Girard0749

31 August 1848 — Father Jean-Louis Rocher to Father Victor Poupinel, Sydney

Translated by Mary Williamson, July 2018

Based on the document sent , APM OP 458 Rocher.

Sheet of paper folded to form four pages, three of which are written on, the fourth having only Poupinel’s annotation.

[p.4] [in Poupinel’s handwriting]

Sydney 31st August 1848 / the Reverend Father Rocher.

[p.1]

Sydney 31st August 1848.

To the Reverend Father Poupinel

My Reverend Father

[1]

I had the honour, on the 1st of this month, of receiving your letters of 20th February and 27th March as well as that of Father Dubreul of 6th February, in which I found several letters of credit, thus: ₤781/5/5 on the Commercial Bank of Australia, the second for ₤579/10/10, on the Union Bank of Australia, and the third for ₤1309/1/8 on the Commercial Bank.

[2]

Today I acknowledge receipt of your letters of 7th and 24th April and of 1st May and let you know that I have also received two letters of credit on the Commercial Bank of that town; I have placed these in the account of each mission according to your last instructions (1st May).

[3]

That is actually all the money that we have in the banks in Sydney. The procurator’s office has never found itself so rich and at the same time so poor, for of all the sums mentioned above, the procurator’s office does not count on having 1000.00 francs for itself. It is true that we would have been a bit richer from these distributions, if an error had not slipped in, that I would be pleased it you could rectify, in checking again on your accounts with Messrs widow Guérin and Sons. It is that the draft of Father Chaurain for ₤300, which was paid by Messrs veuve Guérin and Sons on 20th March, was not for the account of the procurator, but indeed for that of Bishop Collomb. It was incurred whilst the brig Anonyme was in Sydney, where, after having been repaired it had to go and pick up Bishop Collomb in New Caledonia to take him to his curacy.

[4]

Since the procurator’s office has been in existence in Sydney no draft has been sent for its own particular needs. So the draft for 5000 francs that Father Chaurain announced as probable on 13th January, has not eventuated.

[5]

Kindly then, if you please, rectify this error as soon as possible and send the rest of our allocations, for if Bishop Douarre with his seven people and those of bishop Bataillon pass through Sydney, we will certainly find ourselves in need. It is understood that we will make use of the money for the missions if we find ourselves in a difficult situation.

[6]

Since the first of this month we have not heard any news of our missions. We are impatiently awaiting news of Bishop Collomb.

[7]

Would you be so kind as to say to the Reverend Father Lagniet that I received with the greatest of pleasure the letter that he was kind enough to write to me. If the ship had not been leaving immediately, I would have replied to him, but that which is deferred is not lost. I will write to him during next month.

[8]

Please continue to write to us as often as you can, giving us always, as you do, news of the Society.

[9]

Goodbye, Father Chaurain and I commend our people to your prayers.

Your very humble and obedient servant

Rocher missionary priest.

[10]

My respects to our Reverend Fathers.

Previous Letter

List of 1848 Letters

Next Letter