Palmer, Thomas

To His Excellency the Governor Sir Rufane /
Shawe Donkin K. C. B. Commander in Chief of the /
Forces in the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope 7+c 7+c 7+c _ /
your Excellency will be pleased to pardon the Liberty /
I take in offering myself to your notice, and troubling /
you with my Complaints, which I hope you will be /
pleased to Honour with your Attention. /
I am a Settler of Wilsons party by /
profes+sions a Taner Currier, white Leather Dres+ser, and /
Dyer, Los+ses in Trade, and the want of Busines+s, in /
England, Induced me to try my fortune in this /
Country, my Memorial to the Earl Earl Bathurst ere I /
left England, who I beg leave to Submit to your Excellency, /
will farther shew my Condition and Character, my /
Exertions, and General Conduct Since I’ve been in /
the Colony, has Come under the Individual Notice of /
the Rev’d W\m/ Boardman, who Supervises the /
Party. /
Early in Dec\r./ last, as my finances were /
Nearly Exhausted by divers Expences on my Location /
and as a Report was there prevalent that the rations /
wou’d be Discontinued at the Close of the year, I was /
Induced to Accept an offer made me by M\r./ Hart /
to take Charge of Somerset Jan Yard, I beg to observe /
to your Excellency that I did so much to gain the /
means to further my Views on my Location at the /
End of my Engagement, which was for one year. /
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I have a pas+s from M\r./ Boardman, Signed by a /
Majastrate, and the Secretary of Grahams Town, which /
I then thought Sufficient, but Agreeable to the proclimation /
I left Somerset at a few days Notice, and have return’d /
to Grahams Town, on my way back to my Land. /
before I left Somerset M\r./ Hart preffer’d his Services /
to me, and promised that my things Shu’d be Sent /
to my Location, but to my Surprise I found that /
the driver had orders to proceed no farther then this /
place, and my things as were others, were thrown /
in the Street, were in the mud, and there Exposed /
two days and Nights, not being Able to get a place /
to put them in, nor a waggon to proceed, which /
Subjected me an Intire Stranger to the place, and /
the whole of its Inhabitance to a Considerable Los+s /
of property, Also to a heavy Expence, the particulars /
of which I forbear to trouble your Excellency with. /
when I arrived here on my was to Somerst /
M\r./ Hart Ordered all the things I Cou’d Spare to be /
put into the Government Store. He was under the /
Care of M\r./ M\c./Donald. on my return I made /
application for them, and found the head of one /
of my Casks Broke open, and a number of /
valuable Articles taken out, but tis Impos+sible /
for me to ascertain the whole of my Los+s in this /
latter Case, the Cask being made up with so many /
different Articles, there are other grievances Aris’g /
from the Same Cause, which I forbear to /
name, not wishing to Intrude too much /
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upon your Excellency’s patience, nor offend . /
those whose names I shou’d be oblight to being more /
in Location, Consequintly Create Enemies . /
but your Excellency will Allow me to observe, /
that I had a Lease of my House in England, that /
Contain’d the Remnant of my Little Fortune, on
which rested my future hopes, but according to /
its tenure, I Cou’d not lett or dispose of it without /
the Consent of the Landlord, which he refused to give /
to any one without Exception, well knowing of /
my Engagement to Come to this Country, and /
Instead of Receiving near 3000 Rds for it and fixtures,/
I was only allow’d by him for the latter, and an Under=rate /,
Consequently I Came to this Country under /
very Indifferent Circumstances, and very Unable /
to bear Any Additional Los+s. /
I beg that your Excellency will pardon the liberty /
I have taken, and take these matters into Consideration /
and If I am thought worthy of favour, and per=mitted/
to Expres+s any wishes to your Excellency, an /
Earth of Land at Bathurst, and a little Seed Corn /
wou’d be very Acceptable, as the Shortest, and best /
way to Recompense I can conceive, Also the /
Bathurst Skins at a Reasonable Contract, which /
wou’d be gratefully received by your Excellency’s /
very Humble, and Devoted Servant, and /
Memorialist Bound to pray /
Grahams Town /
Oct\r/ 22\d./ 1821 . /
Tho\s./ Palmer ./
P.S. Should your Excellency decline to Indulge /
me in the above favours, a Colonial pas+s or a pas+s to /
England wou’d be Gladly Received. the former I preffer. /