Cooper, Joseph

To His Excellency The Right Honourable /
General Lord Charles Henry Somerset /
Governor of His Majesty’s Castle; Town /
and Settlement of the Cape of Good Hope /
7+c 7+c 7+c /
May it please Your Excellency /
The Memorial of Joseph Cooper most humbly /
Sheweth /
That your Excellency’s Memorialist came to this Colony /
in the Year 1819 as an independent Settler, and has sunk a very /
considerable Sum by the repeated failure of his Crops /the Sicknes+s among his Cattle\ the depradations of the Caffres, and the Memorable Flood in 1823 /
That your Excellency’s Memorialist sowed /this season\ a considerable /
portion of Land with Barley, thinking that the sale of gree Forage /
to the Commis+sariat Department, would relieve him from those embarras+s\ts/ /
into which his well know los+ses have plunged him, but he has been /
disappointed by the present contract and this additional effort of his /
industry has only contributed the more effectually to complete his ruin /
as his Crop still remains on hand, and under these painful circumstances /
he humbly implores that your Excellency will be graciously pleased to /
grant him a Loan of 1000 Rix Dollars, for which the most undeniable /
Security will be given, and your Memorialist as in duty bound will ever pray /
Grahams Town Nov\r/ 16\th/ _ 1824 /
Joseph Cooper /