The Archer Letters – Letter Thirty
Fr Julian Tenison Woods’ letter to William Archer on 3 January 1888 from his home in Elizabeth Street, Sydney, was probably not penned by himself. However, he did add his own signature. The reason for not writing himself was a serious deterioration in his health, leaving him an invalid unable to use his hands and […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Twenty-Nine
This letter is written from William Archer to Fr Julian Tenison Woods welcoming him back to Australia in 1886. It is Archer’s only letter in this collection. Written from his home in Melbourne on the feast of Corpus Christi, 1886, William Archer’s words are warm and inviting – in anticipation of seeing his good friend […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Twenty-Eight
This letter was written from the mountains behind Osaka in Japan. Fr Julian had retreated here to indulge his love of botany, geology and solitude. He seemed to be quite intrigued with Japan, its houses and people and was only too happy to be confined here longer than he expected due to a cholera epidemic […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Twenty-Seven
Wherever Fr Julian went he found people who had connections to Australia. In this letter he mentions that he was staying with Sir George Bowen, a former Governor of Victoria (1872-1879). It seems Fr Julian was not too charmed by Sir George because of the introduction he had given to his lecture on mines and […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Twenty-Five
Fr Julian is now some months into his travels in Asia. It seems that his health had been good from August 1853 until the beginning of January 1884, despite the fact that he had endured uncomfortable boat trips and others around him succumbing to jungle fever. However, he did get fever in due course and […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Twenty-Four
In his letter of 18 October 1883, we find that Fr Julian Tenison Woods is now in Singapore, having left Brisbane three months before. He relates wonderful new experiences, including witnessing volcanic activity and declares “I shall never forget my journey!” He was, of course, a guest of the Governor, Sir Frederick Weld, a friend […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Twenty-Two
This letter tells the reader much about the place of science in the life of Fr Julian. He loves all things scientific but he is always a priest first, attending to his many ecclesiastical duties before spending time pursuing scientific interests – writing papers, visiting museums or taking notes while rambling. At this time Fr […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Twenty-One
There has been a delay in Fr Julian receiving Sir William Archer’s letters due mainly to confusion over the address at which Fr Julian’s mail is held while he is absent from Sydney giving missions in remote parish areas. It is interesting to note Fr Julian’s membership of two clubs in Sydney, the Union Club […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Nineteen
This letter is written in the midst of a busy time for Fr Julian. Obviously the period between Christmas and the middle of January was a popular time for priests and religious to be on retreat and Fr Julian was much in demand as a retreat director. No doubt the retreat experience would have involved […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Eighteen
In this letter, Fr Julian expresses his appreciation for the enjoyable time he had spent with the Archer family the month before. He is now in Sydney en route to Bathurst. Fr Julian describes the ship, the Wotonga, in which he journeyed from Melbourne to Sydney as “one of the very best boats you can […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Seventeen
This letter is to Mrs Archer, apologising for once again being delayed in his visit and asking for assistance for one of the women from a community he was trying to establish. This letter shows the esteem and trust in which Fr Julian held the Archer family. It is little wonder he enjoyed spending time […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Sixteen
In his letter of 6.1.76, Fr Julian says he is enclosing a cryptogamic puzzle. Obviously he forgot to do this because the purpose of his letter of 22.1.76 is now to send the Fungus! The two letters allude to his involvement with the Tasmanian Royal Society whose monthly meetings both stimulated his scientific work and […]