This 19th century Scottish snuff box has a rather nice poem on the front, entitled 'Love'.

interestingly the only reference that I can currently find to this poem is in a letter from a Edward Mincham who in 1841 was a convict aboard a ship heading to Australia. The letter was written to his sweetheart Mary.

The snuff box measures 6.5cm w.

Edward’s full letter and poem was printed in the 1st May 1847 Tasmanian, Australia newspaper The Courier.

Edward Mincham was trialled 5th April 1841 at the Central Criminal Court, London, England (commonly known as The Old Bailey) for extensive plunder. According to the Newgate Prison records he ‘was a Painter from Windsor. He was 24 years old and 5 ft 5 inches tall, slender build. His crime was ‘Larceny from a dwelling house of Joseph Dowson. He stole a toast rack, cream ewer, 1 cloak, 2 gold rings from Joseph Richardson. Also from Mary Richardson he stole one dress, two shawls, one scarf and a roll of silk , and other items off other persons in the dwelling house of Joseph Dowson. His sentence was ’14 years’. Edward was to be transported to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania on the far side of the world.

What happened to Edward is not known. He did survive the crossing as Edward Mincham was mentioned in Australia death records in the 1880s.

The text of this exact poem appeared in an Australian newspaper article in May 1847. The piece documented a love letter written by a woman serving out her sentence while working in the laundry of the convict ship Anson in Tasmania.

LOVE

Love is a flower that stands the winter

From frost or snow finds no decay,

It blooms alike in stormy weather

And in the genial month of May.

The gardener boasts of forcing flowers

And trains them up with constant care:

He may succeed but my sweet love

Than all his flowers is still more fair