Robert Malcolm Dewar

My dear Sir -                
I can well imagine the poignancy of an infliction on a Parent’s bosom, when my own has been so deeply affected - Your son was my most promising pupil, but the hopes so fondly cherished of seeing him grow up an ornament to his profession have been alas! prematurely blighted...

My dear Sir
Your kind letter of 8th inst reached me on Monday. I feel very grateful for your appreciation of my efforts & those of Mr Wilkinson the xx Surgeon on your sons behalf.
It pleased God to take him away from us.

Dearest Sarah

Yours was the first letter I received of sympathy on a morning here. & so after writing to Mrs Campbell (whom we owe more of kind attention than we can ever repay) - I shall try to reply to your kind expressions of sorrow –

My Dearest Sister
You will doubtless hear from our dear brother, that he has received the last acct for which we have been waiting so long, and so dreading, & to-morrow the death of our precious child will be announced in the papers.

My dear Mr Bevan
Your kind lines are most welcome to me. but I needed not one of them to assure me of your affectionate and Christian sympathy on this melancholy occasion.

My dearest Sarah
Thank you for your kind letter, & its enclosure, which I return with that to ourselves conveying the same melancholy tidings, which we shall like to have back. The post did not bring us the painful tidings until after Sibella had set off for the sale...

Extracts from Captain Campbell’s letter

“Your dear boy has been taken from you & is now in a better and happier world. His end was peace. This morng, Novr 24th off Balaklava, he breathed his last.

My dearest Sarah

I did as you wished. Last evening we had much improved account of our darling up to the 10th of November - He was then off for a ten day cruise in the Black Sea.

Dearest Sarah,

My every thought is of my darling boy. Saturday brought me a less favourable account extending to the 3rd of November.  I telegraphed off my own thanks to Capt. Campbell on Saturday – but to this moment I have had no reply.