Rev A Brandram No.2 (?)
Madrid 4th October 1847
My Dear Friend,
Your letter of the 8th ultimo reached me in its due time on the 15th. Your notices of Birmingham, Tamworth, and other places, and happy things among you, makes one see and feel very strongly the desertness and barrenness of this land, where not even an oasis is to be seen. Oases however may spring up, and as is customary with them, quickly. I am glad to hear you say you do not forget us in prayer. Do remember us much and often. – I am happy to hear of the safe return of Mr. Bourne, and rejoice in the great satisfaction which that mission has afforded you all. Perhaps you may have an agent again in Africa sooner than you are aware. – I fully agree in your hesitancy about Books to Libraries, and I shall be cautious and staring in the use of the privilege you do not deny me in the matter.
In regard to Bible affairs here, I would notice, that I have observed in several Old Book Stands, a single copy of your Bible and one copy of your New Testament. The farmer they will ask two dollars for, but will take half a dollar less, and the Testament can be had for half a dollar. I have been given to understand, that when a single volume of the Bible or testament is bought, the places sure to be supplied with a single copy respectively immediately after. This indicates that that are more copies than are seen, but how they come or came by them we have not yet ascertained.
Not long after I came here, I observed one day a large placard on the front of one of the churches, on which the word Bible was seen in very large letters, and as the prominent word in the advertisement. This was the announcement of a new edition of Scio's Bible now in course of publication in Barcelona, and of course with the usual notes. The New Testament is finished and four small duodecimo volumes, on superior paper, and with a good sized type. The price is 14 rials vellon the volume, stitched, or say 12 shillings for the whole New Testament. This is a step towards bringing the Bible nearer to the inhabitants of this country. But there is a second under longer one also in its progress towards this desirable end. Another edition is being published in the same place by another company, and in a much cheaper form. The New Testament of this edition is contained in two volumes, small duodecimo like the other, but on inferior though good paper, and with the latin text, which the former is without. The whole Bible will form 10 volumes, and will be sold in a stitched form for six dollars, while the New Testament will be only say Five shillings. This step therefore brings the Scriptures, as you will see, more than one half neater than the one previously mentioned.
Besides these two editions of Scio's Bible now issuing from the press in single volumes, there was a splendid edition of the same version published in Barcelona in 1843, in small folio, in it volumes, with plates, price stitched, about four pounds, and now selling bound in morocco at 34 dollars. – Further, another edition still of Scio is on sale here, which is Scio's own third edition and published by Escuelas Pias to which he belonged. It is in 15 volumes Spanish or small quarto, at 16 rials vellon each, stitched, or say12 dollars for the whole, the latin and Spanish text and notes, but without the plates.
Finally, that is the second edition of Torres Amat's Bible on sale here, in six volumes, Spanish quarto, at 150 rials, stitched, or 7½ dollars.
Thus we have at present in full open undisturbed sale in this city, and over all the country, five different versions of the Bible in the Spanish language, with notes, at prices, unbound, in English shillings, as follows, 80, 58, 50, 31, and 25. The 31 is Torres Amat's, and you see it is much lower than any of Scio's till this last cheap one came out.
I do not know whether you are Roman Catholic enough to rejoice in these versions and editions, and the issues of Scriptures in and over this country; but for myself, I confess I am. I do rejoice in this measure of freedom and extension of the Scriptures here, not withstanding their accompaniment with notes, all of which we would not approve of. I say all of them, for I might perhaps venture to say, that nine tenths of them we would agree with, as indeed we might gather from the acceptable and extensive use of Calmet among us Protestants in England.[1]
The printer of Torres Amat's second edition has informed me, that that edition consisted of 3000 copies, and he said that this was generally about the number printed of such works. Taking the four editions of Scio and two of Torres Amat at this calculation, we have 18,000 copies. The two editions now in course of publication in Barcelona, are I believe stereotype, and we may perhaps set them down both at 5000 each. The whole thus makes 28,000 copies of the Scriptures published or publishing. But as these two last editions are not yet finished and allowing for stock on hand, we must limit the past and present circulation, say to 16,000. Alas how little!
In these Barcelona editions, the efforts of your Society are specially noticed, which they say, are worthy of a better cause. The enemy and the foreigner have been very active, they state, in sowing tares in this field, in the shape of altered, mutilated, corrupt, and adulterated editions of the Scriptures, in their own style, in order to propagate Protestantism. To meet these sore evils, and to suffocate them, these Publishers have been induced, they say, to make their efforts, and to contend with the enemy even in cheapness. There is a remarkable word, and a happy one, used in the addresses and prefaces in question. They say they wish to popularize the reading of the Scriptures in this country, and this word occurs three distinct times. You see therefore how their object and yours agree; and that is no doubt but their efforts will contribute to popularize the reading of the Scriptures here, in two ways, in the reading of their own volumes, and secondly, in leading many to procure your cheaper volumes, who cannot reach their cheapness. In every way therefore, I conceive, we have reason to rejoice in these issues of the Scriptures. You have manifestly sent them to work by what you previously did here, and that efforts will no doubt give us an additional demand for our Bibles, when we can freely present them to them; and which time may God bring about early.
We see no fair and clear way as yet for printing the Bible here, but movements are hastening on in this country, and our way may be made plain in a brief space of time, in the removement of all our difficulties. – By the way, you are printing the Bible in Lisbon. How is it you can do so? Is there for liberty of the press there? And is there also toleration? I shall be glad to obtain your answers to these inquiries, as Portugal may aid us here in the way of example; and further, being part of this Peninsula, it may be considered as a portion of my Bible field.
I mentioned in my last that I had written to Cadiz, Malaga, Barcelona, Bayonne, and Paris. From all these places I have had answers, except from Barcelona. Your anticipations about certain official parties, in the two former places, are but too correct. The blame however, I believe, must be placed to the account of others nearer yourselves, rather than to them, for they are persons under authority. Unofficially Mr. Mark of Malaga offers me any aid he can afford, and he has furnished me with the papers and letters that may be of service to me. Mr Pedezert of Bayonne is not very sanguine as to the finding of a fit person for a depot in Behovie, or as to a person to colport from thence into Spain. Mr de Pressensé is however more hopeful. I am to hear from him again on the subject.
In consequence of letters that I've had from Malaga and Cadiz, and other circumstances combined, my friend and brother here thinks it desirable that I should pay a visit to these parts, and others in that quarter. I have therefore resolved to make such a tour, and purpose leaving Madrid about a week hence, going first to Granada and Malaga, thence to Gibraltar and Cadiz, and returning through Seville and Córdova. A month at least will, I suppose, be taken up in this journey, and it may be to. When it Gibraltar, I intend to pass over to the Spanish colony of Ceuta, on the south side of the Straits, in Africa, and I may also visit the place or two more on that Continent. If our friends at Gibraltar are not likely to have on hand any Arabic Bibles and Hebrew Bibles and Testaments, will you be so good as forward some by the first Steamer after this letter reaches you, and also some Jewish Spanish New Testaments. That is a steamer for Gibraltar every Thursday from Southampton, besides other steamers on fixed days of the month, as you will see by the Peninsula and Oriental Steam Company List, which you can get at No 51 St Mary Ave. You can write me to Gibraltar to the care of Mr. Hull.
The case you referred to of the 200 Spanish Testaments ordered by Mr. Griffin, and which no shipper would take charge of, did occur before I left you. Mr. Griffin was here not long ago, as I learned by the newspapers, as he made some little noise in and about our Museum of Paintings. He was gone however before I could see him. I should be glad to receive a copy of his letter, as I might correspond with, or see, sometime hence, the parties he has named. If Mr. Griffin has not called on you since his return, you should, I think, see him before you send a copy, as he may give you further particulars which you could append to his letter. He can be heard of at Lloyd's.
I remain,
My Dear Friend,
James Thomson.
[1] Fr. Antoine Augustin Calmet's Bible dictionary and commentary were widely used. (BM)