Watson, George

To His Excellency General the Right Honourable Lord Charles /
Somerset Governor of the Cape of Good Hope 7+c /

May it please your Excellency /
The Memorial of George Watson residing at Bathurst most humbly /
Sheweth /
That your Excellency’s Memorialist, some /
time ago purchased a Half Aum of Brandy from a Dutch /
man (who was the actual grower of the Grape ) in the public /
Market at Bathurst, and in the pres+sence of Mr Jarman, the /
Pachter of that district and Simon Bagley, a Constable, and /
of course without suspecting that he had thereby trans=gres+sed /
the Laws of the Colony, until the article he had purchased /
was taken from him, for he as+sures your Excellency that /
he was completely unacquainted with the Proclamation of the /
late Acting Governor bearing date in Aug\t/ 8 1821 as will /
evidently appear to your Excellency by the public manner /
in which he bought the Spirit before alluded to, for otherwise /
he would have been absolutely certain of its immediate seizure, /
which would have been succeeded by a heavy fine and your /
Excellency’s displeasure, which he certainly would not knowingly /
and wilfully incur, nor could it have answered any purpose /
whatever, /
That your Excellency’s Memorialist was /
permitted to complete his bargain without any previous warning /
or interruption from the two persons whose names are above /
inserted, and who he presumes must be well acquainted with /
the existing Laws of the Colony from the nature of the situations /
they held, and which is confirmed by Mr Bagley becoming the /
>

Informer, and which he humbly conceives, constitutes the /
the hardships of his case /
That your Excellency’s Memorialist was /
tried before the Worshipful Henry Rivers Esq\re/ and the Court /
of Hemraaden in Grahams Town , Feb\y/ 4\th/ 1822 and found /
guilty, but the Gentlemen composing the Tribunal, very /
kindly informed your Memorialist that they had no alternative /
but to convict him in the penalty which the Law had /
determined, but remembered him to lay his case before your /
Excellency, whose sole prerogative it was, to remit the fine /

That your Excellency’s Memorialist /
therefore most humbly and earnestly prays for the exercise of /
your well known clemency and goodnes+s towards him, and /
while he hereby expres+ses his deep and genuine contrition /
in having broken the Laws of the Colony (though under /
great ignorance) prays your Excellency to pardon the /
offence, and that you will be graciously pleased to allow /
him to have the Spirit which was taken from him returned /
and your Memorialist will ever feel himself in duty /
bound to pray 7+c /

Grahams Town, Feb\y/ 9\th/ 1822 /