Lot 3036

Description

Tasmania, handwritten promissory note, 1837, to 'Cashier of the Derwent Bank, pay to self, or bearer, the sum of Five pounds, - to Acct of - ', (and signed) Maria Ramus (this lined through), at bottom left side, 'Leintwardine, 3d Febr 1837', on reverse is marked as cancelled. Age toning, otherwise fine and scarce.

In February and March 1837 Maria Ramus placed several advertisements in the Hobart newspapers posting a reward leading to the recovery of a bullock that had been stolen or gone missing from her farm. She listed her address as Leintwardine. Previously in 1833 she placed an advertisement cautioning trespassing of her estate of Leintwardine, near the river Ouse. Further, in 1835 Mr Thomas Bellenger placed in the newspaper an offer of ten pounds reward for information leading to the arrest of those constantly stealing from Mrs Ramus's shepherd's hut and in the same newspaper, Mrs Ramus offered twenty guineas for conviction of whoever took one of her bulls and took part of its tongue and left ear and also castrated the animal.



These criminal acts may in fact have been inspired by some people believing that Maria Ramus had been receiving over generous help from His Excellency Lieutenant Governor Arthur. She wrote to the editor of the Colonial Times in 1835 to say that this had not been the case. She also wrote another letter that was published in the newspaper in which she expressed her thanks to Frederick the son of the Lieutenant Governor who had been on board the ship 'Gulnare' when she was struck ill and was very kind to her. Her praise of the Lieutenant Governor was overflowing 'of the extreme personal attentions with which you have at all times honoured me, and the unfeigned pleasure I have felt in learning from undoubted authority, the truly kind and always paternal feelings with which you have always regarded my proceedings.' Further she wrote, 'It is true that some ill-disposed persons have endeavoured to covey an improper consequence in reference to your Excellency's feelings, and that the salute which you did me the honor to fire, as the vessel was in progress down the river, was intended to recall, instead of doing honor to me.'



The building named 'Leintwardine' at Ouse, Tasmania is now preserved by the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania).