Rev A Brandram
Dumfries, 30th October 1845
My Dear Friend,
My tour in Scotland is I may say now concluded, inasmuch as tomorrow I expect to be in England, and next day in London. My last letter was dated in Glasgow the 11th instant on the eve of my leaving that city. After I wrote I was present by invitation at the meeting of the Glasgow Presbytery of the United Secession Church, where I represented the claims of your Society, or rather the claims of the world for the Bible, which you only are furnishing it with. A favourable reception was given to the subject, and it is to be further taken up at a subsequent meeting.
On the 15th I left Glasgow, and went to the Isle of Bute with the object of seeing the Marquis of Bute, who is at present Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland. I carried with me a note of introduction from Dr. Hill, the Moderator of the General Assembly. I wished to interest him in our object, both on account of his high official station, and account of other things I learned concerning him. I was well received, and kindly asked to stay to dinner, and pass the night, and more particularly they said, because they had some gentlemen stopping with them whom it might be desirable for me to see. I stayed accordingly, and had thus better opportunities of conversing with Lord and Lady Bute on our Bible cause, and also with their visitors, one of whom was the son of Lord Wharncliffe, and is the present member of Parliament for the County of Bute.[1] A very friendly feeling was expressed by the parties in our favour, and perhaps something more substantial may follow. The Lord Bute stated to me that his declining to become a Vice President of the Society was owing to his belief that the Church of Scotland was not favourable to us, and that he did not wish to be acting contrary to the Church to which he was the Commissioner. Dr. Hill's letter may tend to remove that impression, and subsequent acts of the Presbytery of Glasgow and of other presbyteries of the Established Church may remove it altogether.
Next morning, I crossed to Largs, with the weather and sea both stormy. When inquiring of the owner of the boat what was his charge, he said that Lord Bute had settled with him. My object at Largs was to see Lord Glasgow who stands as one of your Vice Presidents. I did not however see him, as he had gone from home the day before. – I then went on to Ayr. Here I found I could not well have a meeting as there had lately been some canvassing for the Edinburgh Bible Society, and a kind of collision would have been exhibited by publicly putting forth our claims at that time, which appearance I wished to avoid, as did also our friends there.
My next stopping place was in my native parish and village. Here we had two meetings in the Parish Church, the Minister being very friendly, and the Secession Minister is alike favourably disposed towards us. At the second of these meetings a Bible Society was formed, and all present seemed to enter into the object. I set before these my fellow townsmen and parishioners the low state of Scotland in the Bible cause, and the desirableness of reviving it, and how honourable it would be to take the lead in so good a work. I urged them at once to strike at a higher point than even the noble Welsh, who have all along been foremost in the Bible cause. Anglesea I find contributed something less than fourpence per head. I therefore proposed that this Kirkmabreck Bible Society should aim at once to raise as much as fourpence for every individual in the parish old or young. I shall feel very glad, and you may be sure, should my native parish act thus nobly, and be the leader to all other parishes in Scotland. I may not be successful, but it is worthwhile to aim at the good and high mark. I feel ashamed as a Scotchman that Wales should be before us, and so far before us, and should like much to have a successful race with Mr. Phillips.
From Creetown, which is the name of our village, I came to Dumfries. I had planned to have a meeting here, and also one in the Parish of my aged cousin Dr. Wightman of Kirkmahoe close by. But this being Sacramental time with both, I have been hindered in my purposes. Last Sunday I passed with Dr. Wightman, now in his 84th year, and still performing Sabbath duties. I set before him our claims, and he and his Assistant are to take an opportunity soon of bringing this subject before their Parish Congregation.
I have visited most of the Ministers of Dumfries, and those I have met with are friendly, or became so on conversing with them. The two Free Church Ministers were not at home when I called. Dr. Duncan of the Established Church when I first communicated with him, said, that he could not support the B. & F. B. S. The main cause of his saying so I found to be the belief that our Society sent the Bible in sheets to the Continental Societies, and that they put in the Apocrypha. I showed him how different was the practice of the Society from which he had thus been led to believe. He was satisfied with the explanations made, and said that I had "completely removed his conscientious scruples." Dr. Duncan has however some desires in favour of a National or Scottish Bible Society. I have not heard anyone express this wish so clearly as he did, but it has been suggested to me more than once, that this national or Scottish feeling has something to do with the outstanding, not to say opposition, of a certain Bible Society that might be named.
In my last letter I mentioned that I had addressed a communication to the Glasgow Bible Society, and that I was promised a friendly if not favourable reply. This reply I have since received, and I have a copy of it: – "Glasgow, 17 Elmbank Place, 16th October 1845: – My Dear Sir, – I submitted your communication in regard to the British and Foreign Bible Society operations to our Committee here at our regular meeting this week. It was received with all respect and kindness, and will be fully considered at our next monthly meeting. The Committee did not feel themselves at liberty to express any decided opinion as to their duty in aiding your Society in present circumstances. Our friends are in our depressed state, but apart from this circumstance there are various matters connected with the employment of Foreign Agents, and the use of certain translations as to which we desiderate the necessary information. We shall be delighted to find that the evils complained of are rectified, or are likely to be rectified. At all events you may depend on hearing from us at no distant period. Meanwhile, I remain, My Dear Sir, most Truly Yours, John Smythe, Sec."
This document you see is of a very friendly nature, and I hope and trust, and do pray that the kindly tone of this communication may soon become the only one in Scotland, and may result in a happy and early union. – With this I close my tour in Scotland.
I am, My Dear Friend,
Yours Very Truly,
James Thomson.
[1] James Archibald Stuart-Wortley (1805-1881). (BM)