Rev A Brandram No 73
Kingston, Jamaica, 12th October 1838
My Dear Friend,
I am still in Jamaica, as you see by the words of the top; and the cause is, that no vessel has offered for New York for some weeks past. In the beginning of last month, I came into Kingston from a place in the country 20 miles off where I had been residing from June. On my arrival I immediately set about writing to the British American Societies agreeably to the intimation you had given them in your circular of the 27th July, which reached me on the day I came in. A copy of that circular I send you by this same packet, and you will see that I forwarded it to each of the 16 Auxiliary Societies, which according to your last report (1837) is the number of these within the Four Provinces. I hope the wording of my letter will not be unsatisfactory to you, nor to our friends to whom it was sent. I felt as if I would rather not write, as I could add nothing to what you had said; but the reference to my writing being particularly noticed in your circular, I could not do otherwise than write, and forthwith. I pray that the letter itself and its contents may prove acceptable to our friends, and profitable towards the end in view. ―And now before I dispose of this paragraph of my letter allow me to thank your kind self, and all my kind friends of the Committee, for the manner in which you have spoken of your agent in your circular. I feel ashamed in reading what you have said, remembering my own weaknesses and inefficiency. But God has done most graciously with me, and made my poor labours acceptable and successful greatly above the nature of these labours in themselves. To God therefore, I say with all my soul, be the praise and glory. But further, and not least, I thank you for your prayers respecting this new mission on which I am entering, and for calling on our friends in the Provinces to join with you in the same. O may the Hearer of Prayer prosper this mission, thus begun in prayer, and so to be continued I trust, and ended.
On finishing in forwarding the circular now noticed, my attention was given to the packing up my little things, and to various Bible Society concerns which required execution. All these have been settled I may say a fortnight ago; and since, as well as for some time before, my eyes had been directed sea-ward looking out for the vessel every day expected from New York. Here I am then in statu quo as respects place, but not so in regard to business, as I find still something to do in our concerns. Should the expected vessel from New York not arrive and sail soon, nor any other vessel offer for a convenient port of the United States, we shall I think sail for Halifax, to which place, I understand, we are more likely to find a passage at the present time, than to New York. By next packet you will probably hear something more certain on this point.
The Lady Clarke arrived in Kingston on the 21st September; but notwithstanding every effort, we could not procure the case of Reports till yesterday, the space of three weeks. This was owing to the case having been shipped with the first articles, and the whole of the cargo nearly put on the top of it. To secure an early discharge of a case under circumstances like this one, it would be well to make arrangements that it should be placed at the top of the cargo. In consequence of this I have merely had time as yet to glance at and taste the report, and must postpone the feast of a full reading till the packet is gone. Wilberforce's life and the Bible Map are come in the case; and for which I tender many thanks to the Committee for this kind memento. Wilberforce will be another feast for me, and of some continuance: and the Bible world that now lies spread out before me will be a constant treat. The expression, by the way, which I have here used respecting the Map, reminds me of what the world at present is not, but which it is your object verily to make it – a Bible world. ―Many thanks also, my dear friend, for your own personal present Williams's Missionary Enterprises and, and the Missionary's Farewell. All these will be read in due time, and when we have time, with much interest, and with prayers for our kind friends – the Donors. We read your Venn and your New Zealand so; and the last work we perused was the Legh Richmond's Life sent us by a dear Christian friend Lord Chichester whose personal acquaintance I had the pleasure to make during my short stay in his neighbourhood in 1831. These readings, along with many other things, form a kind of fastenings which tend to bind us to our native land whilst wandering after distance from it.
One of the things which have engaged my attention during the last few weeks, is the proper distribution of the remaining copies of the gift book. In the course of my last journey I made preparations for this by writing and issuing a sort of circular letter as I went along; and which after my return to Kingston I sent to those places in the eastern portion of the island which I had not visited on my journey. The following is a copy of this letter.
+++ "Allow me to take the liberty of requesting you to favour me with answers to the following queries respecting the Gift Book, or New Testament and Psalter furnished for the Apprentices by the British and Foreign Bible Society, as it is the wish of that body to obtain as accurate information as possible regarding the distribution of these books, and the circumstances connected with the same.
First: – What number of these books you received, of the large and small size respectively, and that what periods, and from what quarters?
Second: – How many copies, of the one and the other size, you have at different times distributed to the Apprentices under your care?
Third: – How many copies of each size you have still on hand?
Fourth: – What prospects you have a further distributions to persons of adult age or to children, now learning to read or who are likely to learn during the period of the Apprenticeship [say till August 1840]; and what quantity you think would be required to meet this prospective demand for these books, according to the rules of distribution laid down by the Society?
Fifth: – In what manner of these books been received by the Apprentices, and what beneficial effects have been produced by them, in general, or in any individual cases?
You early attention to this circular note, without inconvenience to yourself, will be esteemed a particular favour; and to make sure of your reply come to hand, be so good as send it to the Kingston Post Office."
Of this circular I wrote and put into the hands of the parties concerned eighty seven copies. From time to time I have received answers to them, but not amounting to one half of the number that should have been returned. According to the replies received, and other circumstances, we are making the present distributions. The notices contained in these answers respecting the fifth query are very encouraging, and will come before you soon in the general survey of your work in Jamaica which I am just about to prepare according to your Resolution of the 24th November of last year.
The information obtained as to the number of Gift Book received and distributed is but scanty and unsatisfactory, partly owing to various removals in the persons who received the books, some by death, and some to other stations. The truth is, this inquiry ought to have been made at a much earlier period: and in fact I began to make it when in Montego Bay in August 1835, as you will see noted in my letter No. 44 of the 29th of that month. About that time I received a letter from you requesting me to procure such notices; and finding an unusual facility for our advertisement in the two newspapers of that place, I prepared a general advertisement on the subject addressed to all concerned with these books: and this advertisement was most readily inserted gratis, and was so worded as to give the hope that all the island newspapers would copy it. The [Jamaica] Cornwall Chronicle containing this advertisement was sent to you, and therefore I suppose you observed its contents. To my great surprise the Committee of our Society in Kingston took offense at this advertisement, judging it somehow, though I know not how, derogatory as to their privileges, and actually hindered it from making its way into the other newspapers. This led to some communications between us, which all ended in a friendly way. But nevertheless the inquiry was stopped on my part, and thrown into their hands, and never taken up. I would have mentioned this matter before, but was prevented from a certain delicacy connected with it. It is but fair however that you should, though late, know it, that you may be aware of the cause of my not sending you the statements, and of my silence on the subject. Notwithstanding this our defalcation in accounts respecting the distributions of the books in question, you may rest satisfied that they have been in general well distributed, and believe, what I know to be true that they have produced many excellent results, and such as you wish; though not to the extent of your wishes I dare say, as in these I believe there is no moderation with you, for you no doubt wish for the greatest and for eternal results from all the copies of the Blessed Book which you send forth into all the world.
Believe me, My Dear Friend, Affectionately Yours,
James Thomson.