Wilmot, Benjamin

To His Excellency Lord Charles Somerset Governor
of the Cape of Good Hope &c &c &c.
The Memorial of Benjamin Wilmot
Humbly Sheweth
That your Memorialist gave up his prospects
in his own profession the Law) at home, to accompany
his Brother to this Colony, who had been advised by the
faculty as a means of restoring him to health; and that
he has striven jointly with him unsuccessfuly against
the genial calamities and natural impediments to
the line of life they adopted, that of Farmers & Graziers ,
in which pursuits they have expended upwards of 6000 RD.
besides suffering greatly by the depredation of the Caffers.
Your Memorialist having heard that his eldest
Brother who has been established 12 years as a Solicitor
and with whom your Memorialist had served his time,
had from severe indisposition become deranged in his
intellects, your Memorialist then immediately arranged
his pecuniary affairs and intended immediately to
proceed home to settle the affairs of his family and _
retain such part of his Brothers connexion as might
be left and commence practising as an Attorney but
having been prevented embracing those prospects the
pecuniary means being unlawfully withheld from him
he has every reason now, to believe that the many
delays that have already and that must occur before
he could reach England has considerably diminished
if not distorted those professional prospects
Your Memorialist is therefore now compelled to
solicit your Excellencys permission to practice as a
Notary in this Colony, as the number of years he
has sacrifised to the Study of his profession and
as there is disqualifies him from acquiring any
other, and as there is no prospect of succeeding
here in business without some knowledge and
adequate Capital he feels that his profession is the
only

Vocation that presents to him a prospect of a living
and which he always considered would be open to him
in case of Misfortunes, or if his other pursuits failed
provided he submitted himself to the usual examinations
and he anticipates that your Excellencys proclamation
limiting the number of practitioners to that already
in practice, will be no hindrance to your Memorialist
being admitted as by the decision of the Commission
of Justice made last week there is now a vacancy
your Memorialist therefore humbly
intreats your Excellency will be graciously
pleased to grant him such permission on
the conditions of his conforming and _
submitting himself to the established or usual
forms and examinations
And your Memorialist
will ever pray
Benjamin Wilmot
No 9. Castle Street
Cape Town
May 10th 1824.