Personal and Commercial.

A Tour of the Classifieds

The plaintive personal advertisements for missing friends mentioned in the previous post often sat cheek by jowl with truly bizarre advertising content – gossip and rabble-rousing, and a number of inscrutable items that would only be understood by your average colonial Victorian perusing the local organ of record.

The very personals.

For gossip, here’s a pre-Separation charmer.

If this should meet the eye of JAMES DUNWILL (or any person acquainted with him), who came to Port Adelaide in 1838 or 1839, his Wife is now living on the Darling Downs Moreton Bay District married to a man named FAIRCLOTH or MURPHY. She is married in her maiden name, ANN DAVID.[i]

I wonder if it met the eye of the unfortunate Mr Dunwill. And if it did, he probably wasn’t exactly keeping up his end of the marital contract, having been clearly out of contact with Mrs Dunwill for some time.

Many years later, the good citizens of Toowoomba were warned against a species of imported blackmailing Casanova music teacher – his identity is lost to time, but probably quite easy for contemporary readers to guess.

Caution! Caution! Caution!

The Public of Toowoomba are cautioned against a recent importation, who

“Quick with the tale and ready with the lie. The genial confidante and general spy,”

and under the pretence of teaching Operatic Singing and Music, has obtained admission into several respectable families, but only with the intention of setting wife against husband, husband against wife, and family against family, by the circulation of vile and villainous fabrications. The party in question, a friend of a notorious character in Sydney, were ousted from the late town they resided in for dastardly conduct of a similar character, and the public of Toowoomba are now cautioned to beware of them.[ii]

---

The literary cliche of the autocratic Victorian papa was, if the personal advertisements were anything to go by, a bitter reality for their poor, downtrodden daughters.

CAUTION. 

I HEREBY caution all parties against trusting, or in any way harbouring, my daughter, ELIZABETH SMITH, she having left her home without sufficient reason, and abandoned my house. THOMAS SMITH, George St. [iii]

To Constables and Others.

£2 R E W A R D.-Whereas my daughter ELIZABETH SMITH, whom I have previously advertised, is known to have left Brisbane by the Premier steamer, for Ipswich this day, I order the above Reward to any one who will either bring her home, or place her in the custody of the police. THOMAS SMITH. George-street, Brisbane. February 15, 1860.  [iv]

Good grief, I’d run away, too. I only hope that her reunion with her not so fond papa was not too terrible. A girl could and did end up in Woogaroo Asylum (“hysterical”) or the Toowoomba Reformatory (“flighty”) for less.

Young Sarah Charlesworth ran away, but at least it was a concerned mother, not an outraged father, seeking her return.

SARAH ANNE CHARLESWORTH, aged 15, left her home, in Fortitude Valley, on the 27th of April, and is supposed to have gone towards Ipswich. Any information respecting the above will be most thankfully received by her Mother, ELIZA CHARLESWORTH, Boundary-street, Fortitude Valley. [v]

Wives who did not do the wifely thing were gossiped about (see Mrs Dunwill, above), or had the misfortune to be publicly cast out of society.

NOTICE. I hereby caution the public against giving credit to my wife, Catherine Cosgrove, on my account, she having left her home without cause or provocation. PATRICK COSGROVE, Rockhampton, September 1862.[vi]

Oh Mr Cosgrove, I doubt that anyone thought it was without cause or provocation.

Matters of Business

To Mr- Wm. Handcock SIR— I beg to apologise for having made use of insulting language to you on the 1st of February last. I was excited at the time or the language complained of would never have been used. I trust this will be a sufficient apology, as I sincerely regret what has passed. JOHN BOLAND. Drayton, Feb. 15, 1861. [vii]

The mind boggles. What kind of insulting language did Boland use? Still, it’s better to apologise in the classifieds than face a slander trial.

£100 REWARD.-Whereas a certain SCRUB Slander was circulated in Sydney, on or about the 1st instant, to the effect “That we had stopped payment” and in consequence of which statement we have sustained a serious loss, the above Reward will be paid to any person giving such information as will lead to the identification of person of persons circulating the slander as before set out. HAYNES, BERTRAM & CO. [viii]

100 quid. The return of Elizabeth Smith to her fond papa was only worth £2. But business is business.

IF MR ANGUS MACKIE does not PAY his account at Rostella House, his Carpet Bag will be SOLD to liquidate the same, in fourteen days from this date. June 3rd. JANE COOK. [ix]

Don’t mess with the boarding-house keeper, Mr Mackie.

NOTICE.

MR W.M. JOHNSON, late of the Prince Of Wales Hotel, has stated that I am INDEBTED to him to a large amount; I beg to state for the benefit of those interested, that Mr. Wm. Johnson is in my Debt. WM. DEAGON, Prince of Wales Hotel.[x]

The very idea.

Very Miscellaneous

NOTICE. PERSONS are requested to refrain from shooting within the enclosure of Messrs Smith and Burnet, as has been done frequently of late, it being private property. Such persons are liable to prosecution for trespass. Rockhampton, 12^th August, 1868. [xi]

Rugged Colonial types were rather fond of discharging their firearms without regard to life, limb or property lines. This is one of many such advertisements.

IF NORTON or the DRAYMAN does not return the BOX and BARRELL, the police will arrest him. [xii]

I presume Norton and/or the Drayman knew they were the particular Norton and drayman referred to, and knew which box and barrel they had custody of, and from which person and property they acquired those items. It’s highly doubtful that anyone else knew what the heck the ad was about.

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

THE arrangements of the Society being now complete for the reception of Birds and Animals, donations of healthy specimens (hawks, opossums, and native cats excepted) will be thankfully received.

LEWIS A. BERNAYS, C. H. BARLEE,  Joint Hon Secretaries. Queensland Acclimatisation Office, Brisbane, March, 1864.[xiii]

Ah, how wonderful! A special collection of birds and animals was in the process of being assembled. But keep your possums to yourselves, plebs. The Society opened its enclosure door to subscribers, and, possibly things did not go entirely to plan.   

ENTIRE HORSE WANTED. Wanted, for the Collaroy Station, a FIRST-CLASS ENTIRE HORSE   , either a powerful Coaching Stallion, otherwise a strong Suffolk Punch, or Draught Horse. Apply to: THOMAS       McLAREN, Esq., Collaroy Station, or to W. REA & CO, Stock and Station Agents, Denham St. [xiv]

The terms used in this classified were probably perfectly understood by farmers of the 19^th century persuasion, but it did sound rather like people had been offering Mr McLaren, Esq., parts of horses that were no use to him at all.

NOTICE. There will be a FREE and EASY held at the British Empire Hotel, THIS (Tuesday) EVENING. C. CUMMING, Proprietor.[xv] 

Well really Mr Cumming, what will people think?

And then there’s this, from 16 January 1861. Sadly, was not run again, explained or indeed, copied until countermanded.

---

[i] Moreton Bay Courier (Brisbane, Qld. : 1846 – 1861), Saturday 15 November 1851, page 3

[ii] The Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld: 1858-1880),  Saturday 15 April 1865, p3.

[iii] Moreton Bay Courier (Brisbane, Qld. : 1846 – 1861), Saturday 4 February 1860, page 3

[iv] Moreton Bay Courier, Thursday 16 February 1860

[v] Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Tuesday 9 May 1865, page 1

[vi] Rockhampton Bulletin, Wednesday 24 September 1862.

[vii] Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld. : 1858 – 1880), Thursday 21 February 1861, page 3.

[viii] Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Tuesday 5 July 1864, page 1

[ix] Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Tuesday 5 July 1864, page 1

[x] Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Tuesday 5 July 1864, page 1

[xi] Rockhampton Bulletin, Wednesday 24 September 1862.

[xii] The Brisbane Courier, Saturday 1 August,1863.

[xiii] Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Tuesday 5 July 1864, page 1

[xiv] Rockhampton Bulletin, Wednesday 24 September 1862.

[xv] Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Tuesday 21 February 1865, page 1