White, Richard and John

To His Excellency the Right Honorable General Lord /
Charles Henry Somerset Governor and Commander in Chief /
of His Majesty’s Castle, Town and Settlement &c &c &c of the /
Cape of Good Hope. /
The Memorial of Richard & John White of Collingham /
Location most humbly. /
Sheweth. /
That your Memorialists came to this Colony under the /
direction of the late M W\m/ Clark and they paid the deposit as /
required by the British Government. /
Your Memorialists were located at Governors Cop. /
and remained on their allotments during three seasons, and from /
the succes+sive failure of their Crops and their house having been /
washed down by heavy rains, they took the benefit of an offer /
made them by A. B. Dietz Esq\r/ of this farm (called Tempe’ ) in /
the immediate neighbourhood and joining to your Memorialists /
allotments, (still Keeping their own land in Cultivation) here they /
cultivated as much land as the time would allow, before the flood /
took place in October 1823, they had sown Wheat, Indian & Caffer /
Corn, plantid out 3000 Tobacco plants, Potatoes, Pumpkins and every /
sort of pulse and vegetables, also fruit trees of every Kind which /
had every prospects of bearing that season, all of which was swept /
away by that visitation of Providence, and deprived them of all /
their hopes and expectations, and what was still more disturbing, /
the land on which the whole was growing, was also carried away /
in many places to the depth of five feet. at the same time their /
house on the location was again washed down and the whole the /
garden /
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garden ground swept away with all the fruit trees which had been /
plantid the first season they were located, all of which damage /
and total los+ses amounted to at least 1200 Rix dollars, but then /
greatest los+s, was that of having been deprived of their winter supply /
of grain, pulse and keeping vegetables, and from being then too late /
in the season to cultivate other ground to retrieve their los+s, your /
Memorialists were entirely ruined, not having any further Measure /
left them to resume their sanguine wishes, that of providing for /
themselves without benevolent aid, as had it not been for the hospitable /
and charitable aid of A B. Dietz Esq\r/, your Memorialists /
must have falled benieth the overweigh of an abbusive Providence /
Your Memorialists most humbly prays your Excellency /
will be please to take their forlorn case into /your\ humane Consideration /
and grant them the sum of 1000 rixdollars out of the Colonial /
Loans,for which they have nothing more to offer as a security, /
except that of their locations and their personal property, and /
as many of their fellow Settlers have obtain’d grants of Colonial /
Loans, under the like security, your Memorialists trusts your /
Excellency will not exclude them from the benefit, which may /
result from that liberality, which have thus been evinced by /
the British & Colonial Government towards their distres+sed /
subjects. /
And your Memorialist as they are in duty bound /
will ever pray. /
Richard & John White /
Father and Son /
and Copartners /
Collinghan Location /
near Grahams Town /
January 4\th/ 1825 /