An Emigrant's Report of the Australian Gold Rush

An Emigrant's Report of the Australian Gold Rush

ID: AB_HIGHLANDERS_ON_THE_MOVE_22 DESCRIPTION: John Mackinnon and his wife left Roag, on the island of Skye, to emigrate to Australia at the time of the first Australian Gold Rush in the mid 19th century. This is an extract from one of his letters home. This is the text of an undated cutting from the Inverness Courier in a volume of historical pamphlets collected by James Maidment (Vol.1, p.74) The volume forms part of the reference collection at Inverness Library. The extract is read by Gilleasbuig Ferguson. 'Now Sandy, it is no profit to me to tell you lies. That I will not. I heard at home good accounts of Australia, but I never believed it till I saw it with my own eyes, and I think more of it than I ever heard at home. Partly green and partly thickly wooded. Now, I think this is the richest town of its size in the world. All the go is gold, gold, gold ... and I have in my possession this night, after clearing all my expenses, £20 sterling; and that may tell you what kind of place this is. How long would I be in Skye before I could gather as much?' This audio was produced for the schools' resource package, 'Highlanders on the Move', Am Baile's contribution to Homecoming Scotland 2009. PLACENAME: Australia CREATOR (AV): John Mackinnon DATE OF RECORDING: 2009 PERIOD: 2000s SOURCE: Am Baile COLLECTION: Am Baile: Highlanders on the Move Asset ID: 40935 KEYWORDS: