[‘A Classic Bush Doctor’: Felix Paul Bartlett, Australian surgeon at Cowra, New South Wales.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to ‘Mr D’Eath’, one giving news of his surgery and mutual friends, the other describing ‘poor Walkers sudden death’.

Interesting items, casting light on the life of an Australian rural doctor of the Victorian period. A selection of Bartlett’s memoirs was published under the title ‘Bush Doctor’, edited by Jane Caiger-Smith and Michael C Bartlett, in 2011. There is an good illustrated article on him and his family (‘A Classic Bush Doctor’) in ‘Australian Rural Doctor’, June 2013. Both letters are addressed to ‘Dear Mr. D’Eath’ and signed ‘Felix P. Bartlett’. The recipient, who appears to be associated with Bartlett’s practice, is possibly Thomas D’Eath (1843-1901), son of Edward William D’Eath (1819-1888) of New South Wales. ONE (23 March 1890): 4pp, 8vo. Bifolium. Sixty-eight lines of text. Grubby and worn. Folded twice. As he told D’Eath he has been spending a few days at North Logan. ‘I wrote to you before going away enclosing the reference of which you were speaking & doubtless youi have received it before now. I see that the Damascus will probably leave Sydney [for England] next Wednesday and am hoping daily to hear of your success in getting a passage on her.’ He turns to the ‘Surgery Key’, for which a replacement has been procured, and ‘Beaham’, who has ‘settled in’, while ‘Bishop’ has not yet ‘made a start’. He has had a talk with ‘Harvey’, who ‘will be too busy to go to Sydney this time’. There are rumours that he has ‘bought Mr. Dowell out’. ‘Douglas of course you will ahve seen before now as he went down some days ago I am told.’ He is delaying sending the present letter so that he may ‘enclose the amount of Mrs. Gilletts account which I can check as I told you from her bills against me.’ Bartlett has been fairly busy since D’eath’s depature, ‘& Dr. Moore had a long trip or so for me whilst I was away & for the present I find I can manage the dispensing fairly well although of course it ties me down a good deal more than I have been used to’. He would like a photo of D’Eath, but the only one of him he can send is ‘of myself & Garland our present member, taken at Blayney about 9 years ago. If you don’t like it you can put it over the side.’ As he does not expect to write again before D’Eath leaves ‘these coasts’, he wishes him ‘complete success in all the aims which you have before you & if industry & pluck will do it success will attend you, for I believe you to be an example of “nature’s noblest work” an honest man.’ He ends: ‘Be always honest of purpose, & the rest will come’. TWO (11 May 1890): 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition: slightly grubby and worn. Folded twice. Begins: ‘I daresay that Harvey or some of the others will write to you by this mail but in case they should not do so I must just drop you a line to tell you of poor Walkers sudden death which took place on Friday 9th. May.’ He describes the circumstances of the death, which took place at ‘Walshs’ were he was staying. He ‘came up as usual to dinner about 1-30 & went into the dining room where he sat down for about half a minute & then rather suddenly jumped up and left the room by the front door & walked along the verandah where there was a small quantity of blood which he evidently spat up & upon seeing the blood he must have gone at once to his room and closed the door.’ Bartlett was sent for and found Walker ‘lying upon his back on the bed with a blood stained handkerchief in his hand & blood over his mouth & moustache & beside the bed was a chamber utensil with about a pint of blood in it which had evidently come from the lung. He had apparently been dead about half an hour.’ He gives more information about the case, the inquest (‘Harvey & Jocelyn gave evidence besides myself’) and the disposal of the deceased’s effects. ‘Poor Mc.Dowell is greatly cut up about it & had been saying the day before that he should feel terribly lonely out there but for seeing Walker occassionally - He is wanting to sell out - I only wonder that he could stay in the place so long’. In Cowra ‘we are getting it very dry again & the streets are terribly dusty’. D’Eath is no doubt ‘delighted to see the old Country again’, and Bartlett ‘would give a good deal to have a month or so there now if it could be done without the travel’.