Albany Inhabitants

May it please Your Excellency /
The Inhabitants of Albany have as+sembled at /
the Kowie to congratulate Your Excellency on your safe arrival /
in this division of the Settlement, and at the same time to return /
their gratefull acknowledgments on the spot, for the countenance and /
support which your Excellency has invariably been pleased to bestow /
on the important object of creating a Port in this River, The /
benefits which have already arisen from this encouragement have /
been felt not only by the immediate neighbourhood but by the whole /
district and even by the adjoining one, and it is so universally /
admitted to be an object of such general vital importance, that We /
unitedly and respectfully solicit a continuance of your Excellencys /
endeavours towards an improvement of the Navigation, either by the /
erection of Piers or such other measures as Your Excellency may /
deem advisable to be pursued. When these improvements shall /
have been completed, We humbly trust that Your Excellency /
will be pleased to cause to be extended to us the benefits of a free /
Port, in as far, as to the permis+sion of trading directly with Foreign /
Countries, with these benefits in view, We are sanguine enough /
to think that in a few years this newly settled District of Albany /
will vie with the oldest established. /
As Your Excellency has been graciously pleased to /
expres+s your desire to be made acquainted with our wants and /
wishes, we beg to draw Your Excellencys attention whilst present to /
the expediency of establishing some system of Police for this part of the /
Country, situated as it is so far from Grahams Town, the only seat /
of Magistracy for the District, 7+ We presume to submit for your /
Excellencys consideration such an appointment not only at the /
village of Bathurst but likewise on this spot where under the /
auspices of your Excellency a little Town has been commenced /
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and is fast rising into consequence. /
We seize the opportunity of Your Excellencys /
presence to state one more subject of local Interest, The /
Town now erecting here has not as yet received a name, We /
therefore most respectfully request that Your Excellency will be /
pleased to accede to the general wish and permit it to be called /
Port Frances as the only mode we have of paying a tribute of /
respect to the Lady of Colonel Somerset: whose conduct and eminent /
virtues during her long residence amongst us have greatly endeared /
her to every one on the Frontier. /
Kowie, 18\th/ February 1825 /
A. B. Dietz /
C. T. Thornhill /
Thomas Philipps /
Dun. Campbell /
W. Gllfillan /
R. N. Dunn /
Richd. Daniell /
C. Dalgairns
William Wait /
Fred. Carlisle /
John Thornhill /
D. Moodie /
John Carlisle /
Robt. Bovey /
Edwd. Philipps
J. COLLIS /
J. Pawle /
J. H. Heath /
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Thos. Hewson /
C. Stone /
P. Heugh 7+ Co. /
J. Nelson /
Chas. Crause /
T. F. Cowderoy /
Alex. Bisset
H. Crause /
J. Crause /
C. Mackay /
J. Johnson /
W. Austin /
Isaac Dyason, Senr. /
William Cock /
James Carney /
John Grant /
To His Excellency Lord /
Charles Henry Somerset /
Governor 7+ Commander /
in Chief 7+ 7+ 7+ /