DAVE FORBES JNR
1 May 2015
30 May 1874, Dave Forbes jnr to Kate Forbes, Pretoria (at Mr Rex’s school), NAD Forbes
My dear Mother
…We hear that the Zulus are going to war with the Swazies and a hundred and forty Volunteers are going from Pretoria they march on Tuesday next and ?get to Mr Ball at ?Homells perhaps they may come to Athole I trust you will not be frightened about the war Uncle George will be back soon – I should like very much to see Kitty and Jim give them some kisses…
…from your loving son
David Forbes
I forgot to tell you that Aunt has a Piano.
25 February ?1876, Dave Forbes jnr to David Forbes snr, Great Larger, NAD Forbes
My dear Father
We have just got our waggon pulled out of the larger to start home to day or to morrow we dont know yet which…
Yesterday ^we^ were out… trying to take ?Mamboers stat with Sucunies Kaffirs but failed…
The boers, when they saw one man get on his horse, left all their places and made a push for the horses… some… just ran on foot as well… It was a wonder none of us was hit… the kaffirs must have thought we were going to attack Flugh Kraal again…
Old Mr Stapelberg is dead, it seems that he died very suddenly…
The larger is all in a bustle now…
The kaffirs from home say there is no more lungsickness in the cattle and that none broke out since you left
Love to all and lots of kisses to Maggie & Kitty
I remain
Your affect Son
David Forbes
2 July 1883, Dave Forbes jnr to Kate Forbes, Hoofd Larger, NAD Forbes
My dear Mother
We are going to shift the larger tomorrow or at least a part of it, Ermelo & Utrecht are going to make a larger for themselves away the other side of the hills from here…
It will be close to the kaffirs were we are going, so it will not be as dull as this larger. The word is we are going to separate from Arthur and them…
I got a bit of a note from Nellie yesterday in which she says they have shifted to Mr ?Cross and all well Alex is starting out now with the rest to prepare a place for the larger…
Mr Lichfield is still very weak Dr ?Aklon says if there is a slight relapse it will be the end of him
There were about 300 kaffirs that came over from the stat to the kop… yet the boers were to frightened to go down…
…we heard the kaffirs give a tremendous shout… but by that time the kaffirs were in possession of it and it would cost more life to take it back…
…in the retreat poor Old Mr Kirk the slate digger was shot dead and left in the kop the kaffirs were in possession of it… they have got his body but wont give it back unless all the prisoners that have been taken are given back which the General wont do…
With love from Alex and I and kind regards from Mr ?Litchfield to you all And lots of love and kisses to Maggie
I remain
Your affect Son
David Forbes
25 June 1888, Dave Forbes jnr to David Forbes snr, Concession Creek, near Barberton, NAD Forbes
My dear Father
We arrived here yesterday Arthur came on with us as far as this… we have not been travelling very fast as we lost our oxen one day and stayed another at Arthur’s place…
We… saw Corbel he is not quite ready but will be ready on Monday…
I was in town I spoke to a share Broker a fellow I know about the shares you are willing to sell I told him that if he could get a purchaser for £5 a share and upwards that you would sell about 1000 or perhaps 1700 shares but you would not sell any under £5… if you would think it advisable to send the shares up for him to sell or perhaps you might send ?them up to Mr Crawford…
The brokers name is Martin he went home with Uncle James and us Things are very ?dull in Barberton as far as share broking goes flour is very dear and boers meal is £3.5.0 per mude and is hardly to be got for that…
Wednesday. We are still in town but leave today I received your letter a day or two ago but have not seen a cheap wagon that is for sale…
i hope Hampson buys the shares you have offered him
I hear that Robinson and somebody else are going on a shooting trip up the ?Rabie
With love to Mother & yourself. I remain
Your affect Son
David Forbes
19 September 1890, Dave Forbes jnr to David Forbes snr, Athole, New Scotland, NAD Forbes
My dear Father
By last post I received your letter of the 13 August and am glad you have made your mind up not to put any more money into the reef…
You have enough cash on hand to put a fair amount of stock on the place You have also sufficient excuse to make so to the Board for not doing so as Faviell has done everything from the beginning on his own account…
all the money he [Faviell] wasted in the new machinery lying rusting at the reef now was his fault as Doering told him it was not required…
Nicholls only put some of the earth round the reef through the mill but he says it is poor Nicholls is a bad man at heart…
He has any amount of places to put up houses for his men… but no place would do but just on the ridge across the stream at Uncle James house about 200 yards from our door…
…so Miller & I told him we would not allow a single kaffir to come for water and if the men want water they were to come through themselves, as the kaffirs would be stealing things and we could not say wether our own were doing so or theirs (the miners kaffirs) we have to come to an arrangement…
…so I spoke to him about it and said I wanted to make some plan with him with regard to the wood on the place. I told him that I had got the timber right over all the Forbes Reef property and could cut as much as I wanted…
the company cut timber in the bush up to the house side of the Ingwenia Berg…
I do not want to have an open quarrel with Nicholls as there is nothing to be gained…
I have received a letter from Dr Havernick I think he calls himself, asking where you were to be found as he wanted to get the coal concession from you to float…
Try and get rid of the coal concession now as the Swazi Settlement &c will help to make it marketable…
He is going to see if the Transvaal Government will make a decent offer for it.
…there are no sheep in the country that will beat ours in condition if anything they are too fat…
the thing we want badly here is a box of carpenters tools, as the most of ours have been broken.
With love to you all (Guaku says he does not mind the nursing if the Misses will only come back again Jim has gone down to bring the waggons out)
Your affectionate son
David
7 January 1896, Dave Forbes jnr to David Forbes snr, Embekelwane, Swaziland, NAD Forbes
My dear Father
Miller has written you the news as we hear it here, so will not go over it again. I bought some cattle from Acton and am sending them out. I have told ?Slavan that he has to leave them at some kraal close on the border and come and hear from you if the duty is really taken off…
I do not think Jack will come out and as his boys are here and have got a letter for you but do not say if Jack is coming out but if he was he would not write as he would be there first I will wait until the post comes in and then go down to the concession.
I am sending Kitties horse out as I am afraid of horsesickness and do not like to leave him with the kaffir on the top of ?Imdimba as he is sure to ride it and give ^it^ sickness
The young king is up on the ?Imdimba and we hear he is putting up some huts but do not know what for…
I do not think they will do anything until they hear if there is a general war against the Queen of Englands people. Should a war be declared against the Transvaal I am afraid there will be no holding them back.
With love to you all
Your affect Son
David Forbes Jnr
22 July 1896, Dave Forbes jnr to Madge Forbes, Coal Concession, Swaziland, NAD Forbes
My dear Madge
Your letters with the enclosed letters of Millers arrived last night. Would you be able to make up an account of all rents collected and moneys paid out since I took charge of the farms you will be able to do so from the papers you have… …remember on the one farm ?Happhof there were about 4 ^or 6^ months that the farm was out of a tenant.
I received my commission from the Bank & will send you your share as soon as I get funds.
I would prefer letting the farm to Slabbert but he must pay in advance or let one of the niggers that comes up to live at Impama (Umgibos) go down and tell him if he brings the money let him have it if not let Leonard have it but he has not to have any right to kaffirs or minerals on the place
Tell Jim Jack says he may not come out just yet. We got the drill started but the bit broke off…
All the nigers here are quite well so you can tell their families tell Gwaku Mangaka is as fat & big as any other Swazie…
With love to you all Your affect Brother
David Forbes Jnr
3 February 1899, Dave Forbes jnr to David Forbes snr, Swazi Coal Mines, via Bremersdorp, NAD Forbes
My dear Father
There is little or no news in this part. I received a note from Jim to say he was leaving for the Ingwenia so I expect you will have seen him before you receive this and will know what he has done with my horses.
I do not think there is much chance of working that matter for Cohen just now but might later so I was thinking could you on my behalf write to Green & Henshall and see what they will sell shares at I think it is good enough to buy some more shares at £1 or less… I would buy another 300 if I could get them for £1…
It just struck me the other day the £90 I got out of Uncle Jame’s Estate belongs to you as it was for the sheep money…
There is a great quantity of gas in this coal when a deep drill hole is drilled into it and let stand for a couple of hours you can light the gas at the mouth of the hole… There is no two ways about it it is the best coal in South Africa. With love to you all at Athole
Your affect Son
David Forbes Jnr
22 July 1908, Dave Forbes jnr to Kate Forbes, Swazi Coal Mines, Swaziland,NAD Forbes
My dear Mother
Your long letter dated 14 July arrived today.
I have written to Macinamra he had better go on with hand making bricks as I have no faith in that machine and as he is making them at a very fair rate I had better leave well alone. I am sorry those boys have given trouble by running away. You might tell Keplolo that boy Mangan is not a Swazi he came and asked me permission for his mother to live at his kraal…
A man R.A. Murray from Volksrust has written about buying slaughter oxen I have told him we have some but as both Jim and I are away we could not attend to it before the beginning of September when Jim would be at home. I told him our price is £12 each… but it must be cash on delivery at Athole. Caringtons price I think would come out better but if these people pay cash… a cheque is not good enough… I will tell Jim not to let the cattle go until he is quite sure of the money.
…our job is now to get money to pay back the Land Bank and try to put it out at interest until a year before we want it. Yes take the ?bog plough and anything else you may want they must keep the ?bog plough well greased. My boys had better start ploughing my top fields…
You will see my letter to Mr Mercer I told him we had no intention to give offence… It is no use going in for a paper war
We have not called on the Magistrate so he does not come to Athole of course Jim or I should have called on them…
Dr Dunn arrived late last night… He says Jim and Madge said they would also arrive here on the same day but they did not…
With love to you all
Your affect son
David Forbes
10 February 1912, Dave Forbes jnr to Kate Forbes, ?Breegten, [British East Africa], NAD Forbes
My dear Mother
We are waiting here until Monday to take the sheep down. The wagon forage &c was loaded on Thursday…
Jim was talking to me about our future plans. The conclusion we have come to is this, that with your approval we will sell all the land across the ?Impama and divide the money between the three girls as when the general division takes place Jim and I will not get any of it, so as we do not make much use of it, it might as well be sold now so as to let the girls have some money in hand. The cattle across the Impama could be put at Villems old kraal to graze there and down behind Kolwani Jim also to get permission to sell Tolderia and we two could divide that money between us and make use of it in British East Africa. That would free Athole and all the land this side of the Impama and would make no difference to you at Athole…
…Athole will produce quite a good income and the girls having a little of their own and you could take more trips and life would be more enjoyable both to the girls and you.
This is a general out line of what we talked about but we can talk it over…
You must kindly remember to send for the three mares at Mbabane and also send down the horse “Hands Up” for Matthews to come out on…
With love to all your affect son
David Forbes
^Fass leaves with two donkey wagons to –
Mrs Forbes
Athole^
1 May 1917, Dave Forbes jnr to Kate Forbes, Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town, NAD Forbes
My dear Mother
The Governor of B.E.A. is here with quite a number of men from B. E. A. I know. Some are on their way to Flanders. I think Robin is at the front now as they tell me all the young men have been called up for service or the native carrier service as they are using mostly native Porters now.
Young ?Stuk Miller gave a lecture on the flying corps..
…Mrs Miller is also here…
Your affct son
David Forbes
Last updated: 1 May 2015
