Rev A Brandram
Quito, 24th November, 1824. [1]
Dear Sir,
My last letter to you was written from this place, and dated the 8th current, the day after my arrival. I then stated to you what had occurred to me from Riobamba until my arrival in this city. I shall now, therefore, proceed to give you an account of the reception your cause has met with in Quito
When I set out from Guaranda on my way to Riobamba, I left four boxes of New Testaments behind me, partly because I was going out of the straight road for Quito, and partly because mules could not readily be had to carry them. These boxes I left in the hands of my good friend the Governor, who kindly undertook to forward them direct to this city. Upon my arrival here, I found that these boxes had not arrived, although there was more than sufficient time. I waited for them with some impatience, especially as I had disposed of the contents of those I had brought with me, so that there remained none in my hands for sale in this place. During this delay of the New Testaments I had many inquiries for them, as it had got abroad that I had brought with me a good supply for this city. At length a part arrived, when I learned that the delay was owing to the owner of the mules. I gave notice publicly of the sale, as I had done in other places, and in a short time all were sold, amounting to 137 copies. After these were all gone, the inquiries after them continued, and I had to put off the inquirers, with telling them that there were two more boxes expected every minute. Day passed on after day without the arrival of these, until I was beginning a second time to think them lost.
Yesterday afternoon, however, they safely arrived, and as soon as they were opened 80 copies were paid for and carried off by a highly respected clergyman. Fifty of these were for the use of the schools here, and were purchased on account of the government, agreeably to an order given to that effect some days previous to their arrival. Twenty-five of the 80 were purchased at the request of the Provincial of the Convent of St. Francis, for the express purpose of putting a copy into the hands of each friar in the convent. I noticed in my last the triumph of our cause in the convent of St. Dominic, in Latacunga, and it affords me no small pleasure to be able to record what I may call a triumph of a similar kind, as just mentioned, regarding the Franciscans in this city. To which I may add, that the respected clergyman I before referred to, has orders from, I believe, all the convents to purchase one, two, or more Bibles for them on the moment of their arrival. The remaining five of the above mentioned eighty were for particular friends.
I have noticed to you, in my preceding letters, the desire manifested in the places I have passed
through, for the whole Bible. This desire has also been manifested in Quito, and in a strong degree. In order to increase this desire, rather than supply the wants of these places, I have written to Guayaquil, directing the 50 Bibles which I formerly ordered from Lima to that place, to be sent to these parts, in due proportions; only ten or twelve of these will come to this place, and these are already bespoken. I have also ordered to be sent to the different towns mentioned in my former letters, a considerable number of copies of the small New Testament, and of the Books of Psalms, Proverbs, &c.; the proportion for Quito is 200 of the former, and 200 of the latter; these I expect will meet with a very favourable reception, and will fall short of the demand for them. I have thus, you see, distributed the whole of the supply sent me as mentioned in your last letter, yet this supply, so distributed, will prove inadequate to the wants and the demands of these quarters.
To meet this demand, we must have recourse to your second edition of the Bible, of which you have advised me, and of which I expect a good supply is already on the way to Lima, in that city, and also in Guayaquil, I have given the necessary directions for sending proper quantities to each place. The city of Quito is large, and contains upwards of 50,000 inhabitants. It is also surrounded by a populous country, of which it is the capital and the centre. On this account I have ordered to it 500 copies of the whole Bible, with a request to our correspondent in Guayaquil to remit 500 more, if the wants of the latter place will admit of it. I have mentioned to you the names of different persons who offered to manage your concerns in some of the places I have passed through, and I am happy in having it in my power to say, that you have found a warm friend and an agent here in the Marquis of San José, a gentleman of the first respectability in this city, on account of his personal character, and on account of his large possessions in this quarter.
From this gentleman I have received every friendly attention during my stay under his hospitable roof. He allowed me to sell the New Testaments in his own house, and encouraged his friends to purchase them. In consequence of his readiness to take the charge of the Society's concerns here, I have ordered the supplies for Quito, already mentioned, to be forwarded directly to him. You will also please consider him as your correspondent for this quarter, and can address to him accordingly. His address is "Sr. Manuel de Larrea, Marqués de San José, Quito." I spoke to this gentleman, also, regarding the formation of a Bible Society for the district of Quito, whose seat should be in that city. Into this matter he entered fully and cheerfully, and promised to do everything in his power to commence and to carry forward such an establishment, as soon as a suitable opportunity should offer for doing so. I spoke also to the Marchioness regarding a Female Bible Society, and had the pleasure of being assured by her, that nothing should be wanting on her part to set such a Society on foot. I have thus endeavoured to place things in such a state as to induce the hope that the concerns of the Bible Society will not be neglected here, but carried forward in a prosperous manner.
I should have mentioned also, that several gentlemen, with whom I conversed about the circulation of the Scriptures, and about a Bible Society, much approved of both, and expressed their readiness to lend their aid in these matters. I trust these favourable circumstances, which form an encouraging commencement in this interesting and populous district, will be followed by results truly beneficial to all the inhabitants here, and gratifying to the members of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
There is a circumstance indirectly, or rather I should say directly, connected with our main object, which I should not omit to state to you. I carried with me two copies of the late Bishop of London’s Evidences of Christianity, in Spanish. These I bought in Lima about the time I set off, in the expectation of their doing some good in the course of the journey. I showed this work to the Marquis, who immediately bought it. This he eagerly read, and was highly gratified with its contents. I could have sold the other copy frequently, but refused to sell it, as I intend to carry it farther on, and to dispose of it in some other place. The Marquis lent his copy to several of his friends, who were also much gratified with perusing it. From less to more, the interest in this work was carried, till it was resolved to print an edition of it in Quito by subscription, and this subscription is to be solely among the ladies. This, you see, is a feeling very friendly to the cause of religion, and of the Bible Society.
I suppose I need not to tell you, that a work on the evidences of the Christian religion is not a little wanted in many parts in this country, as there are many who are verging towards, or are already gone into, deism. On this account, as well as on others, it behoves the friends of Christianity to bestir themselves in behalf of South America. The present is a very interesting and also a very critical period for this country. Much, very much, may be done at present, through prudent and zealous means, to instruct and confirm the wavering, and even perhaps to bring back those who have apostatized from the faith. If these measures were connected with means of instruction, as far as can be done, regarding the true principles and practices of Christianity, as taught in the Holy Scriptures, a very plentiful harvest, through the blessing of God, might be reaped. If it should please the Lord to spare me, and to enable me to reach my native land, I trust I shall find many ready to lend their aid towards such a sacred object.
I stated in one of my letters from Lima some time ago the printing of the Apocrypha, that though it could not be done by the funds of the Society, yet that some bookseller friend of the Bible cause might print it, in order to its being sold with the Bible. I mentioned also at the same time that no loss would be incurred in doing this. I am now bold to speak more positively as to the matter from comments I have met with in the sale of the Scriptures. From the great demand there is for the Bible, I am certain that no loss would be incurred in printing an Apocrypha. On the contrary a profit, if wished might come from this undertaking. It is probable that the arguments I formerly made to this matter may not have been sufficient to produce an edition of the Apocrypha. If so I trust what has now been stated in connection with the accounts formerly given of the desire for the Bible, will lead, in one way or another to the accomplishing of this matter. What a pity it would be to check in any manner zeal and interest at present felt here by anything which we have it in our power to prevent.
I come now to speak upon the subject which I would much rather decline, but which duty calls me to lay before you, I come in short to blame the Society, and the cause of complaint is this. A considerable number of the copies of the New Testaments sent me in the Spanish language have a sheet or half a sheet in French. This has been the means of placing me repeatedly in very awkward circumstances. After selling a copy for a Spanish New Testament, it has been brought back on account of this defect. The first time this occurred was in Ambato, and it did not surprise me that such an accident should have happened with one copy among so many. In Latacunga two or three were observed with a similar defect. Upon examining the rest of in my possession, I found the number of copies in this situation considerable. I was hence under the necessity of the noticing this circumstance to the purchasers and in some cases of giving an allowance accordingly. It is only in the Paris edition that I have observed this defect. I hope this matter will be well looked into in what copies you may send in future. It is a matter for which the Bible Society is responsible, and no saving should be thought of which may incur the risk of such an oversight in the binding of the volumes which issue from its stores. You will easily perceive that the evil does not stop with the copies I referred to, as an equal number of French New Testaments must of necessity be interleaved with Spanish. I know you will forgive the freedom of these remarks. We are all engaged in the same holy cause and have only one desire, namely, that the word of God may have free course and be glorified. Let us therefore ....., and in love stir up each other, that nothing arise which would hinder or retard this blessed ...... which the Lord has graciously called us to labour.
26th November, 1824.
I have now disposed of 300 copies of the New Testament in this city. May the Lord follow with his abundant blessing this seed which has been sown, and cause it to bring forth a hundred fold. Today I set off for Popayan, and trust that He who has preserved me thus far, will continue to me his blessing to that place, and thence onwards. I shall endeavour to drop a few seeds as I go along, and pray that these may fall into good ground.
I remain,
Very respectfully & sincerely Yours,
James Thomson.
[1] BSA-D1-2A. Also in James Thomson. Letters on the Moral and Religious State of South America. (London: James Nisbet, 1827), pp. 223-230.