Rev A Brandram No.41
Savanna La Mar, 6th July 1835
My Dear Friend,
My last letter to you was written, I believe, about the middle of March, and gave you some account of my visit to the eastern parts of this island; and now I proceed to give you a general view of what has occurred in your concerns here, in my journey from Kingston to the place from which I write you. I remained one week in Kingston, after my return from the eastern parts; all the days of which week were fully occupied in Bible Society business there remaining to be done, and in preparations for my western tour. On the 21st of March, I set out for Spanish Town, not expecting to stay there above two or three days; intending to leave its Bible Society affairs to be transacted on my return to it, some two or three months afterwards. I found, however, on arriving there, that the prospects of formally establishing our branch or auxiliary Bible Society for that town, and the parish in which it is situated, were better than I had anticipated. I protracted, therefore, my stay in that place to a couple of weeks; and during that time, our Society was formed for the parish in question, namely, St. Catherine's. I do not know that you are sufficiently acquainted with our parish polity in this island, and it may not, therefore, be unnecessary to mention one part, at least, of it, because of its bearing upon our concerns. In each of the parishes, there is a gentleman of high standing in the community, placed as a chief, under the name of custos. The honours, the influence, the power, and the functions of this officer resemble, more than any thing else I can at present recollect, those of the high sheriffs in our English counties; and, indeed, our parishes are small counties in themselves, both in territorial extent, and in population. From the standing of such an individual, in any parish where a Bible Society is formed, you will see that it would be an acquisition for us to obtain the patronage and friendly help of such an official character; both on account of his direct assistance, and on account of the influence of his name in inducing others to follow his example. The custos of the parish of St. Catherine I had previously met with, and knowing him to be well disposed towards the instruction of the people in this island, not a few of which are under his own immediate care, I counted upon his help on behalf of our newly formed Society. On making application to Mr. Bernard, the gentleman in question, and explaining the purposes and the plan of our Bible Society, on the great scale and on the small, I was happy to find all my expectations of him verified, and he cheerfully accepted the office of president. The Rev. Mr. Edmondson, of Barbados and Bible Society memory there, as you will recollect, was present at the formation of our St. Catherine's auxiliary, and became, as might be expected, one of its secretaries. The Rev. Mr. Phillippo, whose active exertions in schools and otherwise, are well known, and much appreciated, was also with us; and became a co-secretary with our former Barbados secretary.
I next proceeded to the parish of St. Dorothy, and lodged, during my very short stay there, in the house of a gentleman whom you probably recollect having seen, some years ago, in Kingston, Surrey, at the time Lord Liverpool lived, and resided in that neighbourhood, and so zealously advocated the cause of the Bible Society, both there and elsewhere, notwithstanding the hurry of his high official duties. This gentleman was the warm and active co-labourer with Lord Liverpool in Kingston, at that time, in the cause of our Society, and of all other benevolent institutions. He is still our warm friend, and most ready to do all he can to forward our objects. From his house I visited the curate of the parish, the rector being from home through ill health. This gentleman was very friendly, and offered his assistance in forming a Society for that parish. The Rev. Mr. Taylor, the Baptist missionary there, I also visited, and found him, as I expected, ready to yield us all his aid. This gentleman, and many others I meet with, say, when proposing Bible Society concerns to them, "But give us some school help: I wish our friends in England would send schoolmasters here, or means of paying such, and school books by the thousand. The people cannot read; what profit is there in giving them the Bible till they can?" And again they say, "Pray do give us help for schools." I meet this case, and always answer it direct. Our Society, I say, friendly as it is, in every instance, to education, cannot touch any thing, or any subject, but the sacred and holy volume itself; to circulate this is our work, and most ample work it is. But, I add, though we cannot, as a Society, give you direct aid in your schools, we can give you no little help in an indirect way. By the circulation of our Bibles, we increase the desire among the people to learn to read; and this desire pressing more and more, will make a noise and a clamour for help, here among ourselves, and abroad in England, until, by one means and another, in the providence of God, all and ample help will be obtained for the instruction of all our people in this island, and over these colonies generally.
I might also refer, as one proof of what good may arise through our Society indirectly in favour of education here, to the deviations I have made, once and again, from my usual line of correspondence with you, when I urged upon you to cry aloud by the press, from Dan to Beersheba, throughout all your favoured country, and to tell all what need we had for schools, and for school books; and in stating to you also a plan for raising us effectual aid in this interesting work of educating our negro population here, which, I may truly say, is hungering after knowledge. Again, I meet the above difficulties, not objections, to our Bible Society operations, by roundly stating to the friends of the negroes, and to the negroes themselves, in all our meetings with them, that notwithstanding they cannot yet read, the major part of them, yet nevertheless they ought one and all to come forward and join our Bible Society, and that the people should all use the means we set before them in our Bible Associations for procuring the Scriptures for themselves, and getting them into their own houses and hands without delay. For (I argue with them) if you have a Bible in your house, you will thereby be greatly stirred up to learn to read it; or, on the other hand, should you never learn, some friend calling on you from time to time will read to you from this sacred book; or I say, your children will soon be able to read, and they will read to you: or failing this, you can hire with a little money some boy or girl who has been at school to read your Bible to you; and particularly when you are on a bed of sickness, or of death, will this be a valuable resource to you, and will be an ample return for all you may give for your book: and lastly, I add, though none of the means I have stated should be available to you, yet get a Bible, and place it conspicuously in your house, for the very sight of it as you go out and come in, and sit in your house with it before you, will do you much good, and more than remunerate your expense in getting it, as it will silently proclaim in your ears as your eyes light upon it, "Fear God. and give glory to his name." Thus I urge upon all to get the Scriptures, and take an excuse from none, being fully convinced that the more extensively the word of God is circulated, the more extensively it will in one way or another be read, and the more it is read the more it will be understood and obeyed.—This is like a digression, but it is not so in reality, for these are some of our actual difficulties on the one hand, and the means for overcoming them on the other. I am firmly persuaded that nothing is so effectual in stirring up people every where, and under any circumstances, to learn to read, as the circulation of the Scriptures among them. If we were to take two given estates of the same size in this island, and similarly circumstanced, and were to form a Bible Association in one of them and not in the other, we should I doubt not at the end of a few years perceive a striking difference in the two: where the association was formed many more would be able to read than on the other.—But to return to our locality in St. Dorothy's, preparations were made for forming a Society there on my return, and I have good hopes of seeing it established in due time. I was glad to find that Mr. Slater, the curate, possessed a copy of Owen's History of the Bible Society. I do not know that there is another in the island, but I wish there were many.
From St. Dorothy's I went into the parish of Vere, a parish of small territorial extent compared with other parishes here, being only about 12 miles square, but containing about 10,000 inhabitants. Here I saw the rector, and Mr. Forbes, the catechist of the Church Missionary Society, who has a flourishing school on an estate belonging to Mr. Wildman, a gentleman well known in England in Jamaica concerns. Mr. Forbes also, in addition to his school, gives much religious instruction to the people on that estate, and to all who choose to come from others. No Bible Society was formed in Vere, but steps were taken for doing so afterwards, and hopes are entertained of succeeding in it. One of the things I generally attend to in my peregrinations is to search out for a proper place where the Scriptures may be publicly sold to all. This I found in Vere, and then proceeded into the parish of Clarendon.
Clarendon is the very reverse of Vere in regard to extent and denseness of population. I made several calls in this parish, going over a considerable portion of it. From all I could gather of circumstances at the time of my visit, it was judged better to defer any attempts to form a Bible Society there until a future occasion. The Honourable Mr. Bravo, who had been recently appointed to the office of Custos, was from home at the time, and therefore I had not the pleasure of seeing him. I wrote him however a few lines when in the neighbourhood of his residence. I afterwards received a very friendly note in reply, which he had written immediately after his return home, but which I did not receive till about a month later, and when I was in another parish. He says, "I yesterday received your note of the 15th instant, and regret that my absence from home deprived me of your proposed visit, but I beg to assure you that I shall at all times be happy to see you at Mount Moses, and that I shall feel great satisfaction in forwarding as much as lies in my power the very laudable object you have in view. Most sincerely wishing you health to prosecute your benevolent and pious intentions, I remain," &c. This note, you see, gives me good encouragement in again visiting the parish of Clarendon, when I shall be able to do so. Mr. Bravo is an individual of that nation honoured in being the early depositaries of the oracles of God, a nation yet to be honoured and signally, at no distant day, but not till they turn to the Lord the God of Israel, whom their fathers crucified. O that the Salvation of Israel would come out of Zion, and turn away ungodliness from Jacob!
The next parish, in order, is Manchester. Here is situated one of the oldest settlements of the Moravians in this island, called Fairfield. I make a point of visiting these establishments of the Moravians, if at all within my reach. You have on many occasions helped this body in publishing the Scriptures, and in supplying their people with them. They feel and express themselves grateful to you for so doing, and are desirous of giving help to your agent in promoting your work in those places where their missionaries are stationed. On this spot we formed our Manchester Bible Society, our two secretaries being the Rev. Mr. Ricksecker, the senior missionary there, and the Rev. Mr. Hall, one of the curates of the parish, who gives us his most cordial aid. The Honourable Mr. Berry, the custos, upon application being made to him, became president of the Society, and in a note accepting this office he says, "I feel myself much honoured, and accept with much pleasure the appointment of president of the Manchester Bible Society. A society formed for so beneficial a purpose as the distribution of the Holy Scriptures, cannot fail to have a very beneficial influence in our community."— Three distinct Bible associations have been formed in connexion with this parish Bible society; one in this Moravian congregation, one in Mr. Hall's congregation, and one on an estate called Huntley, possessed by a Mr. Wilkinson, who resides upon it, and is very anxious to communicate the best instruction to his people, and who has greatly helped us in forming the Bible society in the parish mentioned.
St. Elizabeth's is the parish that succeeds to Manchester in one's course, moving westward. This is rather a favoured parish in regard to society, or to what one would call English families. There is a fine cluster of them here, compared with most other places among us; for, alas! a family, in the proper and right sense, is a plant that has seldom been planted in this island and its fellows. Whether this arises from some antipathy existing between the family plant and the sugar-cane plant, or the slave plant, I leave you to judge; I only speak of the fact. Blessed be God, however, old things are passing away with us herein, and families are being formed in numbers every week in the holy bond of matrimony. This is chiefly among the negroes; but it will speedily work its way back among the coloured population, and then afterwards, (oh! shame, that it should thus go reversed,) among the whites.
In Black River, which is the county or parish town of St. Elizabeth's, we held a meeting on the 7th of May, to form our Bible Society for their parish. Several gentlemen of the highest standing in the community were present, and among the rest, and in the chair, the Honourable Dr. Robertson, the custos. The society was accordingly formed in a very friendly spirit. Dr. Robertson became our president, as might be expected from his presiding at this meeting, and he has since shown himself desirous of advancing our objects. There are three Moravian establishments in this parish. I have visited these, and formed a Bible association in each. One of the most active of our friends in this parish is the Rev. Mr. Hylton, one of the curates. He has three places under his charge, where he preaches in turn. In each of these we have formed an association, and under very favourable circumstances, particularly in one of them, called Grossmonde. A considerable number of the people in this congregation can read, owing to the zealous labours of their minister. A fine feeling exists among his people, and a great desire for further instruction. Great numbers of these have put down their names to our association, and they have already paid in a good sum to the treasurer of our Parish Bible Society. I look to this association with more than common interest, from what I have already seen, and I expect it will be a worthy model for others to copy after. A seventh association was formed at Black River; and the eighth at Accompong. These were formed before I left the parish; but others have followed, I believe, since that, as the Rev. Mr. Waters, the other curate of the parish, was about to form three in the place under his charge. From my mentioning once and again three places as being under one curate, you might think we had a kind of pluralities here; and so we have, but they are pluralities of labour only, and not of emolument. In truth, there ought to be three ministers, instead of one, in the places referred to, and so of many others among us. The people have only service once in three weeks under these pluralities, instead of every Lord's day, as it ought to be. See then our need of Christian instruction, as manifested by these scanty dolings out of spiritual food.
In the parish of St. Elizabeth is situated one of the Maroon establishments. It is smaller than the one in Portland; but the people partake much of the same nature and habits. In this settlement they have had less instruction than in the other, and accordingly they are farther behind in the knowledge of letters, and in Christian knowledge and practices. They have had a catechist from the Church Missionary Society among them for some time; but owing to changes and removals in the individual catechists that have been there, the instruction given has not been continuous, and for some time back they have had no instructor among them at all. This latter interruption seems to have done them some good indirectly, in making them more anxious on the subject of their own instruction in letters and in religion. On the same day that I came into the parish I saw two of these Maroons at the house of the Rev. Mr. Hylton, where I stopped. They had come down from their settlement, a distance of about twenty miles, to make inquiry when their teacher would come. Happily I could tell them something on the subject of their inquiry, for I had not long before seen the catechist about to settle among them. I gave them therefore good news to carry home, namely, that their expected and wished-for teacher would be with them soon; and that he was a valuable man, and could do them much good; adding, that I hoped they would give every attention to his instructions. Further I said, "Your schoolmaster's wife, who is coming with him, is an excellent woman, and will be of great use in teaching your wives and your daughters to read, and to fear God, and keep his commandments." These two messengers, next morning at dawn, went back with merry hearts to carry home the good news. I gave them, on their return, a printed paper, containing an address about Bible associations, and told them I expected to pay them a visit before long, and would then talk with them more fully about the subject they would read of in the paper I had given them. About a week after, other two messengers came to say that they were all much pleased to hear that coolmassa (schoolmaster) was coming, and misses with him; and also, that they all thanked me for the "letter" I had sent them, meaning by the letter the Bible Association Address I had given to the two messengers the week before.
On the 15th of May, when other arrangements permitted, I paid my promised visit to this Maroon settlement, called Accompong, accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Hylton, in whose district it may be said to be. On entering the place, we went straight to the chapel and schoolroom, which are both one, and announced our arrival by ringing with our own hands, the great bell hung in a belfry outside. We were not long seated in the school-house, before the Maroons began to drop in, when our conversations and other communications commenced, and I may say ceased not, till we finally left them, as we had almost always one or other, more or fewer, during our stay of a day and a half. I trust our communications were of such things as are good, and for the use of edifying; at least, so we endeavoured to make them, by setting before our hearers, Jesus and him crucified, and telling them how we ought to walk and please God. We had one public general meeting in the evening of the day we arrived, and another in the early part of the day following. I set before them the objects of the Bible Society as respected themselves, namely, that all of them should get and have the Scriptures in their own possession, and should diligently read the sacred book for their present and eternal good. I set also before them the case of the world's millions who are destitute of the book of God, and hence, know not the Creator or Redeemer, amongst which destitute multitudes, I told them were their own countrymen of Africa. I therefore stirred them up to get the Scriptures for themselves without any delay, and to pity and help the poor destitute world, and send to you something to enable you more extensively to preach the everlasting gospel unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.
Finally, I told them what their brethren the Maroons [in Portland] had done in this good cause; and concluded by saying, that if they would enter into the objects set before them, and do in the matter what we considered they ought to do, we should, and you would, be greatly delighted with their operations in this good cause, and that themselves and the world would be benefited; but if, I said, you think the matter unworthy of your regard, then don't meddle with it, and tell us fairly and at once that you will not. This appeal was instantly followed by voices at once saying, "Yes, yes, we enter into it, and will do the best we can." We then proceeded to take down names, and speedily got upwards of fifty. Thus commenced your Bible Association in Accompong, your second institution among the Maroons.
Before I leave this spot, 1 would say a few words respecting this people and settlement, as they have met with less sympathy and attention from the British Christian public and government than they should have done. The Church Missionary Society has the merit of seeking out these wild heathenish people, and of preaching to them the Lord Jesus Christ; their labours have not been in vain. From a former letter you will learn, that not a little good has been done among the same class in Portland parish. Some good has also been done here, though not so much, owing to the interruption before noticed. Their expected catechist is now, however, among them, at the date I write, and I hope much good will be done by himself and his wife, for the male and the female portions of these people. Accompong is a fine missionary station, just such as I should like for myself, should my heavenly Father bid my wanderings cease. I trust the Church Missionary Society will give more and more of their attention to this spot, and to their other missions among the Maroons in this island; and I hope the other missionary bodies will leave these fields in the hands of those who have already taken them up, for there is not room for double labourers, whilst the island still abounds with destitute spots. Had I the ear of the government, I would say, that an annual sum not less than £100 sterling, should be given to the Church Missionary Society for each of the Maroon establishments. You who live near the court, and among courtiers, might repeat this, and if nothing should be gained by so doing, neither would any thing be lost. I must not forget to notice our good friend Mr. Griffiths, in connexion with this establishment. You have seen what he has done in Portland. It was he also that began the Lord's work among the Maroons of Accompong. In short, stirred up by the Holy Ghost, he visited all the settlements of this people in the island, about seven years ago, and finding them wholly given to idolatry, he prayed for them, and laboured for them, through the Church Missionary Society, until the present favourable circumstances, in regard to their instruction, have been brought forward. May God reward him, and may the missions among them enjoy in a large measure the blessing of Almighty God, without whom we can do nothing, and to whom in all things, be all the praise and the glory.
I have alluded to this people as being in a heathenish state only a few years ago. Changes have been effected, but some of their idolatrous practices still remain in Accompong, if not elsewhere also. These we may expect to disappear by and by, as the light of the glorious gospel of Christ increases among them. They have also among them, I am sorry to say, some evil Christian customs. It is an odd expression I am aware, to say an evil Christian custom, for no Christian custom is evil, but there are evil customs among those who are called Christians. Two of these gods or goddesses, if I may so speak, are openly worshipped among the Maroons of Accompong; namely, intoxication and concubinage. Of the latter idolatry, we Jamaicans may well blush, when we speak of it; and may we blush into reformation. There are, however, I would repeat, some encouraging signs of this reformation already apparent among us; and herein, as I said before, the blacks are teaching the whites.
A few words more respecting Accompong. The place they are settled in is better adapted to cultivation than Moore Town in Portland; the land is richer and less broken; and further, it does not rain here, as it does there, 300 days in the year; but the seasons are of a very favourable nature. On this account, I suppose, though other circumstances also may have contributed to it, there is a good deal more cultivation here than at Moore Town. They grow, besides their own provisions, a good deal of coffee, pimento, and ginger. One of the most pleasing circumstances I learned in Accompong was, that in six houses there was regular family worship kept up. All these six are families properly so called, being headed matrimonially. The first commencement of this took place about a year ago, and I must give you the name of the commencer, and hope you will print it for his honour. It is Lieutenant Wright. He commenced it at the instance of his wife, and I would beg you therefore to print Mrs. Wright's name also along with her husband's. Afterwards I hope we shall be able to show these printings in the same Accompong, and thus add to the means within our reach of inducing to this godly and profitable custom. Lastly, it is but justice and duty to say that the Maroons treated your agent and his companion, Mr. Hylton, after a very friendly manner, and supplied our wants richly every day, if not in quality, variety, and cooking, at least in quantity. For most generally, after we had finished breakfast or dining, in came another breakfast or dinner, sent from another house, and so perhaps a third also. And again, after finishing all these breakfasts and dinners, that is to say, by eating the first and otherwise disposing of the rest, we found other supplies in the houses where we went to pay our visits. I think, I may say, without any epicureanism, that we relished most what Mrs. Wright sent us, and because of the circumstance already mentioned in regard to her.
I have detained you long in St. Elizabeth's, and I hope that your attention will be frequently called to this parish in months and years to come, as I trust a good Bible Society work has been begun in that parish, and hope it will continue and increase. Westmoreland parish was the next in the order of my visits, and I proceeded therefore in succession to Savanna-la-Mar, the chief town in that quarter. After remaining there a week in making preparations for forming a Bible Society for the parish, I returned again to St. Elizabeth's to attend the first meeting of the Committee of that Society, which we had been hindered from holding on an earlier day fixed for it by the unfavourable state of the weather. After attending this meeting, which was a very agreeable one, I returned to Savanna-la-Mar by another route, and visited two Moravian settlements in Westmoreland parish, in both of which I succeeded in forming Bible Associations, with upwards of 100 subscribers to each. A fortnight was taken up with this visit and tour, and on returning to Savanna-la-Mar we formed our Westmoreland Bible Society under encouraging circumstances. Last night, which was Sunday, we held a meeting in the court-house, for religious worship and for Bible Society purposes, when I addressed a full and crowded house from, these words:—"Thy kingdom come: thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." From this passage I opened, and alleged that such a kingdom, dominion, and rule, as might be truly said to be of God should certainly take place in this world, where Satan has hitherto ruled, and still holds his dominion: that the time draws near for the visible establishment of this kingdom of heaven: that it is our duty and interest to advance and hasten it: that, seeing the will of God is to be done on earth, it is most obvious, that it must first be made known before it can be done and obeyed: and that hence we ought to exert ourselves to publish, circulate, and spread the Holy Scriptures all around us and over the whole world; even this blessed book, which makes known the will of God. Finally, I urged upon them not to mock God in their daily and weekly prayers when they used these words, by neither understanding nor caring about what they uttered with their lips solemnly in his presence; but to stir themselves up to examine this subject, that they might pray in knowledge and earnestness regarding it, and show the same by active exertions to circulate the word of God among themselves and abroad every where, an opportunity for all which was now placed before them in the Westmoreland Bible Society and in the Bible Association of Savanna-la-Mar. I am happy to say, that the courthouse was freely conceded to us by the magistrates for the purposes above stated; and, I think, I may say, the general feeling in this place is in our favour.
This brings up my journal, if I may so call it, to the day on which I now write you. My next movement will be to Montego Bay in the parish of St. James, whence I intend to fall back westward, to the parish of Hanover, returning again to Montego Bay, and from thence proceeding to Falmouth in Trelawney parish, and thence to St. Ann's, and thence through St. Thomas in the Vale to Spanish Town and Kingston. The success and encouragement met with in this tour is, I think, and ought to be, a subject for thanksgiving to Him who directs our steps and our ways, and who has the hearts of all men in his hand, turning them whithersoever he will. My thanks personally, and as your agent, are due to many friends who have helped me on my way in many respects. I pray the Lord to reward them, and to bless them in all their concerns; but especially in those which are spiritual. It is intended to hold the public meeting of the Jamaica Bible Society on my return to Kingston; and afterwards to draw up and print a report of the Bible Society operations in the island; which report we expect will tend to forward our concerns in those places where we have already made a commencement, and also to open up those where we have not as yet done any thing. The number of gentlemen, of the best rank of society in the island, who have given us their names, their subscriptions, and their influence, will draw out others who are less forward of their own accord, and disposed to follow others rather than become vanguard men themselves. The Lord will, we trust, work with us as he has already done, and will prosper his work beyond our expectations; and, surely, if any work may be called God's own work it must be the circulation of that code of knowledge and salvation which he has published for our welfare here and eternally. I may here mention, that on several occasions, and by different individuals in distinct places, it has been noticed to me, how much more appropriate is the time I am now travelling through the country than it would have been in September last, the time I at first proposed to set out, and when the weather only prevented me. My friends say, they could not have anticipated any thing like the results that have now taken place had I paid my visits at that time. In this manner does God lead his servants, unknown to themselves, for his glory, and to teach them, more unreservedly, to acknowledge him in all our ways, in the confidence that he will direct our steps.
Some incidental notices respecting our concerns up to this date will now be noticed. Your gift book, as I call your present to the negroes, has been gratefully received. In general, I may say, it has been accepted with those feelings with which you gave it; and, in several instances, I have been requested by individuals, and by many voices at the close of our meetings, to convey to you every kindly expression of gratitude and respect, for your good wishes on their behalf, your good book, and your prayers. I said to you some time ago, when I heard of your intended gift, that I would, when the people should have come into possession of it, urge upon, them, from this your kind act, to stir themselves up, and to come forward to procure the whole Bible for themselves; this I have done in all my movements, and especially at our meetings for forming Bible associations; this advice has been well responded to, as is visible in the cheering numbers of persons who have put down their names for the entire Bible, and not a few have subscribed for a large family Bible, even your fine quarto. Our demand upon you for Bibles during the twelve months ensuing will, I should think, be considerable; and I hope good remittances will follow these demands. It is pleasing to see your gift book in use in every congregation among us, on every Sunday, and to see it in every school.
The following extract of a letter lately received from the Rev. Mr. Phillippo, in Spanish Town, will, I am sure, prove interesting to you. "You will be gratified," he says, "to know that we held another Committee meeting of our St. Catherine's Bible Society, on Monday last, and that we have applied to the Jamaica Bible Society for a stock of Bibles and Testaments to the amount of £90 currency, with which to begin our operations. The utmost unanimity prevailing among us, we quickly despatched our business, and that also with but few unnecessary words. Our District Association has sustained considerable loss by the removal of Mr. A. from the town, but, all things considered, it prospers as well as could be anticipated. A great point is gained when a beginning is effected, however small and discouraging that beginning may appear to be. Zealous, persevering, and efficient agency, approved and sanctified of God, is every thing. The cloud which the prophet of Israel saw rising from the west, the harbinger of a plentiful rain, was small on its first appearance, but gradually increased until it overspread the whole surface of the heavens, and thus became the means of happiness to a desolate and mourning people."
"I have another gratifying circumstance to communicate. You are aware that at Christmas I had an inadequate supply of the copies of the Scriptures designed for distribution among the apprentices, and that, as a consequence, Easter Sunday was fixed upon as a day on which to receive further applications; the distribution was unavoidably postponed until the following Sabbath, by which time I procured a case of the Testaments, &c., consigned to my missionary brother Taylor, at Old Harbour. I announced my intention on the two preceding Sabbaths, and although many private demands had been frequently and importunately made since the benevolent intentions of the Society had been known, I had apprehended that two or three dozen would be an all-sufficient supply. To my astonishment, however, the whole number contained in the case was inadequate to the demand, so much so, that I begin now to question whether the deficiency can be supplied by the contents of another case of equal size. The scene of the distribution was a most interesting one. Often since it has passed away have I regretted my inability to sketch it with an artist's hand, that it might have been transmitted to the friends and supporters of the Bible Society in England. It could not have failed to have interested them most deeply, nor to have operated upon their minds as an incentive to vet greater and more noble efforts in the prosecution of their Bible-work. You know the stand I occupy in my week-day evening services: no sooner had I ascended that somewhat elevated spot, for the purpose, than I was surrounded by multitudes of claimants, and almost stunned with their importunities. To assist me in ascertaining the qualifications of each candidate, I had already placed around me six or seven trustworthy and competent individuals, together with an amanuensis to register the names of every one to whom the prize might be awarded. I soon found it impossible to proceed, and repeatedly demanded silence, as a condition on which the distribution was to be continued; but I might almost as well have spoken to the elements; there was, indeed, a temporary calm, but it was succeeded by louder and yet more earnest vociferations of entreaty. To keep anything like a correct list of names was soon found to be impracticable, although I must not omit to state it as my belief, that my injunction, under no circumstances to distribute a single book but on the conditions specified in the printed resolutions of the Parent Society, was strictly and universally obeyed. Though gratifying in the extreme, as it must have been to me, thus to behold the predictions of ancient prophecy fulfilled, in the eagerness evinced by these sons and daughters of Ethiopia, to possess themselves of the word of life; yet my pleasure was not unmixed with pain. There were many present who, although apprentices, were in other respects disqualified for the boon, (following the rules of the Parent Society,) whom in consequence of the failure of repeated explanations and advice, I felt it my duty publicly to reprove for their importunity. The most evident disappointment and regret were visible in the countenances of all to whom the denial was made, and some of them turned away in tears. Tell me, my dear Sir, if you can, whether, when a faithful promise is made by such applicants, that they will habitually ensure the services of a friend or a neighbour's child to read it to them, they may not stand on a footing of equality, in reference to the boon, with their more qualified, because more privileged, companions and friends ?" In the above you have one striking scene of "Ethiopia stretching out her hands to God," as the Psalmist says; and it must be a subject of grateful thanksgiving, to you and to all your confederates, over the length and the breadth of our land, that you have been instrumental in verifying this sign of the outspreading kingdom of our Lord. "O make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."
In regard to the question Mr. Phillippo puts at the close of the above extracts, I have thought it right in accordance with your resolution, to answer it in the negative. Let it be said to such applicants, "Learn to read, and you may still have a book, if you are properly diligent." This will have a better effect than the giving a book to any persons with a promise of its being read to them. In truth, one manifest advantage of your present, is that it has proved a stimulus to many, inducing them to learn to read, that they might obtain your book. Perhaps I should not be far wrong if I should say that some hundreds over the country have learned to read through this incentive. It would be better, therefore, still to use your books for this same end, and thus make them productive of a double advantage. I may here mention a little incident in regard to one of our learners. A man somewhat beyond middle age received a spelling book from his minister, one of the Moravian missionaries, containing the A, B, C, and other parts of reading made easy. About a fortnight after, he brought back his book and begged his minister to exchange it, and give him an easier one instead, as he could not manage to learn that one. His minister of course told him that there was no easier book could be found than the one he had. Upon this he looked up with a saddish countenance, and begged him to pray for him that he might be able to master this book, and to get on in reading, as he found it very hard work. In connexion with this I may here once more, and again, repeat that great and insatiable is our demand for spelling books. A gentleman told me the other day, that after much ado he procured four dozen such books, and sent them out for re-sale in a small village where he lives. In an instant all were picked up, just as so many grains of barley would have been if thrown among a flock of pigeons. Our ark is not yet come; I hope it is upon the waters.
And now, as to the Bibles that should be ordered for our Bible Association, I am somewhat at a loss. The number of associations in St. Elizabeth's alone, is ten or twelve, and the number of subscribers to each vary from 100 to 300, and all of them subscribe for the whole Bible. It would be too much either to order or to remit a number corresponding with the above appearances, and yet such a number may really be required. What I would say in order to hit somewhere between extremes, is, send us by the earliest vessels, six cases to Mr. George Dale, Black River; to the Rev. Mr. Burchell, Montego Bay, six cases; and to Messrs. Jordan and Osborn, Kingston, twelve cases: nevertheless, you may double these numbers if you should think it prudent. Let these cases be of the size I generally designate a case as formerly specified, that is weighing about 200 lbs. Again, let each case consist of Bibles only; and in each put equal quantities of the following sizes and prices, and no others, namely, Nonpareil 12mo, 4s.; Long Primer 8vo. 8s. 7d.; Small Pica 8vo. 10s., with marginal references 13s. 4d.; Pica 8vo. 10s. 10d.; and Pica 4to., marginal references, £1. Is.
Again, an immense number of cards will be required for our Bible Associations, and printing is extremely dear with us, as are also the blank cards themselves. I have, therefore, ventured in my last note to you, to ask some thousands of these, and hope there will be no difficulty in your complying with the negroes' request in this matter. One short extract of a letter of recent date from a gentleman in St. Elizabeth's will show you our need of these. He says, "I should be glad to know how soon you could send me the cards; they are particularly necessary for the apprentices." If you could add to the number requested of the printed cards, a goodly number of blank cards, also of the same size, it would enable us to supply our deficiencies at a more moderate rate, as they might occur. I need hardly add, that the sooner they are sent the better, and they should be sent to Kingston. The address, appeal, &c., noticed in my private note, will also be particularly acceptable.
I now bring this long letter to a close, glad of rejoicing your hearts with what has rejoiced my own, through what my eyes have seen, and my ears have heard in this land, and in this tour.
I remain, Very Truly Yours,
James Thomson.
Postscript: As an addendum to this letter I would beg leave to say to the Committee a few words regarding this West India mission. It is now not far from four years since I entered on it, although half that time was at first considered sufficient for performing the whole tour over the colonies. Providence however opened up the way for your work above our expectations. In truth it may be said I have hastened my way, rather than changed it, in my course, for I have left several places when I might by a longer stay have more effectually forwarded your work. In the arrangements and prolongation of this mission, it gives me great satisfaction that the committee have approved of my proceeding, first when an outline of them was laid before them prospectively, and second after filling up that outline more or less exactly. Being now however in one sense near the close of my visit to these islands being already in our Westernmost isle, I feel a desire to learn and you what is the committee's wish upon the subject, as to whether I should continue my operations, and in what manner. In my private letter dated 24 April you have my views on the whole subject, and I beg leave to refer yourself and the Committee to what I have their said, praying again the Lord may direct you all to what is the best.
One other subject I would beg leave to touch upon, and it is one that I have long intended to lay before you, as it has been much and often upon my mind. It is that the society should send an agent to British India, and another to China. The one in the former would have ample work in visiting the Bible societies over that wide populous country.
