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GSSA
The 1820 Settler Correspondence
 as preserved in the National Archives, Kew
 and edited by Sue Mackay

Correspondence 1821 to 1837.

Here only letters by known settlers or their families, or letters of great relevance to the 1820 settlers, have been transcribed, whereas ALL the 1819 correspondence was transcribed (see CO48/41 through CO48/46) whether or not the writers emigrated to the Cape.

Unless otherwise stated letters were written to either the Secretary of State for the Colonies or his deputy.The original correspondence is filed in order of receipt. Here it has been placed in alphabetical order according to the surname of the writer, with letters by the same writer in chronological order, for ease of reading. Original spelling has been maintained. Reference numbers, where given, refer to printed page numbers stamped on the letters and will enable visitors to the National Archives to locate the letter more easily.

HOWARD, William, memorial, 1826

Written by Sue Mackay on .

National Archives, Kew, CO48/86, 200

Graham's Town

Cape of Good Hope

1st March 1826

We the undersigned, inhabitants of Albany, having heard that William HOWARD, School Master of one of the free schools at Graham's Town, has prepared and is about to transmit to England a Memorial or Petition to the House of Commons, in Parliament assembled, wherein he has made the most unwarrantable insinuations, tending to indicate criminally the conduct and scandalize the character of several of the authorities and others in this District, and that he has in order to give the appearance of weight and authority to the said Memorial or Petition insidiously obtained the signatures of a number of persons, which are to form an application thereto; and conceiving that should such a document be laid before the Parliament of Great Britain without observation or contradiction that it might have the effect of creating an unfavourable impression on the minds of His Majesty's Ministers and the Public towards those whom we consider undeserving the stigma which he is endeavouring by these means to cast upon them,

Do hereby certify in order to counteract its mischievous tendency that in our opinion the said William HOWARD has always been an active fomenter of litigious disputes amongst the British Settlers and that it is our decided conviction that the document alluded to is a tissue of falsehood and misrepresentation, and therefore quite unworthy of the serious consideration of the British House of Commons.

[Actual signatures]

Robt HENMAN

Henry LLOYD

Timothy FLANEGAN

William BEALE Merchant

John NORTON Merchant

Will'm E. SMITH Merchant

James WARD

[F.McCLELAND?]

[Enefer?] GREEN Merchant

J. STUBBS

Benj. NORDEN

John MANDY Head of Party

John BATHGATE

Richard HAYHURST Head of Party

[F. FYNN?] Jun.

Frederick HAWKES

Wm. STEVENS

John McKENNY

James FITZGERALD

Ralph GODDARD

Joseph GOODES

John BROWN Head of Party

W. WENTWORTH

[illegible signature]

John CRICHTON

G.F. STOKES

John [FRAZER?]

John NELAND X

James LANCE

G.J. WATSON

[G.B. CURLLE?]

Nath'l MORGAN Head of Party Asst Surgeon Half Pay

Philip DIXIE

Wm. BEAR

John WILSON

Charls MARSHEL X

William ROBERTS

Thos. MILLER

D. HOLLAND

Jas. MOORCRAFT

J. [RICHARDS?]

John BEALE

Rd. EDKINS

Robert PIRIE

Wm. TROTTER

 

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National Archives, Kew, CO48/86, 226

On this 31st Day of October 1825 I the undersigned Messenger of Albany have repaired to and in the presence of William HOWARD only summoned him to appear before the Board of Landdrost and Heemraaden in Albany of Thursday 3rd November nigh at 9 o clock in the morning, and received as answer

“I shall defend it; as I consider it an unjust Bill”

Chas. LUCAS

[Note at top from Wm. HOWARD]

The date of this is incorrect. It was Saturday 29th October instead of the 31st as under written.

Wm. HOWARD

[Note at foot of page in HOWARD's hand]

The Messenger done me great injustice by recording the above answer. The answer returned to him by me, W.H. was “Tell Mr. CLOETE that although I consider the (enclosed) Bill an unjust one, yet rather than offend the Local authorities I will pay it if they will give me a little time, as I have several just debts which I wish to discharge first.” and the Messenger was particularly cautioned to deliver the answer in my very words and he said he would, but no mercy was shown for me and I was obliged to pay the amount under great disadvantages or my property must have been sold.

Wm. HOWARD

A persecuted man

Did not know this answer until the Bill was paid.

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