TXXX BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 



given them by the publisher, but the authoress has not 

 received any further remuneration than the £50 paid for 

 the copyright. They are now on sale in every bookshop as 

 " Lost in the Backwoods " and " Afar in the Forest." . 



After the purchase and removal to " Oaklands,'' " A Guide 

 for the Female Emigrant " was written and published in 

 London. Owing to some mismanagement of her editor and 

 the publisher, the authoress received very-small return for 

 this useful little book. 



Mrs. Traill's family now numbered nine, four sons and five 

 daughters (of whom only two sons and two daughters survive), 

 yet, with all the cares and anxiety, as well as the necessary 

 work which the bringing up of a young family entailed, added 

 to the hard labor of farm-life, her love of flowers and for 

 natural history in general was a continual source of pleasure 

 and eventually of profit. She lost no opportunity of studying 

 the botany of the country, and was ever . seeking for new 

 specimens to add to her herbarium or collection of dried 

 flowers, ferns and mosses, and making notes of the locality 

 and conditions of their growth. This is still one of her chief 

 pleasures and occupations ; she has the gleanings of last sum- 

 mer now ready to put down during the coming winter months. 



On the 26th of August, 1857, owing to some cause or acci- 

 dent never ascertained, the crowning misfortune of all the 

 losses in the bush happened. They were burnt out and lost 

 absolutely everything — all the treasures they had striven so 

 hard to save, books, manuscripts and other valuables, the 

 family barely escaping with their lives. Mr. Traill felt the 

 loss very much, especially of his books. He never quite 

 recovered the shock and sorrow of seeing his family thrown 

 thus homeless on the world. Their eldest son was married ; 

 the youngest was only a child of ten years. Mr. Strickland 

 and other friends were most kind, helpful and sympathetic, 

 but the loss could never be recovered. 



They stayed for some time with Mrs. Traill's brother, Mr. 



