Biggar, Alexander

To His Excellency The Right Honb\le/ General /
Lord Charles H. Somerset, Governor and /
Commander in Chief of the Cape of Good Hope./
7+c 7+c 7+c. 7+c /
The Memorial of Alexander Biggar /
Humbly Sheweth. /
That your Memorialist was induced by the /
flattering representations made of this Colony /
to avail himself of the offer of the British Govern=ment,/
and came out as a Settler, under the thin /
well grounded expectation of being enabled to Main=tain /
a Numerous family _ /
That your Memorialist brought out with /
him twelve Men with their wives and families who /
together with his own, amounted to fifty five persons /
for whom he paid a deposit of One Hundred and /
ninety five pounds _ /
That your Memorialist invested his all /
in the undertaking, and expended about two hundred /
pounds in England in purchasing such articles as was /
deem’d neces+sary for an infant establishment, in /
a New Colony; that it cost your Memorialist /
upwards of Two Hundred and fifty pounds to bring /
to, and keep himself and people at Portsmouth. /
two /
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two Months, until the Ves+sel in which they were /
to be embarked was ready to receive them _ /
That your Memorialist immediately on /
arriving at this Location in June 1820 lost no time /
in taking the neces+sary steps to support himself /
and people, by purchasing such articles as would /
further this purpose, /viz+/ Bullocks, wagons, Cows, /
sheep, goats, pigs and poultry _ 7+c _ /
That your Memorialist the first year /
Ploughed and sowed Twenty five acres of wheat /
which from taking the rust, frustrated, for that year /
his hopes of living independent of the aid of Government /
but not discouraged by this failure your Memo=rialist /
the second year, made a Strong effort to /
obtain a Crop, and relieve himself from the past /
disappointment, and privations which his family /
and people /had\ laboured under, your Memorialist /
therefore Ploughed and sowed Forty five Acres /
of wheat, Barley 7+ Potatoes, exclusive of a garden /
of an Acre 7+ a half, but a total failure has /
again taken place, more severely felt than the /
first one. _ /
Your Memorialist labouring under these /
unforeseen, and unavoidable calamities, has been /
obliged to discharge all but one of his European /
Servant Men, and to Substitue Hottentotts, a les+s /
useful but cheaper clas+s of Servants _ /
That your Memorialists funds are quite /
exhausted /
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exhausted having in no instance desired any return /
from his land, but subject to a continued expenditure /
and he is now obliged to such a precarious livelihood /
by occasionally hiring his waggons to carry stores _ /
That your Memorialist’s ardent expectations /
and wishes, to maintain himself and family as an /
agriculturalist, and fulfilling the views of His /
Majestys Government by cultivating his land are /
disappointed, and he is unable to plough /this season\ or take /
any steps towards his future support in the agri=culturing /
line, or improvement of his place, . /
That your Memorialist with a wife and /
eleven surviving Children, sees only a continuation /
of Misery and privation to those objects of his dearest /
affections, who have seen better days, _ but your /
Memorialist has the consolation to think that no /
effort on his part has been working 7+ that he /
has Ploughed and sown more than any other /
individual in this part of the Colony, he rests /
satisfied that upon this candid statement of facts, /
your Excellency will be pleased to permit him to /
derive the pecuniary aid held out to agriculturalists /
in your Excellencys Proclamation of the 22\d./ ult\o/ _ /
That your Memorialist conceives the sum /
of Four Thousand Rix dollars would enable him /
to follow up his original and only view (viz+, the /
cultivation of his land, Maintain/ance\ of his family 7+ /
prevent them becoming a burden to society /
That /