Rev A Brandram No.56
St James, Jamaica, 3rd November 1836
My Dear Friend,
Your letter of the 29th August has within these few days come into my hands. You may be sure I read it over with a deep feeling of interest in all its contents. My first impression from it is, that of your own kindly feelings towards me; for which, and for all your former friendship, I beg you to accept of my sincerest thanks, and may God reward you. My next impression is, that of thankfulness to our heavenly Father, that the Committee "cordially welcome " me to them again, "unfeignedly rejoice" in our reunion, and "hold out the right hand of fellowship" to me "with the same sincerity as ever". Our former cordiality and fellowship in all our operations has often been with me the subject of thanksgiving to him who gave us grace so to live and act with each other. My third impression from your letter is, that of sincere regret and brief for having "put the committee into an awkward position" by my movements in regard to their statements to the Public. I seceded, or rather receded, from the Society because of the circumstances detailed at length in my letter of the 22nd February last; and unexpectedly finding myself soon after without embarrassment in my engagements, and having in the meantime received your very friendly letter of the 30th March, I thought it my duty to return to you in the terms of that letter, in the belief that my return would be acceptable, and not counting on any chances of giving you perplexity in your public statements. I am grieved at this alloy to our reunion, and had I known that I should thus have given you trouble, I should most probably have avoided the occasion. But we are now again united, and I trust of God; the trouble has already been incurred, and cannot be undone; and now we must study how best to act as the servants of Christ, that the kingdom of God may be promoted by us, and that our former harmony may reappear and be continuous.
In regard to my not having mentioned my resignation to Mr. Wheeler, I would say, that it was agreed upon by Mr. Trew and myself that neither of us should say anything upon the subject to anyone until the Packet should be gone. Mr. Wheeler was included in this, along with all our friends; and I had no particular hesitation in including him, as I knew it could not possibly operate on his immediate arrangements. This reason did not exist when I wrote Mr. Wheeler to Hayti; but somehow I neglected to do so, in the first instance, for which I am to blame; and afterwards I knew not where he was; that I might send a letter to him. – But on the other hand, I did intimate to him when here as much as might have prevented him from being much surprised at my resignation; for I told him that I had entered into some arrangements which would keep me in the Island, of which I could not been speak distinctly but of which he would soon hear; and this I did in a conversation I had with him, to lead him to send letters to me without hesitation to this place, offering him through our corresponding all the assistance I might in any wise be able to afford him in the prosecution of his work. – You are not to suppose by my letter of the 29th June, which is now before you, that there was any quarreling between my Brother Wheeler and myself, and that on this account I concealed from him the subject in question. There was nothing of this kind between us. In the letter noticed, I have stated regarding some of our affairs, that things might have been better managed in my judgment than they were; and this I did very reluctantly, and only in justification of myself, as I conceived there was blame unfairly laid upon me as contained in the expression of Mr. Jackson's letter alluded to and quoted. In Mr. Wheeler's work, and in himself personally, I feel much interest. I remember him daily in my prayers with affection, God is witness, praying that the Lord may counsel and guide him, and prosper him in himself, and in all his work. I should be glad to hear more from him of his movements in progress, but I suppose he is often like myself scanty of time for necessary correspondence, and more so from what is not immediately required.
I turn now to Mr. Jackson's letter of the 15th September just come into my hands, and containing copies of two letters, one from Dr. Mora, and the other from his correspondent in Mexico. I am sorry to learn that there is so much dilatoriness in Dr. Mora in settling his accounts with the Society, and much fear he has not what he should remit. In regard to the translation of the Scriptures into the tongue spoken in Mexico, I made no further arrangements than for procuring the Gospel of Luke to be rendered into the Mexican, the Otomi, and the Tarasco languages. The first mentioned only was in hands when I left that country, and Dr. Mora proposed to give the Translator for his trouble one of the sets of versions and reports which you sent me there, and which were put into Dr. Mora's hands. There was no arrangement beyond this, and I never contemplated the translation of the whole Bible into any of these tongues. From the letter of Dr. Mora's correspondent it would seem that the whole Scriptures are nearly rendered into Mexican. You cannot help it now: and as to the remuneration to be given, of which Mr. Jackson inquires, your best guide will be what you have paid for the Catalonian and Peruvian versions. This would be the utmost, but very probably much less would do under actual circumstances. Please put the question to Dr. Mora as to what he thinks should be offered.
Should the whole Bible come to you from Mexico translated into the ancient Aztec, I would not advise its entire publication, but only the New Testament, and the book of Psalms. The Aztec or Mexican tongue is spoken, I should think, by not less than Two Millions of people. It is the language throughout the State of Mexico, of one half of Puebla, and of a good part of the States of Querétaro, Jalisco, etc. There are two other languages of those spoken in Mexico, in which it would be desirable to have a translation of some portion Scriptures, namely, that is Zapoteco, and the Maya, the former spoken extensively in the State of Oaxaca, and the other by everybody throughout the whole State of Yucatán. – I notice these points in case of opportunities offering; but it may perhaps be profitable, by and by when Jamaica is well arranged in Bible concerns, that your former agent in Mexico should again visit that country, to arrange about these versions, and other matters connected with your work. This will be further touched upon in a subsequent letter.
I remain, My Dear Friend,
Very Truly Yours,
James Thomson.