Cawood, David

To His Excellency the Right Hon. Lord Charles /
Henry Somerset Governor of the Cape of Good Hope /
And Its dependencies this, the petition of David /
Cawood settler in Albany, humbly sheweth /
That your petitioner having come from Eng=land /
with a family of six sons, and three daughters /
and four of his sons being grown up to maturity /
entertained hopes that by the bles+sing of God on his /
own and their industry he should be enabled to /
provide decently for his family as an agricultu=ral /
farmer; but having repeatedly lost his cropes /
by the rust, and lately by the floods he is persuad=ed /
that the keeping of cattle will be les+s uncer=tain /
and more beneficial; but having expend=ed /
much money and labour in tillage breed=ing /
and inclosing sixteen acres by a bank, and /
rack fence, cannot command a sum of money /
to purchase cattle sufficient to carry on the busi=nes+s /
profitably, he humbly reguests that your Ex=cellency /
will be pleased to grant to himself, and /
to each of his four adult sons James, William,/
John, and Joshua the sum of two hundred rix=dollars, /
making in all one thousand rixdollars /
for which they are willing to be jointly, and se=verally /
bound. Your petitioner also begs leave to /
represent to your Excellency that his family has /
always remained on the location; as also that /
as is well known by the authorities here, he is able /
to give good security for the loan. /
Should your Excellency be pleased to /
accede to his reguest your petitioner, as in /
duty bound will ever pray. /
Caffer Driff /
1824 /