Rev A Brandram No.59
Kingston, Jamaica, 27th February 1837
My Dear Friend,
Your letter of the 16th January came to hand the day before yesterday. I am glad you have sent me a copy of Mr Ketley's letter, and that you have suppressed nothing. The compact that Mr Ketley alludes to, I have no recollection nor consciousness of whatever; neither do i think it was possible, (so to speak), that the two parties in question could have entered into any such compact of unrighteousness, as to say one thing, and mean another. Now the rules of the Demarara Bible Society declare a union and co-operation with the British and Foreign Bible Society. And such a connexion, a bona fide one, had all the Societies formed by your Agent, except the Danish Society in the Island of Santa Cruz, and that exception was, as you know, distinctly mentioned to you. ―That Mr Strong had feelings against your Society, and in favour of another, is well known. These I knew to be existing in his mind, not only before I saw him, but before I left London for the West Indies, as they were mentioned to me by Mr Coates of the Church Missionary Society. When I arrived in Demarara I was warmly pressed by Mr Strong to take up my lodgings at his house, and which I accordingly did. here at leisure we had ample opportunities of conversing upon this subject, and we did converse upon it amply and freely; and the result of these conversations I considered to be ―the removal of his difficulties in the case, and hence that he fully joined in our purpose of forming a Society in Demarara, as a bona fide auxiliary to the British and Foreign Bible Society. ―Mrs Thomson was with me when your letter came into my hands, and previous to her reading it, I asked her what was her impression as to Mr Strong in regard to his union with the Demarara Bible Society. Her reply was, "Why that he joined it frankly and freely." But do you recollect, I said, the objections he stated, and our conversations on the subject. She said she recollected that there was much said on the matter, and one conversation in particular she well remembered, and the very place where we were at the time, namely, walking on the road towards Georgetown from St Matthews Rectory where we resided. She recollects Mr Strong saying at the close of what I related to him, "Is it so?" ―and upon that agreeing cordially to join with us in the establishment of our society. What that conversation was, and what I particularly said to Mr Strong, I do not recollect. But I think it highly probable that I then mentioned to him the actual state of the Committee in Earl Street, in regard to socinianism. Mr Strong had the impression that a majority, or at least many of the said Committee were Socinians; and this impression everybody must have had who read the things at that time recorded by those of the opposite side. False witnesses, truly, rose up against you, and that their mode of witnessing was false, is manifest from the false and erroneous understanding of the subject given to all who listened to them. I stated to Mr Strong, that this view of the Committee was totally at variance with fact, for that there was not one member of that Committee who was a Socinian, nor had there ever been a Socinian in the Committee, as far as was known, from the beginning of the Society. This statement, I believe, led Mr Strong, to say, as above noticed, "Is it so?", and as a consequence to join in a Bible Society frankly and fully. ―I shall write to Mr Ketley and to Mr Strong upon the subject. In the mean time allow me to thank you for your frank communication to me of the whole of this matter, and let me beg you always to act on this plan of full openness, as you have heretofore done. ―I am glad that Mr Wheeler arrived in Demarara in time to prevent a chasm of any extension in the Demarara Bible Society. Its past operations have been good, and I trust its further ones will be still better.
At the public meeting held in December last to form the St Mary's Bible Society one of the speakers made especial reference to the suitableness of the Book of Proverbs for the negroes here. It was the Rev Mr Simpson who mentioned this, but the suggestion was from the Rev Mr Cowan. I was asked then and there to request this additional boon from you, and which I now do according to desire. I afterwards conversed with these gentlemen upon this subject, and learned that this book printed by itself on a good type would probably prove very acceptable and very useful to the people of this place. The best size perhaps would be 18mo and the type pica or english.
By your last report you had £967:7:6 standing unapplied of the Negro Fund. Would not the printing of the Proverbs be a proper use of part of this fund? I mention this, as I suppose you are somewhat at a loss how to dispose of your accumulated stock on this head. I give you some further help in the same way. The one fourth reduction given us here for two years may well be charged to that account.
I thank you for the Resolution in favour of the general depot in Kingston. Every hour I am looking for the Books. They are greatly wanted. I have a request for Manchester Parish for 300 Bibles, and cannot meet it―even in the least degree. ―I may here mention, and more particularly in reference to one of Mr Jackson's late letters, that the depot of Kingston does not suppose the giving up the plans of shipping to outports also; and this will be abundantly manifest by a subsequent request for 4000 Bibles to be sent to the outports. Indeed, the preference in every case where practicable is to be given to sending the Books direct to the place where they are wanted; and the general depot is for supplying immediate needs in any and every place as they may occur, in order to prevent retardations of our work through long wants, as have happened heretofore in several instances. The expense of sending Books from Kingston to the outports must be saved as possible; and when it does occur, as occur it will, the items might I think very properly be charged to the Negro Fund.
Mr Tinson was I understood to have sent you £50 by the last packet, but I find he did not. He has now about £100, and I have advised him to hurry it off, that it may have a chance of being placed to account for the 31st March. ―I am glad to be able to say, that our good friend will continue to act in the Bible Society as heretofore.
The name of T J Bernard, President of St Catherine's Bible Society, I gave you in my last without the prefix "Hon.". I dropped it because he is no longer Custos, but I have since learned that he has a claim to "the Honourable" on another score, as an Assistant Judge. Please then print the name as in your last report.
I have long had my eye on Cuba, and have made many enquiries about it. Probably I may be in that Island on the day of your annual meeting. ―Peru, and the vast continent of South America, is in course of being opened up to your operations with more facility than it has hitherto been. I have lately heard of a proposal to establish a regular monthly communication by steam vessels from Chile to Panamá, including intermediate parts. I shall anxiously look for the realization of this scheme. I have some requests to prefer to you respecting the Spanish Scriptures, their versions and editions, by way of facilitating the circulations of the Sacred Book in the parts referred to. But my notices I must defer till another opportunity, and so that my letter may come into your hands after your anniversary when you will have more leisure to consider them than you can now be expected to have. In the meantime I should like to know whether you have received a copy of Torres Amat's second edition of his Spanish version of the whole Bible. Also whether you possess an entire copy of the First edition, for you did not when I left London.
I lament with you the loss of our late valuable and dear Friend Mr Tarn. God, in his infinite wisdom, has taken two names out of the tablet of my daily prayers by this packet. Mr. Tarn is one, the other is ― my only brother.
My Dear Friend, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you evermore.
James Thomson.