Watson, George

To His Excellency General the Right Honourable Lord Charles
Somerset Governor of the Cape of Good Hope &c

May it please your Excellency
The Memorial of George Watson residing at Bathurst most humbly
Sheweth
That your Excellencys Memorialist, some
time ago purchased a Half Aum of Brandy from a Dutch
man (who was the actual grower of the Grape ) in the public
Market at Bathurst, and in the pressence of Mr Jarman, the
Pachter of that district and Simon Bagley, a Constable, and
of course without suspecting that he had thereby transgressed
the Laws of the Colony, until the article he had purchased
was taken from him, for he assures your Excellency that
he was completely unacquainted with the Proclamation of the
late Acting Governor bearing date in Augt 8 1821 as will
evidently appear to your Excellency by the public manner
in which he bought the Spirit before alluded to, for otherwise
he would have been absolutely certain of its immediate seizure,
which would have been succeeded by a heavy fine and your
Excellencys displeasure, which he certainly would not knowingly
and wilfully incur, nor could it have answered any purpose
whatever,
That your Excellencys Memorialist was
permitted to complete his bargain without any previous warning
or interruption from the two persons whose names are above
inserted, and who he presumes must be well acquainted with
the existing Laws of the Colony from the nature of the situations
they held, and which is confirmed by Mr Bagley becoming the

Informer, and which he humbly conceives, constitutes the
the hardships of his case
That your Excellencys Memorialist was
tried before the Worshipful Henry Rivers Esqre and the Court
of Hemraaden in Grahams Town , Feby 4 1822 and found
guilty, but the Gentlemen composing the Tribunal, very
kindly informed your Memorialist that they had no alternative
but to convict him in the penalty which the Law had
determined, but remembered him to lay his case before your
Excellency, whose sole prerogative it was, to remit the fine

That your Excellencys Memorialist
therefore most humbly and earnestly prays for the exercise of
your well known clemency and goodness towards him, and
while he hereby expresses his deep and genuine contrition
in having broken the Laws of the Colony (though under
great ignorance) prays your Excellency to pardon the
offence, and that you will be graciously pleased to allow
him to have the Spirit which was taken from him returned
and your Memorialist will ever feel himself in duty
bound to pray &c

Grahams Town, Feby 9 1822