Mexico City, 29th July 1843

Rev A Brandram  No 134

Mexico 29th July 1843

My Dear Friend,

As my movements are greatly affected at this time by the state of things in Yucatán, I speak of that quarter first in the present letter. Since my last Yucatán has improved in its actual state and position. The war there, if not over, is completely lulled, and all the hostile troops have left it. Add to this Three Commissioners have already arrived in this city to treat with this government about peace, unity and future good understanding, based on certain privileges in favour of Yucatán distinctly acknowledged and clearly worded to prevent future misunderstandings and evils.

To these Three Commissioners I have been very formally introduced by one of my Yucatán friends who was partially residing here before their arrival. I have had with these gentlemen a very pleasing interview, and have received much encouragement from them to proceed to that place. One of them is the chief Secretary of the government, and father of the gentleman I accidentally met with in this Steam Boat from Albany to New York in May 1841. But these Three Commissioners, as well as my former Yucatán friends as noticed in my last letter, all advise me to delay going there until the unhealthy season is over.

Though the way therefore to that Peninsula is nearly open I scarcely feel that it would be right, or justice either to you or to myself, to hasten thither in the face of the united friendly advice which I have received. Had I not had this advice so fully stated and repeated, and by individuals my personal friends and favourable to my objects, I would have felt less difficulty in moving forward. But to act directly counter to all these friendly admonitions would seem to be a rash. I shall therefore make the delay they advise.

In my ruminations since my last letter was sent off, and in the prospect more or less of this delay, I was thinking of, or planning a journey of some length into the parts of this country to the West and North. But on taking everything into consideration I have given up my thoughts of that movement: first, because there would most probably be a considerable delay caused by it beyond the waiting for the proper season for going to Yucatán; and second, because, I have some fears that my active and open operations in the sale of the Scriptures through these parts at the present intolerant time would shut more Custom Houses against us, and thus more harm than good would accrue through the means of the movement in question.

I hope the 5000 copies of the Scriptures requested in my last for this country will be duly and early forwarded. If more convenient for you, they may be divided into two sendings, with an interval between, each kind being properly halved or nearly so. On the whole perhaps this would be the best arrangement. The cases say to be of 200 pounds weight. – To hasten matters, and to provide a supply for the N. West of this country I have ordered 1000 New Testaments from the American Bible Society, to be sent direct and immediately to Tampico. These will of course be charged to your account.

Your two very interesting New Zealand letters that appear in the Bible Society Reporter No19, I have got published in the same newspaper which has prated maliciously against us in an article inserted from a periodical published in Spain. I send you a copy.

I have not received by last packet any Reporter, nor letter from Earl Street, nor the fully expected, and usually sent, yearly newspaper, giving an account of your Annual Meeting.

I have lately met with two persons who interest themselves much in your Mexican version of St. Luke, and wish to see the whole New Testament translated into that ancient and modern tongue. There are some slips in the mode of printing your Mexican St. Luke, but whether the oversights are in the manuscript, or in the Editors I cannot say. It is now undergoing revision. I am paying some attention to the study of the Mexican or Nahuatl language, and as far as I have yet made progress I am inclined to receive Clavigero's high testimony of it as to its copiousness and admirable structure. I have been studying also the Otomi language, which is likewise rich, but entirely different from the Nahuatl which on every side surrounds it. I have looked at some others of the tongues of this land, and have no doubt of their fitness for expressing the sense and substance of the Scriptures.

In the prospect of going to Yucatán, I would call your attention anew to what I have said on Indian versions in my letter No 131, and I do humbly and earnestly beg that you would give me ample scope in regard to the rendering portions of the Scriptures into the tongue spoken all over that Peninsula, and also partly in Tabasco and Guatemala. The Yucatán Commissioners assured me of there being a very earnest desire in the government of giving education to the Indians. They are gratified with proposals I made here for the instruction of the natives generally in their own tongues, instead of Spanish as heretofore. As a member of the Lancasterian Society of this city I made these proposals, and a very friendly reception was given to them; and measures are now being taken for extending this plan over the whole country. I send you a newspaper in which you will see the notice of my proposal and its reception.

I remain, yours very truly,

James Thomson.

P.S. Please say to Mr. Farmer that I have sent him a copy of the newspaper containing the two New Zealand letters, that he may present it to the Wesleyan Missionary Society.

Mexico City, 29th August 1843

Rev A Brandram  No 135

Mexico 29th August 1843

My Dear Friend,

The only thing I have to say at present touching my movements is in regard to the state of the negotiation between Yucatán and the Government. It seems that terms, as a basis for the negotiation, have been asked by the Government here which the Commissioners are not authorized to grant. In consequence of this one of the Three Commissioners has returned to Yucatán to lay the same before the government there, and to obtain an ultimatum on the subject. He is expected soon to return, and in a short time after we may know the results regarding this matter. I rather fear for the success of this negotiation from this occurrence, but hope otherwise. It is my intention to go to Yucatán, if possible, with the Commissioners, and whether they are successful or not.

In all else here we are in statu quo as when I last wrote: except, I may say, that our next Revolution, which no doubt is working its way, is of course farther advanced. But I hope to get away before it breaks out.

One word respecting the Books requested to be sent to Belize in my letter No133. There is no doubt a probability that I may not be able to get these into circulation as I could wish. But should openings offer, as they may do, it would be a great pity not to have a full supply of  Books ready in time to meet. And on the other hand, the expense of returning these to London from Belize, should the worst case happen with us, will not be much, as we have merchant friends who will aid us with their vessels. I suppose you are acquainted with Mr. G. F. Angus of St. Mary Axe who has several ships sailing between London and Belize, and who would, I am sure, bring out your Books, and return them to if necessary, free of freightage.

Since my last I have had a letter from Belize giving me a good deal of information on several points according to a request I had made to that effect, the Society there has arranged to send on the Books to Guatemala which I had suggested. The whole number is 23 Bibles and 191 Testaments. They have not received when they wrote the Books I had ordered from Jamaica.

The Reporter  No 21, with the Abstract of the 39th Report, has come to hand by the present packet. I rejoice to see how greatly God is prospering you spite of all your troubles and hinderances. I like the beginning, and I like the ending of your Report, for the wording and the ideas, and I like all that is in between for the rich distribution of the Holy Scriptures which is there exhibited. May God prosper you a hundred fold, and hasten thereby his glorious kingdom.

Praying for you and you all, and hoping for your prayers,

            I remain, Very Truly Yours,

                                                James Thomson.

Mexico City, 26th September 1843

Rev A Brandram  No.136

Mexico 26th September 1843

My Dear Friend,

At length I am on the eve of leaving the city, and of proceeding onwards in the course of my journeyings. My luggage is already on the road moving towards Veracruz, as it requires longer time to perform its journey on mule back then I shall do going by the stage.

I mentioned in my last that in consequence of a difficulty occurring between the Commissioners of Yucatán and the Government here as to the bases for their negotiations, one of the Commissioners had gone to Yucatán to see if the Government there would agree to the bases wished for by the authorities here. He has now returned, and we learned that the Government of Yucatán will admit of no alteration in the bases they formerly proposed for negotiation, nor any diminution in the exemptions and privileges they have sought and fought for. In consequence of this determination the negotiations were at once broken off, and orders have already been issued here for fresh in full preparations for a vigorous attack and warfare on Yucatán.

The commissioners leave this for their home in a few days. I intimated to you that I purposed to go with them on their return. This purpose I fully made known to them, and they very kindly gave me the benefit of going in their company, which I expect will be an advantage to me in several ways.

Some two or three months will probably elapse before the war grows hot there. Most probably an attack will be early made on Merida the capital, and it will most likely be taken unless that is a general battle fought before, and ending in favour of Yucatán. Happily my movements from Yucatán to Belize are Eastward, whilst the main part of the war will be on the West. I shall therefore leave Merida for Belize as the circumstances of the war may direct.

I am sorry for the breaking up of this negotiation on more accounts in one. First, because I think it will make the circumstances of this country much worse than they are, and they are already bad enough, and on the other hand war is always horrid and destructive. In the next place, I am grieved of the unsuccessful termination of this negotiation for peace and union, because it will greatly act upon, I fear, and hinder our operations there, from the general agitation which the war will create. But as a counterpart to all this, let us hope that this war will be overruled for good and I humbly trust it will, and perhaps only through war could go would be brought about under our actual circumstances.

I mentioned in my early communications to you from this country, on my present visit, the publication here of a new edition and a new version of the Bible, in 25 volumes, with a volume of plates; and stated, that, in addition to all the other subjects of interest connected with this publication, was the fact of its being the first Bible printed in all Spanish America. It is befitting that you should have in your library a copy of this first Spanish-American edition of the Bible, from this peculiar and interesting circumstance; and it is befitting also that you should have it, because of its being a new and a valuable translation of the Holy Scriptures. I have therefore purchased a copy for you. I have procured for you, likewise, a copy of Scio's Bible, which was published here, and is contained in eleven volumes. Some parts of this Bible were printed before any portion of the other appeared: it was published in numbers, and the other in volumes. But the new version, from that of Vence, had been in preparation for about two years before any of the parts, or even the prospectus, of Scio was issued; and a large sum expended on the same. And, besides, it was finished before the other; and, therefore, in several senses it has the just claim to be the first Bible printed in Mexico, or in all Spanish America.  These two Bibles, I beg you will accept from me as a little present for your Library. They are now on their way to Veracruz, and will be shipped there on the first vessel for London.

Hoping for your prayers in this new movement, and in the exposures of war, and in other dangers.

            I remain,

                         Truly Yours,

                                    James Thomson.

Veracruz, 17th/24th October 1843

Rev A Brandram  No.137

Veracruz, Mexico, 17th October 1843

My Dear Friend,

Agreeable to intimations in my last, I left the city of Mexico on the 4th instant, and on the 7th arrived in this place. My Yucatan friends were here before me. I had left them in Mexico about a week before our intended starting together in company, and crossed our lake to pay a visit to Tescoco, but on my return I found to my surprise that my friends were off. I anxiously made inquiry into the cause, and learned that they were ordered to leave Mexico for Veracruz in 48 hours by our present Emperor, against whose perfect rule it seems some things had appeared in a Yucatan periodical which had reached this quarter, and brought, it was said, by the Commissioners who returned for instructions. I hastened after my friends, lest by the same said mandate and personage they should have been shipped off for Yucatan before their luggage arrived. I was glad however to find them here on my coming; and now we are all waiting for a vessel, for it seems the Commissioners must now hire one, instead of being conveyed in a government steamer as before, our chief, being highly displeased, will not give them a steamer, although there are three now in this port, and doing nothing but pulling at their anchors.

The Packet arrived here yesterday, but unfortunately my letters have gone on to Mexico. They may however returned before we can sale, and I shall therefore leave this letter unfinished till I see, until I can say something definite as to our voyage.

Veracruz, 24 October 1843.

My letters returned from Mexico yesterday, and in one sense fortunately I have been detained here till they came. Yours of  the 31st August is among them. I observe your doubts about the number of Books ordered, and I find I have anticipated it in some measure in the letter No.134, by saying the 5000 might be sent by halves rather than altogether. As to my sanguineness, you must rather say the Bookseller's, for it is his view rather than my own I have given, and in fact I have detailed to you our conversation in my letter; and believing he knew better than I these buy–and–sell–book matters, I was willing to follow his suggestions as I have done. But I shall apprise him of your "misgivings," and bid him try by a quick sale to demonstrate to you their groundlessness, and to find which you yourselves, I am sure, will be well pleased. The supply for Guatemala is my own arrangement, and is grounded on the former, and some other circumstances. I may have overshot in the case, but I wish to over rather than undershoot, as I should feel sorry to be unable to meet all the openings that peradventure may occur there, and should much rather some were sent home again than that there should be too few.

Since I wrote on the 17th as above I have met with an American Gentleman who lives in the State of Tabasco, and close on the borders of Chiapa, Yucatan, and Guatemala respectively. This is a sort of a central and an interesting spot, and into which I may say the Bible has not yet come. This gentleman offers his services to help us in the circulation of the Scriptures. I gave him one of the two cases I have here, and leave myself only one for Yucatan. I wish I had more on hand. I have sold the books to him, leaving him as a merchant to do his best with them.

In the month of May last I had a communication from an Englishman of the name of William Boord living not far from this city at a place called Paso de Obejas, intimating that there were some openings there for the Scriptures. I sent him forthwith some Books of the small size by the Diligence, and afterwards gave him an order for several copies at the Bookseller's here, and begging him to advise me when these copies were disposed of, intimating to him at the same time our desire to effect sales rather than to give gifts. I have not heard from him from that date till now, and on my coming down here learn that he had not applied for the copies ordered till recently. I do not know that I should have mention these things to you a tall had I not seen here in the Consul's hands a case of  Books from you to him.

Probably my correspondence may be less regular for some time than hitherto, on account of the difficulties and irregularities of sending letters from Yucatan for the Packet.

            I remain, Very Truly Yours,

                                                James Thomson.