Not sure if this changes anything.......

[HarrysMum]

Some of you will remember Myles Ariel coming to Australia with his wife, Emily and three young children in 1853, then falling off the face of the earth not long after.

I posted up a letter he wrote to his wife a couple of days after leaving for the diggins just west of Sydney.

Well this just came to my attention..............

From The Colonial Time and Tasmanian, Wednesday, November 8, 1854.



It may be remembered that, some eighteen months ago, a gentleman named " Ariel," leaving his wife and family in Parramatta, left this for the "diggings," and has since

been advertised as missing, to the great discomfiture of his family and friends. On Thursday last, His Excellency's cook was taking a stroll round the town, swinging his walking stick, and apparently in good spirits, he passed the residence of Mrs. Ariel, and the dear little children called him papa. Mrs. Ariel happened to get a glimpse of him, and unhesitatingly said that he was her long-missed husband, and stated the same to Mrs. Weavers, her mother, and also her sister. Miss Weavers; the ladies followed and watched the cook, and, meeting the chief constable, begged of him not to lose sight of Mr. Ariel, as he was a perfect madman; Mr. Ryan met the cook coming out of the White Horse public-house, and asked if he was not Mr. Ariel, as his wife wished to speak with him. Master cook protested against the relationship, and threatened to give Ryan in charge of the police. Mrs. Weavers and her daughters came up, and insisted that he was her son in-law. Ryan requested the cook to go with him to the watch-house, and took him by the arm, stating that he wished to ask him some questions; at which, the poor fellow got completely furious, and shouted to see the Governor-General, stating that he would loose his situation, that he was not married to the lady-it was all mistake. The three ladies followed him to the watch-house, and, in answer to Mr. Ryan, said that he was certainly much like poor Mr. Ariel and several persons declaring to the contrary, the cook was allowed to go free, threatening allsorts of actions for false imprisonment.

The man is a foreigner, and speaks broken English.

Odd....................

[kiterunner]

Very strange indeed. It's a shame it doesn't give the cook's name so we can try to trace him.

[Merry]

Pity they didn't ask His Excellency how long his cook had been in his employment. Would your average Victorian middle-aged man (not suggesting any Victorian Ariel is average!) be up for cooking for His Excellency?

[HarrysMum]

Think they's be better at cooking the books..............lol

[Mary from Italy]

What an odd story.

I've just had a quick google, and come across a Mrs Myles Ariel offering piano lessons in Qld in 1863. Would that be Emily?

[HarrysMum]

Yes...that's her, Mary. She went on to marry Sydney Beaven Davis and had more children.

[Gert in Oz]

Libby, is there any way of finding who this "His Excelency" was and who was the cook at that time, so you could prove or disprove it.

Sylvia

[MargaretMarch]

Found this info re the Governor of Tasmania
DENISON, Sir William T. Lt-Gov Kt 25 Jan 1847-8 Jan 1855
Presumably he would have been His Excellency and there wouldn't be anyone else.
Margaret

[Mary from Italy]

There are some letters here from Sir William's wife referring to the illness and death of the cook (1855/6); however, they're written from Sydney, so it may not have been the same cook. He isn't named on the website, but perhaps he is in the original letters.

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/mss/onli...enison_wm.html

[MargaretMarch]

Wow! that's a good find Mary!
Margaret