Rev A Brandram No 76
Montreal, 20 December 1838
My dear Friend,
On the evening of the same day in which the postscript to my last letter was written, I left New York, and on the 11th current I arrived safely in this city. Our lateness in the season, and the early set in of winter this year, we found to our disadvantage in traveling. The greater part of the water communications were frozen up, and the cold was severe. Our West India bodies did not much relish the frost which prevailed during our whole journey, but we stood all better than our expectation. We had the thermometer one morning as low as 5° under zero. As we entered the territories of Canada the snow came down upon us; and when it had thickened on the ground sufficiently, we dropped our wheel movement, and took to the sleigh, the peculiar winter vehicle of this country, and in which we came the last 50 miles of our journey. We thus you see at once got initiated into the winter weather and circumstances of this quarter, and we rejoice to say that though the change to us has been great and sudden, yet altogether we find things less against us than could have been well supposed. The Lord will deal graciously with us, we trust, in this polar region, as he did with us in the burning climes of the Torrid Zone, where we experienced so much of his mercy and his loving kindness in our health and in all our ways.
On the evening of the very day on which I arrived, there was held a meeting of the Committee of the Bible Society at this place. This gave me, at once, an opportunity of seeing several of our friends, and of entering on business without delay. Two days after this, a Sub-Committee was held, in order that we might have together a general discussion of all the points connected with the present state and prospects of the Society; and a general meeting of the Committee a few days subsequently, to consider these topics, and to form resolutions upon them. I was much gratified with the spirit manifested at all these meetings; and have been led thereby to anticipate very favourable things in regard to the Montreal Bible Society. Their operations, during the past year, have been extensive; and there is a prospect that they will be still further extended before long. The present political state of the country is unfavourable, and may retard our operations; but we see, though somewhat darkly, that even these civil commotions will, in effect, be attended or followed by good effects, as respects the kingdom of Christ; and also as respects the empire to which these colonies belong.
After full consultation with our brethren and fellow-labourers here, I have resolved to pay visits through the sphere of the Bible Societies in this Lower Province before moving from it; and for this I shall have the benefit of the sleigh movement, which is a great advantage in places where, during the unfrozen season, the roads are generally bad, and often nearly impassable. In the spring I purpose visiting the Upper Province; and on finishing my tour there, I would think of going to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Since I arrived in this city, and indeed for months before, I have been meditating upon plans and arrangements for forwarding our cause as effectively as possible in this quarter. What things occurred to me in these meditations I have laid before our friends at the meetings which have been held. Our views have coincided in all the subjects discussed; and I shall now mentioned to you those parts of our plans that require early consideration.
On several occasions I understand this society has suffered a lack of Bibles on the spot where they were immediately wanted this want has been in part remedied at times by applying to the American Bible Society which is near at hand. Applications have been made to that institution on another ground also. Namely, from a fear of being burdensome to you through requesting supplies which they could not well pay, and which they were loath to ask you to put down as grants. I am sure it is the wish of the whole Committee in Earl Street to do everything possible to secure an extensive and useful circulation of the Scriptures in this quarter; and that you would not wish to throw any of the burden on our American friends, however kindly they might be disposed to participate with you in supplying us, as they have actually done on several occasions, and to a considerable extent.
I would propose, therefore, in conjunction with the Committee of our Society here, that there should be a depot of Bibles in this city, sufficiently ample to prevent a lack at any time. This depot should contain supplies also for all the Upper Province, which must, of necessity, always get them through this place, which is the extremity of sea navigation in this quarter, as vessels come from England to this port, but cannot go beyond it. This depot in Montreal for the supply of both the Canadas, should be considered a sub-depot of your general depository in Earl Street; and kept in your own hands in the person of your Agent. To it the various Societies here could apply from time to time to meet their immediate demands and means. Our Committee here, as already hinted, would consider this a very suitable arrangement, and a great means of forwarding the cause throughout the country generally. I mentioned to them that it would probably be well, notwithstanding they people in this city, to have supplies sent direct from England to Quebec, in order to save the sending them thither, the distance of 180 miles from this. But this difficulty they said would be very inconsiderable, as most probably the daily steam boats would take them from this to Quebec free of expense.
Another thing we discussed also, and about which we all feel very anxious, and that is, the obtaining of a Bible at a cheaper rate than any of those you at present have. We wish to have one that we could sell here at half a dollar, invoiced by you to us, say at two shillings sterling. In addition to the natural desire of our friends here to have the Bible cheap that they might with the same means make a more extensive circulation of the Scriptures, there is the circumstance of the prevalence among them of American ideas, feelings, and practices. Now the American Bible society as a Bible which sold at forty cents, and the one next to it up words is fifty cents. Could you meet our desire here on this score, say, by printing your non-pareil on paper inferior to your second class, and binding it in sheep, but not in canvas? We wish also an inferior and cheap edition of the small pica 8vo with references, and a cheap French Bible, say the non-pareil. Do please turn your attention to this subject, and forth with, and let us have these cheap Bibles if you possibly can. Be so good and give us a cheap New Testament also in French, and in English, say in 24mo or 12mo.
I made particular inquiry in the American Bible Society house in New York, as to the plan they had of making up and fixing the prices of their Bibles. They told me, that the cost of the paper, the cost of the press work, and the cost of binding are the three and only items that enter into the account. The expense of the stereotype plates is not charged, but thrown in gratis. On this plan they have a Bible, as already noticed of forty cents. Would it at all be consistent with your plans to purchase for us these cheap Bibles in New York, having them properly prepared in the title page for us as being printed for you? This arrangement was suggested to me by Dr. Macauley one of the Secretaries of the American Bible Society, at which time he stated, that he believed the Society would be most ready to accommodate you in this matter. We must remember however that there would be duty to pay on them, bringing them here, of 30 per cent. In regard to the French Bible, as they print cheap in Paris, probably it could be got in up easily at the cost of two shillings. The French edition published by the American Bible society is not good. Whilst on the subject of getting up books, it is not irrelevant to notice, that the American Bible society letter all their Bibles, which I think is a better plan than ours. The lettering on the back costs but little, and is a great addition to the appearance of a book.
A further subject of our discussions, and of our request to you, was in regard to the distribution of the Scriptures among the French population here by means of colporteurs or hawkers. Two of these Bible vendors you authorized this society to employ up to May next. You wished that the persons for that purpose might be obtained in this place. It has been found impracticable to find suitable man for this office among the native Canadians who speak the French language, as this class is in a very low condition generally in regard to education, and more so in regard to religion. One person has been engaged for some time in thus hawking books among the French population; but he is an English Canadian and of course not so suitable as a Frenchman would be. From these circumstances therefore we all agreed to petition you, and that most earnestly, that you would let us have two of Mr. De Pressense's colporteurs, that is two of those very persons whom he has already employed in the service, and in whom he has particular confidence. Our country is new in this respect, and the thing is untried with us, so that we required to act at the beginning with all the judgment possible, in order that the results may be good. Please then in Committee to accord us to such persons, and then write Mr.De Pressensé to select for us to of his well tried and best men, and send them out to this city in the spring, say by way of Havre and New York. I do hope you will grant us this boon, and in this way; and doing so you will confirm a very great special favour on the Canadians, and on the Montreal Bible Society, whose humble and earnest petition on the subject I thus forward to you. Allow me now to put down the quantity and kinds of Bibles and New Testaments to be sent out to your depot here as a commencement. They are as follows [see below].
These supplies you will please send out to buy an early conveyance in the spring direct to this port. Probably it would be well to divide them into two nearly equal parts, dividing the kinds as well as the whole quantity, and thus divided to send one half by one ship, and the other by another. Should the whole be sent out in one vessel, and that vessel be lost, we should lose a good part of the season before we could replace them. I think you had better thus divide, and send them.
It is much wished here, after the American fashion, that you would put a few blank leaves of good writing paper between the Bible and Testament in the English 4to Bibles for "family record" with these two words printed at the top of each page. You will see how this is done in the large American Bibles in your library, for I suppose you have copies of these, as well as of all the American editions of the Scriptures. There can be no objection to the doing of this I think, and it would make the book more valued. I should like you to say something to me as a guide in making grants, either for schools, or of a general nature from our depot here to the several societies to be supplied from it.
In a few days I set out, up the course of the River Ottawa, in company with some of our Bible friends, to visit some of the Bible societies in that quarter. The wintertime is the most advantageous and the favourite season for travelling here. It is then that the frost paves the otherwise bad roads, and the snow coming afterwards smooths them into a kind of rail way. And to which the people are during these months more at leisure, as their farming operations are at a stand, whilst the Earth is enjoying its rest, to awake again in due time at the sweet call of spring, to labour for man in summer, and to pour into his lap all plenty in the months of Autumn. O Lord, how manifold are thy works: in wisdom hast thou made them all: the Earth is full of thy riches.
I remain, My Dear Friend, Very Truly Yours,
James Thomson.
P.S. Have the goodness to alter the number of my last letter from 74 to 75, which number it ought to be, as the sketch of our Bible Society operations in Jamaica comes in for number 74 being dated 25 October. I have been hindered by my movements from finishing and copying this for you; but will seize the earliest leisure for attending to it; so that you may look for it soon.
Please desire Mr. Hitchin to remit £10 to Mr. Andrew Ker,[1] 12 Greenside Place, Edinburgh, and to place the same to my Private Account. J.T.
[1] Note (BM): Andrew Ker was appointed co-pastor along with Jas. Haldane in the Tabernacle after Thomson had gone abroad.
