Letter to Directors of the London Missionary Society
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Extract of a letter from the Chief Jan Tzatzoe to the Directors
of the London Missry Socy dated
King Williams Town
September 1st 1838
To the Directors of the London Missionary Society.
Very Honoured Fathers,
I now sit down to write you these few lines
to tell you and our other christian friends in England that I
arrived safe among my own people. We had a very good passage out
from England to the Cape where we stayed for a short time and then
proceeded up the country in company with Mr Read and Mr
and Mrs Schreiner. I found the country quiet and all the
chiefs exceedingly glad to see me back among them – We found
Maeowo his [ ] at the Blinkwater awaiting our arrival (for I came around
by the Kat River) from whence he sent to inform Batawa
Tyolie. [ ] &c that Mr Read and I had arrived –
as soon as they got the message they came to see me
at Philipton where we spent a few days together in talking
of what I had seen in England – how kindly I had been
recieved by the Christians of England & how greatly they
loved & felt for the Caffers & other natives of this & other
parts of the world – I also told them what Lord Glenelg
had told me to tell them "viz that they must maintain peace with
the Colony. That if the Colonists ill treat us that we must
complain to the Governor & that if the Governor wont
do them justice they can send their complaints to
P.S. please to thank all the good children in England for the
clothes they have sent the little caffre children – I hope
I shall one day see some of them as missionaries &c.
missionaries wives in Africa –
0002
to him & that he would see that justice is done to them.
at this they were all very much pleased and said to each
other this is the word of the great man" – From Philipton I
I rode to the Buffalos River where I found my dear wife
and children quite well – It was a great day for my people
who stood about me, gazed at me & said how stout you
are. how well you look. we can see that you have
been treated well by that nation. Have you really been
over the great water? and come back unhurt too? we
really now see that these people are our friends – Some
said how often did you outspan? where and how
did you cook your victuals? To all these questions
I had to give answers. I told them that I was treated as
kindly and tenderly as if I had been a little child, both in
England and Scotland – I am glad toto say that the Lord is
observing his work among the caffres of my tribe – Just before I arrived
Mr Brownlee baptized two young chiefs my first cousins ^ & three and
brothers the sons of Hennadan
many more of both sexes are inquiring the way to the Kingdom
of God some of whom will soon I trust be added to the
church – My prayer to God is that he may more abundantly
pour out his spirit upon the minds of the caffres and
that Jesus our Redeemer may in the conversion of many
of my poor countrymen see of the [ ] of his soul
and be satisfied – I hope missionaries will soon come
out to form many more stations.
0003
We have three schools 1 infant school a sunday school and
another day school kept by a caffre who began the school
on his own accord – I hope we shall be able to establish
some more schools if we can get either hottentot or
caffre childs youths to become teachers – I am
quite sure that the gospel will not be spread with
much till natives become teachers and go every
great rapidity
where to preach the gospel. I am happy to say that
the frontier system now established by the Late
Lieut Governor Stockenstrom is fully answering
the end. I do not know another individual who will
manage the frontier as he has done – He was born
in the Colony and quite acquainted with the good
and bad qualities of the natives of this Colony &
he treats them accordingly. He is not like a stranger
who may come out with good principles and
intentions and after a time change his views
and then say I have now received new light on
the subject - It is my wish and that of all the
Caffres that he may come out again. I am
also glad to say that General Napier is also a
good man and has already done much to keep
the frontier in peace – I have no doubt that
under a system of strict justice patience peace
will be continued on the frontier –
0004
I must now close Honoured fathers and must
again beg of you to pray for me and my poor
countrymen – My [ ] is till come over and help
us – I must again thank you for all your kindness
to me and I hope the Lord will reward you
a hundred fold – May we all meet before
before the throne of God at last with all the children
1838/1839 No 4 ————— p. 51
King Williams Town
September 1/38
Jan Tzatzoe
16-2-17
India Letter
Portsmouth
Revd William Ellis
Mission House
Bloomfield [ ]
care of Revd J. Philip
Finsbury
Cape Town
care of G A Munis Esquire London
[ ] Town
Recd Nov 22/38
of God out of every country & tongue – My love
to all our sisters and Brothers in England
I am Honoured fathers
Your very humble
servant
Jan Tzatzoe
Item Details
Author(s) & contributor(s): Jan Tzatzoe
Date(s): 1 September 1838
Place(s) of creation: King Williams Town
Form & transmission history: Manuscript letter in author’s hand.
Object description: Beige four-page/one-sheet letter; postal stamps, overwriting, three hands; main hand in brown ink.
Repository: University of London. School of Oriental and African Studies (London, United Kingdom)
Shelfmark / Identifier: CWM/LMS/South Africa/Incoming Correspondence/Box 16A/Folder 2/Jacket A
Digital edition & date: One More Voice, 2021
Critical editing & encoding: Heather F. Ball, Jared McDonald, Adrian S. Wisnicki
Cite this digital edition (MLA): Tzatzoe, Jan. “Letter to Directors of the London Missionary Society” (1 September 1838). Heather F. Ball, Jared McDonald, Adrian S. Wisnicki, eds. One More Voice, new dawn edition, 2021, https://onemorevoice.org/html/transcriptions/liv_020025_TEI.html.
Rights: Critically-edited text copyright One More Voice. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
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