Mexico City, 28th October 1842

Rev A Brandram - No 125

Mexico 28th October 1842

My dear Friend,

Your letter of 20 July, with a note of 1 August, reached me here on the 19th September. It gives me great pleasure to learn the prosperity which God is still vouchsafing to you as a Society, and in spite of prophecies uttered or muttered among you to the contrary. The case of Dr. Haeberlin's recovery from such imminent danger is a subject of gratitude and instruction to us all. Oh that all of us may ever be good and faithful servants while we live, and thus be ever ready to die, to die unto the Lord, and be forever with him.

As yet no ship, nor books from England, has arrived since I came here. But some vessels are looked for very soon, and with one of them I doubt not your books will be. I long to put them on their trial for acceptance, but fear of our sales will not be rapid, for besides what stands in the way of this from the nature of our books and the circumstances of this country, that is another hindrance, namely, the general dullness of all sales of all things, from the general scarcity of money, owing to the distracted state of things here for some years past, and which kind of things, I am sorry to say, still continue. I think it not at all improbable that we shall have another revolution before this letter reaches you.

What has most occupied my thoughts and my attention since I came here, is the new version of which I wrote you. I am most anxious to get this introduced into the schools, and have made a Representation to the government to that effect, stating your readiness to cooperate in providing the books for schools at a very cheap rate, besides making a present of some at the outset to encourage the object. I expected to be able by this packet to have given you some account of the reception and success or failure of this Representation. But all the government people have been so occupied with their own immediate affairs of late as to have been hindered, it should seem, from attending to this. The bustle has been owing to Santa Anna's delivering the reins of government to General Bravo during the winter, that he may retire for rest and a warm climate to his family residence near Veracruz. He left this city yesterday for that place.

I feel doubly anxious about this Representation. Could the word of God be got into the schools all over this country, it would soon also come into the hands of all classes of the community both indirectly and directly. But there is another reason also why I feel anxious for the success of this representation, which is, that if the New Testament could be got into all the schools here by public sanction and encouragement, the same would act as a powerful example and stimulus to all the other States over Spanish America. May the Lord prosper this object to the hastening of his kingdom in this, and over all these lands. I ever count on the prayers of you all for success in all my little efforts, and pray the Lord to answer these your prayers, and my own feeble but as earnest supplications for a blessing on all my poor doings. We are nothing. Perhaps our prayers are something, for God has made them so. But it is God himself who worketh all in all, and to his name be the glory.

The other object, or rather the third one, of my solicitude here is, that of getting some portion of God's holy word into the hands of the Indians in their native tongues. The great body of the people in this country arc Indians, and they are of different nations and tongues. There are many schools among them, and a goodly number, all things considered, can read. A considerable portion of them can speak Spanish, and do speak it in the market-places, where they are required to do so in their business. But they are strongly attached to their own languages, and ever speak them among themselves. I hear these tongues daily spoken in the streets of this city as I move along, and observe the Indians speaking with one another. The two chief tongues spoken within the diocese of Mexico are what are called the Mexican, and the Otomi. One of the Gospels, you know, is already in the former of these dialects, and I long to hear about it from you and from Dr. Mora. Regarding the other, the Otomi, I am making efforts to get a fit translator, and have one in view. The advan­tage of getting the Scriptures into the Indian tongues is, I conceive, considerable; for although many of them, as already stated, speak Spanish, they will feel a peculiar pleasure in having the word of God in their own tongues, as was and is the case in the Highlands of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. I request, therefore, your prayers for this object also. The Indians are all Christians nominally, and I fear most of them, as well as most here of all classes, nominally only. I look upon it that when the True Gospel begins to make way in this country, it will begin with the Indians, similar to the Gospel progress in the West Indies. The Slaves were first awakened; and through the black and slave population, the whites and other free people were at length led to a greater attention to religion. Thus does God choose the weak things of this world, and things that are despised, to bring to nought all the proud thoughts and gloryings of men. Let us not glory in our work, though most sacred and holy as it truly is, but let us glory only in the Lord.

Please to remember the poor solitary, you who live in the city of God.

            I am, My Brother, Ever Affectionately Yours,

                                    James Thomson.

Mexico City, 24th December 1842

Rev A Brandram -- No 127

Mexico 24th December 1842

My Dear Friend.

In my last I told you of the statu-quo in which we were here in regard to the Representation I made to the Government of your readiness to aid in preparing an edition and a supply of the Mexican version of Vence's New Testament for the general use of the public schools. I am sorry to say that this statu-quo still remains, and that up to this date I have no official reply to my Representation. But there is, in one sense, a better reason or cause for the delay this time than during the former months. In my letter of the 28th October I signified that it was not at all improbable but that we might have, another added to our many Revolutions before that letter should reach you. If that letter by this date, the 24th December, is not yet in your hands, my prophecy has turned out true, for our Revolution has taken place: it occurred on the 19th instant. It is pretty general over the country, and done by the Military, all of whom, fortunately for peace and safety, are on one side, so that we have had this time no fighting, nor, I suppose, are likely to have. A military government, we are now to be under for some time, with Santa Anna at its head. A sort of Assembly or Convention will be got up by the same parties who have wrought this change, and such as will make some sort of Constitution as will suit themselves; and so we shall be till some other Revolution shall follow. The Congress has been sitting for several months making the Constitution. But on the 19th the soldiers closed their doors, and sent all the members about their business, their Constitution and all. Thus then we are: and this is the cause, I may say, at present, of our statu-quo; for the members of government have had, as you may well suppose, other work to do than attend to the petition and representation of an individual, and a foreigner into the bargain, and upon the subject of schools and the New Testament, when they were so busily engaged in patriotic efforts for the good of the country; for the whole of this affair has, nobody doubts, being manoeuvred by the Government, through their more immediate subjects, the military.

But your question and mine is, How is this fresh revolution likely to affect our concerns in this country? I would say in reply, that the change bodes to be in our favour. All the parties in the government are friendly to education, and well disposed, I believe, to the substance of my Representation. Time will show results and we must have a little or a long patience, considering the materials and the country in question. Prayer will hasten our movements, and I hope prosper and succeed them. There are certain rules of etiquette and propriety that prevent me from calling at the Palace and on the Government here every day, or very frequently, in order to urge my object. But, blessed be God, the Palace of Heaven is ever open, and no rules and regulations bar or hinder our continued and incessant application to that Court, and the Throne of Grace within it, there to urge our object with every importunity and fervour. Whilst therefore we cannot always press our claims with earthly governments, we can press them always with the Heavenly Government, even with the King of Kings: and to Him then let us continually apply: and in due time, I trust, our urgings and importunities will be turned into thanksgiving and praise.

The next subject is that of the Indian languages in this country, and translations of the Scriptures into them. Here we have got beyond the statu-quo, and have made some advance. I wrote to the Bishop of Michoacán some weeks ago, availing myself of the introduction of a friend whom I have long known, and who when one of the Secretaries of State here in former years, had no small part in the election of this and some other of the Bishops. I represented to the Bishop of Michoacán my desire to procure a version of the Gospel by St. Luke into the Tarasco tongue, which is very extensively spoken over his diocese. I have had a very friendly letter from him in reply to mine, in which he shows his willingness to procure this version, and he says he has some Parish Priests under his care who could manage it, being well acquainted with that language. I have written to him, the second time, begging him at once to proceed and stating some rules necessary to be attended to in making the version. In my first letter I intimated to the Bishop, that in the event of his procuring for me this version, I wished to print it, along with the Spanish on parallel pages or columns; and I signified that I would count on his giving the due ecclesiastical license for this impression. His reply, and his entering on the work intimated his readiness to grant the license and this is no small matter, for the greatest fear and difficulty in the case was in regard to such a license. Dr. Mora could not obtain it for the Mexican Gospel and therefore he sent it to you to print; but still its open circulation is doubtful because of the want of this ecclesiastical license. By one Bishop acting favourably in this matter, the way will be opened for others to act in the same manner.

Further, on the same concern, regarding the Indian languages and versions. Availing myself of the same friend to introduce me by letter, I have written to the Bishop of Oaxaca regarding the two chief languages spoken in his diocese and a version into each of them of the same Gospel, that of St. Luke. I wait in prayer, with hope and fears, the result of this application.

Thirdly, and not least on the subject. Some steps had been taken in regard to the language spoken in Yucatán, called the Mayo. The late Governor of that place is now in this city, in consequence of the secession of that state from the general Mexican Republic. I have had a good deal of conversation with him in regard to the language, and a version of one of the Gospels into it. He has given me much interesting and useful information as to the language, and the extent to which it is spoken, as also regarding the character of the people, and the general circumstances of the place. The population of the Peninsula of Yucatán is, he says, about 600,000, and the whole of these speak this language, and no other with the single exception of the town of Campeche, containing some 7,000 inhabitants. To the great body in Yucatán speaking this language are to be added the principal portion also of the inhabitants of Tabasco: the whole number of people therefore in daily use of this, and of no other, approaches well on towards one million. This subject and people and tongue are rendered the more interesting on account of the independence declared in Yucatán, and the religious liberty which is provided for in the new Constitution. From the information I have had from the Governor, I have no doubt but the people will be able to maintain their independence against all the power of Mexico. The feelings and interests of the Indians themselves are all personally and deeply involved in the matter, and they have fully entered into the struggle on their own account and advantages, and not in obedience to a few military rulers. It was an army of Indians that first broke the Spanish power. The Bishop of Yucatán as a brother of this ex-governor of whom I speak, and I have availed myself of an introduction from him to the Bishop, together with the aid of my formerly mentioned friend, and have addressed myself to him after a similar manner as to the Bishops of  Michoacán and Oaxaca. But a longish time will be required for an answer, partly owing to the distance, but chiefly from the close warfare now waged from this place against Yucatán. In the meantime I am getting information and further notices regarding the language and people of that Peninsula, from the ex-governor and other natives of the place now residing in this city.

Lastly, as respects the Indian languages. I have at length found a person able and willing to translate one of the Gospels into the Otomí, a tongue very extensively spoken in the two large dioceses of Mexico and Puebla, and which is very peculiar in its structure, resembling, as some suppose, the Chinese.

These three languages especially named, the Otomí, Tarasco, and Mayo, together with the Mexican as chief, are the four languages most extensively spoken in this country. The next to them, I believe, are the two principal languages of Oaxaca, called the Zapoteco and Mizteco. In one of these we have a translation of one of the Gospels, namely the Mexican, and steps have been taken, you will observe, for accomplishing the same in regard to the other five. By the way, if you have an opportunity, and as soon as you can, I could wish you to send me one copy of the Mexican version at least, and more, if you have plenty. I notice this, lest I should not early hear from Dr. Mora in regard to those sent him. Fuller and more particular information of the Mexican languages I hope to give you on a future occasion, as I intend to inquire especially into the subject, and to make a language map of the whole country.

            I remain, My Dear Friend,

                        Very Truly Yours

                                    James Thomson.

P.S. A Mexican gentleman has requested me to inquire whether Michaelis's Introduction to the New Testament can be got in London in Latin. Please inquire and inform me.

Please notify to Mr. Hitchin that I have drawn a Bill on my Private  Account for £50, in favour of Dickson, Gordon & Co. at 60 days, dated the 19th instant.

I said in my last that I had no letter by that packet: but afterwards I got one.