Rev A Brandram - No.121
New York, 14th July 1842
My Dear Friend,
You see I am still in the city, and the causes are those mentioned in my last. It will be about 10 days yet I understand before the vessel sail. Mrs. Thomson stays with me till I go, and will sail for England in the first London vessel after I have left. Her going with me on the present occasion in so extensive a tour, and which I shall be so little stationary, would seem to be unsuitable, both as regards her, and as regards the mission itself. I would commend her anew to your kind attentions according to your former goodnesses to us.
On this day last week I attended the regular monthly meeting of the American Bible Society. At that meeting there was a motion made to reconsider the Resolution about not printing in future any version made from the Vulgate, and so much of it was passed as delays till a further order the destruction of the Stereotype Plates of the Spanish Bible, according to the Resolution I referred to when speaking before on the subject, and which you will see in their report, these Plates, which cost from 1600 to 2000 dollars, were to be sold for type metal. During the discussion a curious circumstance was mentioned by Mr. Hyde. He said that two distinct Roman Catholic booksellers of this city, in consequence of seeing this Resolution, had applied to him to purchase these Spanish Plates. This we may well consider as an encouraging circumstance in regard to the circulation of this version.
I think I mentioned to you some time during last year, if not about three years ago, that our friends of the Bible Society here would be glad to receive a few more copies yearly of your Annual Report. I inquired since I came here this time whether they had now as many as they wished for, and Mr. Hyde replied that they could well take 50 copies more than the present allowance, as there is, he said, a growing desire manifested here your Report. I think you would do well to encourage this feeling, as mutual and general good to the cause would I believe be thereby promoted.
I should be glad if you could send me in one of the cases to Mexico, (and please note in which,) ten copies of the last report (1842) of the French and Foreign Bible Society. [If Mr. Jackson would get for me, and drop into the same, Gregory's (Geo.) Elements of the Theory and Pract. of Physic, it would be an additional favour.]
I hope you, My Dear Friend, and perhaps more than you in the Committee, remember at times before God, your poor new-world wanderer, who more than ever needs, what you have and can give him – your prayers. I pray for you all. O may the Lord make us and keep us good and faithful servants, and at last receive us into his glory.
Believe me, affectionately yours,
James Thomson.
P.S. Mr. Armstrong arrived here the other day from Buenos Ayres, and I have had long conversations with him. He sails from this for England about the end of August.