[Robert Machray, Anglican Archbishop of Rupert’s Land.] Autograph Letter Signed to his friend ‘Conoin’, written within days of his consecration at Lambeth, and just before his departure for Canada.

Written within days of his consecration at Lambeth on 24 June 1865. See his entries in the Oxford DNB and Dictionary of Canadian Biography. The former states that his diocese ‘covered 2 million square miles of territory, with headquarters at Winnipeg, then a hamlet with a population of 150. To assist him in the administration of the diocese he had only eighteen clergymen. In 1866 he made a difficult tour of inspection of the Native American missions’. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Signed ‘R. Rupert’sLand’ and addressed to ‘My dear Covoin’. With embossed letterhead featuring a bishop’s mitre. In fair condition, lightly aged. Two folds for postage. Minuted on final page, and with ‘O C’ or ‘S C’ at head of first page. He begins by apologising for not seeing him on his ‘short visit to Scotland’. He explains that he has been ‘almost overcome with business’, and describes his movements around Scotland, before returning to Haddington via Newcastle. ‘I am grieved to say that having only a few hours for seeing friends in Aberdeen - part of which I had to spend with a [Fly?] I just dotted down the different friends who occurred to me & in the haste by some unaccountable means I quite forgot Miss Machray - your Sister only remembering her - when the Train was on its way with me to Edinburgh. As soon as I got to Edinburgh I wrote to her & asked my Sister to call with my apologies; but you can have no idea how vexed I am with the matter’. He thanks him for his good wishes and is enclosing ‘a Circular pointing out briefly some of my work. I need the prayers of God’s people that I may have Grace & Strength for my arduous undertaking.’