Brown, John

District of Albany Caffre Clay Pitt /
1 August 1825 /
Sir /
I have the Honor to enclose a Memorial to His Excellency /
which I respectfully request may be laid before him _ /
The subject of this Memorial has now become of so serious a /
character as to compel me to offer a few remarks to your consi=deration /
in the humble Hope that I may be so fortunate as /
to excite your attention. _ /
In the peculiarly dangerous situation from the Caffres /
in which I have been placed (a residence among them would /
have been les+s so). and obedience to the Laws has been the first /
rule of my Conduct. in some instance, a deviation has been /
absolutely neces+sary to preserve the lives of my Family. but to /
the general obedience I have become a Victim, surely it is /
impos+sible any branch of the British Government, will condemn /
an unoffending subject to a punishment worse than Death, it /
would indeed be Mercy to me, were the Caffres to close the Doors /
of my House, consume it, my Family, and myself at once, ra=ther /
than continue a system which must reduce us to absolute /
beggary .. The Robbery of yesterday has deprived me of every Milch /
Cow I had, and I have now the painful task, to hear the entrieties /
of a young Family for that Aliment, their tender years require /
a deprivation of which, will in all probability be the cause of /
bringing them to an early Grave. _ /
I have been charged as an illicit Trafficker, with the Caffres /
and on this charge, previous to any investigation, suffered an /
Imprisonment of more than three Weeks, so little ground appears /
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for this charge that I was liberated before the termination of the execu=tion /
but I believe it to be impos+sible for anyone to live here, without /
encurring such a suspicion, had I been a Trafficker, I should have /
been in a very different situation to my present one my means /
have been ample for the purpose of my emigration. I brought /
seven Hundred pounds to the Colony, and have drawn nearly One /
Hundred more pr. Ann. since my arrival through the respectable /
house of Ebden 7+ Eaton. but these means are now exhausted in /
consequence of my being left without Protection, and Beggary /
stares me in the Face. /
„Protectis habil subjectionem 7+ subjectis protectionem” /
has thus been the case, surely if the Humanity of the Govern=ment /
did not, their Justice and Honour might prompt them /
to interfere and grant Relief _ /
I regret my removal has not yet been effected. The Landdrost /
has done all in his power to hasten it, he has informed me, M\r/ H /
will on his return value my Premises. but without I have another /
place to remove to. little progres+s will be made, and I am con=vinced /
there is not a vacant place in this District. _ /
If Sir I have addres+sed you too freely, I must rely on your /
liberality for Pardon, uncertaintly respecting my removal, and /
the numerous los+ses I am suffering under, have almost driven /
me to despair. /
I have the Honor to be /
Sir /
Yours most respectfully /
John Brown /
Sir R. Plasket /
7+c. 7+c. 7+c. /