Transcribed from CO48/69 at the National Archives in Kew,
228
Received
A Reply to
a Pamphlet printed at the Government Press, entitled
“Authentic
Copies of a Correspondence” &c. &c. &c.
By John
PHILIP, D.D.
Heeregracht,
by W. BRIDEKIRK, Jun. 1824
229
A REPLY,
&c
An attempt having been made, by a Publication printed at the
Government Press, to invalidate the truth of a statement made by me, at the
Annual Meeting of the Society for the Relief of Distressed Settlers, which I
related on the authority of an Officer of the highest respectability, renders
it unnecessary for me to apologize, for laying before the public the following
remarks on this subject.
The correspondence between myself and the Colonial
Government, occupying the first part of the publication in question, requires
no particular observations. If any
remarks are made on my conduct, in relation to the Officer who narrated to me the
statement which has given rise to this affair, I have no apprehension that I
shall be blamed by any impartial person for having concealed his name; and if,
on the other side, any person be disposed to blame me for having related the
case as it was given to me, under the idea that I might have known that the
publication of the statement itself might lead to the discovery of the relater,
it is enough to say, in reply, that the Officer gave me the statement in
question, without any other restriction than that of the concealment of his
name.
Having dismissed this part of the subject, it is only
necessary to remark in passing, that in relation to the name of the distressed
family, at some future time, it will not, perhaps, be difficult to account for
my backwardness in giving it up, and also for the mode of expression employed
in my last note to His Excellency the Governor on that subject.
The points at issue are the following:- Was such a
communication, as I stated at the meeting, made to me? And is there any reason
to doubt that the communication I received is substantially correct?
I have
stated, in my correspondence with the Colonial Government, that Mr. RUTHERFOORD
and myself were ready to make affidavit as to the fact of having received such
a statement. It is the best evidence in
my power to offer; and, I humbly conceive, is all that can be required of me,
in the absence of that direct testimony which can only be afforded by the
gentleman from whom I received the communication. Beyond the question of my own veracity, I do
not consider my character or responsibility at all involved. Statements and assertions, similar to that
made by me, are every day advanced in
I asserted
only what I heard, and what I also believed to be true. If the Local Authority referred to be able to
show that no such case of distress ever existed, or that when brought to his
knowledge, he afforded prompt and adequate assistance, I shall be extremely
glad to find that my informant was mistaken, and that the character of a public
Officer of Government has been vindicated, and his humanity placed in a
favourable light.
At the same time, independent of the confidence I have in
the Character of the Officer from whom I received the information, there are
some circumstances not a little confirmatory of the principal features of the
case stated by me at the public meeting, and which, from the character of the
publication that has appeared on the subject, I feel myself under the necessity
of bringing forward.
The first thing to which I shall advert, is the following
Memorial, representing in general, but strong terms, the distress of Mrs.
HARDEN and family, addressed to the writer of this article, to be presented to
the Committee of the Society for the Relief of Distressed Settlers, and dated
Graham’s Town, 7th October, 1823:-
“To the
Committee of the Settlers’ Fund Society,
Gentlemen,
The
Memorial of Maria HARDEN, humbly sheweth,
That your
Memorialist, (who came to this Colony with her husband, in connection with the
party which left England under the superintendance of Mr. BAILEY,) is at this
moment, with three infant children, in great difficulties, arising from the lamented
death of her husband, whose last illness terminated in a period of fifteen
weeks, and during that awful space, if it had not been for the humanity and
Christian kindness of the truly excellent Captain CLARKE, and a few other
friends, she and her orphan babes must have fallen a prey to the most absolute
want.
“That your
Memorialist, who has forwarded a prayer to His Excellency the Governor, that
she may be sent home to her native country, humbly prays that you will be
pleased to afford her some pecuniary assistance in this day of her great
calamity, and to enable her to accomplish her earnest desires, as she perceives
but too plainly, that she cannot possibly support herself and her unfortunate
children in this Colony.
“And your
Memorialist as in duty bound will every pray.
“Graham’s
Town,
“P.S. The relatives of Memorialist’s late husband,
residing in
It is evident from this document, that the HARDENs were
indebted for their preservation, up to the 7th October, 1823, to
private charity. Now it appears from Mr.
GODLONTON’s letter, that the Public Authorities were acquainted with the
condition of this family as far back as May and June preceding, and whatever
relief may have been afforded, it is evident that it was altogether inadequate,
and weighed very little in the opinion of the unfortunate family, when they
ascribed their preservation altogether to the assistance they received from
another quarter.
Mr. DYASON in his letter states, that in November or
December last, the Landdrost authorized Mr. BAILIE to advance them money, which
he did to the extent of 25 Rix-dollars, but this makes nothing against the distress
of the family, previous to the date of the Memorial 7th October,
which is the period to which my observations applied.
Since writing the above, I have been favoured with the
following document, which I lay before my readers without preface or apology.
“The case
of Maria FLETCHER, late HARDEN, as related by herself:-
“In
February 1823, finding house-rent dear in Graham’s Town, we returned to our
location at Cuyler Ville, 46 miles off.
On 2d May my husband hurt his kidnies by carrying a bag of pumpkins home,
which he had purchased, and took to his bed.
On the 9th our youngest child died of an irruption, which the
other two were very ill of, and I buried it in the garden, a neighbour
assisting me in making a little box to contain the body. Dr. ------ and Capt. ------- called, and
frequently gave us relief. Hearing that
charity was given by the Landdrost, I wrote to Mr. GODLONTON, (whom I knew,)
“I then
wrote to the Landdrost direct, stating my husband’s case, and that I was on the
point of being confined, that I was in want of linen, as I had used it to dress
my dear child’s sores.
“Mrs.
WAKEFORD took the letter, and got a small pair of blankets, but no other
relief! About this time, a subscription
had commenced at Graham’s Town without our knowledge, and to this relief, and
the great fatherly goodness of Capt. ------- and Dr. ----- we were saved from
perishing. About the 2d July I laid-in,
and my good neighbours assisted me, while my husband lay in great agonies in
the next room. I fortunately soon
recovered from my confinement, and was again able to attend him. Capt. ------ once said to my husband and
myself, “Have you received nothing lately from
----- ----- I wonder at it, as I have again spoke about
your state.” Dr. ------ said, “Don’t
agitate his mind now; I fear he is in the last stage.” Capt. -------- then read a chapter in the
Bible to him, and told him to compose his mind; and that his family should be
taken care of. He then drew me on one
side, and said, “Mrs. HARDEN, the little you have got from ----- ----- has been
of serious injury to you; it has stopped the subscription in Graham’s Town, as
the people think you are relieved by ------
------; but it shall not rest here.”
He then walked the room in great agitation. About this time I was told Mr. GEARY had
said, that the Landdrost had given orders to Mr. BOWKER to give us
assistance. I sent to Mr. BOWKER, but
his reply was, “I never had any orders whatever.” On the 17th August my husband’s
dreadful sufferings were over, and my kind neighbours assisted in burying him
in the garden, by the side of our child.
About the latter end of September, I went, at the persuasion of Mr.
BAILIE, in his wagon to Graham’s Town, and after staying a fortnight at a
friend’s house and calling repeatedly upon (Mr. RIVERS), I got an
interview. He said he could do nothing
for me; he was sorry; but every body applied to him for relief, and he had
nothing to give them or me. At last he
called in the Messenger, and desired him to give me some rice. I then asked, as I could not maintain myself
and three children, if I could not get a free passage to
‘The mark
of Mrs. Maria FLETCHER, late HARDEN.” X
The
following extract is from a letter of Mr. WALKER, addressed to the Secretary of
the Committee for the Relief of Distressed Settlers:-
“To Mr.
H.E. RUTHERFOORD,
Secretary
to the Society for the Relief of Distressed Settlers in
Sir,
Although I
have not the pleasure of a personal acquaintance either with yourself, or any
of the gentlemen members of the committee of your friendly society, I beg leave
to submit to your consideration the case of a widow and family of a
fellow-colonist, entreating that benevolent aid in their behalf for which your
institution is formed.
“Mr. W.
HARDEN, wife, and little ones, embarked in the same vessel with myself from
“William
HARDEN having occasion to remove some pumpkins, from his garden to his house,
in the act of lifting quickly a sack containing two very large ones, was
unfortunately ruptured: during his
illness, which was severe, he was attended, as frequently as military duties
would permit, by the surgeon of the forces posted at Upper Caffre Drift, whose name
I regret I cannot at present recall to my remembrance; but it pleased
Providence that neither medicine nor medical skill should preserve his life, so
that after three months’ confinement to a sick bed he died.
“This
unhappy female, thus bereaved of a husband, a father, a bosom friend, by the
hand of the Almighty, was very shortly after deprived of one of her children,
whose life most probably fell a sacrifice to sickness and direful want. I believe the second she has in this country
resigned to the tomb, which, with one committed to a watery grave on the
passage, will demonstrate that, as she has been afflicted with such awful
visitations since she left her native shores, so she may justly claim attention
from the humane and generous, &c. &c. &c.
“Asking
that you would honor me with a reply as soon as convenient, with the
determination of your committee on the above case, addressed, at the
Post-office, Cradock, I shall subscribe myself,
Sir,
Your most
obedient servant,
(Signed)
John J
WALKER, Surgeon, &c.
Cradock,
The following document has been transmitted to me, by a
person I have never seen, and I give it without any comment:-
“James
Thomas ERITH, maketh oath and states, that he (the deponent), on the 15th
(or thereabout) of August, 1823, was at Mr. HEATH’s, and slept there that
night. He (Mr. HEATH) informed deponent,
HARDEN was very ill, and not expected to live; and further stated, he sat with
him several nights, as HARDEN would not be composed unless he was there.
Deponent offered to go with him, but he would not consent, seeing deponent was
fatigued with his journey. In the
morning deponent went with him to HARDEN’s.
He (Mr. HEATH) had before told deponent that HARDEN would have died for
want, had it not been for Captain CLARKE, of His Majesty’s 6th
Regiment of Foot, who sent him wine, &c. &c. and the benevolence of a
few more friends. Deponent inquired who
attended as medical assistant. He (Mr.
HEATH) replied the Doctor at the Post. Deponent saw the man in a dying state,
and was shocked at the distress he then witnessed. Deponent is almost sure that HARDEN had
nothing to take that morning but what Mr. HEATH took him. Deponent was induced, in consequence, to
leave with Mr. HEATH, Three Rix-dollars.
Deponent further states, that on his return home, he understood HARDEN
had died three days after he had left him.
“Sworn
before me, in
This document is in the form of an affidavit, as Mr. ERITH
intended to have confirmed the statement it contains in this manner, and is
ready to do so. The remark made on the communication, said by Mr DYASON to have
been made to Mr. BAILIE, respecting this family in November or December, is applicable
to Captain MONCKTON’s letter. Captain M.
took the charge of the Post on
“The family
(meaning the HARDENS,) were never, during any period of their afflictions, in
want, as their account with me for meat, flour, rice, tea, and sugar, can
testify,” &c. &c. In the absence
of Mr. BAILIE’s account, which has not been produced, we an only offer
conjectures, and in these conjectures I may be mistaken; but, on comparing this
statement with Mrs. HARDEN’s own statement, and with the Memorial of the 7th
October, I am inclined to think that Mr. BAILIE must in this passage, where he
speaks of an open account, refer to a period different from that in which the
greatest distress of the HARDEN family took place.
Mrs. HARDEN
takes no notice of the open account with Mr. BAILIE in her own statement, -
there is no reference to it in the Memorial, and in the absence of proof, we
can only say, that it is not likely that the HARDENs could have an open account
of this nature, during the fifteen weeks of HARDEN’s illness, and particularly
after all hopes of his recovery were gone.”
If these instructions were not given to Mr. BAILIE previous
to November, they do not interfere with the present question; but one cannot
read Mrs. HARDEN’s own statement, and the account she gives of her journey to
Graham’s Town, in Mr. BAILIE’s wagon, and not ask whether this milch cow, and
those necessaries, were given to her previous to that event? And whether this
statement agrees with the account she has given of that journey, and her
situation, as described by herself, down to the period of her marriage with
FLETCHER, her present husband?
Here I may remark, in passing, that the professed object of
her journey was to obtain relief from the Landdrost; and it is not likely that
she would have left her children with a neighbour, and have undertaken this
journey, could she have procured in her neighbourhood what she wanted.
Mr. GODLONTON describes HARDEN as dissipated, - as having
had his death accelerated by the use of ardent spirits. I think the Doctor’s certificate who attended
HARDEN would have been desirable here.
The death of HARDEN, in the documents before me, is said to have been
occasioned by a rupture, or sprain, caused by lifting a sack of pumpkins. From the time this event took place, from the
2d of May, HARDEN appears to have been confined to his house, and to his
bed. Now, whatever might have been the
habits of HARDEN previous to this period, it is extremely unlikely that he had
it in his power to procure ardent spirits, to have accelerated his death, after
the 2d of May, when he met with this accident, to his death, which appears to
have taken place on the 17th of August. It is rather singular that Mr. GODLONTON
should have described HARDEN as a dissipated drunken character, and in the same
letter speak of the kind intentions of the Landdrost, which were frustrated by
the death of HARDEN! The reader can
scarcely fail to remark the justice of the preceding observations, on perusing
the following extracts from Mr. GODLONTON’s letter.
“On the 28th
June, 1823, John DUFFY brought a letter from HARDEN, stating his family were
deficient in bedding, and you immediately ordered me to issue to the bearer,
for their use, a pair of blankets, which was accordingly done.
I am not aware of any further assistance having been
afforded from the fund under your control and direction; but I conceive, from
the strong feeling of your commiseration shewn by you, on every occasion I had
the honor to allude to, or represent
their case, that had you been aware of their wanting any necessary comfort, it
would have been supplied; and that your intentions on their behalf were only
frustrated by the unfortunate and premature death of HARDEN, which calamity was
accelerated, if not occasioned, by dissipation, and an excessive addition to
ardent spirits.” X (See Appendix Page
29 - written by hand)
After
considering the affidavits which Mr. RUTHERFOORD and myself have offered to
make, in reference to the statement given to us by the Military Officer, - the
Memorial of Mrs. HARDEN, addressed to the Secretary of the Fund, - the
statement of Mrs. HARDEN herself on this subject, corroborating the material
points of the Officer’s statement. – the letter of Mr. WALKER, with other
documents, - the public grounds on which I made the statement in question, and
the reluctance with which I brought it forward, I leave the public to judge as
to the propriety of the following expressions in the letter of Mr. RIVERS.
“I have the
satisfaction of being able to show that Dr. PHILIP’s statement is utterly
false!
“Dr.
PHILIP’s statement, if alluding to HARDEN, is equally malicious and unfounded;
and that he had no authority whatever for traducing my character as a
magistrate and a man!
“He can
only have withheld it (that is, from the time I was in
“As I have
not any doubt that I have identified the case to which Dr. PHILIP alluded in
his speech at the anniversary meeting, I consider I have fully and
satisfactorily repelled the calumnious assertion of that gentleman!”
It may be
remarked here, that if the case was utterly false and unfounded, how did Mr.
RIVERS identify the case so easily, and with so much certainty, while I
continued to withhold the names of the parties, and while he professed to be in
total ignorance respecting the name of the Officer? He could make the discovery only from the
similarity he discovered between the case I had described and that which he,
without any doubt, identified with it; and this resemblance, acknowledged by
himself, shews that my statement was not, as asserted by him, (even upon his
own concession,) utterly false and unfounded.
The charge exhibited against me in the following passages is
so indistinctly expressed, that I shall be excused in giving it in Mr. RIVERS’
own words.
“It is
difficult to reconcile his suppression from the Government which I serve, of
any circumstances of the nature he has represented, with the motives which he
affects to influence him in now making them public; for he could not have
doubted, that in the character he has assumed as Missionary, and leading Member*
of the Fund for relieving Distressed Settlers, such a representation from him
would have been received with attention, when the purity of his motives would
not have become questionable, and his proceeding would have been more fair and
honest, as he can only have withheld it for the purpose of calumniating the
character of a public officer.”
If Mr. RIVERS in the above passage means to convey the idea
that it was my duty instantly to have communicated my information respecting
the HARDENS to the Governor, I must beg leave to refer him, for all the
satisfaction I can give at this moment, to my correspondence with His
Excellency the Governor on that point.
But if he means to insinuate that it was my duty to have made it known
to himself, I must inform Mr. RIVERS, in reply to that charge, although I can
safely declare I have not in my breast one particle of hostile feeling towards
Mr. RIVERS personally, I know nothing, in the relative situation in which we
stand to each other, to induce Mr. RIVERS to suppose, that I was under any
obligations to make known such a communication to him.
* This assertion that I have assumed the character of a
leading member of the Fund for relieving distressed Settlers, is an assumption
of Mr. RIVERS’ own, for which I am not conscious of having given any just
cause.
Mr.
RIVERS considers it fortunate that Mr. BIRD’s motion forced me to be open and
explicit, because by this means an opportunity has been offered in confuting
calumnious reports. I do not know what
Mr. RIVERS means in this passage, by “calumnious reports.” If he means that I had previously circulated
the statement I made at the public meeting, he labours under a mistake; for I
can affirm, that to the best of my recollection, such a relation never escaped
my lips till it was brought forward in public, and on public grounds.
Among the requests of Mr. RIVERS to the Colonial Government,
the following will not escape notice:- “I request also, that Dr. PHILIP may be
called on to state what those political causes, connected with the sufferings
of the Settlers were, with which he was careful not to interfere: and, that if
his intention be to insinuate that the conduct of the Landdrost, or the Local
Authorities, towards the Settlers, has in any way tended to create or aggravate
any case of distress, he may state the instances.”
It must appear strange to persons in
Mr RIVERS supposing himself to be the Local Authority
alluded to in my speech, seems to consider the evil of which he complains as
greatly aggravated by the circumstances of his being a Public Character and a
Magistrate. Now this is one of the very
grounds on which I should choose to rest my defence. It is to this freedom to make remarks on
public characters, under the restrictions I have already mentioned, that
England owes much of her private and public virtue; and any thing like purity
in public men is not in the present state of human nature to be looked for,
when such a censorship is withheld!
In the commencement of this article, I announce my views of
the present controversy, viz: that all I had to do was to prove that the case
related by me at the Public Meeting was communicated to me by an Officer of
high respectability, and to advance some circumstantial evidence in favor of
the truth of the statement itself; - how far I have redeemed my pledge, and
succeeded in establishing those points, it is not for me, but others to
decide. I have purposely taken a narrow
view of the subject, and I think I have succeeded in placing it in a different
light from what it appears in this anonymous pamphlet.
Without
going again into the reasons I have already stated, and which may be seen in
the printed correspondence, for opposing the motion of Mr. BIRD, or adducing
others which may still be in reserve, if I am not mistaken, the Local
Authorities who have expressed themselves in this printed correspondence on the
distress in Albany, have, perhaps, without designing it, furnished me with an
additional reason not before mentioned by me, which will, with many persons,
justify me in having opposed this motion, which I cannot help noticing in this
place.
It is impossible to read this publication, and compare the
letters which it contains from the Local Authorities of Albany, with the
reports and publications of the Committee in
In the
first instance, we shall allow the Local Authorities to speak for themselves.
Extracts
from Authentic Copies of Correspondence, &c. &c. &c.
“I cannot
let this opportunity pass, without observing, that I know of no such distress
in this Colony, as has been publicly stated.
I should like to be informed, who the people are, requiring eleemosynary
aid: - not the labourer, I imagine, who can procure two Rix-dollars per day: or
the mechanic, who can procure three of four.
The truth is, that the only people distressed are some few of the more
respectable class, who have spent their money in agricultural pursuits, which
have not answered their expectations, and who, from pride or inability, are
rendered incapable of living by labor.
There are but few men, however, decrepid they may be, who might not get
their living by herding cattle, or other easy employment.
(Signed) “Chas. CRAUSE” *
(See Authentic Copies of Correspondence, &c. page 21)
* Mr. Chas.
CRAUSE, Lieutenant, Mounted Troops,
“From being
situated in the midst of the Settlers, I have had almost a daily opportunity of
witnessing the late conduct and exertions of the greatest portion of the
Settlers, and it is my most decided opinion, that they have received more
attention and assistance, and particularly within the last twelve months, than
their situation required, and that the public were never more imposed on that
they have been generally on the subject.
In the ten parties, near me, I do not know of a family, or even an
individual, that can be considered in distress, - much of the distress that has
been felt, has arose from imprudence and want of proper exertion.”
(Signed) “
(See
Authentic Copies of Correspondence, &c. page 26)
“As an
individual among the British Settlers, and as an Englishman, I cannot but feel
abhorrence and disgust at the means which have been resorted to, in order to
excite the sympathy of the public in their behalf; and if the characters of the
Settlers, as a body, are to be shamefully traduced, and their Magistrates
libeled and calumniated, to gratify the personal hostility or party spirit of a
self-elected Committee, it then becomes an imperious duty on every honest mind
to deprecate such proceedings, and to use every endeavour to prevent a generous
public from being further imposed on by exaggerated mis-statements, and
scandalous misrepresentations.
(Signed) “
R. GODLONTON” *
(See
Authentic Copies of Correspondence, &c. page 36)
* Mr R. GODLONTON,
2nd Clark to the Landdrost.
“If Mr.
RUTHERFOORD’s assertions be intended to exclude you from any participation in
distributing the benefactions, you are, in my opinion, under great obligations
to him. It will be an arduous,
invidious, and (from the persons with whom you would necessarily be connected)
a most unpleasant business. For my part,
although I most sincerely desire the prosperity of the Settlers, I will not
throw away a word of advice upon the junto; if they be puzzled, as I believe
they will, how to dispose of the money, they may throw it, for ought that I
care, into the Great Fish River.
(Signed) “
W. BOARDMAN.” *
(See
Authentic Copies of Correspondence, &c. page 42)
* Rev. W BOARDMAN,
formerly Clergyman of the District, and now Master of the Grammar School,
It is not my intention, at this moment, to enter much into
the question which is so peremptorily decided in these extracts from the
letters of some of the Local Authorities in Albany; another opportunity will
soon occur, when this subject will be resumed with greater advantages than I at
present enjoy; but the charges which are here exhibited against the Committee,
and I may add, against myself as an individual, are of so grave and serious a
character, and may do so much harm if they are allowed to circulate without any
correction, that I shall be excused if I take up a few minutes of the time of
my Readers, before I leave this point.
The distress of the Settlers is not only denied in these letters, but we
are charged with having “imposed upon a generous public, by exaggerated
mis-statements, and scandalous misrepresentations.”
I am aware that unworthy expedients have sometimes been
employed under similar circumstances; that truth has been often sacrificed to
effect; but I am certainly not conscious, that any description of the Committee
or of mine, was chargeable with these vices; nor was it at all likely, after
the pains and trouble taken by me, to acquire correct views of their actual
situation, that I should have been imposed upon, by the representations of the
Settlers themselves, or of others.
Had I derived my information respecting their actual state,
through any intermediate channel, - had I depended entirely upon the letters of
the settlers themselves to the Committee, craving relief; or had I received,
without examination, the stories told me by those who having fled from their
locations, have visited Cape Town to obtain the means of subsistence, in the
fact of such assertions; I might have been disposed to suspect, that I had
allowed myself to be deceived. I am
fully aware of the little dependence which is to be placed in common reports; I
am no stranger to the arts which are often employed to extort money from the
credulous; I was not ignorant that many who had left their locations and came
to Cape Town, wanted a pretext to justify their conduct, and to exact money to
keep them in idleness; but the statements made by me at the Anniversary Meeting
of the Society in 1823, had for the most part attached to them all the
certainty derived from personal observation.
I had compared the documents in the hands of the Committee, with the
actual conditions of the writers, or with the conditions of the objects for
whom they wished to awaken our sympathy, and I had seen with my own eyes, and
heard with my own ears, the misery I then attempted to describe.
In 1821, I visited twenty-seven locations; I spent a
fortnight among the people; I entered their houses; I sifted their statements;
I saw their rough fare. In 1823, in
company with Mr. RUTHERFOORD, I paid a second visit to Albany, and on a
comparative view of the condition of the Settlers in 21 and 23, I am able to
state, from information obtained on the spot, that though a great proportion of
them had left their locations, the situation of such as remained could scarcely
be said to be at all improved, by the great diminution which had taken place in
their numbers. I found no one family on
the locations I visited, that could have been said, in the intervening time, to
have bettered its condition; and I found many, who in 21 were above receiving
assistance, though offered them in the most delicate way, now disposed to
receive, with thankfulness, the smallest sums.
In 1821, many of those who had suffered severely by the
failure of the crops, were still extremely sanguine as to their future
prospects; but the confidence, which supported them at that period, had by this
time, through repeated disappointments given way to apathy, not an unfrequent
result of severe and painful suffering, or to a state of mind bordering on
despondency. The greater part requiring
assistance in 1821, though not all, belonged to that class that came out as
servants, or to that description of people, whose previous habits unfitted them
for the situation into which they were thrown, as Agriculturists in a new
country. Previous to my last visit to
I might refer such as deny the sufferings of the Settlers,
to the judicious Report which has been printed for 1824. I might refer them to the numerous letters
which form an appendix to that Report, or I might pursue another course, and go
over every passage of the Report, confirming its statements by facts collected
in my journey through the different locations; but I shall have recourse to a
shorter method of proof, I shall select one of the largest of the locations as
a specimen of the whole, and the location I mean to select is one of the most
unexceptionable for this purpose, as it has been more praised for the industry
of the people, and is still more populous than any other location I then
visited. There is perhaps scarcely any
one who has visited the locations at an early period of their history, who has
not admired the industry and general sobriety of the people at
When I visited this location in 1821, I was delighted and
astonished at the exertions of the people.
The original Settlers in this valley amounted, I believe, to eighty-six
families, and in little more than 18 months, the people had for the most part,
erected neat cottages; and there was scarcely a house on the location which was
not surrounded with a turf wall and ditch, enclosing gardens, and corn land. The neat dwellings, the regular enclosures,
the spacious and excellent roads running through the whole line of the valley;
the herds of cattle grazing around the village occupying the people at sun-set
in driving them to their enclosures, or draining them of their milk, and the activity
and bustle which appeared in every direction, together with the decent clothing
of the people, exhibited an appearance altogether so truly English in its
character, and furnished such a contrast to the state of the country through
which I had passed, that the whole scene operated upon me in a manner something
like enchantment.
I spent a Sabbath in this place; I preached to the people,
and visited them in their houses, and I have seldom in traveling spent a
Sabbath with greater satisfaction to myself.
What was the condition of this location in 1823? Two-thirds of the former buildings were in
ruins, the enclosures about eh deserted houses were broken down; the houses and
fences which remained were mostly going to decay, the dress of the people was
much altered for the worse by two years’ wear; their hopes and their
cheerfulness had fled; - of 86 families 32 only remained, and most of these
continued upon the ground with reluctance and because they knew not where to
go, and wanted the means to carry themselves, and their families, to places
where they might better their conditions.
From the first settlement of the emigrants in
I am aware that a large share of the sufferings of the
Settlers and the disappointment of their hopes, have been ascribed to their
original habits, their idleness, and their other vices. Many of them brought up in
The effects of their industry during the first 18 months of
their settlement, astonished most persons who visited them; when I was there in
1821 their harvest had almost totally failed, but they were cheerful, resigned,
and labouring in hope; their schools, their love to their minister, their
partiality to Religious Society, and their attachment to the place of their
location had determined the greater part of them, (as long as they could obtain
the means of a scanty subsistence,) to remain on the place, hoping for more
prosperous times.
Let such as
ascribe the failure of the Emigrants’ hopes entirely to the want of industry,
and to vicious habits, account for the disappointment and dispersion of the
Salem Party.
Had these charges emanated from insulated individuals, we
might have safely passed them by without notice, but coming as they do from the
Local Authorities of Albany, and published under the express sanction of the
Government, I shall be excused, if before quitting this subject, I bestow a
little more particular attention upon the manner in which they are expressed.
Mr. AUSTIN informs us that he resides in the midst of the
Settlers, and that it is his decided opinion, that they have received more
attention and assistance, and particularly within the last twelve months, than
their situation required! If this be the
case, then we may admit Mr. AUSTIN’s inference, “that the public has never been
more imposed upon, than on this subject,” but on such a momentous question, we
require more than an assertion, and Mr. AUSTIN, has adduced no proofs. Will Mr. AUSTIN state to us in what this
excess of attention and assistance consists, and from what quarters it has been
received? We know that the Heads of Parties
and the small capitalists who have sunk all their money in agricultural
pursuits, have as yet had no assistance from the Society for the relief of
distressed Settlers. Till we received
our late remittances from
Mr. C. CRAUSE says, “the truth is that the only people
distressed are some few of the more respectable class, who have spent their
money in agricultural pursuits which have not answered their expectations,”
&c. &c. Does Mr. CRAUSE mean to
intimate by this mode of expression, that a few only, of the respectable class
of the Settlers possessing money, have failed in their agricultural
pursuits? Will this gentleman have the
goodness to name persons in this respectable class, who have succeeded in their
agricultural pursuits? By saying that
some few of this class had failed and lost their money in agricultural
pursuits, Mr. CRAUSE certainly means to insinuate, that the great body of the
Settlers have succeeded in those pursuits.
Now I am certainly that I am borne out by facts when I assert, that so
far as agriculture is concerned, the object of the emigration to Albany has
proved a total failure; and I shall be glad if Mr. CRAUSE will point out one
individual of the class he describes, who has not lost his money by his
agricultural pursuits? Had Mr. CRAUSE
looked into the speech of Sir Richard OTTLEY, at the Annual Meeting of the
Society, (September 1823,) he might have perceived that it was for that very
class we called upon the public to afford assistance; but Mr. CRAUSE has
discovered that such an appeal was quite unnecessary, because they might still
live by labor, but for their pride and inability. Supporting them to have physical powers to
labor, and their pride the only remaining obstacle, they are of course
according to Mr. CRAUSE’s reasoning, not to be considered as objects of
sympathy; and it is, perhaps, under the influence of this sentiment, that Mr.
AUSTIN has told us, that the Settlers have had too much assistance, during the
last twelve months.
But after having obliged those gentlemen, who formerly moved
in respectable circles in
The Rev. W. BOARDMAN says, “he believes we shall be puzzled
how to dispose of the money,” – and adds, - that, “for ought I care, they may
throw it into the
As a specimen of the fearless mode of assertion employed
against us in this controversy, it has lately been asserted by a gentleman who
terms himself a Settler, that, 1,000 or 1,500 Rix-dollars is sufficient to
relieve all actual and real distress which now exists in Albany. (*See Mr.
PRINGLE’s letter in answer to this letter.) In reply to such an assertion, it
is only necessary to look into the report of 1824; but it is not unworthy of
notice in this place, that I believe on the same day in which this assertion
appeared in print, 2,000 Rix-dollars were unanimously voted in our Committee to
relieve urgent distress, and the greater part of that sum was sent to Albany.
With this glaring opposition of sentiment on this subject,
it is easy to see what must have been the result of allowing all the Local
Authorities to have been added to our Sub-Committee in
What that application would have been, had Mr. BIRD’s motion
been carried, may perhaps be inferred from a motion made in the Committee
previous to the last public meeting, to lay out the whole sum as a fund, and
circumscribe our expenditure to the interest of the original sum, and from a
paper now lying upon the table of the Committee of the Society, recommending
the investment of a large proportion at least, of the money collected, in a
church, and an infirmary, and to purchase a ship. And it is deserving of particular notice,
that those very extracts which I have made from this pamphlet, are assigned in
this paper as the very grounds of this recommendation.
Before quitting this subject, I must be allowed to lay
before my readers the following letter from Mr. CURRIE, containing an extract
of a letter from Mr. RIVERS, to that gentleman, with some extracts from letters
contained in the last Annual Report of the Society, regarding the distress
occasioned by the heavy rains which fell in the beginning of October, 1823, and
which on account of the height to which they raised the rivers, and the damage
they did to the houses and lands of the Settlers, have been emphatically termed
by them, the flood.
(Letter to
H. RIVERS, Esq. &c. &c.)
“Sir,
In reply to
your letter of yesterday, I am to state, that the assertion made at a Meeting
of the Settler’s Fund at
On the
other side is an extract from one of your letters to me on the subject.
I have the
honor to be, Sir,
Your
obedient Servant,
(Signed) W.
CURRIE”
(Mr. Walter
CURRIE, Field Cornet of
--------------------
(EXTRACTS)
“Graham’s
Town,
“I am happy
to say I have had few or no applications for relief, in consequence of
sufferings or loss, from the late bad weather: but should you know of any case
of real distress, where you think assistance would be well, and ought to be
afforded, I shall be obliged by your informing me, that I may, if in my power,
procure relief: - I do not mean in money alone, but in meal, seeds for gardens,
clothing, &c. as circumstances may be.” – Extract of a letter from Mr.
RIVERS.
I may add,
in passing, that most of the locations in Albany, were visited by Mr.
RUTHERFOORD and myself, little more than two months after this storm, and while
its effects were yet visible, and I feel no difficulty in vouching for the accuracy
of the expression in the following extracts, describing the general distress
occasioned by this painful visitation of Providence.
The three
following cases distinguished by the numbers 1, 7, 9, are taken from a list of
person, who had been recently relieved by one of the Sub-Committee residing in
Graham’s Town, and published in the appendix to the Report of the Society for
1824. The figures have been substituted
for the names of the parties relieved, on the commendable principle of delicacy
to their feelings.
No. 1. “Had
his house and its contents in a great measure destroyed during the storm in
October, 1823. Every thing also which he
had planted and sown, and which at that time was in a tolerable state of
forwardness, was entirely swept away.”
No. 7. “The
Caffres took away all his cattle, as with a stroke. His house was again destroyed by the storm;
and with his garden, containing the effects of his industry, and the stay of
his offspring.”
No. 9.
“Likewise has taken refuge in Graham’s Town, in order to obtain bread for his
starving family. He has no cattle
whatever, nor any means of getting any.
The prospect of a harvest perished in the flood.
The Rev. S.
KAY.
Graham’s
Town,
------------------------------------------
Extract of
a memorial of Sarah CADLE, dated
“That your
memorialist (on whom the maintenance and support of six orphan children have
devolved, by the sudden and awful death of her late husband, who was
unfortunately drowned in attempting to pass a river while overflowing its
banks, as the effects of the late rain in the afternoon of Saturday the 4th
instant,) begs leave to present her case to your notice and commiseration,”
&c. &c.
-------------------------------------------
“The late
storm committed dreadful ravages on the property of many of the already
distressed Settlers. I yesterday
relieved some heart-rending cases, arising out of this calamity; you will hear
the particulars of this storm from other quarters; after the cessation of about
ten days, I really fear, from appearances, that it is commencing again, and I
tremble for the consequences.
The Rev. W.
SHAW.
Graham’s
Town,
-------------------------------------------
(Case of
Wm.
“Your petitioner
having sustained a severe loss by the damage done to his house at Bathurst, by
the late heavy rains, which has reduced it to so ruinous a state, that it must
be re-built, at an expense of not less than 700 or 800 Rds.
(Signed)
Wm.
-----------------------------------------
“
Dear Sir,
You may
remember when you were in this neighbourhood, the distressed state of Samuel
LEVERSAGE, (the head of a party,) and FORESTER, one of his party. Their distress has increased daily since that
time, the former from having all the land he had brought into cultivation taken
from him, the latter from not having the means to complete his house since its
destruction by the late storm, &c.
(Signed)
George PIGOT.”
-----------------------------------------------
(Case of
Henry LLOYD.)
“I last
year anticipated produce which would supply my family until the ensuing crops
of Indian corn, solid-stemmed wheat, and potatoes, which have hitherto been
sure crops, the flood destroyed the whole; nor have I the means, without
assistance, to put seed in the ground this year.
(Signed)
Henry LLOYD.
Beaufort
Vale,
-----------------------------------------------
Case of
Mrs. GRIFFITHS.)
“Her house
has been twice nearly totally washed down by storm, which she has repaired by
means arising from her almost unexampled industry.
(Signed)
Wm.
-----------------------------------------------
Why Mr. RIVERS should have had few or no applications for
relief, in consequence of sufferings or loss occasioned by the storm, which
took place in the beginning of October, 1823, I shall leave others to
determine; but the above extracts published in the report of the Society for 1824,
will show, that this circumstance on which Mr. RIVERS congratulates himself, is
not to be accounted for on the principle that there was no loss to repair, no
distress to relieve in consequence of the above calamitous event, and the
extracts here given, are a few only of the many distressing details which were
received from Albany, shortly after the storm had subsided.
The writer of Mrs. CADLE’s memorial, dated 2/ Oct. 1823,
speaks of the late rain in which her husband was drowned, on the 4th
instant. On the 23d October, Mr. SHAW
[*The Rev. W. SHAW is a gentleman of great respectability, and a Wesleyan
Minister, attached to one of the parties of the Settlers in
From the above extract it appears this storm happened early
in October; on the 23d of the same month, Mr. SHAW in a letter dated from Graham’s
Town, says, ‘yesterday, I relieved some heart-rending cases arising out of this
calamity;’ and yet the Landdrost in a letter to Mr. CURRIE, dated 11 November,
says, ‘I am happy to say I have had few or no applications for relief, in
consequence of sufferings or loss from the late bad weather,’ &c. &c.
&c.
Is it to this state of things we are to look for an
explanation of the surprise expressed by Capt. CRAUSE, at the unexpected
success of his mission as stated in the following extract in a letter of the
Rev. W. BOARDMAN, in the printed Correspondence? – “From Capt. CRAUSE, who
slept at our house last night, I have the satisfaction to learn, that he has
hitherto succeeded in his mission beyond his expectations.”
--------------------------------------
On the statement in this pamphlet, of the receipts and expenditure
of the fund raised in 1822, immediately under the patronage of Government, I
find little to remark. In the figured account, the sum of 1352 Rds. is
introduced, without any date, in the following manner:-
Articles
prepared for distribution to women and children, the same as in August, 1822, -
1352 Rds.
The Reader
will not fail to remark, that they are said to be prepared only for
distribution; that is to say, if words have any meaning, that these articles
were not distributed when this statement was made in 1824.
The
articles specified in this account, dated
I shall
leave the task to others, to reconcile the heading of this account, “for the
use of the
“Oliveburn,
The
Landdrost, and the Rev. Mr. GEARY, and myself, are charged with the
distribution of the charity for lying-in women at their own houses, patronized
by Lord and Lady SOMERSET, and others, which has introduced some sad cases to
us, and it is likely to be useful. Your
more extensive means must do infinite good, and I am happy to act with such men
as Mr. SHAW and Mr. PHILIPPS.”
I stated at
the General Meeting of Society for the Relief of Distressed Settlers on
A. B. DIETZ 15 Rds.
C. F. POHL 15
A. FRIEND 2
R. WEINARD 5
Mr. NELSON 5
Ninin
CUMMING 1
J. DEVINE 3
F.
BLACKBEARD 1
E. H.
HANGER 10
H.
John LAWLER 2
J. MASHALL
1
F. WILLIAMS 2
Mr. KNOWELS 1
Johan
BERTRAM 2
William
CURRIE 2
C.T.
THORNHILL (in rye) 5
Wm. LLOYD,
Qr.-Mastr. Serg. 6th Regt. 2
A.
MACDONALD 2
Mr. ROSS 1
Andrew
CONWAY 2
Mr. FOLEY 2
John
ARMSTRONG 1
Mr. FORD 2
James FORD 3
Charles
STONE 5
P. FRAYNE 1
FRIEND 2
William
BEAR 5
Mr. WARD 5
Joseph
STEVENS 1
Mr. LANNEM 1
Mr. RICKETS 2
FRIEND 1
Mr. MARTIN 2
Mr. OGELVY 1
J.
PLOUGHMAN 2
Js.
MORECRAFT 1
---------
Rds. 126
In reference
to this case, (the HARDENS’), I am authorized to add to what has been already
stated, - Mrs. HARDEN (now FLETCHER) never received the twenty-five Rix-dollars
Mr. BAILIE says he was authorized by Mr. RIVERS to give her, - the milch cow he
speaks of, - nor the 50 Rix-dollars placed to her account in the printed
Correspondence, as having been communicated to her through the medium of Mr.
BOWKER.
In
vindication of the character of Mr. BOWKER, I am authorized to state, that he
not only never received the 50 Rix-dollars which he is said to have paid to
Mrs. HARDEN, but that when asked by the Landdrost, whether she had received any
money from the fund, he replied, that she had not, and at the same time
reminded the Landdrost that he had written to him to request assistance for
this family, and that his letter had never been answered.
-----------------------------------------
Extract of
a letter from
“Can any thing
more be glaring that sending for precisely the same quantity of things first
supplied – many of them were evidently useless, as there was not Hospital to be
fitted up. This being without a voucher
is a little remarkable; and it may be doubted whether the best supplied store
at
-------------------------------------------
Further
Particulars in relation to the Distribution of the Money
Extract of
a letter from Capt. CAMPBELL, dated Graham’s Town,
“I can
hardly imagine that Mr. RIVERS would have inserted the following sums, if he
could have foreseen that they would have been exposed to the public eye.
To cash
paid Mrs. ARMSTRONG 5
To cash
paid Mr. BOWKER, for Mrs. HARDEN
50
To cash
paid Mr. BOWKER, for distressed Settlers in his neighbourhood 100
To cash
paid P. ADAMS
50
To cash
paid J. WALKER
50
--------
Rds. 255
“You will
perceive that this sum (Rds. 255) makes nearly one-third of the sum which he
states to have been distributed to the distressed Settlers; and we have
ascertained that not one dollar reached the persons against whose names the
sums are placed. We shall be able to
learn by-and-by whether any further sums are in the same state.”
(Copy)
Sir, Having
seen the Landdrost of Albany’s statement of distributions, made on behalf of
the Benevolent Fund for the relief of poor lying-in women and distressed
Settlers. I saw with astonishment, my
name placed as having received, May 3d, 1823, Five Rix-dollars Four Skillings,
which statement is entirely false; totally destroyed as my house was, with all
my corn, clothing, &c. in short every useful thing, I did not receive any
assistance from the Landdrost, excluding half a muid of wheat.
I am, Sir,
Your most
obedient humble servant,
(Signed)
George CLAYTON
James
RICHARDSON’s Party.
And believe
me, Sir, had I not been relieved by some neighbouring friends at that time, I
must have been reduced to utter starvation.
(Copy)
Having been
informed that my name has been inserted in an account of sums distributed to
the Settlers, as having received the sum of Five Rix-dollars, I hereby declare
that I have never received that or any other sum.
It is true
that Mr. ONKRUYDT once offered me money, but I declined it, and told him, all
that I called for was to receive my proportion of rice, as due to me in common,
with the rest of the Settlers.
(Signed,)
Catherine ARMSTRONG.
Witness:
(Signed) Thomas PHILIPPS, Wm. SHEPHERD
Graham’s
Town,
Extract of
a letter from Mr. J. P. ADAMS, addressed to Mr. RUTHERFOORD.
“I hope you
will be able, through the means of the Newspaper, to contradict Mr. RIVERS’s
statement of having relieved me, by a gift of 50 Rds. from a fund established
for the relief of lying-in women.”
(Copy)
I the
undersigned have received the under-mentioned articles of relief from the
Landdrost of Albany:-
1lbs.
Rice. None.
¼ lb. Tea.
1½ - sugar.
¼ - Sago.
Money –
none.
(Signed)
Thomas WALKER.
I the
undersigned was with Mr. WALKER, and received it for him , and weighed it for
him.
(Signed)
James LANCE.
The above
person came a distance of 20 miles, and remained four days at LANCE’s expence.
(Signed)
Thomas FRANCIS.
Graham’s
Town,
End of Part
1
Printed by
244
Letter
addressed by Harry RIVERS, Esq.
To the
Colonial Secretary,
In
explanation of Certain Assertions and Documents contained in the
“Reply to a
Pamphlet, entitled, Authentic Copies of a Correspondence.”
To Sir
Richard PLASKET,
Secretary
to Government
Sir,
I have the
honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Letter, transmitting to me, by desire
of His Excellency the Governor, the printed Reply of Dr. PHILIP to the
Authentic Correspondence which took place in consequence of a Statement made at
the Annual Meeting of the Settlers’ Fund Society, in Cape Town, in August last;
and I have the honor to state, that, as the Reply of Dr. PHILIP does not afford
any proofs of the truth of the charges made by him sufficient to shake the
evidence contained in the Authentic Correspondence, - which has established
incontrovertibly, that Relief had been afforded by the Local Authority in
Albany to the HARDEN Family, and that the Landdrost had the warmest inclination
to assist Distressed Settlers, I shall not comment thereon, but that I shall
pass to the Appendix, being the only part of the Publication requiring my
notice, as an attempt has been there made to invalidate the Account of
Disbursements, entered in Page 54 of the Authentic Correspondence, as to the
application of a sum of Rix-dollars 829 :2.
To the
Extract in Page 29, and to the remarks on the altered style of Mr. GODLONTON,
and the non-addition of Mr. GODLONTON’s name to the List of Subscribers for the
relief of HARDEN.
I reply by
a copy of Mr. GODLONTON’s own statement of the transaction:-
(Copy of
letter to H. RIVERS, Esq.)
Graham’s
Town,
Sir,
In reply to
your inquiries as to the correctness of a statement signed D. CAMPBELL, and
purporting to have been made by Mrs. HARDEN, I have the honor to state that
many particulars therein are erroneous.
Mrs.
HARDEN, according to the statement furnished by D. CAMPBELL, is made to say,
that she got a person to write to you for assistance, but getting no reply, she
requested Mrs. WAKEFORD to ask me about it, and that I informed her I had
spoken once or twice to you on the subject, but had received no answer:- with
reference to which, I beg to state, that Mrs. HARDEN never informed me that you
had been written to on the subject; that the communication received by me was
not a verbal one, but a letter signed by W. HARDEN, and written, as I have been
lately informed, by Thomas ROWLES, and which I immediately upon receipt
thereof, handed to you, as stated in my letter in the printed Correspondence;
and when I waited on the Rev. W. GEARY, which I did that moment by your order,
I handed him the same document, and I have no doubt but that Gentleman, and
Mrs. GEARY, who was likewise present, will, from recollection of the
circumstance, be able to corroborate this fact.
It is rather curious that Mrs. HARDEN should state that I had once or
twice spoken to you on the subject without making any allusion to the way in
which I had received the information of her distressed situation. I have recently made inquiries among the
persons who were neighbours of Mrs. HARDEN during her Husband’s illness, and
have been positively assured, that Mrs. HARDEN and her Family were never in
want during that period; and I may be allowed to state, that at the period of
my visit, upon Mrs. HARDEN stating to me some little backwardness on the part
of one or two individuals to grant them assistance, I immediately waited upon
Mr. WAKEFORD, the acting Head of the Party, and the most opulent person in the
immediate neighbourhood, and requested he would furnish them from time to time
with any necessary they might be in want of, upon my personal guarantee; and
likewise afforded Mrs. HARDEN some pecuniary assistance, for the purpose of
purchasing eggs, which she stated they were in want of. I am induced to mention this, having just
seen a printed Statement of Dr. PHILIP, wherein he states, with reference to a
certain Subscription, that it is curious my name does not appear to that List,
and he therefore evidently wishes it to be inferred, that I did not
contribute. But I would ask Dr. PHILIP,
whether it is always necessary to publish an act of that sort; and whether he
is aware that I did afford pecuniary assistance as far as my limited means
would allow; and that HARDEN died under the shelter of my roof, and was
interred in my garden.
I have the
honor to be, Sir,
Your
obedient Servant,
(Signed) R.
GODLONTON.”
This
letter, and that of Mr. BAILIE, (Enclosure 1, in the Authentic Correspondence,)
refute the statement of Mrs. HARDEN, and prove that immediate attention was
shewn by me to HARDEN’s application, and assistance afforded.
With
respect to the milch cow, my order for its purchase is plainly avowed in Mr.
BAILIE’s letter and if Mr. BAILIE did
not make the purchase, I conclude he can give satisfactory reasons for not
having done so.
As to the
twenty-five Rix dollars, it certainly appears by Mr. BAILIE’s receipt to the
Landdrost to have been only twenty-two; but it should be kept in mind that
neither these twenty-two Rix-dollars, given under my order by Mr. BAILIE to
Mrs. HARDEN, or the twenty Rix-dollars paid to LLOYD, are charged in the
account, but compose a sum due to me, in addition to what will hereafter appear
to have been advanced by me.
(Copy)
Graham’s
Town,
“Received
of Harry RIVERS, Esq. Landdrost of
Rds. 22 for
the Widow HARDEN
Rds. 20
Henry LLOYD
(Signed)
John BAILIE.”
The fifty
Rix-dollars, believed by me to have been paid to Mrs HARDEN by Mr. BOWKER, and
consequently so stated, is a confusion of the Funds, as I had been informed, on
authority on which I could rely, that such a sum had passed through the hands
of Mr. BOWKER, and been received by Mrs. HARDEN, and being ignorant that Mr.
BOWKER had the distribution of any other Fund than that received through the
hands of Government, I was fully impressed with the conviction that it was from
that Fund he supplied the fifty Rix-dollars.
The
knowledge of Mrs. HARDEN having received relief, will also account for my not
reply to Mr. BOWKER’s letter.
With regard
to the Extract of a Letter from Capt. CAMPBELL, relating to the following five
items :
To cash
paid Mrs. ARMSTRONG Rds 5
Ditto. Mr
BOWKER for Mrs. HARDEN Rds.50
Ditto Do. For Distressed Settlers in his
neighbourhood Rds.100
Ditto. To
T.P.
Ditto. To
J.
To the
denial of Mrs. ARMSTRONG, I oppose the Certificate of Mr. ONKRUYDT, (District
Clerk of Albany,) who declares to have himself given to her five Rix-dollars
from the Fund, in order to purchase Rice:-
(Copy)
“I hereby
certify, that I have a perfect recollection, that Mrs. ARMSTRONG called at my
Office, being desired thereto by Mrs. RIVERS, when she stated the distressed
state in which she and her family were laboring under, and when I gave her five
Rixdollars, from the Subscription Fund, to buy Rice with.
(Signed)
M.J. ONKRUYDT
Graham’s
Town,
I have
before admitted the error in the second item, arising from my confounding the
two Societies, which the circumstance, unknown to me, of Mr. BOWKER being
employed in the distribution of the Funds of both Societies had occasioned, and
it has been proved that Mrs. HARDEN had been generally relieved, and that she
received fifty Rixdollars, though not, as I had supposed, from the Fund in
Albany.
From the
same cause also, I erroneously considered the sum of about 100 Rds. as having
been disposed of in small donations by Mr. BOWKER, and to be placed to the
The
underwritten letter will prove, that fifty Rix-dollars have been paid to T.P.
ADAMS, and to J. WALKER, which sums, so advised by me in December 1823, were
carried to the account of the Fund by the Authorities in
(Copy)
Graham’s
Town,
Sir,
I have the
honor to acquaint you, for the information of His Excellency the Governor, that
in consequence of the heavy losses experienced by the undermentioned persons
during the late rains, I have afforded them pecuniary assistance, to enable
them to repair their damages, &c.
Messrs. COLLIS and PAWLE have entered into Notarial Bonds for the
repayment, with interest, of the sums advanced to them.
I have
drawn on the District Agents for the following amount, and have the honor to
request, that His Excellency will order a Warrant to be passed for the sum of
Rds. 1,050, to enable him to meet these Drafts.
J. COLLIS Rds.600
T. PAWLE 200
T.P.
J.
B. BURNETT 150
I have the honor to be,
Sir, Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) Harry
RIVERS.”
Lieut.-Col.
BIRD, &c. &c. &c.
The three
last sums were placed to the Subscription Fund by the order of Government.
The sum of
200 Rds. was shortly afterwards lent by the Government to T.P. ADAMS, for which
he passed a Notarial Bond, and I hold ADAMS’ receipt for two hundred and fifty
Rix-dollars paid to him by me in December 1823.
To George
CLAYTON, by his own acknowledgement, was delivered, Half a Muid of Wheat, at
the rate of eleven Rix-dollars per muid.
Referring
to the account, (of the Authentic Correspondence) there appear Disbursements
paid by, or due from, me, to the amount of Rix-dollars 829:2. From this amount I deduct the sum of Rds.
250, carried to the account in
The result
of the whole account, therefore, is, that the over-payment made by me of 121
Rds. 2 Sks. And the over-expenditure in the officially printed Account, signed
by the Acting Colonial Secretary, of 130 Rds. 1
Trusting
that the Statement which I have now the honor to submit, will be satisfactory
to His Excellency the Governor, I have the honor to be,
Sir, Your
very obedient Servant
Harry
RIVERS
.