Rev A Brandram
Riobamba, 31st October, 1824.[1]
My Dear Sir,
My two last letters to you were written from Guayaquil, and dated on the fifth and eleventh current. On the 14th I set out on my journey for Quito. The first part of my route was to Babahoyo, a distance of about 40 miles, and which was performed by sailing up the River Guayaquil in a large canoe. On the afternoon of the 15th I arrived safely at that place, after having been not a little incommoded by the excessive heat and by the mosquitoes. The common mode of traveling after arriving at this place is by hiring mules to Guaranda, and from that again to Quito. I accordingly hired mules for the former place, but did not set out until the 19th. As it was not my intention to make any stay in Babahoyo, I did not post up my printed notices, yet the report spreads somehow that I had New Testaments for sale, and one and another came to buy, until I have disposed of fifty one copies in that place. On the afternoon of the 19th all things being ready, I set out for Guaranda. The journey from Babahoyo to Guaranda is generally made in four days, but owing to the unfavourable weather and the badness of the roads, it took us six days to travel that distance. Guaranda is a small town containing 1,500 inhabitants, and is the chief town of the district containing several villages. The population altogether amounted to 14,000. The whole of the district is situated on the Andes at a very considerable height above the level of the sea, and notwithstanding its proximity to the equator the productions of the district are with very little exception the same as those of England.
Soon after my arrival in the town of Guaranda, I called upon the Governor, and made known to him the object of my journey in this quarter. I found him a man of intelligence, and a friend of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Observing him to be a person worthy of all confidence, and very desirous of the instruction of his countrymen, I made known to him, without reserve, the plans and operations of the Bible Society, and that I was travelling to forward its sacred object. He was much pleased with the brief view of the Society, which I gave him. He wished to see the New Testaments, and became the first purchaser himself. He also called upon those around to buy for themselves, by telling them to come and learn to be Christians from this book.
I received many friendly attentions from him during the two days I remained in that place, and I think we formed a kind of friendship which may contribute to forward the objects of the Society in that quarter on future occasions. Notwithstanding my printed notices, and the encouragement of the Governor, I sold but a very few copies in that place, the whole number being thirteen. One cause of there being so few sold is, that almost all the inhabitants are Indians, and do not understand the Spanish language, at all events cannot read it. To which may be added the general apathy which always exists in small towns. The few copies, however, which have been circulated in that town, will form a beginning (I may say of an era) in that place, and will create a desire for more, both there and in the villages around, when, on a future occasion, some pilgrim from your Society shall climb the Andes to visit their abode.
On the 29th I left Guaranda on my way to this town. You will see by the map, that in visiting Riobamba, I was going out of the straight road to Quito, but I was anxious to visit this place, if peradventure the Lord would incline the hearts of some here, as in other places to receive the word of God; and, generally speaking, my wish is to pave the way for future operations, as well as to drop a few seeds whilst so doing, and thus to be a pioneer in your service, in the service of this people, and, I trust, in the service of God. I told you that Guaranda, and the villages around it, lay upon the Andes; they are not, however, at the top, but lie on the western side or declivity of the great ridge, or Cordillera.
After leaving Guaranda, there is nearly a whole day's climbing before you reach the top. Upon reaching the highest parts of the ridge, you have something like a plain, though of no great extent; and out of this plain, or rather this mountain, and from your very feet, rises the great Chimborazo. From Guaranda we turned our faces towards this great mountain, and began to ascend. As we approached it, it began to frown, and to forbid our drawing nearer. The rain, in a little time, began to fall very heavily; we pushed on; the hail succeeded, accompanied by vivid lightning, whose rapid flight, from our elevated situation, we could trace from heaven to earth. To crown the whole, the loud thunder rolled along as if Chimborazo were tumbling down upon us. To pursue our journey, under such circumstances, would have been foolish, and perhaps fatal.
We accordingly turned our backs upon the mountain, and began to descend, and to seek refuge in the first but we could come to. After some little time we descried a thatched cottage, but we could not reach it, as the descent to it from the ridge, along which the road lay, was too rapid for our mules. Another and another we had to pass in this way, without being able to take shelter from the storm. We at length found a house to which we could descend, and I rode on towards it, and made inquiry if we could be lodged there. I received an answer in bad Spanish, saying, they did not understand what I said. I was obliged, therefore, to wait till the guide arrived, who understood the Indian language, and upon his putting the same question which I had put, we obtained refuge from the storm, and found, in our circumstances, the cottage converted into a palace.
I thus found myself in a cottage belonging to one of the indigenous inhabitants of the country, and had thus an opportunity of learning some things which could not have been so well learned in any other situation. I found that the inhabitants of this hut understood only their native language; and learned that this was the case with all the rural inhabitants of these quarters. The language spoken is that of Peru, into which, through your beneficence, the New Testament has been translated, and part of which will soon be printed. The need of having the word of God translated into this language, is thus rendered more evident, and we see the field to be watered by it increased.
Towards the evening the sky cleared up, and as the sun was setting, the aspect around became beautiful. I stepped to a little distance from the cottage, and reached the road on the ridge which we had left some hours before. As I walked backwards and forwards in this spot, enjoying the serene and peaceful evening, I felt gratitude rise in my heart to the Father of mercies, for my protection and shelter from the storm. I had just gone over that beautiful hymn, of which the first and last verses follow:
When all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys;
Transported with the view, I'm lost,
In wonder, love, and praise.
Through all eternity to Thee
A joyful song I'll raise;
For, oh, eternity's too short
To utter all thy praise.
I had just repeated this companion of my travels, and was beginning to descend to the cottage, when I observed a person coming up, mounted on a very good horse, and leading another still better. I wondered to see him bend his course to the uninhabited mountains at such a late hour, and had the curiosity to wait his approach, to make inquiry. "Pray friend," said I, "where can you be going this way at so late an hour?"—"I am seeking you," was the reply.—"Seeking me!" I replied. "Yes," said he, "I have a letter for you from the Governor of Guaranda." I received and opened the letter, and read, in the language of friendship, that my good friend, dreading that I should be worsted by the storm, had sent an excellent horse for me, with orders to his servant to travel on until he should find me, at whatever hour it might be, and to see me safe in Riobamba. Whatever might have been my feelings before, they were, at least, now "lost in wonder, love, and praise." I should have mentioned, also, that the servant delivered me a little basket, which I found to be filled with provisions for our journey, and into which, also, the hand of friendship itself had dropped a few sweet cakes. All these things, under the circumstances in which I found myself, had a powerful effect upon my mind, and encouraged me anew to hope in God and to persevere in his service.
In a few minutes we stepped down to the hut, procured some provisions for the horses, some repast for ourselves, and passed the night as comfortably as we could. Early next morning we began to prepare for our journey. I had given our hostess a rial now and a rial then to give her confidence in my honesty; for there is some distrust in regard to provisions bestowed upon strangers, and it is founded, I believe, on experience. Before setting out, I paid her all her demands, and gave her a little more; upon which she lifted up both her hands, and prayed for a blessing upon me, and thus we parted. After travelling for some time, Chimborazo looked out from the clouds, the first appearance of which, I confess, filled me with a kind of dread, more especially as I thought it frowned upon us again. As we went on, however, the day brightened, and we reached the mountain in due time, and took up our lodging in an uninhabited house on the side of it. During my evening walk the clouds entirely disappeared from the mountain, and it seemed to sit down in beautiful splendour beside me, and thus we became more than reconciled to each other. Next morning the same beautiful appearance was exhibited as we set out on our way to Riobamba.
At midday we reached this place, which contains about 3000 inhabitants, with a considerable population in the villages around. I called upon the Governor, and presented him a letter of introduction which I had brought from the Governor of Guaranda. In this gentleman I also found a friend, and an encourager of our object. He directed me to the house of a friend, where I have a comfortable lodging. Upon stating to him my object, and showing him the advertisement which I wished to fix up in the public parts of the town, he ordered his clerk to fill up the blanks according to my directions, and then sent one of the Alguazils to put them up. He bought six New Testaments himself, and during the two days of my stay here, I have disposed of 35 copies.
Tomorrow I set out for Ambato, accompanied by a soldier, which the Governor has ordered to attend me by way of a guide and a guard. Considering the shortness of my stay here, and considering that many more New Testaments would have been bought had time been afforded, I thought it advisable to leave 50 copies in the hands of the Governor, who kindly undertook to dispose of them as circumstances offered. For the same reason I left 50 copies with him to be forwarded by the first opportunity to the Governor of Guaranda. I have also had another object in view in doing so, and that is to convert, as it were, these individuals into members and agents of your Society, the importance of which you will at once see.
I have already noticed to you that the rural inhabitants of the district of Guaranda speak the Indian language only. The same also may be said of all the districts in this quarter, as far as Quito. I formerly stated to you, that in Peru a million of souls stood in need of the translation of the Scriptures into the Quichua language, and you now see how many thousands more may be added to this number. I have no doubt but the importance of the translation in question will lead you to extend your beneficence to the translating and printing of the whole Scriptures into this language. When I find persons, particularly clergymen, with whom I can communicate with confidence, I state to them what has been done in regard to this translation, and the use that may be made of it in instructing the indigenous inhabitants of this quarter, which is by far the most numerous class of the population. To such individuals I mention, also, the happy effects produced by the schools in the Gaelic and Irish languages. I have succeeded in convincing many of the importance and practicability of educating the native population, and am much encouraged by the interest I find taken in this matter, by many persons of name and influence in the places I have visited. In this town, the prior of one of the convents, and the rector of the town, have promised to forward this object as far as lies in their power, and on my part I have promised to forward them some copies of this translation as soon as they are ready.
On the whole, there is great cause for thanksgiving, in seeing the Scriptures meet with so ready a reception in this quarter, and the more so when we consider that this is the first time this treasure has been offered them. Let us pray that the word of God may have free course in this place, and that it may be glorified.
I remain
Very Truly Yours
James Thomson.
[1] BSA-D1-2-A. Also in James Thomson. Letters on the Moral and Religious State of South America. (London: James Nisbet, 1827), pp. 194-202.