I feel sorry to conclude. I feel it as easy to write you as talk to a bosom crony But time or the want of it forbids Mr Inglis is in my
house at Mabotsa & has lately added another unit to the Worlds population in the shape of a daughter son. We go Eastward again
to take farther steps towards Paul's settlement with Mokhatla. Please present very kind regards from my rib to Mrs Connel
she finds it impossible at present to write. She works early & late & hard too
Chonuane 9th Octr 1846
My Dear Friend
I am sure you have wondered again & again why
your seed box has been so long in making its appearance. The
reason of the delay has been the isolation ^ to which we have for
10a long time been subject. Even our Kuruman friends
were in ignorance of our welfare for about six months
and the transmission of the box was an impossibility. The
country has been very much disturbed of late. The Caffre
war has raged & rendered communication through the
15colony very precarious. You must have heard of the
destruction of nearly all the mission stations &c throughout
Caffreland. If I had sent sooner the whole of the contents
would probably have been lost by delay on the frontiers of
the Colony - or perhaps they might have fallen into lawless
20hands. I need not say more about the delay except
that in process of time it has grown from a small box
to a pretty large one and contains - the following articles
We have better prospects of usefulness here than at any former period. But there is not a single convert. Let us have
your prayers What may common windows without glass cost in Glasgow? I have seen cast iron ones which would
do well for our chapel but may have mistaken, I cannot make them not having the tools
The seven Karosses or skin cloaks are placed at your disposal
5and although I have a desire to present one to Mrs McRobert one
to Mrs Connel & one to each of the friends Paton, White &
I do not presume to dictate except in reference to these ladies
Let Mrs Mc R have her choice - then Mrs Connel then do what you
think proper in reference to every thing else{and} everybody else
10Remember however to present my very warmest thanks
to each of the above named friends & everyone besides who
may have placed me under obligation to do so - I am sorry
have appeared lacking in the acknowledgement line. It
certainly did not arise from want of gratitude and having
15given a general assurance of thankfulness when I heard of
your projected kindnesses I thought I might wait till
I saw the presents. The majority of the articles sent never
came. This loss was I believe mainly owing to their being
packed in casks. Even very strong ones soon yield to
20the influence of the climate - the ends fall in and a strong
temptation is placed in the way of carriers. The box
now sent will give you an idea of what does best
for this country. If dove tailed & a feather put into
the joinings such a box is just the thing. There is
25another box in it wrapped up in an old bag to prevent
the charcoal in which the bulbs are packed from
permeating through & spoiling the Karosses. The bulbs
number upwards of twenty - but the varieties included
may not amount to so many. The delay has brought
30them to the very "best" time of the year for conveyance
It was winter when they were taken up and as most
of them are very tenacious of life I think you will
have some satisfaction from them. They are not
in general covered with earth. A little more than
35half ought to do & but little water will suffice - the
soil of all ought to contain a considerable portion of
sand, I should imagine no manure, vegetable mould
need not predominate. The soil is usually firmly baked
around them whether by heat or rains I cannot tell
40You probably have some new plants as the botany of this
region has never yet been explored. If you discover a
new one it must be called - Whishii - Mrs Moffat
took the whole to the Kuruman last month -
After a protracted search I cannot lay my hands on yours con-
45taining a list of queries - I must try & answer much as I re-
collect & such as may not be answered you will place to the
account of defect of memory & nothing else Salary for
an unmarried missionary in our Society is £75. for a
married one £100. Our Society gives the least. The Wesleyans
50have considerably more. The French have £20 to £50 to be
John Wardlaw once in Glasgow. How employed? Do you know a surgeon in Glasgow call David
Wylie - Can you give his address &c whatever you please If any of my answers require explanation
Request that too
expended on improvements on the stations £80 being considered as
5supply for the missionary's personal wants. I cannot specify
the salaries of other Societies. I have never been intimate with any except
the French. They have a mechanic on each station. Other Societies'
missionaries employ mechanics from the Colony to build &c &c
We do all ourselves £75 seemed a large sum to me. I thought I could
10maintain three native teachers out of it But it takes all my £100
now to keep my station going. It would be impossible to do with
less. I think it would be an advantage if we had less manual labour
As I write now my hands have the same aching sensation I had when
spinning, my mind is often so exhausted by sympathy with the
15body I cannot write in the evening & this is the only time I have
I do not know in what I could curtail my expenses - these are
great chiefly in consequence of great distance from the coast
the prices of everything are doubled or more ere they reach us
A common clasp knife worth 6d sells for /3 A wretched fustian
20Jacket /18 is - £1. & other things in proportion. We recieve our
salaries in money invariably. Perhaps your question about
the equality of salaries referred to the missionaries of our society
All ^ in our society recieve alike. The majority I believe are content & we
try to leave the future with God. We have a man & his wife as
25servants, & a girl as a nurse maid. The man is waggon driver
& everything else he can do. His wife a servant of all work
these form our establishment But these are not all
we require. Grinding corn baking washing &c. are done by calling
on assistants from the town. Mrs L. changes these assistants
30as soon as they have acquired some knowledge of household duties
operations. These supernumeraries are taught reading as well
as washing &c. All sleep in their own homes - they become
familiarized by the process - they are paid in beads, a variety which
costs about 3 shillings per pound. I mention this that you may
35not think the three above specified all we employ. We adopted
the plan of employing others beside those absolutely necessary in
order to do good. Mrs L superintends everything domestic &
the superintendance involves her arms up to the elbows in all
processes. We must be at the beginning middle & end of
40everything everywhere If not, matters invariably go wrong Mebaloe
is the only man I know who carries a piece of work right
on to a termination without being looked after. We are all [ ]
the working clergy & no mistake I bought 10 cows for about
£11 when I was married I have the same number yet Each
45when in milk gives about a mutchkin. I once had seven in milk
at once & the whole did not yield as much as one cow at home
they cost nothing for grass - the herd gets one yearly. A pen made
of thorn bushes is all their accommodation. To have plenty
of milk throughout the year we ought to have forty cows. This
50would equal 2 or three cows in Scotland - there is no Tryst
We cannot purchase from Bechuanas From £1 to £1..10
is the price of a cow with the Traders Few bring them on
account of the losses they sustain by lions in the way
We have no sheep. I once bought 12 goats But whether
55they have increased or diminished I do not know. The man
in whose charge I placed them lives so far off I have heard
nothing about them for two years. I think I mentioned the price
of my horse. It was captured & recaptured I have it now
It is very useful - by sending out our man to ride down a
Giraffe or Eland we get a good supply of meat Each of
5these animals is very good but the Rhinoceros is our most
frequent fare. Baba a Kuruman convert was killed by
one last week. Unprovoked it rushed on him & ripped him up
Mebaloe & I galloped off when we heard of the accident -
A Rhinoceros disputed our passage and as it was midnight
10we were preserved only by Divine care. We saw a fire in
the distance & believe it was Baba - a party made towards
it We found that he had died the day before, & his com-
panions had gone on to lay his body in the dust at Mabotsa
I cannot at present write you with the care I ought
15You must excuse me - I shall do better when our
meeting house is finished I just now recollect another
question - the cost of conveyance a case is defrayed by the society as
far as Colesberg - on this side the Orange R. the expense is ours
Suppose a case 10st. It costs about 30 shillings from
20Algoa Bay to Colesberg. From Colesberg to Kuruman about
£1 more & then from K. to Chonuane about 10 shillings
I do not know the freight by sea
I thank you most heartily for the medicines you
sent - they are excellent. The gentleman you bought them
25of has acted conscientiously. There was no trash in the box. It
came most opportunely I was nearly out of some articles
I have seen boxes of medicines sent out to this country
(value £10 - £12) & nothing in them of value - the price was
made up by as much sulphur as would have cured all
30Argyleshire of the itch (& we have none of it here) & salts & senna
capable of giving a black draught to all the blacks from this to Timbuctoo
But yours are most judiciously selected & I
thank you most sincerely for your kindness
This is no missionary letter & the fault
35is entirely yours. May the Lord be with you
& bless you according to all your need.
Care of Revd Dr Philips Cape Town
Charles Whish Esquire
144 New City Road
Glasgow