Rev A Brandram No.49
Kingston, Jamaica, 13th February 1836
My Dear Friend,
My last letter conveyed to you some discouragement regarding Mr. Wheeler, in stating that he had been taken ill, and though better, was unable to proceed on his way according to our previous calculations. I am now happy to report favourably regarding him, and what is better, he will give you a report himself. In his illness he has been in great danger, and for some days during it his life hung in doubt. But now blessed be God, his disease is quite gone, his health is gradually recovering, and in about a couple of weeks he expects to be strong enough to set out for the Leeward Islands according to your arrangements. The Lord make him strong in body, soul and spirit for the blessed work of circulating the Holy Scriptures.
My report of progress since my last is, that things are going on encouragingly in regard to your concerns. Wherever the people have been specially addressed about getting the Scriptures into their own houses and hands, they have attentively listened to the statements made to them, and not a few have come readily forward to obey the directions given, and have put down their names for a copy of the entire word of God. Again, the accounts received from the Bible Associations previously formed have been encouraging; and in truth everything that occurs in this matter tends to strengthen us in the prospect of what I stated in my last, namely, that "the Bible bids fair to pay a visit to every negro's house in our Island, and there to take up its abode permanently for daily use." May God dispel every cloud that would darken so fair a prospect, rise it where it may. The thing above-mentioned and hoped for, is I conceive within our reach as the land of Canaan was placed, so to speak, within the power of the Israelites almost on their leaving Egypt. But they would not believe nor act, and they reaped the corresponding results. Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us, or held out to us, we come short of it in any degree or from any cause.
I have during these few months past made request to you for pretty ample supplies of the Holy Scriptures. To these requests you have as usual most cheerfully acceded, and most of the books requested and sent, and now among us; and in due time will leave the towns and the stores, and take up their homes and family quarters over the country. But we are not yet satisfied with what you have sent us; and our cry is, what was before, Give, give. To half of your kingdom I know you are willing to grant us, and hence it is that I ask freely. My present request, modest as it may be or otherwise, is for three thousand copies of the Holy Scriptures. Two thirds of these we want in Kingston for our general depot which is almost empty, and the remaining one third is for Black River for the Parish of St. Elizabeth, and contiguous parts. – But I must come to particulars, and tell you the kinds respectively, and sizes, and addresses of those we want. They are then as follows [see below]:
– For Kingston, to be addressed to Messrs. Jordan and Osborn.
– For Black River, and addressed to Mr. George Daly there, please send one half of the above quantities, in all the variety of sorts, excepting the small Pica Quarto Bibles.
– The cases may be about one fourth larger than those you sent by the Stately; and I would say, that care be taken in packing every case, as we found some of the Bibles injured lately by being too closely wedged together to the permanent deformation of some of them. I am sorry to have something to say once more about invoices. Chalmers pamphlet was said to be in one of the two cases 19, 20. After rummaging both cases well for them, and more than once, they were not to be seen; but some weeks after, they were found at the wharf by accident, in a separate parcel by themselves. I think it would be better not to put Reports into the cases, except when formally sent, and then they should be noticed in the invoice, mentioning the number of them, the year or year of their date, and the particular case into which they are put.
– Before closing this account of errors, it is meet I should notice one of my own. In my letter from Savanna La Mar of the 6th July, which you have printed as a pamphlet, I have said at page 5, Wilkinson instead of Tomlinson. Please correct this should you print the letter in the Appendix to your next report. But I have a greater errors still to confess. In my letter of the 21st of January 1835, I thought I had given you a copy of a letter from some Apprentices written in acknowledgment of the Gift Book which they had received on the preceding Christmas. I know not how I omitted this letter, and indeed fully thought I had given it to you, till I saw my letter printed, and wondered that it was not there. I now give it to you, as it is an interesting little document; and if it should be too late for your forthcoming appendix, you must try to interweave it into the body of the report the best way you can. I am really sorry for this omission, pray forgive me: and now here comes the said letter, verbatim literatim, with the exception of a few points I have stuck into it:
– "To the Rev. Mr. Phillips: – Grange Pen, 1st January 1835: – Our society has taken the liberty of addressing these few lines to you in return of their best thanks to you in respect of the Bibles that was presented from you to the leader on the 25th December 1834, and which we received from our leader on the 26th instant, which we have received with great comfort and happiness, and we hope and trust by the goodness of divine providence we may be all able to act and to do as a good book directs; and this is to inform you that as soon as the books was giving out by the leader the 3rd chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew was read by Thomas Barnes, and the next George Reid read this the 2nd C. of the Gospel of St. Matthew, the third Edward Barnes read 1st Psalms of David, and the fourth Alex Ross read the 4th Ch. of the Gospel of St. Luke; at the same time these chapters was reading there was an assembly of about 100 and upwards was standing and listening to the chapters very attentively, and after they were finished reading every soul went home well pleased and joyful to their several habitations.
– Rev. Sir, we are your most humble and well wisher servants, Joseph McLean, Edward Barnes, William Hibbert, Alexander Ross."
I need not make any comment on this letter, further than by saying that it is a native, religious, and affectionate expression of what was felt by these persons for your book: and such feelings, I may add, have often been felt and expressed elsewhere by many on the same subject. Your book will live among us for years and generations, and this remembrance of the Bible society will live with it.
You have been so kind, in answer to petitions made to you, to extend the time of presenting your Gift Book from period to period. There are, as you are aware, a considerable number of copies still ungiven in this Island. Perhaps the best thing you could now do in this matter would be to authorise some general extension in the giving until the books were all taken up. Should you think it proper to do so, we shall endeavour here to make such arrangements as may bring about the most good. Please early to communicate your wishes on the subject, that we may publish the same generally, and procure the best results we can by holding up this volume as a stimulus towards learning to read; and this, with our various stirring up means now at work among us, will with the blessing of heaven produce, we hope, readers over our Island, thick as the drops of morning dew. And then I trust, if not before, everyone will get for himself, and by himself – the whole Bible.
In my last letter of the 14th November last, I mentioned some difficulties that occurred at Montego Bay about the prices charged in your invoices. Similar difficulties have since arisen, and are I believe often likely to occur and recur. It would therefore be well to settle the matter once for all. Can you then, and is it convenient for you, to let us have the Scriptures at the reduced or subscribers prices? Tell us all your will upon this point. Again, please let me know how you calculate the cost of your books, giving an example, and say also whether it you get drawback on all your shipments. Did you get it for those contained in your invoice of 12th October last?
In reflecting on the mode of packing the books above requested, I think the best will be, to make the Kingston order into 20 cases, each containing 100 volumes, and being one 10th of every sort named as nearly as may be. Make the Black River assorting the same, and in 10 cases.
Mr. Jackson's letter of the first of January was received two days ago. – Please to correct the numbering of my letters from that of 6th July which ought to be No. 42. – I should be glad if Mr. Tarn would send me some dozens of steel pens, of all the various kinds, that I may find out which is best. – If Mr. Jackson has got an old or a new scraper that he can spare, tell him I shall thank him for it that it may scrape for me when called on. – Lastly, I advise a bill for £50 drawn to Travelling Account on the 4th instant in favour of Messrs. James Wallace & Co. of this place.
Believe me always yours, and truly,
James Thomson.
P.S. Please desire Mr. Cockle to send one of your 21/- quartos in coloured calf to Mr. Morrish of Bristol, and to place it to my Private Account.
P.S. I believe you to know Mr. Morrish's address, but lest you should not have it by you I give it – it is at Mrs Jeremiahs, No 1 Meadow Street.
