October 1^st. Rosary Sunday. Received 5 this morning into the Rosary [Society] - the old Superiors are again reelected - preached at the last Mass.

Handed to J. Reed $25 for organ repairs, and $25 for organist.

We had a large assemblage at the Convent at Benediction. What edifying zeal the Nuns display - how they put to shame the indifference, and purely worldly views of some of our priests.

1848. Georgetown. October 2^nd. Heavy lowering weather. There has been a great deal of thunder and lightning this morning and a heavy fall of rain.

The new boarder Gainsford came today to S. Joseph's accompanied by 4 big black women - God help the poor Nuns who have the drilling of such uncouth creatures.

Mr. Spooner called today to make arrangements for placing his daughter as a day boarder and to intimate that, after the next three months, Harriet de Ridder will cease to be a boarder, and will come only to the classes to receive instructions in music, singing, drawing and languages.

3. Settled acc^ts this morning - share of house expenditure was $29 - the fees amounted including burials to $13 each.

The Packet has come in, bringing me letters from the Marchioness de Ponte Delgada, Mrs. Fitzgerald, a Mr. Jules Marsaud (Martinique), Mr. Fred. Capes, and Madame Theodore, Grenada. One only for the Convent - for S. M. Alphonsus.

A note from Mr. Wolseley at the desire of the Lieut. Governor, stating that the burial cases in Essequibo had been laid before the Attorney General.

1848. Georgetown. October 4^th. Our dear Mother Regis has been ill now several days. What a pity she is so delicate. With what elasticity however she throws off her little ailments, and how very cheerful under them. May God preserve her to us.

So Corrêa has got among the Jesuits in New York - how is it possible they could have received him without exeat or dimissorials of any kind.

The Roman news come by the Packet is rather more alarming than usual - a report of three Cardinals having been assassinated, and as many more having fled to Malta.

How different the air and bearing of Lambruschini must be to what it was when I saw him last.

5. O'Connor has come to town. He talks rather loosely of Kelsh, but his veracity is not much to be relied on.

The young man named Spring who brought me a letter from Fr. Smith, P.P. of Balbriggan, is dying I am told in town. Saw him this evening.

Wrote today to Revd. Mr. Curtis, D^r Taylor, Mrs. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Berkeley, Mr. Capes and to the President of S. John's College, New York.. A letter from Mother Regis to the Marchioness Delgada and from S. M. Alphonsus to [her?] sister.

Georgetown. 5 October. The mail goes out this evening. In letter to Fr. Curtis intimated that I wrote to D^r Taylor to place £70 in his hands to make purchases. Sent a Mem: for Telford about bedsteads - order for National School books &c - informed him that the income of S. Joseph's is now little short of £1,000 per annum. Hinted that two postulants with sufficient means would now be most welcome. Requested D^r Taylor to send me an order on the Brit. Guiana Bank for any balance in hand. Forwarded to Mr. Capes a Gazette of 11^th. July containing account of examination at S. Joseph's for insertion in the Rambler.

Wrote to Mrs. Berkeley in reply to her last - informed her of J. Reed's being up in Berbice &c - and as regards the ground for the church that he intended making over to me in writing, but not by Transport [i.e. conveyancing]. Mentioned the sum of £150 as sufficient for the erection of a humble church.

6. Signed contract for alterations, additions, building &c repairs at Presbytery - $1,500.

The letter for New York was forwarded yesterday through Mr. Benjamin by a vessel sailing for that port.

Dated contract from Monday the 9^th. inst.

Georgetown. 6^th. October 1848. Had a clear understanding with Mr. MacKoy about many little things not mentioned in the contract. For example, the division and arrangement of partitions in basement story are as I may hereafter direct, as also the partitions &c of uppermost story. Two jalousies additional in school at side, ranging with Adelaide's present room door. Brick step to great staircase, also to school door - green heart beams under floor in basement - the three sash windows now running up western angle of house to be placed where required.

The Receiver General has received no orders for the payment of any salaries but those of the police and jailers.

It is rather strange that I have no acknowledgment as yet of my letter to MacNamara.

O'C[onnor] has asked me for the loan of $100. What a scoundrel, after all the lies he has been writing about me. What keeps him back, now that I would rejoice at his being off.

Mr. O'Donoghue called with his wife today at S. Joseph's and placed their child there. He afterwards visited me at the Presbytery. He says the Colony is in admiration of the Establishment.

Georgetown. 7^th. October. The Nuns are in great spirits, and charmed with little O'Donoghue, whose vivacity reminds them of the children at home. The universal estimation in which the Establishment is held is also most gratifying to them, as well as to me.

In my last letter to Mrs. Berkeley informed her that J. Reid had been up in Berbice.

Received from D^r Bonyun a further payment of $20 towards Lucretia's board at S. Joseph's. The poor Doctor is coming rather slowly to the mark.

8. Saw O'Donoghue for the first time in our Georgetown church.

9. Sent four children to S. Joseph's extern today, one of them a Maltese child named Carmenda Rebecca Cranta, whose father and mother died here, and who has since been living under the protection of Miss Quarless, herself apparently a very poor young woman.

Mr. MacKoy called this morning with his foreman to make some measurements.

A visit from Mrs Van Waterschoodt and her daughter - Marie is going with the O'Donoghues tomorrow to Berbice. From Mrs. V's accounts of little O'Donoghue, the Nuns are likely to have something to do with her.

Georgetown. October 9^th. 1848. There were 47 children in the Extern school of S. Joseph's today, independent of the four I sent.

10. Mr. MacKoy sent a few hands this morning to S. Joseph's to repair the roof.

S. Lewis Bertrand's day. Breakfasted at the Convent. Our poor Revd. Mother is not [at] all well. She is looking most delicate - but how cheerful and resigned! May Heaven spare her.

Little O'Donoghue was left last night at the Convent by her papa and mama. She is a fine buoyant child, but has been overpetted.

12. Today we have at least a doz. carpenters at work, also the convict gang of the jail weeding.

Mother Regis still continues weakly, altho' she strives to keep up, and be cheerful. Last night, it seems, after leaving me she was obliged to sit down on the steps through excess of debility, and was taken up in that state by the Sisters.

What a pity the climate does not agree with the Nuns, the prospect of succeeding is now so manifest. Without health it will be difficult for the present little community to accomplish all that may be desired.

Georgetown. October 12^th. The Governor is very slow in sending me the Attorney General's opinion on the burial cases. He probably finds it against the pretensions of the Church of England parson, and is anxious to avoid saying so.

Handed to Revd. Mr. O'Brien $150 remaining with me to pay in part quarter's salary ending 30 September.

Reminded O'B. again of the necessity of bestirring himself at the other side. I fear that there is something wrong, some screw loose in this young man.

13..Busily engaged between Convent and Presbytery looking at the repairs going on at both places.

Mr. Spooner, it would appear, is in a predicament in consequence of the stoppage of Supplies, the Colony being indebted to him to the amount of $6,000. I can now understand why he contrived and succeeded in getting from Harriet $2,500 promising to give her 6 per cent for it, and why he has not come forward to pay the pensions of his daughter and the two De Ridders.

Georgetown. 1848. October 14^th. Mrs. Geoghegan seems intent on having Eliza as a Day Boarder at the Convent, and for this purpose has called two or three times at the Convent. She has not, however, paid for the last and this month's education, nor has she arranged for the payment of Day Boarder, altho' she has left the child very cooly [sic] as such for the last two or three days.

What a disappointment if after all the outlay no Missionaries should come. The outlay, however, is well intended and the repairs and alterations as well as the additions much required. It will be laid out in a good cause. How happy I should be if I were able to commence building small churches on the West Bank or Coast, Essequibo, and on the Convent ground.

15. The mail has come in and brought me letters from D^r Taylor and Ang: Henry.

Two letters for the Convent - one from Mrs. Canny and another from Mrs. O'Brien, stepmother of Mother Regis.

1848. Georgetown. 16^th. October. Wrote to Revd. Mr. Lordan enclosing note for Revd. Mr. McNamara enquiring why he had not replied to my note of the 28 ultimo.

17. Our dear Mother Regis still continues poorly and begins to cause much uneasiness to the little community. She was visited today and yesterday by D^r Clifton.

18. Breakfasted at the Convent this morning. During breakfast Mother Stanislas informed that Mother Alphonsus has become most discontented and wishes to return home, and this communication she desired to be made to me.

19. Cullen has made his appearance, having arrived yesterday. Offered him his exeat, which he has accepted, limited his jurisdiction to the end of the year.

A visit from Mr. Spooner, who left two Orders of the Miss De Ridders, accepted by him and which he has promised to pay next week.

Wrote to London Joint Stock Bank to pay £75 to Fr. Curtis.

To Fr. Curtis to procure for us 2 or 3 of the Athlone nuns - mentioned S. M. Charles the present Superior, Sisters M. S. Joseph and Augustin Daly, and Sister Bonaventure Jennings. Sent him an order for £75.

1848. Georgetown. 19^th. Oct. Mother Regis has written to Revd. Mr. Curtis and Mrs. Canny on the same subject that I wrote to Fr. C. about. Wrote to the P.P. of Balbriggan.

Directed Fr. Curtis to call on D^r A. O'Connell in the event of the Nuns coming out and request him to procure a grant of £25 each for passage out of the allocation for 1848, of which as yet I have not received a franc.

My servant Joseph posted and paid for these letters - 5 in number.

O'Brien is in town today, and Fitzgerald being over with him yesterday, it is clear that the latter has been reporting Cullen's arrival. I fear that O'B. has fallen into the snares of this puppy clique. There is no punishment too severe to meet our Corpo Santo scamp - his treachery, duplicity and ingratitude are as disgraceful as they are heinous. Yet a little while and he shall rue all this.

Monthly examinations today at S. Joseph's - all the children acquitted themselves most creditably.

Mrs. Goodman, it would seem, is beginning to repent of her hastiness respecting Fanny.

1848. Georgetown. October 21. S. Ursula's day. Sung Mass at the Convent, and breakfasted there. Mr. Brittain and Mr. Fitzgerald assisted.

Had a conversation with Cullen today - appointed for his coming to town in January and accompanying him to the Morucca [Moruka].

God grant the Jesuits may have arrived by that time - gave him $5 for his bell.

In looking back at the year just past of the existence of S. Joseph we have just grounds for congratulation and hope. It was a year of great anxiety and full of difficulties now in a great measure overcome. The Schools have increased so much as to afford ample means for the maintenance of a larger community than we have at present. There are now, between boarders and day pupils, 35 in the classrooms of S. Rose's, and at the Extern the number of regular attendants is now about 50 daily.

Dined at the Convent.

22. I have not as yet been able to discover what Cullen and F. are about. The little Doctor is no doubt in the thick of it, blinded and deluded himself

1848. Georgetown. October 23. The jail gang finished the making up of the church and presbytery ground on the evening of the 21^st. It never has had such a weeding and cleaning.

How strange that I have had no letter from the United States in answer to my letters of the 20^th. July.

Mother Regis, thank God, is getting better. A visit from M. Lyons. The underneath part of their house is rented by Rice of the firm of Punch & Co. of Barbados. This Rice is a Catholic and a Corkman but he never makes his appearance in church.

24. Fitz^g: was out nearly the whole of yesterday and until 1/2 past nine last night. Cullen meant to be off yesterday.

25. Cullen crept into the Convent while my back was turned yesterday and saw S. M. Bernard, whose sister or cousin is married to some relation of his.

A letter from Revd. Mr. Lordan - one also from MacNamara, who has no desire of quitting the Mission, bad as it is. It suits my purpose quite as well, his remaining three months longer.

1848. Georgetown. October 26. Cullen called to take leave, starting as he says tomorrow morning for Morucca [Moruka]. Foiled in his attempt to find out who is destined to succeed him.

Mother Regis is still in such a delicate state as to cause me much anxiety - Mother Assistant also is not looking well - but she is evidently overworked.

28. Last night I baptized a child of Mr. MacPherson's (W^m. Ed^wd.), Mr. French and Mary Lyons being sponsors. Mrs. MacPherson is a daughter of old De Ridder but by a different mother from those at the Convent. The two families(Spooners and MacPhersons) are at variance with each other.

A pretty piece of impertinence on the part of Henrietta De Ridder was mentioned me yesterday. She was given to understand that in consequence she will not be allowed to remain beyond the month ending 6^th proximo.

Mr. Spooner called and settled for Jacoba De Ridder's pension to the end of her year, for Henrietta's to the 6^th. prox., and for Isabella's for 6 months. He also paid $11 - for books furnished to the Sisters.

1848. Georgetown. October 28^th. Mr. S. expressed his very great regret for Henrietta's conduct, acknowledging that her temper was bad &c. Settled my account with him, $55 for wines &c.

29. Henrietta De Ridder is already sorry for her very improper conduct, has humbled herself, and would consent to do anything to be allowed to remain.

Mr. Brittain, whose turn it was to preach today, informed me at the last moment, past 11 o'c., that he felt himself unable to do so, alleging some unaccountable nervous feeling as the cause!

Poor Mother Regis looks exceedingly delicate today.

Saw a very penitent letter from H. De Ridder.

The Nuns have much to bear on account of the half savage manner and ignorance of some of their Creole boarders. Gainsford appears to be very much inferior in manners and education to most of the extern children.