Erith, James Thomas

His Excellency General, The Right Honorable Lord /
Charles Somerset, Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, 7+c 7+c 7+c /
May it please your Excellency, /
The Memorial of James Thomas Erith humbly /
Sheweth, /
That notwithstanding Your Excellency was pleased /
on the fourth of October to reply to His Memorial of the 30th of /
August, and therein stated that „Your Excellency had sent up /
to the Judicial Commis+sariat (M\r/ Hayward) for His report /
thereon”, But not receiving any further Information, /
has obliged Memorialist to again trouble Your Excellency /
on the subject. As the delay of a final answer to the Contents /
of that Memorial continues to add to the sufferings of Him self and /
Family, and He is therefore Induced from urgent motives to /
again take the liberty of reminding your Excellency that two more Posts /
has now elapsed /
Had the present distres+sed Circumstances of Memorialist /
Family originated in His own Misconduct, or by the Hand of /
Providence, He would have felt the remorse consequently /
attending the former or have bowed with Submis+sion to the /
latter. But when Oppres+sion has been the Precursor /
of all His misfortunes, and that by the very Authorities /
who ought to have protected Him _ He cannot help remarking /
to Your Excellency, that the feelings with which He now looks /
round on His Family are most Acute. (particularly at /
the present moment) when He is obliged to appeal to a Private /
Fund for their Da/i\ly Sustenance, and altho at the Seat of Govern=ment /
(if it had not been for that Fund) the consequences must /
have been serious, {and} while the Colonial Government at the same /
>
same Moment are so considerably in Arrears with /
Memorialist, both as it respects Money and Cattle. /
Memorialist therefore cannot forbear /
Submis+sion to Your Excellency, cannot forbear /
remarking on the Injustice and Severity with which /
He has been treated (particularly after His Honor /
the Chief Justice had granted Memorialist pemis+sion /
to bring His case into Publick Court) But His /
Majesty’s Fiscal declining to commence proceedings /
against those Authorities (whence all the treatment /
He complained of originated) By charging Your /
Excellency with „deciding thereon” previous to it /
being brought their As also /His\ declining to Admin=ister /
an Oath to an Affidavit which Memor=ialist /
wished to take _ On the Subject of M\r/Rivers /
Inhumanity _ /
Memorilist therefore entreats Your /
Excellency will be pleased to order Him immediatly /
to receive a compensation for His Cattle, in such a way /
as Your Excellency may deem most equitable, as /
also the Diagram of His Land and the Items /
from the Commis+sariat _ /
and Memorialist /
will ever Pray /
Jame Thomas Erith /
No 39 Long Street /
October 27th 1824 /
Cape Town /