White, Richard and John

To His Excellency the Right Honorable General Lord
Charles Henry Somerset Governor and Commander in Chief
of His Majestys Castle, Town and Settlement &c &c &c of the
Cape of Good Hope.
The Memorial of Richard & John White of Collingham
Location most humbly.
Sheweth.
That your Memorialists came to this Colony under the
direction of the late M Wm Clark and they paid the deposit as
required by the British Government.
Your Memorialists were located at Governors Cop.
and remained on their allotments during three seasons, and from
the successive failure of their Crops and their house having been
washed down by heavy rains, they took the benefit of an offer
made them by A. B. Dietz Esqr of this farm called Tempe ) in
the immediate neighbourhood and joining to your Memorialists
allotments, still Keeping their own land in Cultivation) here they
cultivated as much land as the time would allow, before the flood
took place in October 1823, they had sown Wheat, Indian & Caffer
Corn, plantid out 3000 Tobacco plants, Potatoes, Pumpkins and every
sort of pulse and vegetables, also fruit trees of every Kind which
had every prospects of bearing that season, all of which was swept
away by that visitation of Providence, and deprived them of all
their hopes and expectations, and what was still more disturbing,
the land on which the whole was growing, was also carried away
in many places to the depth of five feet. at the same time their
house on the location was again washed down and the whole the
garden

garden ground swept away with all the fruit trees which had been
plantid the first season they were located, all of which damage
and total losses amounted to at least 1200 Rix dollars, but then
greatest loss, was that of having been deprived of their winter supply
of grain, pulse and keeping vegetables, and from being then too late
in the season to cultivate other ground to retrieve their loss, your
Memorialists were entirely ruined, not having any further Measure
left them to resume their sanguine wishes, that of providing for
themselves without benevolent aid, as had it not been for the hospitable
and charitable aid of A B. Dietz Esqr, your Memorialists
must have falled benieth the overweigh of an abbusive Providence
Your Memorialists most humbly prays your Excellency
will be please to take their forlorn case into your humane Consideration
and grant them the sum of 1000 rixdollars out of the Colonial
Loans,for which they have nothing more to offer as a security,
except that of their locations and their personal property, and
as many of their fellow Settlers have obtaind grants of Colonial
Loans, under the like security, your Memorialists trusts your
Excellency will not exclude them from the benefit, which may
result from that liberality, which have thus been evinced by
the British & Colonial Government towards their distressed
subjects.
And your Memorialist as they are in duty bound
will ever pray.
Richard & John White
Father and Son
and Copartners
Collinghan Location
near Grahams Town
January 4th 1825