Santiago, 10 June 1822

Santiago de Chile, 10 June 1822[1]

 Dear Sir

 I am now on the point of leaving Chile, and proceeding to Peru. Before I go I write you a few lines, to communicate to you the present state of our affairs in this quarter. I do not remember at present the date of my last letter to you, and cannot now ascertain it, as my luggage containing my papers &c. is now on the way to Valparaiso.

 Since I wrote you I have crossed the Andes and paid my long intended visit to Mendoza and San Juan, in order to promote our work in those places. In each of these cities a Society was formed for the promoting of schools on our system, and from the general interest taken in this business I form a very favourable opinion of their future progress. One of the first acts of the committee in Mendoza was to petition the government to put the printing press into their hands. This petition had the desired effect, and before I left the place I saw it delivered to them. This is a matter of great importance in reference to the schools, and also to objects of general utility. The committee consists of the most enlightened and philanthropic men of that place, and by means of this press I believe they will greatly contribute to the enlightening of their fellow countrymen. There are two parties in that place. Our committee was formed out of both these parties, and some of each expressed the hope that by their frequent intercourse in promoting this object, alike desired by both, their differences would diminish, and their friendship for each other be promoted. That this will be the case I have no doubt and indeed I saw it take place to a certain extent during my short stay there. This is one of the good effects which flow from our operations in the instruction of youth.

 I carried with me a sufficient number of lessons for the schools in these two places. These have been printed here in the government printing office. They consist of extracts from the holy Scriptures. The children will thus have the benefit, not hitherto enjoyed in this country, of being trained up in the knowledge of God in the days of their youth.

 In Mendoza we found a girls' school containing some half dozen children. This I endeavoured in connection with my friends to set agoing on our plan, and to increase the number of the scholars. We succeeded very well in our endeavour, obtained a number of new scholars, and set it fairly agoing on our system. I was much pleased to see the interest taken in the matter by several of the most respectable ladies of the place. I believe a number of these will soon be formed into a committee in connection with the Society. Their department will of course be the encouragement of the female education, a thing which has been very much neglected hitherto in this country. To encourage our little school, and to induce others to send their children, the governor's lady sent her own daughter, and several others of the respectable inhabitants acted in a similar manner. It would be a piece of injustice should I omit the name of my friend Dr. Gillies, in speaking of this school. To his praiseworthy exertions it owes its beginning and its progress. This gentleman is one of our very best friends in the promoting of schools. Since my return to this place, I have had letters from Mendoza informing me that this school goes on very well. Have the goodness to communicate this little notice of the girls' school to your ladies committee. I have no doubt but it will be gratifying to them to hear that some ladies in this country are imitating their praiseworthy example in promoting education among the use of their own sex.

 I informed you some time ago of the formation of our school society in the city. My expectations of good effects to our schools from the exertions of this society are not lessened since I wrote to but increased. The committee meets regularly every week, when the matters regarding the schools are treated of. From the conversations that take place upon this subject, it is gratifying to observe a deep interest taken in the education of the rising generation. I hope they will continue their exertions in the prosecution of this good object. The first minister of government, as I mentioned to you, is our president. He is generally present at our weekly meetings, and takes a lively interest in our concerns.

 We have now see schools in the city, which are going on well. The school is just opening for adults, which I expect will be well attended. A girls' school is also begun, but I cannot yet say so much of this school as I have said of the one in Mendoza. It may however do equally well although less interest has been taken in its commencement. The school is about to be opened immediately in Valparaiso under the management of a master instructed here. Another master has lately left this for Coquimbo. The 5000 slates sent by order of Mr. Irisarri arrived some time ago, so that we are thus well supplied at present with the necessary articles. I bid you for the present adieu, and shall probably write you soon after my arrival in Lima.

             I remain

                        Yours respectfully,

                                     J. Thomson.

 [1] Letter in BFSS Archives, Brunel University, London.

Lima, 25th March 1824

Lima, 25th March, 1824.[1]

 My last letter to Mr. S. closed with a foreboding in regard to our concerns here, from the circumstance of the Spanish army having entered this city. On the 20th of February, the Spanish troops, to the amount of about 2,500, took quiet possession of this place, there being not the smallest oppo­sition. The patriot troops had retired a few days before, leaving us altogether unprotected, and exposed to those depredations which never fail to take place in a large city where there is no government to restrain. We were, in fact, in a very unpleasant state for some days, and the first sounds of martial music from the Spanish army filled me with thanksgiving, as a deliverance from the anarchy and confusion we had lived in for some time.

 A few days after the arrival of the Spanish army, and as soon as things were a little tranquillized, I wrote to the Spanish General, in reference to our school, telling him what we had done, and the state in which we were at the time. I repre­sented to him the nature of our schools, and stated that establishments of a similar kind had been introduced and encouraged in various parts of the world. I of course mentioned particularly what had been done in Spain. After stating these things, I requested him to inform me whether we should go on, or whether we should immediately shut up our school. In answer to this, I received from him a very polite letter, saying, that he was informed and fully persuaded that the school under my direction was a very useful establish­ment, and that he wished it to go on until the Viceroy should communicate his mind upon the subject. In my letter to the General I inclosed a copy of a letter, which I intended to forward to the Viceroy, and requested his opinion of the letter, and whether I should send it on to Cuzco. He replied, that he thought the letter was suitable, and that if I wished he would himself forward it to the Viceroy, in order that it might go with greater security. You may be sure, I thankfully accepted his offer, and sent him immediately my letter to forward. Next day I called on the General to thank him for his kindness in protecting our school, and in taking the trouble of forwarding my letter to the Viceroy. I was very kindly received by him, and encouraged to go on. Thus, you see we have a new instance of the gracious goodness of our God in giving me favour with the Gover­nors of this quarter of the world, however much opposed to each other.

 I informed you, I think, soon after my arrival in this place, that the government had ordered the college belonging to the Dominican Friars in this city to be  put at my disposal, for the use of our school establishment. The removal of the Friars, and the giving up of the college, was accomplished without the smallest murmur, or at least audible murmur, on the part of the monks. This college is an extensive building, and very well adapted to the purposes of a central school. We have a large school  room, which will hold very conveniently 300 children, and  another large room connected with it, which would   contain 200 more. We have also several other rooms, very suitable as lodgings for the masters whilst studying the system, and there is convenience for a printing office, &c. &c. The apartments formerly occupied by the Rector of the college, have formed my own lodg­ing the greater part of the time I have been in Lima.

 Besides the places now mentioned, which are all connected with each other, we have a large hall, finely adapted for a female school, with rooms for the mistress and her assistants. These are entirely separated from the parts mentioned before, so that though in the same building, they are quite distinct places, with separate entrances a gun-shot from each other. Our boys' school con­tains, at the present time, 230 children, and we have often been talking of commencing a girls' school as a thing greatly wanted in this place. But such has been the unhappy state of public affairs here for so long a time, that nothing has yet been done in it. From the description I have given you of the building we occupy, and the use to which it was formerly destined, you might naturally ex­pect that the Friars gave it up reluctantly, though without complaining, and that  they would still have their eye upon it, if a favourable opportunity should present itself for reclaiming it. I am told, that when the Spaniards were in possession of this city in June last, the Friars had resolved on petitioning the government upon the subject, but the short occupation of the city by the Spanish troops did not allow them to carry their purpose into effect.

 At the present time, the Spaniards seem to have taken a more permanent possession of the place, with the intention of continuing in it for some time, and their possessing the fortresses of Callao will enable them to do so. We were, therefore, in greater danger than ever of losing our college, and indeed application, as I am informed, was actually made to that effect to Ge­neral Monet, the commander of the division in this quarter. But from what I have stated above, you will see the  happy resolution of the General in our favour. I should have mentioned, when describing the college, that there is a church con­nected with it, as there is with  all  the colleges here. The church and the court connected with it, are separated by a wall from the parts formerly mentioned. They were formerly not entirely se­parated from each other, as there were two openings, like gate ways, between the two places. These, however, I caused to be built up, as I did not know what kind of companions I might have in the two Friars who were left to perform  the service  of the church; and from the character of some of this class, and the circumstance of the loss of their college, and its being put into the hands of a  Protestant,  I did not augur  much good from their neighbourhood.

 We have, how­ever, lived all along on good terms, and our longer acquaintance with each other has grown, I think, into friendship. I met with a proof of this friend­ship since the entrance of the   Spaniards, which I did not expect. The Friar who has the prin­cipal charge called upon  me  one  morning,   and informed me that he had heard that the Conde de Villar de Fuente was to be appointed Go­vernor of Lima. Now, says he, although he is a very good man, yet being very friendly to the Friars, it is very likely they will press him hard to regain their college. You should therefore, con­tinued he, endeavour to see the Governor or him as early as possible,  lest they get the start of you to your dis­advantage. I thanked him very kindly for his intimation and for his advice, and told him that I was very happy in having this proof of our living in such friendship with each other. I called upon the Governor soon after his appointment, agreeably to the advice of my friend, and found him very well disposed to continue our establishment and to encourage it.

[1] Letter to BFSS. James Thomson. Letters on the Moral and Religious State of South America. (London: James Nisbet, 1827), pp. 119-123.