Kuruman 20th June 1843
My Dear Friend
I recieved your most welcome & long expected letter a few days
ago, and I assure you my heart was made white by its perusal. I am
5glad you have at length arrived at a sphere of labour & that there is a
prospect of your labour being crowned with success. May you have
an unction from the Holy one that magny sinners may through your
instrumentality be baptized with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven
But while I am glad to hear of your prospects I feel sorry that you
10have some [ ]/> pain in that you are not enjoying the full cooperation
of your dear partner in life. The debility of which you spoke
I hope however is by this time removed and you may now be
both vigourously prosecuting the great work for which we have
been sent to the Heathen. I am not going to give you medical
15advice at such a distance but you could easily manufacture
a shower bath which if used when you are not sensible
of either chill or fatigue I have no doubt would benefit you
both. You must present my Christian Love to Mrs D &
her little Jean. I mention it now lest as I am still this old
20batchelor I should forget it at the end. Ingles is married &
now on his way up here, so is Moore & now on his way
to your quarter. Prentice is married to Catrine & has a child
I believe he got her because he intended to be a missionary
now he is stuck up in his fathers counting house at
25Stowmarket & John Hay is expected home to be noosed to
Lucy. Thus you see the world goes on and all my good
example is lost upon it. O Tempores O mores! You
thought I should turn foolish at the Cape What nonsense
man Do you think I would take a thing in hand &
30not carry it through But I suppose I must give in
directly for I shall get a few of the wise sayings of
Magregor before long.
I am happy to hear you are succeeding with the
language. I had to speak long before I knew what to
35say. Colics came in by dozens & sore bellies by the score &
if I did not help them they were sure to help me. I then
set off N left all European Society, went far north
& beyond every other white man in order to learn the
different dialects of the language, the latter I partially
40effected & now I can speak so as to be understood
by any of them. The language of the other tribe however is
that in which I am most expert, I can preach
in it with nearly the same ease as I can speak
English But still I have something to learn, I can not
45apply all the words I know at the exact time when
I wish to use have them. By the above course I have
been made acquainted with the customs & modes of thinking
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of the people better than if I had remained as one station, and
there being but a very slender assistance to be to be derived from the
language used in the testament the above course was absolutely
necessary. During my first visit to the Interior I went as
5far as North East as far as Lat 22º S. Long 29º E. & visited many
tribes who had never before seen a white face. By
means of native teachers with me I was enabled in a poor
[ ]/> way to proclaim the message of mercy. That tour
lasted 4 months & now I am just returned from another
10of a like duration, But this is a weary wide wide
country & the people are scattered over it at immense
distances from each other. I could give you many
anecdotes of wild beasts if you were a lover of such
stuff but as I know you are not I would fain
15give you something more profitable. I have not been
allowed to attempt anything of a permanent nature in
consequence of an interdict of the Directors, they forbade
information of any new station untill the whole
mission should be organized, this organization was
20to take place after the arrival of Mr Moffat & the
other bretheren & means simply, a committee is to
be got up by Mr M. in opposition to the former
state of things by Dr Phillip. A committee it is to be
alias a presbetery. this is as much against the grain
25with me as the bishoprick is. But if it will advance
the cause I wont spend time quarelling. I have not
the least confidence in the wisdom either collective or
individual of our S. African bretheren. There has been
too much jarring & now a committee the result of a jar
30It does not bode well. I shall give it the go by if I
see nonsense springing up. O that none of my life
may be spent in vain jangling after I have had
such an opportunity of devoting it to him who
died to save me.
This mission has been pretty successful among
the Bechuanas, But a stranger coming here would
not know it. Indeed he would feel disappointment
if he had read the accounts published respecting it
They are far below the Hottentots in point of civiliz
40-ation & general information as well as morality
Of a church composed of more than 300 I dont know
half a dozen of whom I could say with confidence
the man appears to have consacrated himself to
the Redeemer. But notwithstanding the change
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among them upon the whole has been wonderful. the
difference which exists between professed believers &
the professed heathen is such as to make one feel there
there must be something more than outward conformity notwit-
5hstanding all the darkness & perversity with which it is
asociated. the pure heathen are as degraded in soul
body & spirit as its it is possible to concieve the human
-ity mind to be & nothing but the Holy Spirit can produce any
the least change in such characters. Very soon I
10expect to depart for the Interior & assist in the form
-ation of a station at the Bakhatla tribe. they are the
iron smelters of whom Mr Campbell heard but
was not permitted to see & they are situated very
near the spot where he faced round to go away
15home. It is also near the spot where Mosilkatse
was seen by Mr Moffat. You will read an
account of him in Mr M's book. You will
see numerals in that book, for instance the
immense armies of Mosilikatse, cut off a few
20cyphers always then you will have the truth
I do not wish to say a word against Mr M but
in his love for the good cause he sometimes .
He always calls thousands what others who were with
him call hundreds. I hope he will be still mo[ ]
25useful than he has been. Indeed I have no doubt
he will if he has not been spoiled in England
Is it true that Good Mr Williams was spoiled by the
people in E? We fear for Mr M. It is not every
one who can drink of the cup of flattery & not get
30"top heavy"
I have heard from the Pyne's frequently, also
from Mrs Cecil & other friends whom you know
Wee Thomas wrote this shabby thing had no
time to write to any one but Catrine. Is he a mission
35-ary as she expected? Birt lost his wife a few
weeks ago by the overturning of his waggon,
mine was overturnd twice during my late journey
& yet I am spared, may my spared life be devoted
to Him who spares it. Fairbrother is still at
40Springhill & is expected to go out to Benares, Parker
is at Homerton & Jock Bradford is at the scalpel
Poor dear Moore my heart is sore when I think
of him. He wished to come out here & I groaned
for it But it was selfishness on my part he
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will be more useful where he is young. Blessings upon
the head of Joseph & on the crown of the head of him
who is separated from his bretheren. I shall write
you again before long & you you must do the
5same to me, then we shall have a letter in adva
& there wont be such a long gap in our corresp
-ondence. By the Bye, I have thought of you, then
you will not be unwilling to give some mission
information to a projected Welsh periodical which
10is to be chiefly devoted to missionary matters. Tell me
& I shall give your name to the Editor. If you will
supply a letter occasionally it will be translated &
published & may advance the cause of our blessed savi
Care of Revd Dr Phillip Cape Town
Revd George Drummond
Island of Savaii
South Seas
Salome Cecil is very ill of some complaint of the Liver
You have probably heard of Mr Wright's death, I mean Mr
Wright of Ongar. Mr Wright of Griqua Town is also
dead . He was an able & efficient missionary, & his
place will not soon be filled up May we who are
25spared be enabled to work while we are able & glorify
Our Father in Heaven. My very kind regards to
Mrs D. & believe me ever yours most affectionately
I shall be content if you address me just D Livingston
as I write there without any time & to the care of Dr Phillip Cape Town.