516 A LETTER FROM THE GOLDFIELDS: 25 February 1855 mss letter (4 sides) written by a gold-miner at Bendigo to his long-suffering wife and children. He refers to letters from her that he has just received - dated October 1853 and April 1854. "....I thought my own trials bad but yours is worse. God bless the children and you.....My Dear I am not astonished of your stomach being bad it is fit to make a horses stomach bad what you have come through.....My Dear I cannot think of coming home just now. I will send you what money I have at present and will remit you money as often as I can......I can make more money here than I can do at home so I think it is better for me to stop a little longer...I am Partnership 3(?) on the Diggin[g]s. One is George Robertson (this same George cut Richard, your brother’s, hedges at Blainster...and the other 2 is from Gallashiels [Galashiels, Scotland], all very steady men......I remain your Effection Husband James Frances DEWAR." $200–300 ❖ 517 [VICTORIAN GOLDFIELDS - BENDIGO] Artist Unknown, Pen and ink drawing on paper, 10 x 25cm approx., the image including the Sargood & Co. store at left (Draper); the POHL SYMONDS & Co General Store, etc. circa 1857 . See BUILDING AT THE FRONTIER by Miles Lewis [online] at p.20 for a more detailed illustration. $600–800 ❖ 518 THE WENTWORTH DIGGINGS - A MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE A Gold Miner’s Marriage Certificate signed by John Dunmore Lang [1799 - 1878] Letterpress, signed, inscribed and dated "Twelfth day of April, 1864" 30 x 25cm. Text includes "(Copy of) Certificate of Marriage. I, John Dunmore Lang, being Seniors Minister of the Scots Church, Sydney, do hereby certify that I have this day at the Scots Church duly celebrated the marriage between Heinrich Mohrman, bachelor, Goldminer, Wentworth Diggings, and Elizabeth Ross, spinster." Lang was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian republicanism. $400–600 519 SYDNEY MINT SOVEREIGN: Queen Victoria 1866, Second Type, Very fine. $600–800 ❖ 520 SYDNEY MINT SOVEREIGN: Queen Victoria 1866, Second Type, Very fine. $600–800 521 SYDNEY MINT SOVEREIGN: Queen Victoria 1870, Second Type, Very fine. $600–800 522 DESLANDES, John [VICTORIAN GOLD RUSH] Carte de visite format albumen print photograph of a gold nugget, with hand colouring in gold; recto with the imprint of J.Deslandes, Photographic Artist, Inglewood." The card with contemporary inscription in ink: "93lbs, 5oz, 15dwt, 7grs got by Solomon Schlossman & John Davis at Johnstown Berlin June 1870. £4627 .4.6" The Berlin Diggings (now known as Rheola) were located near Inglewood, between St.Arnaud and Bendigo. Contemporary reports indicate that on 31st May 1870 on the Berlin diggings, Schlossmann, Davis and another miner named Rendisch dug up the eighth-largest gold nugget ever found in Victoria; it was named the Viscount Canterbury and weighed 1114 troy ounces (34.6 kg). The little-known goldfields photographer John Deslandes is recorded as being active in Inglewood during 1866 by Davies & Stanbury (Mechanical Eye), where he is listed as John Desandes. $200–300 523 GOLD SOVEREIGNS: 1870 Sydney Mint, 1879 Melbourne (St.George), 1889 London (Jubilee Head) & 1901 Perth (Veiled Head). A nice group, all with different portraits of Victoria. (4). $1,500–2,000 518 522 523 521 520 81