice interesting notes and say you forgive me.There..you will- then I shall be happy.
I have ten thousand thanks and KISSES in store for you for the kindness and attention you bestow on my dear Harry. Bye the bye you have kisses in store for me when I come to Wirlong-shouldn't I like to have a peep at you.
I notice how nicely you describe the amusements of Harry and yourself viz- cribbage,viste(??), walk, fish etc.That is all very well and right- he should indulge in such past times occasionally, but please young lady to bear in mind that I want and beg you will encourage all you possibly can his soon obtaining a thorough knowledge of sheep and their management. He has his living to get, his way to make in the world, beside which I may want him to be of use or render some service to this "nasty old buffer" who is sometimes seized with the notion that he will require some such aid in his old days.
So you want me to send my portrait do you? Well, you just can't have it- tisn't to be had.You never saw such an old villainous looking prize fighting sort of chap in your life.- Harry will tell you. What do you think of his? I presume he has one with him to show you.
Have you heard from Mrs Edmiston lately? She has written me once only since I left N.Z. I fear Mr. Edmiston will lose his appointment with Webb, Panthon & Co on account of their failure, and I cannot imagine where in Duneden he can procure another one.
We have have had Mrs Stafford and Mrs Treacy gossiping with us this evening. It is now 12 p.m and my budget for tonight is threadbare, but for even this brief scrawl. I do hope you will write me particulars of the passing events of Wirlong. Waiting which I am, my dear Bertha, Yours truly,
Joseph Bishop."
Now...is it just me, or does this letter display a blatantly "flirty" nature??? I would swear that old Uncle Joe, who was in his early fifties, was indulging in some playful flirting with 23 year old Bertha.I wonder if he suspected that his beloved nephew and Bertha had fallen in love, and if indeed Joseph had his eye on Bertha as a wife for himself? He had a very negative reaction a few months later to Henry's news of his engagement to Bertha, and it was two years later in 1864 that Joseph had an arranged marriage to a woman in her early twenties.
Enough for this evening...tomorrow we deal with the infamous letter that Joseph Bishop wrote to Henry giving his reaction to his nephew's engagement to Bertha.
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