|
Utmost care has been taken to transcribe these letters accurately.
Any errors in spelling and grammar are therefore probably faithful
translations from the original documents. |
Gnadenthal at Panmure Dear Sir Acknowledging the receipt of your favour I beg to add how anxious I feel to avail myself on your kind offer respecting the books you have at disposal for free distribution. From the many German Bibles and hundreds of new Testaments I brought with me from England I have but two Bibles & 4 Testaments left out of which I lent out one of the former a few days ago. - A number of Germn. Imigrants being expected to arrive for disembarcation at our Port here makes me to plead their cause. I have had many bless opportunities of disposing of larg numbers of Tests. amongst those of the Imigrants who lately arrived here & I feel most anxious not to let slip any other opportunities of this same kind. With regard to the Common Prayerbooks I beg to observe that there are two translations the one of the Chn Klo. Sy. & the other of the P.B. & Homls. Sy. the latter of which translations being more faithful I prefer, but in want of such, (though I have still some of them) I should feel much obliged for a supply of the former which I might use in the Community of Cambridge meanwhile I use the other at Panmure. Notwithstanding the thousands of Tracts I have been enabled to dispose of and in many cases most adventageously, I have still a fine Treasury of them left with me. I should however feel much gratified if I could exchange some of them for others, especially as I have larg numbers of Homilies to which narrative tracts are much prefered here. Let it be noticed that I am chiefly in want of Bibles. - I have written for some to England as well as for P. Books, New Testmts. & books for reading as Cptn. H. Vicars Memrs; Pilgs. Progress, etc, etc, etc. I have not yet received an answer, but expect to receive it & them with the next mail if so God will. - I may then be able to assist others in return. I have seen larg numbers of Bibles, Tessmts. & C.P. Books with W. Lange. I expect he got it from you. I have heard of the Bishop. He seems to be much in sorrow. The Lord strengthen him & bless his arduous endeavours. Concluding with the assurance of my prayers for the work under your hands I beg to recommand my flock & myself to your remembrances before the throne of grace.
Believe me Dear Sir to be
Rev. Kitton Panmure 19. III 59 Dear Mr. Kitton Mr. Greenstock's departure from East London having (I suppose) been little anticipated by himself, I found no opportunity to consult with him on matters of interest as to the above community. Learning from the Bishops last letter to me, that the office for that poste will for some time to come be left to me, & not knowing for sure where Mr. Greenstock has been sent to, I would beg of you to assist me with your intermediation. As to East London then, would you be so good? as kindly to request Mr. Greenstock to promptly forwards the Registers of Mards. Baptsm. Burls. & publications of Banns either to me or to you, they being needed here very shortly. I also beg your interest for my flock, & to me your influence to help me. - - - It being not likely that the little woodden building or Chapel near the Kaffir Locations of East London will for the present be made use of for Schooling or Divn. Service; may I ask? for the loan of the Bell belonging to that Chapel until it be opened again for Mission purposes. - Mr. Greenstock is supposed to have taken the key with him & I believe the bell to be within the Chapel. To overcome difficulties, you will allow me to observe that the Bishop promised me the loan of that Bell when St. Lukes Mission station was to be given up & the only difficulty then was, that it being property of a Kaffir Mission Station it was to be disposed of in favour of a Kaffir mission in preference to others. - The Bishop did even now know that Mr Greenstock had taken the Bell with him when he was removed to East London, but consented that I should have it in case it should not be wanted at East London . To return to my flock it will be gratifying to you. to learn that I have been enabled to open "Grace Chapel" on Sunday last; that my Sunday school will D.V. be opened tomorrow, & my Day school on the 4th April an. cr. I wish I could have given these news earlier, in somewhat to comfort our good Bishop before his departure; but our times are in the Lords hands, & it was only on Sunday last, He shewed me the way & the means for the accomplishment of a desire which engaged my heart and attention for the last 12 month. I consequently set at work & on Wednesday evening last succeeded in settling the matter satisfactorily at a Church meeting I held with my flock at Gnadenthal. I have also called a Churchmeeting to be held on Monday evening next at East London & an another meeting will soon be held at Gnadenthal for the creating of a Burial fund in assistance of the poor & needy as well as others. The weekly payment of one penny per head will be proposed as a condition whereby to attain to this membership of the Burial Society, & as such to be entitled to the claims of, from £1-10, to £2-10. on the fund as the occasions of this natural death. The widow will have to claim £2.10. meanwhile a widower would get but £1.10. Children under 14 years of age to be exempt of contributions but £1 to be paid out of the fund for the burial of a Child. Children above 14 years to pay 1d per week & their burial to be paid with £1 out of the fund. I hope your good Lady is better in health that I thought her to be when I saw you last. With my respectful regards for her believe me Dear Mr. Kitton
yours very sincerely, Panmure 15/4.59. My dear Mr Kitton Thanks for your kind letter. I have entered the particulars of baptisms on the respective Registers. - I have heard of Mr. Parker, & feel much obliged to you for the trouble you took in my behalf. - As to the question of the Bill, after learning how you have to draw it, I think it best you draw for me a Bill of £50 as due to me, instead of £38 which I desired before. - I may easily buy a letter of Credit of one of the Grahamstown Banks, which are in transactions with the Union Bank & Westminster Bank of London, & in that was send money to any parties in England without troubling either you or the Secretary of the Col. & School Society. - The half year for which Salary will be due to me on this 7th of May next, begins with the 7th of November 1858, & ends with the 30th April 1859. - It amounts to £75 or £150 a year, viz £100 from the Society & £50 from the Bishop. - I remember when I saw you here, to have told you how I should prefer the money to be paid in for me to the K.W. Bank, but Mr. Coutts of East London telling me that he will still be able to discount & dispose of Cheques drawn on the E.P. Bank at Grahamstown, it is as well that the money for the negotiated Bill as well as the £25 from the Bishop, be paid for me as formerly & as in conformity with the Bishops arrangements, to the E.P. Bank. If you could possibly manage to get the money paid into the E.P.B. so early, as that I could buy a letter of Credit for £12 in time to send it off with the next mail you would greatly oblige
your's very sincerely Respectful remembrances for your good Lady. P.S. I have some time ago heard of Mr. Syree, that he & others of the G.P.S. have always had 1/4 of a years Salary in advance, but this is not the case with me. With me, the 7th of May is the begining of an other year. - Very chearing news from my friends in England. Also a parcel from the Bishop. - I hope it contains good news. Panmure 24th May 1859. Dear Mr. Kitton Having always forwarded my reports or journals etc to the Society, through the Authorities here, I beg leave during the time of His Lordships absence, to commit those papers to your hands. - There has also about a years time ago a request been made to the Clergy of this Diocese to forward at Easter a copy of Registers for the past year. I feel not sure wether these are to be forwarded to the Registrar of the Diocese, or wether, (as regards the Stations & Districts within the limits of Brittish Caffraria,) to K.W. Town. - I believe it is to the latter place, since I do not receive the forms of Duplicates as formerly from the Colonial Office but from K.W. Town as from the central place or Capital of Brittish Kaffraria. The Registers for the province being kept separate. Will you do me the kindness of taking charge of it for remittance to that office which you know to be the adapted one for the purpose.
Wishing you the Lord's speed in your work, believe me with my
respectful regards for your good Lady to be
Panmure 18/6. 59. My dear Mr. Kitton You will be sorry to hear that some of my Cheques in the. E.P. Bank have been dishonored for want of funds. Being anxious of not having at any time overdrawn my account with the bank I fear the Bishop has omitted to pay in to the Bank £25. (part of my Salary from 7th May 58 to 7th Novr. 58.) - I have dropped a note with this poste to the Directors of the Bank to inquire into the matter. - I am glad the Cheques have as yet not been pretested by the holders but in case it should be done, I shall expect (as the Bishop has done so on a former occasion of the same kind, when this fault was not with me) that all lawexpences I should have to incur in the matter will be paid out of the Bishops funds. - I shall also as soon as I am officially informed that the money has not been paid in to my account in November last, claim for the amount. - I feel exceedingly sorry that this misunderstanding should happen as in June 1858 during the Bishop's absence. - Though for the present you need not trouble your mind much about this which I write to you again, I thought it well to prepare you beforehand for a news which may turn out the more disagreeable as I have no means at hand to avoid the disgrace. - I feel sorry now that I requested good Mr. Booth to pay my money into this Bank, it being known that misunderstandings often occur with that Establishment. I know our good Bishop has a great many sorrows & I most sincerely wish I could spare him from hearing of these bad news, but I am much reduced in circumstances & altogether unable to do it. - The good Lord however in whose Services we stand may yet turn this dark cloud into a blessing. - It will be gratifying to you to hear that my work bears a more & more prosperous aspect. - I have not yet been in want of money for the support of my Dayschool which is very promissing, though small. - Much pleased with the ELondon congregation. It is visibly on the increase & Dn. Service was well attended for the last 4 weeks. Respectful regards for your good lady
Believe me yours very sincerely Panmure 6/7. 59 Dear Mr. Kitton I beg to forward the inclosed for the Society. I feel anxious that it should leave here with the Mail of this month. I hope you and your good Lady are well & that your work yields fruit to the Glory of God & therefore to you comfort. My remembrances for Mr. Bell.
Believe me in great haste.
Revd. H. Kitton Panmure 8/7. 59. My dear Mr. Kitton I feel very sorry for having troubled you with an intelligence which was by no means of a comfort to you. - I feel also grieved for having a moment supposed the Bishop not to have paid my money to the Bank in November last. - I hear from Mr. Lucas the Cashier of the Bank that there is but a difficiency of £3 & a few Shillings in my funds, & I see from the account from the Bank sent to me that the neglect is the Banks & not the mine. - Last year I cancelled 2 Cheques which had been dishonored by the Bank. One of these cancelled Cheques is No. 17. I missed it, but attached no value to its loss in as much as it was crossed with a cancellings. - This Cheque has fraudulently been presented to the Bank & the Bank has comitted the neglect of paying it. - I have thus found out the mistake & drop a line with this poste to Mr Booth & Mr Lucas to elucidate the matter. - Many thanks for the interest & trouble you took in my behalf, I shall be cautious to put you no more to unnecessary trouble. The ELondon congregation continue to increase. The collections on Sunday last as week, amounted to 18s.9d. - It was but 2s.6d on the first Sunday after Mr. Greenstocks departure. - The average collection is now about 6s. 6d. per Sunday. - My dayschool seems to prove a blessing. I have now 32 Dayscholars & I expect to have 50 before the elapse of another month. - There is a very marked progress in the acquirements of the Children. - Their general conduct & deportment do a great credit to my young Schoolmaster who is undefatigable in his exertions. I am going to increase his income to 6d. more per day with the beginning of next month. Panmure is rising much lately & will before the elapse of two years more prove a florishing & important poste. My health continues weakly, but is as I now see much depending from a tapeworm I feed for the last few months & which evil I lately detected. I hear of Mr. Booth there is a case for me at Grahamstown. - Feeling sure that it contains nothing but books &c for my School & Missionwork I intend requesting Mr. Booth to charge the Diocese with the expences. - The Bishop told me that I need not pay the P.B. & Homily Society for the Books I have brought out but that he would do it. - Yet I have paid the P.B. & H. Society & I feel sure I may this time in return of an expence of a number of pounds, be freed from the expence of some Shillings, while I have for this half year to strive hard in order to make ends meet. - Would you be so kind as to drop to Mr. Booth a line to that effect. - I hope you & your Lady are well. Wishing you the Lords speed for your work believe me in haste to be
your's very sincerely
The Panmure 26/10. 59 My dear Mr. Kitton I have just received Mr. Krohn & Cys. account for the 4 cases of Tracts & books &c I lately received from England, & it amounts to £l.13.O. - I have already written to you on the Subject and observed that from what His Lordship told me the expences of the kind are paid out of a special fund kept for that purpose. - Now these 4 Cases contained nothing which is not required in my School & Chapel here, & having during the last 6 months paid out of my own means a large Sum of Money to the Pr. Bk. & Homy. Socty. & to support my School, which you will see from my quarterly Report to the Society within the next 10 days, I must really request you to inform me by return of post what you can do for me in the matter. I am afraid I shall have to contremand new orders for Schoolbooks & font for my Chapel with this Mail, it comes too heavy upon me to do all by myself. - - You will D.V. received my Report for the Society in the 3rd of November inst. - May I request you to be so good as to send me the Bills of £75 as my Salary for the half year beginning with the 7th May 59 & ending with the 7th Novr. 59. with the corresponding post of date deiv. as I have to send some money to England again.
With my best respects for your good Lady Rodolph B. von. Hube P.S. Have you some opportunities? often with disposing of a few Italian Bibles and New Tests. and about half a dozen Germ. C. Prayer Books, if so, Mr. Coxley will be good enough to take care of a parcel to be dispatched to you with a Govt. Mulewaggon. Panmure 2nd. Novr. 59. Dear Mr. Kitton I am in receipt of your favour with the two inclosed sets of Bills, & beg my thanks for your prompt compliance with the favour I asked of you. While you read this, my Report for the Society, which leaves here with the same Poste will be at your hands. Thanks for your kind interest in my behalf with regard to the duty, etc, charged on the several parcels etc I mentioned in my report to the Society. I am sorry to say I feel very unwell but am promised the Komo Komo by Col. Maclean, so that I expect to receive it every houre. I hope that Remedy will do me good. - have also experienced another slight Spitting of Blood on Sunday last, I feel though convinced that it is not the effect of a disorder in the vitale System but rather originating from a sudden contraction of some subservient vessels. With kind regards for Mrs. K. & best wishes for your work & yourself
believe me your's very sincerely P.S. In case you meet Mr. Ogilvy of K.W.Town I shall send him the amount of 1.17.7. shortly, say by the end of this week or the next.
The Revd. H. Kitton Panmure 17/12. 59. My dear Mr. Kitton I beg to forward the inclosed for the Chief Commissioner. - If it do me no good it can do no harm to my work here. - I intend asking the Government for an assistance but should like to see you or the Bishop previous to my application. - I seriously hope I shall soon meet with some aid in my work. I continue rather weekly in health & have of late been for nearly three whole weeks confined to my room. I hope you & Mrs. K. are well Accept of my respectful regards for her & my best wishes for youre work & believe me in haste
yours very sincerely Panmure 21/3.60 My dear Mr. Kitton The three small Congregations of East London Panmure & the Gunubee Quarter being (I fear) unable to send a delegate of their own to the Synod, I have just written to the Bishop to inquire wether. they could appear by proxies. - If so, would you do me the favour of informing me of the name of the Gentleman elected by your Parishioners. - Could you also help me with the form of the Siquis. - I continue rather poorly in health I regret to say; but the journey to Grahamstown may do me some good. I trust you & Mrs. K. are well. Let me be kindly remembered to her. - If you could possibly manage to pay a visit to my qarters on the 1st of April next in order to administer the Holy Communion in my Chapel, I should feel greatly obliged to you. - Pray do not send me any one else. I much dislike crossings over the Cup & other mummeries of the kind. But this I say privately to you. I do not think you would like being absent from you own flock on Easter Day, I therefore leave it to your choice to pay us a visit either the Sunday before or the Sunday after Easter. Only let me know of it a weeks time previous to you arrival.
Believe me your's very sincerely P.S. - I suppose you will have learned by this time that the dissenting instigators of East London (two in number) have without the knowledge of the Church Committee & without consulting the rest of the East London inhabitants invited a Wesleyan Preacher to preach to the Congregation once in a month. This having taken place once already I disliked interfering with the Gentleman & left the East London people alone. - It is though fully known at East London that the Church of England Party, (very few in numbers) would gladly offer a locality of public worship if any Church Minister were to preach to them, but I have taken little notice of this as I dislike encouraging party zeal and an opposition which does not seem to me to spring from the purest of motives. Panmure the 12/4. 60. My dear Mr. Kitton I have duly received you communication dated the 10th inst. - The Bishops letter which you inclosed to me, brings me the news of a grant of £20 to rethach the Missionhouse at Panmure & that I shall apply for the money to you. - Having consequently ordered the thach to be cut & being anxious to be under cover again befor the rainy season comences, you would greatly oblige me by sending me a Cheque for the £20 soon. - I suppose I shall have to apply for my Salary to you also. & I shall be right glad for that as I dislike troubling the Bishop with communications of the kind. - Mr. Hutt is as you say at East London. I know him for the last three years, having stayed with him at Grahamstown. - I fully concur with the opinion you have formed of him & should be most happy to avail myself of the opportunity of his presence to see the Holy Communion Administered to my flock, were it not that he is unacquainted with the German Language. The administration of the Lordsupper must therefore stand over for a little time in my District. - May I beg of you to send me a form of the Si - quis to be red in my District previous to my ordination. - I have mentioned the same request in last letter to you but the many things you must, I am sure, have had to attend too of late must have caused the matter to escape your memory. - The enclosed documents you would greatly oblige me by forwarding to the corresponding official. I am not aware wether these yearly returns are to be forwarded to the Diocesan Registrar or wether a Provincial Registry has been instituted. Hoping you & Mrs K. are well and with my respect for her believe me
your's very sincerely
The Revd. H. Kitton Panmure the 20/4. 60. My dear Mr. Kitton I have received your kind note with the enclosed Cheque for £20, & I feel sorry you should have attended to my request notwithstanding your indisposition, which I feel grieved to learn from your communication appears to assume a grave & serious character. - D.V. you may not be necessitated to seek for rest beyond the limits of our Diocese, but in saying this I hope you will understand me not to have broached a question to you. - You may however be sure of it that should you be necessitated for your healths sake to return to England my deep regretts will follow you. - You will probably have heard the report that I am supposed to have accepted a Convict Chaplaincy somewhere in the Colony. - When I tell you that I never thought of such a thing, it be then that I could hold that Office in addition to my present work & not without the limits of my District, & when I moreover assure you that I was not at all aware wether there be such a man as a Mr Hutton, superintendent of Convicts, (about & of whom I heard through Mr Syree but a couple of days ago) you will possibly see through the matter & how the thing was calculated to displease the Bishhop & to entice me, & all that for the interest of some one who possibly spiculated to be benefited by a change that should occur in my district. - It strikes me the thing was rather fetched soon [= far fetched?] & perhaps too far as to be carried into effect with success. With my respectful regards for your good Lady believe me
ever yours very sincerely Panmure the 25th Augt. 60 Dear Mr Kitton Will you oblige me with a Cheque for £7.l0.0. for the quarter (from 1st July to 1st Octr. an. crs.) on account of the grant of £30. the Bishop made in support of my School for a year, beginning with the 1st of July last. Had his Lordship red my reports, he would have known that my Schoolmaster is not paid in advance, but that I give him his wages at the end of each week to enable him to keep out of debt. - I have since the 1st of July made those advances out of my own pocket. The Bishop will I suppose not object to pay me now the arrears due to me in horse allowance for the two years beginning with 7th of May 1858 & closing on the 7th May 1860. - It was fully understood between him & me, that I should not have to keep horse out of my scanty Stipend.
Believe me yours very sincerely P.S. I beg my respectful regards for Mrs. K. Panmure Decr. 21.60. My dear Mr. Kitton Will you do me the kindness of sending me the quarterly allowance of £7. 10. 0 on account of the Schoolgrant of £30 per an crs. The quarter expires on the last of this month. I hear the Bishop is not inclined to continue the grant, & this will therefore be my last application, except I receive orders contrary to closing the School, which I shall be necessitated to do. - It is a great pity that the School should come to a fall now when I have with great exertion brought it on so far that it offers a prospect of becoming selfsupporting before long. - You will be sorry to learn of Mr Lees illness. Please God he will be better soon. - I have also been necessitated to leave the Missionhouse for more easy and healthy quarters on account of my health.
Accept my best wishes of the season for Mrs. K. & yourself & believe
me
Revd. H. Kitton Panmure Decr. 29th 60 My dear Mr Kitton Accept my thanks for your early favour of the 28th instt. which brought me the Cheque for £7.10 on the Chch. Missn. Fund. I have some time past written to the Bishop to inquire when? the grant will be discontinued & I explained to His Lordship from a comparison of passages taken from letters of his own, that I cannot understand the meaning of his last communication to me to be other wise than that there will be some difficulty as to the continuation of the grant, that is, after the elapse of this year ending with the last of June 1861. The Bishop has not answered that letter of mine though I pointed out to him that I must have some time allowed me to give proper notice to my Schoolmaster & I shall consequently claim an other £7.10 at the end of March 1861.
Excuse haste & shortness. - Believe me ever yours very
sincerely
The Revd. H. Kitton Panmure Apl. 3rd 61 My dear Mr Kitton May I beg of you to send me a Cheque for £7.10 on account of the Bishops grant in support of my School, for the quarter beginning with the 1st of January & ending with the last of March 61. - If the Bishop has sent you some of the German Cathechismes which he promised to do when I saw you at Mr. Lees, I should beg of you to remember me for a share when you distribute them. - Among the many people you are often brought in contact with you might have happened to hear of some one who in your judgement would make a village Schoolmaster. - If you could recommand me one soon you would greatly oblige me. - I beg leave inclosing the Copies of my Registers for the Diocesan Registry. - Trusting that you & Mrs. K are well & wishing you the Lords speede
yours every very sincerely P.S. Thanks for the kind invitation you sent me at the time of the Consecration of Trinity Church. I am sorry I was unable to avail myself of your friendly offer at the time. - Accept my cordial congratulations with respect to your advancement. - May you be spared long to your work & flock & have the satisfaction of seeing the sown word breaking forth through the ground & growing on into the day of harvest. Panmure Apl. 10th 61 My dear Mr. Kitton I have to thank you for your kind note of yesterdays date with the enclosed cheque for £7.10. - You may rest assured that I would rather put myself to any inconvenience than that I should willingly or knowingly become a means of involving you in disagreeables. - His Lordship have in January last authorised me anew to draw for the grant of £30 made by him for the year from July 1st 60 to the last of June 61, & I should certainly not have drawn for the last quarter without his knowledge, though even it was due. - Howsoever this be I do not think that I shall have occasion to draw the £7.10 for the present quarter in as much as I have no Schoolmaster; but should I succeed in finding one than I must not only draw (in due time) for the remaining £7.10 of the £30, but I should immediately apply to the Bishop for a continuation of the same grant for an other twelve months. - I say this merely to assure you that I would under no circumstances apply to you for funds (even not for moneys due to me) while there could be the slightest impression on my mind that any claims were contested, nay were but likely to be contested. -
Believe me yours ever very sincerely
The Rev. H. Kitton. Panmure March 9th 62 Dear Mr. Arch Deacon The houre you mention suits me admirably. It leaves me half an houres rest which generally I do not get on other Sunday afternoon's. Sunday school begins at one & usually I keep it up until 3 o'clock. - I send you a C.P. Book & Bible in Germn. for the Bishp. ready marked for the Service. occuring this afternoon. He may like to read it a couple of times over ere he comes to Panmure. -
Yours faithfully & very sincerely
Panmure April 9th 62 My dear Mr. Archdeacon According to intelligence I received from the Bishop, the K.W. Town District claims a large share of the Govt. Grant for Schools in the Germn. Settlemts. - I think it very doubtful whether in the case of Panmure £30 will be a sufficient assistance towards the support of a Cathechist. - Our harbourworks have been stopped & many of the people here are out of employ. I have a good man in view, & should like to be in a position to communicate with him without delay. - Will you please tell me soon how much there could possibly be spared of the Govt. Grant to assist the School here. - It would not perhaps be too much if Panmure as the seat of the Mission to the Germans could be remembered with £50 out of £120. I hear you are going to have an other Bazaar at K.W. Town soon. - Will you remember me respectfully to your good lady. Believe me your's faithly & very sincerely R.B von Hube. |
|
   |