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.

SMITH, John (WILLSON's Party), 1820

Written by Sue Mackay on 30 November 1999.

National Archives, Kew, CO48/53, 324

Downs

Le Bell Alliance

Feby 5^th 1820

Sir,

The man of the name of Charles BOWSHER that was going out with me has wilfully left me without any cause and I have lernt by a letter I receivd in the Downs he has or means to go and apply to your office for a passage in the Brilliant and say he lost his passage by mistaking the time the ship was said to sail and I have got another man in his stead of the name of Mathew MENS..[name unfortunately obscured in binding] which name (with your primission) shall be inserted in the list and Charles BOWSHER erased from the same as he has forfited all by runing away from the ship.

Honored Sir I have the honor to be

Your Honor's most obed't and humble servant

John SMITH

[Note from GOULBURN: Take care this man has not got a passage]

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