Barcelona, 1st July 1848

Rev A Brandram No.21

Barcelona 1st July 1848

My Dear Friend,

Your letter of the 20th ultimo came into my hands yesterday, and Mr. Jackson's of the 3rd and 8th are also with me, the former containing the Letter of Credit. I can well understand how Mr. Hitchin might overlook a little affair of mine in the midst of the many money and other heavy duties which lie upon him. My quarter's account goes with this, and though I have but little on hand on Travelling Account, yet having brought some money of my own in case of necessity, I shall do very well till I get to Toulouse, where, in the Bank, I shall of course lack for nothing either of money or credit.

I observed in your Resolution of the 19th your purpose of abstaining from sending books to the South of Marocco till you see how the North works, and I bow to your better judgment.

You observe the attentions of our friend who furnished me with 29 letters of introduction, and inquire if there is any way in which you could express your sense of obligation for his kindness. During the hot summer months he and his family live on the sea coast close by San Sebastian, and he has given me a very kind and earnest invitation to pass a few days with him at his house when I am in that quarter. If you would send the Spanish octavo Bible, rather superiorly bound, like the one I gave to Esportero say, I would present it to him for the reading of his family, as a remembrancer and a token of gratitude. This Bible could be sent with the Books to Bayonne. Please add also a Spanish Testament in 8vo bound in the same manner.

The arrangements noticed in Mr. Jackson's two letters regarding the Books for Toulouse and Bayonne will do very well. I would observe that as far as Bayonne is concerned, if there are vessels direct from England to that Port, the cases you may send for that place should be so sent instead of to Bordeaux. I think I noticed this before in a note to Mr. Knolleke desiring him to mention it to you.

A word now in regard to my journey thus far. I started on the 7th June, as indicated to you in my letter of the 5th. One of my two objects in going to Valencia on my way to this place was, that on the whole it was the easiest and safest way, and as cheap, the land journey being much shorter, and there being a Steamer from Valencia to Barcelona. The other reason I had was, that the more places I can visit the more knowledge of persons and things of the country I obtain, all of which may, and I hope will, be turned to account in times coming. With this same view I made a station of two days at Albacete, somewhat more than halfway from Madrid to Valencia. This is a central point where many roads meet, and the passing and re-passing in all directions is very great. It is reckoned that about 120 wagons, carts, and carriages of all descriptions pass the night there on their routes, and some 800 horses. This would be a fine place for a colport who might visit the various Inns where the parties lodge connected with these vehicles and horses. Also there is an immense eight day fair in September, second only to Seville in all Spain. This fair should also be visited if times are propitious, just as I visited San Juan de los Lagos in Mexico and sold there several hundred copies of our Books.

Valencia is a large city with a densely peopled neighbourhood. It is situated in the best watered, best cultivated, and most fertile plain in all this country, perhaps its equal is not in Europe, or the world. It is like the Valley of Damascus, and is a copy of it in its irrigation arrangements, and made by the same parties, the men of the East, who for centuries held in dominion this quarter and all Spain.[1]

I found in some of the Booksellers in Valencia a Bible or two of our publication. The smaller one they were selling at 2½ dollars, and the larger at 5. None of them however would venture to take a supply at low prices, on account of the want of sales. Many, they said, were sold formerly, but latterly very few and chiefly because of the stir raised against them by the Priests.

The language universally spoken in Valencia by all classes, the highest as well as the lowest, is a dialect called lemosin, which seems to differ as much from the Spanish as the Portuguese dose. I enclose you a specimen of it. Though all speak this dialect, it is very little read, and there are only a few books in it. Most understand Spanish. The Priests never preach in this dialect, except once a year, when two sermons are of necessity delivered in it, according to a statute on the subject. It might become an object some day to have one of the Gospels at least put into this dialect, to be used by a Bible Reader say, when such a person can be employed in this country. He would be more listened to in reading this than Spanish. The whole Bible was translated into this dialect in Spanish Bible days of past times, but all has been lost except one solitary leaf.

To each of two gentlemen who showed me particular attentions, I presented one of the little New Testaments, with special recommendations for their individual and family use. I follow these little distributions with prayer.

In Barcelona I have seen our friend Mr. Prat, the translator of the Catalan version and Mr. Bergnes, the printer of that and the other Scriptures published here. Mr. Bergnes has some copies of the Testament, and I am arranging with him about getting them into use. Both our friends are very willing to serve us. But the present time is one of extreme delicacy for any movements, on this spot especially, for Englishmen. This is owing partly to the diplomatic circumstances of the two countries. Added to this there is always a suspicion of Englishmen in this city, for it would seem they think every Englishman visiting this place comes with no other view, and has no other business here but to destroy their manufacturing establishments. These two things, together with the general and constant ones all over this country, discourage our hopes. Let us pray the more that God would hasten his kingdom here. There is a considerable number of French Protestants in the city, but they do not assemble together in any way to worship.

The Catalan dialect is spoken here, and over the whole Principality as it is called, by all classes high and low, and the most are unable to speak Spanish. Sermons are very generally delivered in it, and not long ago this was universal. I have seen a Latin and Catalan grammar, as the Latin was formerly studied in the colleges through this dialect. It is harsh, and displeases the untutored ear much more than the limosin of Valencia. There is some difference between the languages spoken on the sea coast and in the interior parts of the country. The latter is considered the purer. Your version is in the former, but those who speak it are the more numerous body.

Please to address me at Toulouse, till further notice.

                        Yours Very Truly,

                                    James Thomson.

[1] Thomson also visited the grave of Scío en Valencia: "It gave the writer of this article no little satisfaction to stand beside the tomb of Scio, in Valencia, in 1848, and to contemplate the good done in his life-time by the dead there lying, in having given to his countrymen the Holy Word of God in their own tongue." Spain, Its Position and Evangeliza­tion, also Protestant Religious Liberty Abroad, the Conduct of British Envoys, Interesting Mission in Portugal and its Dangers, with Notices of the Empire of Morocco. London: Partridge and Oakey, 1853: 15.

Toulose, 27th July 1848

Rev A Brandram No.22

Toulouse 27th July 1848

My Dear Friend,

Last night I arrived safely in this place, having been longer in reaching it than I expected. The cause is as follows. In Barcelona I found it was a considerable number of French Protestants, and of Swiss Protestants speaking French, say 80 of the former, and 40 of the latter. I found this out through a letter I brought from London for one of them, from his sister, the same person for whose passage to New Orleans to join her husband several individuals of the Committee kindly contributed. I endeavoured to make myself acquainted personally with these to some extent, which detained me in Barcelona beyond my first intention. These Protestants are without any Pastor, and are of course in rather a low spiritual condition. Nevertheless some of them have life, and are spiritually minded. I tried to influence these people to use the means within their reach to favour the Spaniards of their acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures, and was glad to find some of them well disposed towards us.

The next stop was how to get a supply of Scriptures into their hands to meet this purpose. There are steamboats which ply regularly between Barcelona and Marseille every week. Now though the same prohibitions which have hindered us elsewhere in getting the Scriptures into Spain are also in action there, yet as I have never had any books of my luggage questioned in entering and travelling through Spain, I conceived it might be easy with one passenger and another to get a few copies sent from Marseille from week to week as they might be wanted. This induced me to take Marseille in my route instead of going by Gerona and Perpignan as I had at first intended. In the meantime I found that Mr. Bergnes had on hand some Spanish Bibles and some Catalan Testaments.

Some of these were put forthwith into the hands of the parties I had selected to aid in our work, and a circumstance occurred before I left which encouraged me, and led me to believe that this arrangement would prove serviceable. On calling on one of these friends just before starting, I found a Spaniard in the house, on his feet to go, and with the Bible under his arm. Learning my connexion with the Book he had got, he sat down again, and we talked for half an hour. He is a very intelligent man, and given to reading. He promised to peruse the Bible carefully, and expressed himself very thankful for having obtained it. We talked to him of its gospel contents, and begged him to speak to his countrymen about this Book, which he said he would do. In this way, and in a very gradual manner, copies of the Scriptures may be put into the hands of not a few, and under the most favourable circumstances.

In Marseille I spoke with two Protestant Pastors there, and with some others, in regard to the arrangements above indicated, and gave them the addresses of the parties who were to receive the books. They promised to be on the look out; and as Testaments in Spanish are immediately wanted, I begged that a few of these might be first sent, and some such I was glad to find at hand in Mr. Pressencé Bible depot in that place.

As one good action requires another, and as we are all to help each other as Brethren, I promised to my friends in Barcelona to speak on their behalf, that a Pastor might be sent. This I did in Marseille, and more fully in Nîmes, the centre of French Protestantism, and on the direct road from Marseille to Toulouse. I also there spoke of my plan of sending copies of the Scriptures with passengers for Barcelona, and by way of Cette, as a steam boat has lately been running between these two places. This same arrangement also led me to visit Cette which is not out of the way to Toulouse. There I found a most excellent spiritual man, and entrusted him with our concerns in the way mentioned, and to which, he said, he would gladly attend. From Marseille to Montpellier and Cette, through Nîmes, I found a Railroad opened only a few months ago, and from Cette to Toulouse I came by a canal (du Midi) which is of older construction.

Though late, I could not help calling on the Courtois last night at nine o'clock. I was, as you may suppose, delighted with them. They told me they had a case for me from Paris, and today I am to dine with them when we shall have the means of further conversations.

After sending off my last letter, it occurred to me that I had made a mistake in considering the resolution of the 19th June as applying to my re-application for Mogador, instead of the 25 Bagster's Hebrew Bible, and five Hebrew and English Bibles for Tangier, as requested in my letter of 5th June. You kindly say, "It is a delay not a refusal." I purposed to notice this oversight of mine in my next, namely in this letter, but I am doubly induced to do so by a letter I have found here from Tangier. In writing to our Jew friend on the same day I wrote you (5th June) I indicated to him that these 25 and 5 would be sent him. Will you allow me therefore to say, that I am compromised in this matter, and to beg anew that the Books may be sent at my risk, if not yours, as I shall willingly and cover all losses on them rather than they should not be sent after what I have written concerning them. I must not forget to count better with my host nest time. I should like them sent for haste by the Oriental Steamer which leaves Southampton on the 3rd August if it can be then ready, or by the Gibraltar Steamer which leaves the same place on the 7th.

In the Jew's letter now received he repeats his particular request for these Books, and once and again begs that they may be sent as quickly as possible. His letter is dated the 22nd June, at which time he had not received mine of the 5th June. I hardly wonder at this delay, knowing as I do by bought experience what a nonsuch Post Office we have at Gibraltar. I have been more than once nearly resolved to write to St. Martin's le Grand concerning this inland P.O. The Packet office is quite different. I hope the letter would come to hand very soon afterwards. Our friend was withholding sales, because I had mentioned 2/-as the cost of the volumes, but merely as a mark above which he was not to go, whilst I gave him leave to sell them at any price which would secure an extensive sale with the least loss possible. Not having received my letter, he thought I had not received his previous one, and most of this is a repetition of what he then said by way of a duplicate. But for this hesitation he could, he says, have sold all the Books. My letter of 5th June would clear him of all difficulties.

            Address till next to Toulouse.

                        Yours Truly,

                                    James Thomson.