Rev A Brandram - No 118
Montreal, 27th May 1842
My Dear Friend,
My Bible tour through several parts of Upper Canada, which I formerly mentioned to you as in contemplation, is now accomplished, and has occupied full three weeks. The places visited, and where meetings were held, are – Brockville, Toronto, Port Hope, Peterboro, Rice Lake, Cobourg, Kingston, Perth, Bytown, and L'Orignal. I had made my arrangements for these places three weeks before starting, and was happy to meet all my engagements with punctuality, and to find our friends prepared through the previous notices given. The impression made in respect to the state of our Bible cause during this tour is favourable. There is in most places a decided improvement on former operations since my previous visitation, and that is also prospect of further advance. Toronto, or rather the Upper Canada Bible Society, has done great things during the last year. It issues of the Scriptures have been 12,127 copies, thus overstepping the efforts of the year previous by 3,406. The funds are £1448:9:4½, being £530:5:4 over the former year's account. The number of Branches is now 95, and the supplies sent out to them during the year, and the sums received, have each experienced a considerable increase. As a further circumstance of encouragement I may well notice the fact of their having ordered in one lot for spring 13,230 copies of the Scriptures, which you will perceive is a greater number than the whole expended in the previous year. Much of this prosperity in the Upper Canada Bible Society is due to the employment of an agent. You have lent them aid in this, and you will be pleased to see this fruit of your contribution. There is a remittance of £350 for you, only waiting an expected favourable turn in the exchange premium.
I visited the Rice Lake, and we had a good meeting of Bible Society Indians. From another Indian Bible Society, which I could not for want of time include in my visitation I had a letter, namely from Aldersville, of which I gave you an extract. "The Indian community here are still interested in the Bible cause. They paid in to the Society in Toronto Five Pounds, and they have now in the hands of their Treasurer a similar sum. All of them are doing something, even to the smallest child."
With this extract I conclude my account of this Bible tour, and my last Bible Journey in Canada, and British North America. Is there a village of Indians in Canada with a Bible Society formed in it? And do all the adult Indians male and female contribute to its funds? And is there also I mite given to this Bible Society even by the smallest child in this Indian village? Verily this is at once a reproof and a lesson, most of Canada, and to England. O how the Scriptures would speed their way through the wide world, and open their mouth in every tongue, where all our and your villages, towns, and cities to act on the plan of the poor Indians of Aldersville.
Since my last your letters No 18 and 19 have been received. I thank you on the part of the Bible Society of Montreal for your grant of £50 in aid of an agent travelling through this Lower Province to form and strengthen Branch Societies. ―The Blank Leaves I see you cannot give us through the hinderance of your peculiar position.
I perceived the advertising of my little Manual of Prayers[1] at the Bible and Tract Depositaries here was considered by the Committee as out of order. I am sorry therefore that I did it. A thought of this came into my mind at the time, but I considered the difficulty or delicacy was removed because Tracts as well as Bibles were sold there, and I supposed that my tract compromised you know more than the others. Besides nobody here will ever think of an objection on that score, the with you it might be otherwise. If I publish in England I shall keep as wide of you as I possibly can.
I am sorry to observe your lowered issues and your lowered funds for the year closed. I can see circumstances that have acted in both cases pending to produce this change without a reduction in prosperity. Let us hope for greater things this next year, and probably this humbling will lead to exalting.
I have read your Resolution about the Bible Society Reporter. Halifax is the only place where such a monthly paper as you notice could be published in order to give as a notification to all these British American Provinces. It would be more expensive to publish it there than in England, whilst from Halifax it could only serve in this quarter, whereas from your press, it would at once suit us and better and earlier, and would at the same time suit all the British Colonies, and many British Factories say in Foreign countries, and could also of course be sent anywhere home by post. Please therefore to think over this again, for that is much in it as affects your cause in the Colonies. Could you not have it done for you out of doors, so far at least as the forwarding it on post days is concerned? As to the tit bit of news required, you cannot be greatly straitened I suppose. You know of course the Tract Society's "Christian Spectator." That are just nine lines of news in it in the number for April now before me. Be so good as to read over again what I wrote formerly, should you take up the subject anew, which I trust you will.
Through the kindness of my friends[2] here of the Medical College, if not by virtue of my studies, I have obtained my Diploma; and I pray God that this Instrument, and the position it places me in, may be greatly subservient to the cause of God and of man, and helpful to you in my future wanderings and operations.
As I indicated in my last, I am about to move on to New York, and there to await your hand and seal to say, "Go,"―and I go.
Mr Packenham is, I perceive, still in Mexico, as Envoy from the British Government. I am personally acquainted with him, nevertheless, and the more, I think it would be of great service could you procure for me some letter of Introduction, or some sort of recommendation of my objects to him from Lord Aberdeen. Or rather, it would be better to have a note from His Lordship to the several British Legations in and over all these Spanish American countries, including Brazil.
I remain, My Dear Friend, Very Truly Yours,
James Thomson.
[1] Note (BM) Family and Individual Prayers. Montreal: Campbell and Becket, 1840.
[2] Note (BM) Dr Andrew F Holmes, a key figure in the creation of the College, was a member of the Montreal Bible Society committee and the French Canadian Missionary Society committee. Holmes, who studied medicine in Edinburgh, may also have known Thomson there before Thomson left for Argentina in 1818.