City. There we lived for a short time then
moved into the City near the plaza.
The great earthquake of 1835 turned us
out of house and home, the City being
completely destroyed by the Catastrophe.
Towards the end of 1835 we returned to
Valparaiso, my father myself and Alfred
remaining there till 1839 about when, my
father having made arrangements to go to
Peru with a cargo of Timber, we set sail
for Valdivia to load the Timber reaching
Callao in safety about July.
In August I was sent up to Valparaiso
in the N.American Schooner "Active" to take
the post of a Junior Clerk in the firm of
Corfield Alison +Co. I was then 13 years
old. The firm was after a while changed
to Alison Cumberlege +Co.
In 1843 about I rose to be Custom House
Clerk to the firm + thought myself a
great man with 50 f gold p month +
board + lodging. The Chief Clerks were
Letts + Jameson with whom I got on
very well.
In this year 1843 there was a great fire
in Valparaiso in which a large quantity
of Foreign imported goods were burned
(Continued on Page 3)
