Free Settlers

Klein Valley 21\st/ Oct\r/ 1820 /
To His Excellency General Sir R. S. Donkin /
Acting Governor and Commander in Chief of the Cape of /
Good Hope /
The humble Petition of the Free Settlers /
at Klein Valley Clan William, most respectfully /
Sheweth /
That your Petitioners are fully convinced of /
your Excellency’s kind disposition towards them, notwithstanding /
the great trouble that some of them have occasioned you . . /
That as they have been disappointed of the honor of /
your Excellency’s presence here, they hope you will excuse their laying /
the following statement before you; for they should think themselves /
blameable were they not to make their case known. /
That your Petitioners earnestly hope your Excellency will /
take into your gracious consideration the great trouble and expence /
they have been put to; the length of time since they embarked, the /
20\th/ of December; and a long time before they were located here; together /
with the advanced season of the year not allowing sufficient time /
to clear the ground properly, the consequence of which has been /
the almost entire failure of their Crops from the powerful effects /
of the Satlpetre with which the ground here is highly /
impregnated .. All these things have operated greatly against /
your Petitioners, and they find the little money they had for their /
support almost exhausted, without a prospect of any return before /
them; which compels them to throw themselves on the liberality /
or your Excellency hoping you will be graciously pleas’d to /
grant them some remuneration similar to that which those /
have experienced who left this place for the Z+uureveldt. /
To enable your Excellency to have some idea of the /
partition of the Valley and how inadequate some of the present /
portions of land are for their support, your Petitioners have /
annex’d a sketch of the same. /
>
Lots of Land /
N\o/ 1. M\r/ Shawe Wife, Child, Mother 7+ 2 Men. 25 Acres of Land only fit for /
cultivation /
2. M\r/ Holditch wife 7+ 2 children 6 acres /
M\r/ Woodcock holds 1000 acres of Land distributed as follows: /
Land fit for /
cultivation /
not ascertain’d /
but most of which /
is without water /
Your petitioners beg to inform your Excellency that on /
M\r/ Parker receiving his Land here, he reserv’d the wood on the /
small Islands near the Oliphant River for the Public use, /
as it consists of fire wood and small Rafters only; but since /
M\r/ Woodcock has been located on the adjoining Land, he has /
claim’d the same as private property. Should he persist /
in this, it will be a serious inconvenience to your Petitioners /
to collect firewood 7+c. .. Your Petitioners therefore /
hope that your Excellency will be pleased to direct that they /
may be allowed the free use of the said Wood as there is /
sufficient for all. /
Your Petitioners beg leave to as+sure your Excellency /
that they will use their best exertions to further the views of His Majesty’s /
Government for the welfare of the Colony and as in duty bound /
will ever pray 7+c 7+c /
Sam\l/ Edw\d/ Shawe John Hare James Stone /
James Allison George Baker /
James Murray /