gb0551ms-33-63

Transcription

[Page] 63
[continued from page 62]

recently been formed here under the auspices of the
Royal Scottish Academy to assist local committees
in regard to the choice & erection of war memor:
:ials, and I have been placed on it. I am in
doubt if it will accomplish much as there are
some fiery elements, in it and rather a lack of
common sense. A memorandum has just
been drawn up for the guidance of the local
committees, which is long enough to occupy a
place in a reference library, and much too long
for consideration by the people for whom it is
intended. I have at last completed the
writing of my Rhind lectures and have been
busy for the last week getting slides in order
and dictating to Miss Dennison the précis
for the papers. The subject "The Prehistoric
Monuments of Scotland" is really too large
to be treated of in six lectures. I have
been compelled therefore to be much more
sketchy in my treatment than I would
have liked. I commence tomorrow week
(3rd. March) and am not too happy about it.
Prices of all commodities are still very high
eggs controlled at 5/6d. [£0.5.6] a dozen. Apples &
oranges are fairly plentiful, but dear.
There has been a great quantity of venison

in the butchers shops this winter and we have used it
much. The cost of furniture of all sorts is tremendous
For a small arm chair which before the war cost
probably £6 or £8 you are now asked £15 or £17!
The coal rationing is a nuisance. We have had
a barless grate put in in the drawing room and
find that it heats the room much better than the
previous one at a much smaller consumption
of coal. We only have one fire on, beside the kitchen
one, & use our electric radiators in the dining room
& smoking room. The Peace conference is
sitting in Paris and the Germans are, at last,
having it driven into their obtuse pates that they
are a conquered nation. Their presumption is
beyond belief. Actually they imagine that peace
has only to be signed, and all will be forgotten &
forgiven, so that the German invasion of Britain
may begin again, & trade be reestablished as of
old. From the feelings of our own folk and
the French, many years will roll by ere, knowingly,
any decent citizen of either England or France
has any truck with a hun. The labourers
whom we employed at Traprain Law, as far
as they served, having successfully come through
the war, I am making arrangements to re:
:commence operations there on 28th. April.
[continued on page 64