Palmer, Thomas

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 Harvey of Grahams Town Tanner
and Currier. most humbly.
Sheweth
That your Memorialist from the visitations of Providence
by the storm of wind and the floods in the Month of October
1823 met with very heavy losses, his buildings were destroyed
and the greatest part of his stock in trade Lost, and and he was at
that period attacked with a Rheumatic Fever, brought on by his
perseverance to save that little property he could from devastation,
which laid him on a sick bed and deprived him of the entire
use of his limbs, but his feelings will not allow him to say more
on so melancholy a subject. Suffice it to say that your Memorialist
made an application to the Gentlemen of the Committee
for managing the Settlers Fund, stating his deplorable case, but
received no reply, and on his making some enquiry (some time
after), of Mr M. Onkruydt, who had been to Cape Town and
who had promised to lay his case before the Committee and to
recommend him as a fit Object of their commiseration, Mr Onkruydt
informed your Memorialist, that the Gentleman of the
Committee should say. That as your Memorialist was a single
man, therefore he could fight his own Battle, Your Memorialists
feelings were (on this Communication by Mr Onkruydt) wounded
beyond measure, yet your Memorialist conceived that these
Gentlemen who formed a Committee of a humane and charitable
institution could not have made use of such harsh expressions,
applied to a fellow creature, who had lost all his property (through
the awful visitations of a wise and all-seeing Providence) and
which he had accumilated by the sweat of his brow, and who
was at that period labouring under a heavy affliction, reduced
to abject poverty and depending on his humane fellow creatures
for nourishment and support.
Your Memorialist addressed a Memorial to your Excellency
in the Month of March last, (being only then informed
of

your Excellency having been pleased to order a loan, to be appropriated
for the relief off and for the Settlers on distress, occasioned
by the failure of their crops and other causes, and particularly by
the storm and floods in the Month of October 1823. praying your Excellency
to grant him a loan of 1000 Rds. out of the Colonial Loans
for himself and his partner in trade, to which your Memorialist
did not receive any reply and your Memorialist addressed and the
Memorial to your Excellency in the Month of May following to which
he received no written reply, but he received an intimation from
Harry Rivers Exqr the Landdrost of Albany of the loan of 500 Rds
having been granted to him, and about a fortnight or three weeks
prior to William Hayward Esqr the civil Commissioner leaving
Grahams Town, the Landdrosts promises began, when your Memorialist
named the surities, which were approved off by the
Landdrost, and was ordered by him, to be in attendance on the
Board of Landdrost and Heemraaden, in justification of his
application and to produce his surities to execute the Bond. Your
Memorialist and his proffesed surities, were in attendance for
three successive days, to no purpose, and he was ordered by the
Landdrost day after day to attend the Court untill about the 10
day of October last, when he Received a Draft from the Landdrost
of which the following is a Copy.
To G. Rietzz esqr District Agent for Albany
Fourteen days after right pay Mr Thomas Palmer or order the
sum of Five hundred Rixdollars, being for a loan granted to
him by the Colonial Government
Signd Harry Rivers
Landdrost of Albany
Prior to, not afer he received the before Mentioned Draft, was your
Memorialist before the Board of Landdrost in justification of his
claim for the required loan, nor have he since been called upon with
his surities for the execution of the Board.
Your Memorialist on the Receipt of the Draft for 500 Rds was
told by the Landdrost, that if he would Keep it for a few days he
would give him the Money for it, as he expected Remittances from
Cape Town by the next post. Your Memorialist waited post after
post, but heard nothing further from the Landdrost, he therefore
tried to get the Draft discounted in Grahams Town, which he
could

could not effect. one person only, namely Mr Thompson Shop
Keeper agreed to advance your Memorialist 100 Rds upon it provided
he would lay out a part in Shop goods. Your Memorialist
was obliged from pressing necessity to comply with Mr Thompsons
terms to prevent an execution (which had long been threatened )
on his property by Mr Ralph Goddard on account of Geo. Nelson
your Memorialists late partner in trade, the land on which their
business had been carried on, having been purchased of Mr Goddard,
the lower end of which land according to an agreement,
was to be considered as joint property, now as George Nelson could
not pay Mr Goddard for the purchase of the land, and a desolution
of partnership having taken place, it was agreed, that the premises
should be Relinquished to Mr Goddard, on conditions, that he should
transfer the same to your Memorialist on the same terms as it
was sold to George Nelson.
viz. for the sum of Rds 400
George Nelson had paid the 100
first instalment
your Memorialist paid out 100
of the loan granted him
200
Rds 200 balance is to be
paid by your Memorialist in 12 Months with the interest thereon.
Your Memorialist agreed with George Nelson (on dividing
the stock in trade) to take the premises and to pay Mr Goddard the
300 Rds then due, and to pay all the outstanding debts, and George
Nelson to take all the debts due to the firm and the stock in trade
to be equally divided in order to effect this much deserved purpose
and to save your Memorialists moiety of the premises from the
threatened execution he relied on obtaining the loan of 1000 Rds.
from the Colonial Loans, this loan would have placed him beyond
the Reach of troublesome creditors, and as he had other views, namely
that of making it equal to his increasing trade, and his Reliance
thereon was such, that he ordered a Baik hill to be
made, which would cost 200 Rds, he intended to build & Room to
work it also a dwelling house, all this your Memorialist
was anxious (and he is still) to effect, for the purpose of altering
his condition in life, and enter into the holy state of Matrimony.
Your Memorialist cannot refrain from once more directing
your

Your Excellencys attention to the promise made him by the Landdrost,
to cash the Draft (he had given him on G. Reitz Erf) and
that in a few days, on which promise your Memorialist could not
place any reliance, particularly as the Landdrost had kept him for
six or seven weeks, and that, in daily attendance, after he had informed
him, of his prayer for a loan having been granted, Your
Memorialist during all this protraction, was unable to attend to
his business, and the loss of his own daily labour, amounted at the least
to the sum of 200 Rds, and when your Memorialist did
receive the Draft for 500 Rds. from the Landdrost, he was obliged
to make a very great sacrifice by placing it in the hands of Mr
Thompson, when he only obtained the sum of 100 Rds, its true, that
Mr Thompson did not charge him for discount, but your Memoralist
was under the necessity of taking goods to the amount of 40 Rds. for
which goods he was obliged to submit to the an extra charge
to what he would otherwise have had to pay had he been in the possession
of ready money. Mr Thompson gave your Memorialist a note of hand
payable at 28 days, for the remainder of the Draft, reckoning 14 days for
its payment and the time which would elapse by the Post to and from
Cape Town, The Draft neither being acceptable or honoured when due,
Mr Thompson refused to advance to pay your Memorialist any further sum
on it, and he also refused to pay your Memorialist order on him
for 40 Rds given to a person who he had Contracted with for all the
hides and skins he obtained by his trips to the Fair held at Fort
Wiltshire with the Caffre Nation. these circumstances which your
Memorialist could not foresee, (not had he the least idea, that the
Landdrost of Albanyd Draft on G. Reitz would not be accepted
or not ultimately paid when due) has put your Memorialist to
very serious inconveniences, and he is fearful to some expence,
as in the event of the Draft not being paid, Mr Thomson will
cite your Memorialist before the Court of Landdrost and Heemraaden
for the Cash he has already advanced, this will of course create
heavy law expences, which your Memorialist is not able to pay,
had your Memorialist received the 500 Rds in Cash, which he
had every reason to expect (and even a promise) it would have
been of material service to him, which is evident, when he can
prove beyond a shade of contradiction, that in the first twelve
Months after he commenced business with his partner George
Nelson, they were obtaining a comfortable livelihood, they had a

good stock in trade, and ere the storm and floods in October
1823, they had erected a building 70 feet by 16 which cost them
2000 Rds.
Your Memorialist begs further to state to your Excellency,
that he has applied to Mr Thompson for the Draft which
he refuses to return, nor would he furnish him with a Copy of
it.
Your Memorialist most humbly prays your Excellency
will take his case into serious consideration and investigate
the cause of the Landdrosts Draft on G. Reitz Esqr for
500 Rds in favour of your Memorialist, not having been accepted,
and that your Excellency will be pleased (under all the
circumstances of his stated case) to grant him a further
loan of 1000 Rix dollars out of the Colonial Loands, for which
your Memorialist will find eligible and undeniable personal
security

And your Memorialist as he is in duty bound will
every pray

Grahams Town
November 22 1824
Thos Palmer