Wilmot, Benjamin

To His Excellency Lord Charles Somerset Governor /
of the Cape of Good Hope 7+c 7+c 7+c. /
The Memorial of Benjamin Wilmot /
Humbly Sheweth /
That your Memorialist gave up his prospects /
in his own profes+sion (the Law) at home, to accompany /
his Brother to this Colony, who had been advised by the /
faculty as a means of restoring him to health; {and} that /
he has striven jointly with him unsucces+sfuly against/
the genial calamities and natural impediments to /
the line of life they adopted, that of Farmers 7+ Graziers , /
in which pursuits they have expended upwards of 6000 RD. /
besides suffering greatly by the depredation of the Caffers. /
Your Memorialist having heard that his eldest /
Brother who has been established 12 years as a Solicitor /
and with whom your Memorialist had served his time, /
had from severe indisposition become deranged in his /
intellects, your Memorialist then immediately arranged /
his pecuniary affairs and intended immediately to /
proceed home to settle the affairs of his family and _ /
retain such part of his Brothers’ connexion as might /
be left and commence practising as an Attorney but /
having been prevented embracing those prospects (the /
pecuniary means being unlawfully withheld from him ) /
he has every reason now, to believe that the many /
delays that have already and that must occur before /
he could reach England has considerably diminished /
if not distorted those profes+sional prospects /
Your Memorialist is therefore now compelled to /
solicit your Excellencys permis+sion to practice as a /
Notary in this Colony, as the number of years he /
has sacrifised to the Study of his profes+sion {and} /
{as there is } disqualifies him from acquiring any /
other, and as there is no prospect of succeeding /
here in busines+s without some knowledge and /
adequate Capital he feels that his profes+sion is the /
only /
>
Vocation that presents to him a prospect of a living /
and which he always considered would be open to him /
in case of Misfortunes, or if his other pursuits failed /
provided he submitted himself to the usual examinations /
and he anticipates that your Excellencys proclamation /
limiting the number of practitioners to that already /
in practice, will be no hindrance to your Memorialist /
being admitted as by the decision of the Commis+sion /
of Justice made last week there is now a vacancy /
your Memorialist therefore humbly /
intreats your Excellency will be graciously /
pleased to grant him such permis+sion on /
the conditions of his conforming and _ /
submitting himself to the established or usual /
forms and examinations /
And your Memorialist /
will ever pray /
Benjamin Wilmot /
N\o/ 9. Castle Street /
Cape Town /
May 10\th/ 1824. /