Hockly, Daniel

To His
General Sir R Donkin
Governor of the Cape of Good Hope
&. &. &.

I have presumed to address
myself Immediately to your Excellency to state
the most severe oppression under which I labour.
I am encouraged to this by the condescending attention
you Sir paid to the real wants & best interest
of every Man while on this Frontier & that
& that you will award me that Justice which
as an English Man & Royal Subject I think
I am entitled to. I shall proceed to state minutely
my grievances & earnestly implore your Excellencys
attention. I came to Southern Africa with the
Party of Settlers under Mr Bayly & being a Gold
& Silversmith with a general knowledge of Mechanics
was most ernestly pressed by many of the Inhabitants
to come & settle at Utenhage. I complied with this
request with the consent & will wishes of all Parties
Commencing Bussiness as a Gold Silversmith Tinman
& Brazier in fact doing any thing that I was
able for my benefit & the advantage of the community
My Wife also has undertaken the Education of a
select number of young Ladies) But I found the
greatest obstacle to my successs was tools which I
could not procure at any rate & from the kind
expression of your wishes for my welfare the first
time you was at Utenhage I prepared a Memorial
to ask your permission to purchase a Set of Smiths
Tools out of the Government Stores for Settlers. But
out of respect to Authority I thought it my duty
to Mention to Col Cuyler the object I had in view
who stated he would name my case to your Excellency

that there was no occasion for me to memorial. I waited
3 or 4 Weeks after your absence unable from the multiplied
Engagements of Col Cuyler to obtain an answer
to my requests to your Excellency. At last I determined
to apply to the Store Keeper & prepared to repair to Port
Elizabeth on the 2nd of this Month but again on the Tuesday
I took a note to the private home of Col Cuyler apologizing
for the intrusion on the Sunday but that as I was
going to Port Elizabeth early on Monday Morng
it was of importance that I should know his
Excellencys answer to my request. I was called
in & Col Cuyler told me that Settlers could not
have any advantage who had quitted their party
The next Morng I repaired to Port Elizabeth to
endevour to purchase a few tools the private
property of Individuals which they had brought
from England. But not being able to succeed I took
the advice of a friend & applied to the Store Keeper
who informed me I could not obtain any thing
on the credit of my deposit money but if I paid
the money I might purchase a Set of Smiths Tools
This I did on the 3rd of the Month but on the 5th the
earliest period I could procure a Waggon I fetched
them home. But while loading Captn Evatt came
up stating I should not have the Smiths Tools but
the others I might purchase & at the same time
ordered the Sergeant delivering goods to tell Mr
Dawson to return my Money which I had paid
2 Days previous to this. Mr Dawson replied he
could not having paid the money over to the
Commissary & that he really had not any money
therefore I took the tools. CaptnEvatt afterwards
in the presence of several persons asked Mr Dawson
how he could let me have things as I was a
Damnd & Methodistical Rascal. I here must

observe I have never troubled any Man in Africa
with my religious Tenets & that I never was any
other than a Member of the Church of England
though the remark may be unnecessary as a Individual
religious opinion. I feel deeply convinced would
never influence your Excellency. To resume
after repairing to my House & fixing at considerable
expence some of the tools and peacefully
following my occupation I was ordered to wait
on Col Cuyler on the 12th of the month. being 7
days after I had the things home which order I
instantly obeyed. I was first asked if I had my
Colonial Pass to which I replyed yes Col Cuyler
then proceeded without one provoking word or action on
my part to call me a Damnd Rascal a Villain
& a Vagabond He thus placed my person under
in charge of the Undersheriff with all his Men
armed & give my offence in writing to the Messenger
with directions to proceed to my house & seize
all the property I had bought at the Bay I was
then marched from one end of Utenhage to the
other my house entered & my property forcibly
taken. Still being perfectly ignorant of the Laws
at this place & conceiving I had offended against
no law I jet twice waited on Col Cuyler to request
in respectfull terms my property or the money & on
each occasion was the above vile epithets liberally
applied With his order to prepare to Quit the
Colony. Conceive the feelings of an English
Man who had just left his paternal Country
its mild & salutary laws to be here traduced
& oppresssed & unless protected by your Excellency
utterly ruined as I have a Wife & 3 Small female
children to support in a place where at present

I have no friendly arm to rely in case of
poverty or need as in my native Country
Though I would not be an Egotist jet I think
in this case I am called on to declare I have
ever fulfilled the duties of a peaceful citizen
& on no occasion in this course of my life
resisted but always submitted to Authority
as I wish fairly to state my case & not to give it
no false colour I have enclosed a copy of the
charge against me as signed by Col Cuyler &
given to the Messenger with a list also of the
goods I had from the Store In conclusion I most
earnestly implore your Excellencys attention
to this to me most painfull subject & submit
Myself
Your Excellency
Most humble Servant
July 18th 1820
Utenhage
Daniel Hockly
P S Since writing the above I have heard
the Landdross should say I bought them to make
gain by Selling which I most solemnly assure
is quite without foundation