Revd. John Owen
10 Earl Street
Blackfriars
London
Buenos Ayres 11th May 1819
Revd. Sir
I wrote you on the 13th February, and hope my letter has come safely into your hands. Lest however any accident have befallen it I repeat my request for 200 Spanish New Testaments, 10 French and an equal number of Portuguese, German, and Italian; also four or five French Bibles with as many in Portuguese, Italian, and German. Such is the amount of what I requested in the above mentioned letter, and which I hope to circulate to advantage. Since writing you my expectations regarding their circulation have not been damped but encouraged, and if you have not sent off the above when this arrives you will favour me by adding 100 or 200 more Spanish Testaments. I would not wish however that the adding of these should be the means of delaying the other. Please address them to me to the care of "Messrs. John L Darby & Co. Buenos Ayres". Be so good as add on a few English Bibles.
I took occasion to mention to you the Spanish translation of the Bible by Scio. I have now read all the New Testament, and upon the whole like it well. The language is preferable to that of the Society's edition, being agreeable to present use or very nearly so, whilst several words and phrases in the Society's translation are obsolete. Where the Vulgate differs from the original the Greek is given in the notes with a Spanish translation. I submit to the Society (knowing their desire to improve their translation,) whether it would be better to take Scio and make some alterations on it, or to improve the translation they have already printed from, by means of Scio's. Regarding the Old Testament I cannot say much, as I have yet read but little of it. It is likely to possess the advantages of the New, and perhaps fewer of its disadvantages. There is, I believe, no other Spanish translation of this part of the Bible which merits any attention. The question then is, shall this translation now be printed and many thousands of the present generation benefited by it? – Or, shall none be printed till a better translation appear at risk of many years' delay?
On speaking with one of your Committee when in London about printing the Old Testament in Spanish, he said there was some difficulty of doing this without giving offence to the Catholics, by leaving out the Apocrypha. Touching this I have conversed with a priest here, and his opinion is, that it would be acceptable even without the Apocrypha. He also thinks it would not hurt the circulation of that much though Scio's text were corrected where the Vulgate differs from the original. I understand Mr. Bagster is going to print Scio's translation in his Polyglot. Perhaps it would be less expensive both to him and to the Bible Society were they to unite together in making the corrections above referred to.
So scarce is the above-mentioned translation here that I have not yet been able to procure a copy of the whole for my own use. None are to be found in the Bookseller's shops. Two copies of the New Testament I have met with, each in two volumes folio, containing also the text of the Vulgate. For one of them the bookseller asked 17 dollars, and for the other 20. – There are a few copies of parts of the New Testament to be met with in the shops: the Gospels by one translator, that the Epistles by another, the Acts of the Apostles by a third, &c. There is also a translation of the Psalms with the Latin in the same page. These parts sell for about two dollars each.
I formerly hinted to you and that it might not be disadvantageous to present your Reports, and some of your translations to the Public Library here. This perhaps may not be the mind of the Committee. Should it not, please let me know what the cost of your translations would amount to.
I shall be glad to hear from you regarding these matters if your valuable time will permit.
With much respect
I am Rev. Sir
Your Most Obt. Sert.
James Thomson.