Rev A Brandram
St Andrews 9th July 1845
My Dear Friend,
I now address you a second time from the country of Scotland as distinct from its capital, and I am happy to say that things continue to wear the same favourable aspect as is noticed in my former communication. After writing you in Stirling, and informing you of what occurred in my movements from Edinburgh to that place, I went onwards to Perth, and then called upon the Ministers of all names, and found not a few friendly to us, and none precisely opposed. Some were not satisfied as to all past and present things in and out of Earl Street, but they were disposed to hear reasoning concerning you, and all acknowledging that you had done, and were doing, much good. These wish to lie on their oars a little, and desired not to be pressed into a decision, intimating that on some future occasion they would be more prepared to form a clear opinion. None signified any purpose of opposition, and all, I believe, acquiesced with us as far as to read out in their Churches our notices of public meetings, a favour we had been refused elsewhere. I include here then the Free Church Ministers who have hitherto been least favourable to us. The Ministers of the Established Church were all friendly, and I could have had one of their churches for a public meeting if I had wished. The Dissenters too were all our friends. including the Baptist Minister.
In the largest Church in Perth I addressed a full assembly, of persons of all denominations, and there was a collection made for us. I of course showed, among other things, that you yourselves walk orderly and keep the law, I mean the law against the Apocrypha. I find the need of doing this in every place, both privately and publicly, for there are many olden impressions yet remaining against you, and in the minds of many sensible persons who are not unfriendly to us, as well as with others less favourable.
In addition to the large public meeting referred to, which was on a Sunday, we held another on a week day, and there formed a Society for the town of Perth and the County, on which occasion the Baptist Minister was an efficient actor. – With these occurrences and operations I left Perth, gratified and thankful, and with kindly invitations received to return again.
Dunkeld was the next place visited. They have a little Bible Society there, half connected with us and half not. We had a public meeting, at which their occurred the phenomenon of an Established Church Minister and a Free Church Minister being present together, I thing not seen there before since the Disruption. A good deal of disfavour existed in that place against you, and which I endeavoured to lessen. I think some good feeling as well as good understanding was produced, and I am invited to call there again on my way from the North, when, they say, they will make a collection for us, which they could not venture to propose at first, on account of evil impressions prevailing concerning you. I hope accordingly to visit them, after seeing John O'Groats, and shall thankfully receive what they contribute, considering the sum large or small as a testament of goodwill. In the meantime however I got five shillings from the children of a Lady's school in the place.
Blairgowrie was the next new ground. There I could not properly arrange for a public meeting, owing to several hinderances. I called however on the Established and Free Church Ministers of Blairgowrie, and the neighboring parish of Rattray. I found here, as I had found previously, in most places, and with most persons, that misunderstandings and evil thoughts prevailed respecting your past and present conduct. Better views I think succeeded, and of which we may afterwards see the fruits. The Established Church Minister of Rattray is to preach, and make a collection for you by and bye.
Dundee came next in order, and required more time to be given to it than preceding towns, on account of its size, and being a centre respecting other places. During this stay, I was very courteously entertained by Edward Baxter Esq. a warm friend of the Society, and son-in-law to our valued coadjutor Dr. Paterson. The Doctor himself was there, and ready, as usual, to assist us in every way. Here, as elsewhere, I visited all the Ministers, and among them all there was no opponent, several were warmly for us, and some required more time to think of the matter. On a Sunday evening we held a meeting, to explain and enforce the duty of sending the Bible over the world, and to make a collection for the same. Afterwards, and on a week day, we had another meeting, at which the Bible society was formed under encouraging circumstances. The Auxiliary there died in 1826, though it still stands on your list, I know not why. Since that time a branch of the Edinburgh Bible Society has existed, but latterly it has been little more than nominal. One of its Committee members joined us on the platform, and heartily aided us in the formation of our new society, and further, he is a Baptist. I hope well of this new Dundee Bible Society.
The County of Fife lies across the Firth of Tay, southward of Dundee. I went to Cupar, the capital, and made preparations for a public meeting. Next I went to St. Andrews, and did the same. This done, I returned to Dundee, to attend the meeting last mentioned. On coming back to Cupar we held a meeting for explanations and illustrations of our object. Mists were here as elsewhere to be dispelled, and a new Bible interest created or excited into life and action. The Free Church Minister demurs, on account of your connection with the Apocrypha Bible Societies of the Continent, but says he will join you when you purge yourselves of this connection. So also said the Free Church Minister of a neighbouring parish who was present. You thus see how you yourselves may increase the number of your friends here; and I may add, that there are many who think and would act like these two. Query, – Is it not worth while to reconsider this matter? What would you think of having our pure Bibles disposed of by pure hands? Some expense in this way would be well borne, and would prove gain in another way.
All the other Ministers in Cupar Established and Dissenting are with us. At a breakfast party of these it was particularly expressed to me, as the opinion of those present, that you should not have retired from Scotland as you did, but should have constantly visited your friends, to keep up those you had and to gain more, by a manifestation of truth, and a continued exhibition of your great object, and your great operations in it. Others elsewhere have expressed themselves after a similar manner. I have been too much of a foreigner during the period in question to be able to judge accurately concerning this opinion; but on the whole I suspect, from all I have thus far seen in Scotland, that these our friends are right in their views, and hence that you were wrong in your actions, or rather by want of action as to Scotland.
Our Auxiliary in Cupar ceased as such in 1826, but there never was a junction to the Edinburgh Bible Society. They acted independently, and distributed their funds to various Bible objects, and latterly £10 or £20 were remitted to you for China, as there was a pretty fair certainty, they thought, that you had not yet sent the Apocrypha there.
In St. Andrews the Established Church Ministers were all friendly. The Rev. Dr. Haldane, Principal of St. Mary's College, when I called on him, stated that he had long regretted the separation from your Society, and had often wished to see something done for you. I showed him your purity as to the Apocrypha case, and afterwards heard him announce from the pulpit, that from conversations with me he was "completely satisfied" on this score; and in succession he urged his people to take an interest in our cause, and he appointed a day of meeting for that purpose. I attended this meeting held in one of the churches, and made statements concerning our objects. A committee was appointed at this meeting to make arrangements in order to afford you some continued aid. I saw several other individuals there connected with the Established Church, and found them all well disposed, and think some thing good will arise from these beginnings. To combine the Established Church and the Free Church and one Association, I found to be impossible, and was therefore glad to take them separately, and secure their cooperation as far as I could. Thus far then we got on with the Established Church, as above described.
The Free Church had no scruple in combining with the Dissenting bodies, but the difficulty hitherto experienced was to get hold of the Free Church body itself. The Dissenters generally we could always count on. In St. Andrews we have gained some ground in this matter, for I got into the Free Church to make my statements once and a second time, and in the same place we laid the foundation of a new Bible Society for this city. The two Dissenting Ministers were present, and fully cooperated. The Church I here had the honour of getting into, is that of the Rev. Dr. Hetherington, the deserving historian of the Church of Scotland, whose work has gained much credit.
On the whole then we have succeeded in St. Andrews fully as well as we could have anticipated, or rather somewhat better. If we could not unite the two parties together, we have united them both to ourselves, and that I trust will lead to further union in due time. – I tried the Episcopal Minister, and I tried the Baptist Minister, but I found each of them immersed in his own medium, and neither baptized with the general and genuine Bible Society spirit.
Two new societies have been formed since my last, or four, if we include the two embryos of this place. In my last I reported £10:14:6 as received in collections. I now report £17:13:8 received since, and in the same way.
The last thing I have to notice, that the Northern Warder, a newspaper published in Dundee, and connected with the Free Church party, has taken particular and favourable notice of our meetings and object. This paper is very extensively circulated in several counties in this quarter, and is the most popular paper. This is a very acceptable help, and in the quarter where we most needed it.
I remain, My Dear Friend, Yours Very Truly,
James Thomson.