To the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society
London 6th December 1830
Gentlemen
In appearing before you on my return from Mexico, at present you with a report of my agency in that country in conformity with a wish that has been signified to me on your part.
My repeated and full correspondence from that country addressed to Mr. Brandram will have informed you of the whole of my transactions there. The present report therefore will merely contain a summary view of these transactions by way of refreshing your minds with them.
In January 1827 and received a commission from you to go to Mexico to promote there, as far as circumstances would permit, the circulation of that precious volume which forms the single object of the labours of the Society. In the following month I embarked at Falmouth in the English packet for Veracruz, and after a voyage of the nine weeks arrived safely in that place. After a few days stay on the coast I went to the city of Mexico that I arrived on 17th May.
On my arrival there I found some hundreds of copies of the Scriptures lying unsold, on account of their not having the apocryphal books. I was so happy as to get over this serious difficulty and to get the whole of the copies on hand into circulation in a short period of time, and by sale. The liberal supply voted me by the Society on my leaving London arrived soon after those above-mentioned had been disposed of. Twenty four mules, as I stated to you, presenting a truly novel and interesting spectacle. The arrival of this supply enabled me to continue the sale of the Scriptures in the capital, and also to take a journey into the interior of the country. I set out for the parts of Mexico lying to the Northwest, and visited the large towns in that direction. My plan of posting up printed advertisements, adopted first in Guayaquil, I here pursued, and with very favourable results. The whole of this journey was exceedingly gratifying. The Scriptures were bought eagerly by old and young, rich and poor, by the priest and the people. The rich and populous mining districts in which I passed were by this visit supplied with a treasure far beyond what their mines produced, and it is truly gratifying to see the people there recognize, at least for a time, the superiority of the treasure I presented and, over what they so industriously were digging out of the earth. This preference was manifested by the giving me in one place (not to mention others) about seventy pounds weight of the precious metal they had dug up, in exchange for the copies of the holy volumes which I put into their hands. At a great fair, you will recollect, where many thousands were assembled from hundreds of miles distant to worship at the shrine of the Virgin Mary, your agent was allowed to hoist his white flag, the signal of Peace, and had the opportunity of putting into the hands of many that volume which speaks peace to him that is far off and to him that is near, through the one mediator Jesus Christ. These volumes, on the dispersing of the worshippers and traffickers who had flocked to that place, were carried to their homes far and wide, and thus obtained and extensiveness of circulation which from no other spot they could have had. Having finished my tour and expended the treasures I had carried with me I returned home, that is, to the city of Mexico. Previous to setting out on the journey now mentioned, I had, in anticipation of an extensive sale, written to you to send me a fresh supply of 1000 Bibles and 1000 New Testaments. These arrived soon after my return to the capital. As the season for traveling was far advanced, I set out without delay on a second journey through the Eastern parts of that country, and taking with me the 2000 copies of the Scriptures above noticed. This journey also was favourable, though from various circumstances not so animating as the preceding one had been. The these 2000 copies were however, partly then and partly afterwards, put into circulation by sale.
Having accomplished my object on this second journey, I returned again to the capital. Some time after my return, a storm that had been gathering for several months preceding now burst forth. The storm to which I refer was a formal and violent opposition, in the form of an edict, to the buying, selling, reading, and retaining of the Bibles published by your Society. The edict now referred to, issued by the Dean and Chapter of the Metropolitan diocese of Mexico greatly damped the circulation of the Scriptures. This edict was followed soon after by one issued in the diocese of Oajaca and another in the diocese of Guadalajara. These prohibitions not only affected the sales of the Scriptures in the individual diocese in which they were published, and in which only they had legal effects, but that influence extended also over the greater part of the country.
The edicts thus issued were considered illegal by persons who were natives of the country and conversant with its laws. By these I was advised to make an appeal against them to the civil authorities, and this accordingly I did. Delay seems to be the rule and the practice in that country, and this I fully experienced in the case in question. Still, notwithstanding the troubles of delay, I was encouraged to hope for success in my petition. Once and again, and if I recollect well a third time, I was promised definitely, and was on the eve of receiving an answer of the redress, when just at these very conjunctures a change took place in the government or in the Ministry, and all my hopes were blasted, and I had my suit to recommence before a new judge. Thus did things go on from month to month and through revolution after revolution, and till a certain party gained the ascendancy, which to strengthen itself in power sided with the clergy in their edicts and sustained them.
In consequence of this our books were detained in the Custom house. This was a great triumph to the ecclesiastical party which had exerted himself to stop the circulation of your books. I foresaw that in the success of our opponents in the city and diocese of Mexico there was a fair way open to them of effectually excluding the Scriptures as published by the Society from that country in all its extent. They had only to advise the Dean and Chapter of each diocese of the success they had gained in the capital and desire them to follow that example, which in all cases I believe they were most willing to do. Under these circumstances the best thing I thought I could do to favour the circulation of the Scriptures or rather to hinder their entire exclusion from that populous country, was to retire forthwith from the scene of contest, in the expectation that our opponents would consider their triumph complete in the retreat of the fermenter of the evil they deprecated, and thus push their endeavours no further. I therefore made ready with all haste to leave the country, and left it accordingly in the month of June last.
In my way to England I took the route of the United States. Here I had the pleasure of seeing the praiseworthy exertions of our transatlantic fellow labourers, in putting the sacred volume into every house and family throughout the extensive country. Their plan with some modifications of supplying every family with the Record of Divine Revelation in a given district within a given time, is truly worthy of our imitation, and I trust ere long the Spirit of God will move some of your auxiliaries to commence this excellent work among us, and the flame I trust will spread from place to place until you yourself take up the subject, as the National Society of America has done, and shall bind yourselves and fulfill your engagement in supplying every cottage in our land with the blessed word of God. I beg leave earnestly to recommend the subject to the attention of your Secretaries and your domestic agents that they may point out and dwell upon the subject, as they make their rounds through our island. I recommend it also to you all the subject of prayer; and I leave in the full expectation of seeing this plan begun very soon among us, and I hope also to see the completion of this truly Christian and patriotic work.
Being on the northern borders of the United States, I thought I could not do less than visit your auxiliary in York, the capital of Upper Canada. I did so, and being much gratified by the interview I had with your friends there I thought it my duty to visit some others of your Societies in that quarter. I went accordingly to Kingston, Montreal, and Quebec for that purpose. I was glad that my steps had been directed to that country that I might see its state and recommend its wants to your attention. I have already done so in my letter to you from New York, and I here repeat what I was frequently desired to say to you, and to repeat to you as often as might be necessary, that you would be so kind as not to leave those parts at any time without ample supplies of the Scriptures, for the use of their schools, their population in general, and in a particular manner for their new settlers who like flocks of birds arrive every year perching down in the wild forests around. You will, I doubt not, lend and attention and attentive ear to their earnest applications.
I shall now refer you back again to Spanish America, that we may take a short view of it, in respect to what has been done in it generally. You will recollect how much we were gratified in our first attempt to circulate the Scriptures on the Southern continent. You were anxious to attend to the advantageous openings providentially set before you in that quarter. In accordance with this wish you sent out an agent to go over the ground that had before been passed over, but unfortunately Mr. Matthews found a different state of things in many respects to what his predecessor had found. Serious difficulties stood in the way to his effecting an extensive circulation of the Scriptures. Notwithstanding however these difficulties, his letters show that a considerable number of copies were put into circulation by him. But all accounts from that quarter which have lately been received testify that the door is now shut, or nearly so, to the Scriptures in the form in which this Society can alone give them.
Mexico in its former and present state bears a close resemblance us to her sister nations in the south. Very hearty was the reception the sacred volume met with at first, and very cold is the reception it now meets with. Still, in the midst of the present gloom there is cause for rejoicing, rejoicing that there was at the first such openings, and that by these thousands were supplied with copies of the word of God, and which still in most cases remain in their hands. You have conferred much on that country by what you have done, and certainly have no cause to regret your exertions on their behalf, and especially considering that but for you the Word of God would have been almost entirely unknown throughout those extensive countries. True indeed the two witnesses which have been prophesying in those countries for some years past seem now by war waged against them to be overcome and killed. But let us not despair. The spirit of life from God shall again enter into them, and they shall stand upon their feet, testifying unto all, the ways of God, and the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us also believe that the thousands of copies of the Holy Scriptures you have circulated there, are not even now inactive, but are assuredly working their way as did the leaven which lay hid and forgotten for a time in the barrel of meal; and in the time the effects to, as in that case, will be made manifest unto all.
The seed you have sown in those quarters has I believe been watered by your prayers, for I suppose all who compose this Committee are in the habit of supplicating for a blessing on the labourers of this Society in every part of the world. I have often endeavoured to refresh their minds with this duty in respect to the countries here treated of. Let your prayers still continue for them, and without doubt He who is the hearer of prayer will in due time answer all your supplications for them, and even exceed your requests. But the times and the seasons, nevertheless, he reserves in his own hand.
I now present to the Society some books which I have brought from Mexico for your library. Most of them are in the dialects spoken in that country. Some of these books I received from priests friendly to our objects and subscribers to the Society, some of them I received from the Bishop of Puebla, and some of them I collected myself. The number is not so great as I could have wished, but books in the native language of Mexico are now become extremely scarce.
Endeavours were made to procure translations of a part of the New Testament into these tongues, but owing to the natural difficulties of the case, and the prejudices which exist, almost nothing has been done. The Bishop of Puebla lent his services to procure these translations, but in the midst of his endeavours he was taken ill and died. Something may yet perhaps be done in this matter, but we must wait till a change takes place. Before I close this account of those countries I beg leave to state for your encouragement, that you have many warm friends in these parts, and even among the priesthood. These persons will be glad to seize any opening that may seem in your favour. Two of these individuals are Dr. Mora and Mr. Salazar whom I have frequently spoken to you of. Your books to continue to be sold though slowly in the city of Mexico and in other places, in despite of the edicts issued against them. I may further state that the spirit of toleration is extending itself in those quarters among all ranks. In the legislature of Mexico there is I believe at the present time a majority friendly to this object, but who from various motives are disinclined to bring forward a measure which their sentiments would gladly second. No great length of time I think can elapse in these parts until religious liberty shall be enjoyed by all. Restrictions and prohibitions which now impede your work will then of course be taken off. The word of God will then have free course, and let us hope that it will be glorified. I pray God that this state of things now prognosticated may very soon take place, and I am sure to this all of you will respond, Amen.
I am not sure that my services can be of any further use to the Society, as the field which Providence seems to have assigned me in connection with you is at present shut or nearly so to your operations. Another field has been mentioned to me by one of your Secretaries, a field every way interesting, and where I think plentiful fruits might be gathered. But I feel unwilling to retire from that field where I have been labouring for so many years, and to turn away from a people standing much in need of Christian aid, a people from whom I have received much friendly attention, and from whom, though now at a distance, I often hear the cry, "Come over and help us." I wish if possible to try once more what can be done for the benefit of those countries by giving them instruction as they are able to bear it. I should therefore scarcely think myself justified in withdrawing my feeble efforts from them until I have tried every method that seems feasible for the conveying to them, knowledge in general, but especially the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In concluding, I beg leave to offer my sincere thanks to the members of this Committee individually for their occasional remembrance of me, and of those countries where I have been, at the throne of grace. I have experienced, during a period of about twelve years, many and great mercies in travelling through these countries amidst perils of various kinds, and I now desire, in the presence of you all, to give glory to God for my merciful preservation, and for my restoration in health and comfort to my native land. These mercies too are rendered more impressive by the recollection that our fellow labourer Mr. Matthews has not been restored to his home and his friends as I have been, but has perished by the hands of those whom he went to feed with the bread of life. Impressed by all these considerations, I do desire and fervently pray, that the Lord may enable me to cleave unto him self with purpose of heart through what remains to me of the journey of life.
Gentleman, I now beg leave to resign the office you have honoured me with as an agent of your Society. With great respect, I subscribe myself,
Your Most Obedient Servant,
James Thomson.
Books presented to the British and Foreign Bible Society,
6th December 1830, by J. Thomson.
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1. History of the Ancient Mexican Empire, written in Spanish in the middle of the 16th century, in 2 vols. Ms. From Dr. Mora, Mexico.
2. Chronological and Mythological History of the Ancient Mexicans, together with the Rites established in the Mexican church after the conquest, written in the Mexican language. Ms. From Dr. Mora, Mexico.
3. A Dictionary of the Mexican language, rendered in Spanish. Printed in Mexico in 1571. Bishop of Puebla.
4. Grammar of the Mexican language.
5. Sermons in the Mexican language, by Don Juan Müangas. Mexico 1624. Bishop of Puebla.
6. Sermons in the Mexican language, by Don Martin de Leon. Mexico 1614. Bishop of Puebla.
7. Missionary's Manual in the Mexican language. Bishop of Puebla.
8. Lessons of the day, taken from the Gospels, in the Mexican language. A beautiful Ms. From Mr Salazar, Mexico.
9. Dictionary in Misteca and Spanish. Mexico 1593. Bishop of Puebla.
10. Compendium of the Christian Religion, in the Otomí language. Mexico 1785. Bishop of Puebla.
11. Grammar of the Tarasco language, by Basalengue.
12. The first seven chapters of the Gospel by Matthew in the Chippeway tongue.