Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society
by George Borrow · English · Gutenberg #603 · 753,078 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society
Author: George Borrow
Editor: T. H. Darlow
Release date: July 1, 1996 [eBook #603]
Most recently updated: January 28, 2007
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/603
Credits: Transcribed from the 1911, Hodder and Stoughton edition by David Price
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LETTERS OF GEORGE BORROW TO THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY ***
Transcribed from the 1911, Hodder and Stoughton edition by David Price,
email ccx074@pglaf.org
LETTERS OF
GEORGE BORROW
TO THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN
BIBLE SOCIETY
Published by Direction of the Committee
EDITED BY
T. H. DARLOW
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO
1911
TO
WILLIAMSON LAMPLOUGH
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE
OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN
BIBLE SOCIETY
THESE LETTERS FROM
THE SOCIETY'S DISTINGUISHED AGENT
ARE DEDICATED WITH
MOST SINCERE RESPECT AND REGARD
BY
THEIR EDITOR
To the Rev. J. Jowett
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,
_Feb._ 10_th_, 1833.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have just received your communication, and
notwithstanding it is Sunday morning, and the bells with their loud and
clear voices are calling me to church, I have sat down to answer it by
return of post. It is scarcely necessary for me to say that I was
rejoiced to see the Chrestomathie Mandchou, which will be of no slight
assistance in learning the Tartar dialect, on which ever since I left
London I have been almost incessantly occupied. It is, then, your
opinion, that from the lack of anything in the form of Grammar I have
scarcely made any progress towards the attainment of Mandchou; perhaps
you will not be perfectly miserable at being informed that you were never
more mistaken in your life. I can already, with the assistance of Amyot,
_translate Mandchou_ with no great difficulty, and am perfectly qualified
to write a critique on the version of St. Matthew's Gospel, which I
brought with me into the country. Upon the whole, I consider the
translation a good one, but I cannot help thinking that the author has
been frequently too paraphrastical, and that in various places he must be
utterly unintelligible to the Mandchous from having unnecessarily made
use of words which are not Mandchou, and with which the Tartars cannot be
acquainted.
What must they think, for example, on coming to the sentence . . . _apkai
etchin ni porofiyat_, _i.e._ the prophet of the Lord of heaven? For the
last word in the Mandchou quotation being a modification of a Greek word,
with no marginal explanation, renders the whole dark to a Tartar. [Greek
text]; _apkai_ I know, and _etchin_ I know, but what is _porofiyat_, he
will say. Now in Tartar, there are words synonymous with our seer,
diviner, or foreteller, and I feel disposed to be angry with the
translator for not having used one of these words in preference to
modifying [Greek text]; and it is certainly unpardonable of him to have
Tartarized [Greek text] into . . . _anguel_, when in Tartar there is a
word equal to our messenger, which is the literal translation of [Greek
text]. But I will have done with finding fault, and proceed to the more
agreeable task of answering your letter.
My brother's address is as follows:
Don Juan Borrow,
Compagnia Anglo Mexicana,
Guanajuato, Mexico.
When you write to him, the letter must be put in post before the third
Wednesday of the month, on which day the Mexican letter-packet is made
up. I suppose it is unnecessary to inform you that the outward postage
of all foreign letters must be paid at the office, but I wish you
particularly to be aware that it will be absolutely necessary to let my
brother know in what dialect of the Mexican this translation is made, in
order that he may transmit it to the proper quarter, for within the short
distance of twenty miles of the place where he resides there are no less
than six dialects spoken, which differ more from each other than the
German does from the English. I intend to write to him next Thursday,
and if you will favour me with an answer on this very important point, by
return of post, I shall feel obliged.
Return my kind and respected friend Mr. Brandram my best thanks for his
present of _The Gypsies' Advocate_, and assure him that, next to the
acquirement of Mandchou, the conversion and enlightening of those
interesting people occupy the principal place in my mind. Will he be
willing to write to the Gypsy Committee concerning me? I wish to
translate the Gospel of St. John into their language, which I could
easily do with the assistance of one or two of the old people, but then
they must be paid, for the Gypsies are more mercenary than Jews. I have
already written to my dear friend Mr. Cunningham on this subject, and
have no doubt that he will promote the plan to the utmost of his ability.
I must procure a letter of introduction from him to Joseph Gurney, and
should be very happy to obtain one also from Mr. Brandram, for in all
which regards the Gospel and the glory of Christ, Joseph Gurney is the
principal person to look to in these parts. I will now conclude by
beseeching you to send me as soon as possible _whatever can serve to
enlighten me in respect to Mandchou Grammar_, for had I a Grammar, I
should in a month's time be able to send a Mandchou translation of Jonah.
In the meanwhile I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most humble and
obedient servant,
G. BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
18_th_ _March_, 1833,
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.
DEAR SIR,--As yourself and Mr. Brandram expressed a desire to hear from
me occasionally concerning my progress in Mandchou, I now write to inform
you that I am advancing at full gallop, and am able to translate with
pleasure and facility the specimens of the best authors who have written
in the language contained in the compilation of Klaproth. But I must
confess that the want of a Grammar has been, particularly in the
beginning of my course, a great clog to my speed, and I have little doubt
that had I been furnished with one I should have attained my present
knowledge of Mandchou in half the time. I was determined however not to
be discouraged, and, not having a hatchet at hand to cut down the tree
with, to attack it with my knife; and I would advise every one to make
the most of the tools which happen to be in his possession, until he can
procure better ones, and it is not improbable that by the time the good
tools arrive he will find he has not much need of them, having almost
accomplished his work. This is not exactly my case, for I shall be very
glad to receive this same tripartite Grammar which Mr. Brandram is
hunting for, my ideas respecting Mandchou construction being still very
vague and wandering, and I should also be happy if you could and would
procure for me the original grammatical work of Amyot, printed in the
_Memoires_, etc. Present my kind regards to Mr. Hattersley, and thank
him in my name for his kind letter, but at the same time tell him that I
was sorry to learn that he was putting himself to the trouble of
transferring into Mandchou characters the specimens which Amyot has given
in Roman, as there was no necessity for it in respect to myself, a mere
transcript being quite sufficient to convey the information I was in need
of. Assure him likewise that I am much disposed to agree with him in his
opinion of Amyot's Dictionary, which he terms in his letter 'something
not very first-rate,' for the Frenchman's translations of the Mandchou
words are anything but clear and satisfactory, and being far from
literal, frequently leave the student in great doubt and perplexity.
I have sent to my brother one copy of St. Luke's Gospel with a letter;
the postage was 15s. 5d. My reason for sending only one was, that the
rate of postage increases with the weight, and that the two Gospels can
go out much cheaper singly than together. The other I shall dispatch
next month.
I subjoin a translation from the Mandchou, as I am one of those who do
not wish people to believe words but works; and as I have had no Grammar,
and been only seven weeks at a language which Amyot says _one may acquire
in five or six years_, I thought you might believe my account of my
progress to be a piece of exaggeration and vain boasting. The
translation is from the Mongol History, which, not being translated by
Klaproth, I have selected as most adapted to the present occasion; I must
premise that I translate as I write, and if there be any inaccuracies, as
I daresay there will, some allowance must be made for haste, which
prevents my devoting the attention necessary to a perfectly correct
rendering of the text.
I will conclude by observing that I believe myself at present competent
to edit any book in Mandchou, _if that be what is wanted_, and beg leave
to remain, dear Sir, your obedient humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
_June_ 9_th_, 1833
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have mastered Mandchou, and I should feel obliged
by your informing the Committee of the fact, and also my excellent friend
Mr. Brandram.
I assure you that I have had no easy and pleasant task in acquiring this
language. In the first place, it is in every respect different from all
others which I have studied, with perhaps the exception of the Turkish,
to which it seems to bear some remote resemblance in syntax, though none
in words. In the second place, it abounds with idiomatic phrases, which
can only be learnt by habit, and to the understanding of which a
Dictionary is of little or no use, the words separately having either no
meaning or a meaning quite distinct from that which they possess when
thus conjoined. And thirdly the helps afforded me in this undertaking
have been sadly inadequate. However, with the assistance of God, I have
performed my engagement.
I have translated several pieces from the Mandchou, amongst which is the
. . . or Spirit of the Hearth ([Greek text]), which is a peculiarly
difficult composition, and which had never previously been translated
into a European language. Should you desire a copy, I shall have great
pleasure in sending one.
I shall now be happy to be regularly employed, for though I am not in
want, my affairs are not in a very flourishing condition.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,
_July_ 3rd, 1833.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Owing to the culpable tardiness of the post-office
people, I have received your letter so late that I have little more than
a quarter of an hour to answer it in, and be in time to despatch it by
this day's mail. What you have written has given me great pleasure, as
it holds out hope that I may be employed usefully to the Deity, to man,
and myself. I shall be very happy to visit St. Petersburg and to become
the coadjutor of Mr. Lipoftsoff, and to avail myself of his acquirements
in what you very happily designate a most singular language, towards
obtaining a still greater proficiency in it. I flatter myself that I am
for one or two reasons tolerably well adapted for the contemplated
expedition, for besides a competent knowledge of French and German, I
possess some acquaintance with Russian, being able to read without much
difficulty any printed Russian book, and I have little doubt that after a
few months' intercourse with the natives I should be able to speak it
fluently. It would ill become me to bargain like a Jew or a Gypsy as to
terms; all I wish to say on that point is, that I have nothing of my own,
having been too long dependent on an excellent mother, who is not herself
in very easy circumstances.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. Aug. 13, 1833)
HAMBURG, _August_ 4_th_, 1833.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I arrived at Hamburg yesterday after a disagreeable
passage of three days, in which I suffered much from sea-sickness, as did
all the other passengers, who were a medley of Germans, Swedes, and
Danes, I being the only Englishman on board, with the exception of the
captain and crew. I landed about seven o'clock in the morning, and the
sun, notwithstanding the earliness of the hour, shone so fiercely that it
brought upon me a transient fit of delirium, which is scarcely to be
wondered at, if my previous state of exhaustion be considered. You will
readily conceive that my situation, under all its circumstances, was not
a very enviable one; some people would perhaps call it a frightful one.
I did not come however to the slightest harm, for the Lord took care of
me through two of His instruments, Messrs. Weil and Valentin, highly
respectable Jews of Copenhagen, who had been my fellow-passengers, and
with whom I had in some degree ingratiated myself on board, in our
intervals of ease, by conversing with them about the Talmud and the book
Sohar. They conveyed me to the Konig von Engeland, an excellent hotel in
the street called the Neuenwall, and sent for a physician, who caused me
to take forty drops of laudanum and my head to be swathed in wet towels,
and afterwards caused me to be put to bed, where I soon fell asleep, and
awoke in the evening perfectly recovered and in the best spirits
possible. This morning, Sunday, I called on the British Consul, Mr. H.
Canning, to whom I had a letter of recommendation. He received me with
great civility, and honoured me with an invitation to dine with him
to-morrow, which I of course accepted. He is a highly intelligent man,
and resembles strikingly in person his illustrious relative, the late
George Canning. Since visiting him I have been to one of the five tall
churches which tower up above the tall houses; I thought its interior
very venerable and solemn, but the service seemed to be nothing more than
a low-muttered chanting, from which it was impossible to derive much
spiritual edification. There was no sermon, and not more than twenty
persons were present, though the edifice would contain thousands
conveniently. Hamburg is a huge place, and the eastern part of it is
intersected by wide canals communicating with the Elbe, so that vessels
find their way into most parts of the city; the bridges are consequently
very numerous, and are mostly of wood. Some of the streets are planted
with trees, which have a pretty appearance, though upon the whole it has
certainly no claim to the appellation of a handsome town. But no
observer can fail to be struck with the liveliness and bustle which reign
in this emporium of continental Europe, worthy to be compared with Tyre
of old or our own Liverpool. Another city adjoins it called Altona, the
park of which and the environs are the favourite Sunday lounge of the
Hamburgers. Altona is in Holstein, which belongs to the Danish
Government. It is separated from the Hanseatic town merely by a small
gateway, so that it may truly be said here that there is but one step
from a republic to a monarchy. Little can be said in commendation of the
moral state of this part of the world, for rope-dancers were displaying
their agility in the park to-day, and the dancing-saloons, which I am
informed are most infamous places, are open to the public this evening.
England with all her faults has still some regard to decency, and will
not tolerate such a shameless display of vice on so sacred a season, when
a decent cheerfulness is the freest form in which the mind or countenance
ought to invest themselves. I shall depart for Lubeck on the sixth
(Tuesday), and shall probably be on the Baltic on my way to St.
Petersburg on the eighth, which is the day notified for the departure the
steamboat. My next letter, provided it pleases the Almighty to
vouch-safe me a happy arrival, will be from the Russian capital; and with
a fervent request that you will not forget me in your prayers, and that
you will present my kind remembrances and best respects to Mr. Brandram,
and also remember me to Mr. Hattersley and Mr. Tarn, I have the honour to
remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 26th, 1833)
ST. PETERSBURG, No. 221 GALERNOY ULITZA.
[Undated.]
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--My last letter was from Hamburg, which I hope and
trust you received. I started from thence on the 24th, and embarking at
Travemunde I arrived at the Russian capital on the 31st July (old style)
after an exceedingly pleasant passage, accomplished in the short space of
72 hours; for the wind was during the greatest part of our way favourable
and gentle, the sea being quite as smooth as a mill pond, so that the
paddles of our noble steamer, the _Nikolai_, were not at all impeded in
their working by any rolling or pitching of the vessel. Immediately on
my arrival I sought out Mr. Swan, one of the most amiable and interesting
characters I have ever met with, and delivered to him your letter, the
contents of which were very agreeable to him; for from applying himself
too un-interruptedly to transcribing the manuscript of the Mandchou Old
Testament he had in some degree injured his health; and the arrival of a
coadjutor in the task was exceedingly opportune. In a day or two I went
with him to pay a visit to Mr. Schmidt, who resides a few miles out of
town. He assured us that he had no doubt of permission being granted for
the printing of the Mandchou New Testament, and promised to make all the
necessary inquiries, and to inform Mr. Swan and myself of the result. He
was at the time we saw him much occupied with his Mongolian Grammar and
Dictionary, which are in the press. We have not heard from him since
this visit, and I shall probably call upon him again in a week or two to
hear what steps he has taken. I resided for nearly a fortnight in a
hotel, as the difficulty of procuring lodgings in this place is very
great, and when you have procured them, you have to furnish them yourself
at a considerable expense. During this time I collated with Mr. Swan the
greatest part of what he had transcribed, and eventually I took up my
abode with Mr. Egerton Hubbard, a friend of Mr. Venning's, where I am for
the present very comfortably situated, and I do assure you exerting
myself to the utmost to fulfil the views of the Society. I have
transcribed from the Mandchou Old Testament the second book of
Chronicles, which when I had done, I put aside the Old Testament for a
season, and by the advice of Mr. Swan began to copy St. Matthew's Gospel
from the version of the New, executed by the same hand as the Old, with
the purpose of comparing it with that of Mr. Lipoftsoff. This task I
have just completed, and am now about to commence a transcript of the
Acts. Respecting this manuscript translation of the Old and New
Testaments I must here observe, that with scarcely one exception it is
the most laborious and best executed work of the kind which I have ever
seen, and I cannot but admire the diligence and learning of him who,
probably unasked and unrewarded, engaged in and accomplished it. The
style, as far as I can judge, is to an eminent degree elegant and
polished, and likely to captivate those whose taste is cultivated, and
with this advantage, it exhibits none of that obscurity which too
frequently attends refinement of language; and as for fidelity--it is
upon the whole executed as literally, and with as much adherence to the
original, as the genius of the Tartar language and the understandings of
the people, for whose edification it is intended, will permit. But the
notes and elucidations (which I copy not) which follow every chapter,
both of the Old and New Testament, constitute the most surprising feature
of this work. They are so full and copious, that they occupy far more
space than the text; indeed, I think I speak quite within bounds when I
say that for every page of text there are two of explanatory matter. The
author was a French Jesuit, and when did a Jesuit any thing which he
undertook, whether laudable or the reverse, not far better than any other
person? Staunch Protestant though I be, I am not ashamed to say that all
the skill and talent of our own missionaries, in acquiring languages and
making versions of the Scriptures, are, when compared with the
capabilities displayed by the seminary priests, faint and seemingly
insignificant; and yet it is singular enough that the labours of the
latter in this line have had almost invariably no other fate than to be
buried in continental public libraries or in the literary collections of
the learned and curious; from which it is manifest that the Lord smiled
not upon their undertakings. They thought not of His glory but of the
glory of their order, and the consequence has been that 'He has put down
the mighty from their seat and has exalted the humble and meek.'
A few days since I called upon Mr. Lipoftsoff, and to my surprise
discovered that he was totally unaware of any plan being in agitation for
the printing of his translation of the Scriptures. He said that he had
had no communication with Mr. Schmidt for several months; and far from
being able to furnish me with any information respecting the probable
destiny of his work, he asked questions of me concerning it. He is a
gentleman rather advanced in years, probably between sixty and seventy,
but is nevertheless surprisingly hale and robust. He was very kind, and
promised to give me any assistance in his power towards acquiring a
thorough knowledge of the Mandchou; and, permit me to say, that
Petersburg is the only place in Europe where such a knowledge can be
obtained, for the manuscripts and printed books in that tongue are very
plentiful here, and there are moreover several individuals who speak and
write it. I of course most gladly accepted such an offer, and shall
endeavour to turn it to the best account. Mr. L. speaks no European
language but Russ, which I am not sorry for, because frequent
conversation and intercourse with him will improve my knowledge of that
language. It is a great error to suppose that a person resident in this
country can dispense with Russ, provided he is acquainted with French and
German. The two latter languages, it is true, are spoken by the French
and German shop-keepers settled here. French is moreover spoken (to
foreigners) by the nobility and a few of the officers in the army; but
neither are so generally understood as in England--German far less so;
and as for the Russians being the best general linguists in Europe, I am
totally unable to guess how the idea could have originated, but am
certain from personal experience that they are quite the contrary.
Petersburg is the finest city in the world; neither London nor Paris nor
any other European capital which I have visited has sufficient
pretensions to enter into comparison with it in respect to beauty and
grandeur. Many of the streets are miles in length, as straight as an
arrow and adorned with the most superb edifices. The so-called Nevsky
Prospect, a street which runs from the Admiralty to the Monastery of St.
Alexander Nevsky, is nearly three miles in length and for the greatest
part of the way floored with small blocks of wood shaped octagonally.
The broad and rapid Neva runs through the centre of this Queen of cities,
and on either side is a noble quay, from which you have a full view of
the river and of what is passing on its bosom. But I will not be diffuse
in the description of objects which have been so often described, but
devote the following lines which my paper will contain to more important
matters.
The lower orders of the Russians are very willing to receive Scriptural
information, and very willing to purchase it if offered to them at a
price which comes within their means. I will give an interesting example
of this. A young man of the name of Nobbs, in the employ of Mr. Leake,
an English farmer residing a few _versts_ from Petersburg, is in the
habit on his return from the latter place, whither he is frequently sent
by his master, to carry with him a satchel filled with Russian New
Testaments and religious tracts, with which he is supplied by an
excellent English lady who dwells there. He says that before he has
reached home, he has invariably disposed of his whole cargo to the
surrounding peasantry; and such is the hunger and thirst which they
display for the word of salvation that his stock has always been
insufficient to answer all the demands made, after it was known what
merchandise he brought with him. There remain at present three hundred
copies unsold of the modern Russian New Testament at the shop which has
the disposal of the works of the late Russian Bible Society; these
copies, all of which are damaged from having been immersed during the
inundation of 1824, might all be disposed of in one day, provided proper
individuals were employed to hawk them about in the environs of this
capital. There are twenty thousand copies on hand of the Sclavonian
Bible, which being in a language and character differing materially from
the modern Russ character and language, and only understood by the
learned, is unfit for general circulation, and the copies will probably
remain unsold, though the Synod is more favourable to the distribution of
the Scriptures in the ancient than in the modern form. I was informed by
the attendant in the shop that the Synod had resolved upon not permitting
the printing of any fresh edition of the Scriptures in the modern Russ
until these twenty thousand copies in the ancient language had been
disposed of. But it is possible that this assertion is incorrect.
I must now conclude; and with an earnest request that you will write to
me speedily, and deliver my kindest remembrances to Mr. Brandram and to
my other good friends at the Society House, I remain, Revd. and dear Sir,
your most obedient servant,
G. BORROW.
To the Rev. A. Brandram
ST. PETERSBURG, _August_ 27, 1833.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--The bearer of this letter is Mr. Glen, the son of
the celebrated missionary of Astracan. He is desirous of forming your
acquaintance, and I take the liberty of making him known to you. He is a
young man of considerable learning, and a devout Christian. His object
in visiting England is to qualify himself for the missionary calling, in
the hope that at some future period he may tread in the steps of his
father and proclaim a crucified Saviour to the Oriental heathens. I am
at present, thanks be to the Lord, comfortable and happy, and am every
day busily engaged in transcribing the Mandchou Old Testament and
collating with Mr. Swan.
In the hope that these lines will find you in good health, I have the
honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient servant,
G. BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 17th, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, 20_th_ _January_ (old style), 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I received in due time your epistle of the 2nd
January, which gave me considerable pleasure, as it is exceedingly
cheering in a foreign land to hear from one's friends and to know that
one is not forgotten by them. I now proceed to give an account of my
stewardship up to the present time, which account I humbly trust will
afford perfect satisfaction to the Society which has honoured a frail
creature like myself with a charge, the importance and difficulty of
which I at present see much more clearly than I originally did.
My dear Sir, even when transcribing the Mandchou Scripture, I was far
from being forgetful of the ulterior object of my mission, and therefore,
as in duty bound, applied to Dr. Schmidt for advice and information, who
was the person upon whom I mainly depended. But I found that gentleman
so involved in a multiplicity of business that it was utterly impossible
for him to afford me either; and though he was kind enough to promise to
make inquiry, etc. etc., it is very probable that he forgot to fulfil his
promise, for the result never came to my ears.
Thus circumstanced, and being very uneasy in my mind, I determined to
take a bold step, and directly and without further feeling my way to
petition the Government in my own name for permission to print the
Mandchou Scriptures. Having communicated this determination to our
beloved, sincere, and most truly Christian friend Mr. Swan (who has
lately departed to his station in Siberia, shielded I trust by the arm of
his Master), it met with his perfect approbation and cordial
encouragement. I therefore drew up a petition, and presented it with my
own hand to his Excellence Mr. Bludoff, Minister of the Interior. He
having perused it, briefly answered, that he believed the matter did not
lie with him, but that he would consider. I now began greatly to fear
that the affair would not come to a favourable issue, but nevertheless
prayed fervently to God, and confiding principally in Him, resolved to
leave no human means untried which were within my reach.
Since residing here I have assiduously cultivated the friendship of the
Honourable Mr. Bligh, His Britannic Majesty's plenipotentiary at the
Court of Russia, who has shown me many condescending marks of kindness,
and who is a person of superb talents, kind disposition, and of much
piety. I therefore, on the evening of the day of my presenting the
petition, called upon him, and being informed that he was out of town,
and was not expected till late at night, I left a letter for him, in
which I entreated him to make use of whatever influence his high official
situation was calculated to give him with the Minister, towards procuring
a favourable reply; assuring him that the Mandchou version was not
intended for circulation nor calculated for circulation in any part of
the Russian Empire, but in China and Chinese Tartary solely. I stated
that I would call for an answer the next morning. I did so, and upon
seeing Mr. Bligh, he was kind enough to say that if I desired it he would
apply officially to the Minister, and exert all his influence in his
official character in order to obtain the accomplishment of my views; but
at the same time suggested that it would, perhaps, be as well at a
private interview to beg it as a personal favour; and to this I instantly
assented. He spoke twice to Mr. Bludoff upon the subject; and I shortly
afterwards received a summons to appear at the Asiatic Department,
whither I went, and found that Mr. Bludoff had been enquiring whether any
person was to be found capable of being employed as Censor over the work,
and that it had been resolved that Mr. Lipoftsoff, who is one of the
clerks of the Asiatic Department, should be appointed Censor, and that I
should be the Editor of the work, provided permission were granted to
print it. I went away, and having received no intelligence during the
space of a fortnight, I waited upon Mr. Bligh and begged that, provided
it were not disagreeable to him, he would make a fresh application to the
Minister. And, singularly enough, Mr. Bludoff was to dine at Mr. Bligh's
that evening, and the latter amiable gentleman assured me that he would
not let so excellent an opportunity slip of saying what was calculated to
bring the matter to a conclusion. That same night I received a message,
whereby I was requested to wait on Mr. Bludoff the next day, at one. I
did so, and he received me in the most polite manner and said that the
matter did not entirely depend upon him, but that it would be necessary
to obtain the permission also of the Director of Worship, that however he
would give me a letter to that Dignitary, which he doubted not would have
some effect. I received the letter, and without losing any time repaired
to the Director's Office and having delivered my letter, after waiting
some time, was told to call at the Asiatic Department on the first day of
the next week (the very day your letter arrived). On calling there _I
found that permission had been granted to print the Mandchou Scripture_.
I hope that the honourable Committee and yourself will feel no
displeasure at my presuming here to make a slight suggestion. We are
under great obligations to Mr. Bligh; and I have certainly taken great
liberties with the friendship with which he has thought proper to favour
me, liberties which I should certainly not have felt myself authorised to
have taken in any affair, the end of which was not the glorifying of God,
as the aim of this certainly is. I therefore should wish to hint the
expediency of a letter in which the thanks of the Committee be presented
to Mr. Bligh for the interest which he has been pleased to take in this
business, and for the trouble he has given himself. You are well aware
that a handsome acknowledgement of a kindness received is never taken
amiss; and as it is not impossible that Mr. Bligh, at another time and
even at another place, may have an opportunity of promoting the excellent
views of the Society, I cannot help thinking that such an acknowledgement
would be unwise neither in respect to what has occurred or may occur
hereafter.
In reply to your inquiries respecting my progress in the Mandchou
language, I have to observe that for some time past I have taken lessons
from a person who was twelve years in Pekin, and who speaks Mandchou and
Chinese with fluency. I pay him about six shillings English for each
lesson, which I grudge not, for the perfect acquirement of Mandchou is
one of my most ardent wishes; as I am convinced that it is destined by
providence to be the medium for the spiritual illumination of countless
millions of Chinese and Tartars. At present I can transcribe the Manchou
character with much greater facility and speed than I can the English. I
can translate from it with tolerable facility, and have translated into
it, for an exercise, the second homily of the Church of England "On the
Misery of Man." I have likewise occasionally composed a few hymns in
this language, the difficulty of which I am at present more fully aware
of than when I left England. It is one of those deceitful tongues, the
seeming simplicity of whose structure induces you to suppose, after
applying to them for a month or two, that little more remains to be
learned, but which, should you continue to study a year, as I have
studied this, show themselves to you in their veritable colours, amazing
you with their copiousness, puzzling with their idioms. In a word
Mandchou is equally as difficult as Sanscrit or Persian, neither of which
languages has ever been thoroughly acquired by any European, though at
first acquaintance they flatter the student with their deceitful
simplicity. I take the liberty of sending you a short original epigram
in rhymed Mandchou, which if it answers no other purpose will afford you
some idea of my running Mandchou hand, which, as I now write
perpendicularly, is very different from that hand which I wrote
previously to my coming hither. The epigram is upon the exploits of the
Tartars.
[Here follow four upright lines in Manchu characters.]
Milites qui e Manjurico deserto exierunt, bellando silvas, campos et
oppida Sinensis imperii captarunt.
Want of room obliges me to defer making a report upon Mr. Lipoftsoff's
translation until my next letter, which will follow in a week or two; for
I am unwilling in a matter of such immense importance to deliver a brief
and hurried opinion. I have much to communicate also respecting the
proper means to be pursued for the introduction and circulation of the
volume, when printed, in China and Tartary. This information I have
derived from the most authentic sources, namely from individuals who have
spent many years in these countries, and whose acquaintance I have
eagerly sought.
From England I have lately received a letter in which is an extract from
an epistle of my brother in Mexico, amounting to this--that there is no
native language in that country entitled to the appellation of _the_
Mexican language; that it is as incorrect to make use of such an
expression, as it would be to say definitely _the_ European language;
that setting aside the Spanish there are upwards of twenty languages and
dialects spoken in Mexico, none of which are read (except perhaps here
and there by a few individuals) but communicated by the mouth and only
acquired by the ear; that my brother has shown the sheet of St. Luke's
Gospel, which I transmitted to him, to various Spaniards and Indians, but
it was unintelligible to them, the latter not recognising the words when
read to them. I should therefore advise that the copies of this version
be sent, if possible, to the place where the version was purchased, as it
was probably made in the language or dialect of that place or
neighbourhood, and where there is a chance of its being of some utility.
Should my brother have survived the late dreadful commotions in Mexico, I
have no doubt that he will be exceedingly happy to assist in flinging the
rays of Scriptural light over that most benighted and miserable region;
but having lately read in the Russian newspapers that the town of
Guanajuato, where he resided, has been taken and sacked by the murderous
bands of the insurgents, I have great reason to fear that his earthly
course is terminated, for the former, incited by their demoniacal
priests, in comparison with whom the Shamans of Manjuria and the lamas of
Mongolia and China are innocent and holy, lay hold of every opportunity
of shedding the blood of Protestants and foreigners.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. March 10th, 1834, with Report on the Mandchou New
Testament.)
ST. PETERSBURG, GALERNOY ULITZA,
4 _February_ (old style) 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--In compliance with the request of the Committee,
expressed in your epistle of the 2nd January, I herewith send a report
upon Mr. Lipoftsoff's translation; and as there were many things which I
wished to mention in my last letter, but was unable from want of room, I
take this opportunity of stating them, with the hope that they will meet
with your approbation.
In the first place, whatever communication you wish to make to Mr.
Lipoftsoff I think you had best charge me with to him, for in that case
you will be certain that he will receive it, without loss of time. But I
must inform you that he is rather a singular man, and to all appearances
perfectly indifferent to the fate of his excellent translation, caring
nothing whether it be published as a powerful instrument to open the
closed eyes and soften the hard hearts of the idolators of China and
Tartary, or whether it be committed to the flames, and for ever lost to
the world. You cannot conceive the cold, heartless apathy in respect to
the affair, on which I have been despatched hither as an _assistant_,
which I have found in people, to whom I looked, not unreasonably, for
encouragement and advice. But thanks be to the Lord, the great object
has been accomplished, permission has been obtained to print the New
Testament, and have no doubt that permission for the whole Bible is
within our reach. And in regard to what we have yet to do, let it be
borne in mind, that we are by no means dependent upon Mr. Lipoftsoff;
though certainly to secure the services which he is capable of performing
would be highly desirable, and though he cannot act outwardly in the
character of Editor, he having been appointed Censor, he may privately be
of great utility to us. Therefore let the attempt to engage his services
be made without delay.
At the Sarepta House is a chest containing Mandchou characters, belonging
to the Bible Society, which I shall cause to be examined for the purpose
of ascertaining whether they have sustained any injury from rust during
the long time they have been lying neglected; if any of them have, my
learned friend Baron Schilling, who is in possession of a small fount of
Mandchou types for the convenience of printing trifles in that tongue,
has kindly promised to assist us with the use of as many of his own as
may be necessary. There is one printing office here, where they are in
the habit of printing with the Mongolian character, which differs but
little from the Mandchou; consequently the Mongolian compositors will be
competent to the task of composing in Mandchou. There are no Mandchou
types in St. Petersburg, with the exception of our own and Baron
Schilling's.
I suppose that it will be thought requisite to print the town for a year
or so, it is my humble opinion, and the opinion of much wiser people,
that if he were active, zealous and likewise courageous, the blessings
resulting from his labours would be incalculable. It would be by no
means a difficult thing to make excursions into Tartary and to form
friendships amongst the Tartar hordes, and I am far from certain that
with a little management and dexterity he would be unable to penetrate
even to Pekin, and to return in safety, after having examined the state
of the land. I can only say that if it were my fortune to have the
opportunity, I would make the attempt, and should consider myself only to
blame if I did not succeed.
In my last letter I informed you that I had procured myself an instructor
in Mandchou, and that I was making tolerable progress in the language. I
should now wish to ask whether this person could not be turned to some
further account; for example, to assist me in making a translation into
Mandchou of the Psalms and Isaiah, which have not yet been rendered. A
few shillings a week, besides what I give him for my own benefit, would
secure his co-operation, for he is a person in very low circumstances.
He is not competent to undertake any thing of the kind by himself, being
in many respects very simple and ignorant; but as an assistant I think he
might be of considerable utility, and that between us we could produce a
version which, although it might not be particularly elegant, would be
clear, grammatical and faithful to the original. In the mean time I
shall pursue my studies, and be getting every thing in readiness for
setting the printers at work; and with a humble request for _speedy
instructions_, in order that as little time as possible may be lost in
the work of the Lord, I have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir,
Your most obedient and humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S.--My kindest regards to Mr. Brandram and my other dear friends at the
Bible House. I thank you heartily for your kind advice in the latter
part of your last epistle. Do me the favour to inform Dr. Richardson
that I have followed his instructions in regard to clothing, etc., and
have derived great benefit therefrom.
To the Rev. Joseph Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. March ---, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, _Febry._ 15 (old style), 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Having forgotten in my last letter to say something
which I intended, I take the liberty of troubling you with these lines.
But first of all I must apologise for certain slips of the pen in the
Report which I transmitted; for it left me without having been corrected,
Baron Schilling having called upon me just as I sat down to the task, and
when he had departed, I had barely time to seal it and despatch it by
that week's post. There was in it, I believe, nothing of much importance
which required alteration, but, if I mistake not, I had written, in the
third side, vibebam, instead of _viverem_, and unaparelled, or some such
word, instead of _unparalleled_, in the fourth. Now to the point.
What is to be done with the transcript of Puerot's translation of the
Acts of the Apostles, which I made, and which is now in my possession?
The translation is in every respect an admirable one; clear, faithful,
and elegant. It would not do to print it in lieu of Mr. Lipoftsoff's
translation of that part of the New Testament; because the styles of the
two individuals are so different, that to mix up the writings of the one
with those of the other would only serve to disfigure the work, and Mr.
Lipoftsoff's translation is well worthy of being printed separately and
entire; but I conceive that we possess a treasure in Puerot's writings,
and that it would be a great pity to hide any portion of them from the
world. Pray communicate this hint to the Committee, and pardon me for
troubling you.
I remain, Rev. and dear Sir, most sincerely yours,
G. BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd, May 16th, 1834)
GALERNOY ULITZA, ST. PETERSBURG,
15_th_ _April_ (old style) 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Upon the receipt of your letter of the [21st] ult.
[date omitted], I lost no time in endeavouring to obtain the necessary
information upon the points to which you directed my attention; and I
have some hope that what I am about to communicate will not be altogether
unsatisfactory; but I must first of all state that it was not acquired in
a day, and that I have been obliged to go to many people and many places,
which will account for my not having sooner returned an answer.
First, respecting the most important point, the expense of printing the
New Testament in Mandchou. I was quite terrified at the enormous sums
which some of the printers to whom I made application required for the
work. At length our friend Dr. Schmidt recommended me to the University
Press, and I having spoken to the directors of the establishment, they
sent me in the course of a week an estimate which neither Dr. Schmidt nor
myself considered to be unreasonable, and of this estimate I here subjoin
a translation:
To Mr. Borrow.
'After much consultation with the compositor, I have come to the
following result concerning the Mandchou business about which you
consulted me. If the work be printed on as thin paper as that of the
original, it can only be printed on one side. Now supposing that the
size is to be folio like that of the original, two sides will make a
sheet, and the price of composition will be 26 roubles, 20
copecks--that is to say; 12R. to the compositor, wages 2R. 50c.,
percentage to the printing office 11R. 60c., making 26R. 20c. The
printing of 1000 on one side 2R. 50c., percentage 2R., making 4R.
50c. Thus for composition and printing 30R. 60c. for 1000; for 2000,
35R. 10c.; for 3000, 39R. 60c.--
Your very obedient servant,
KORLER.'
In the meantime I had become acquainted with two German printers, Schultz
and Beneze, who being young men and just entered into business are very
eager to obtain the printing of a work of such importance, which they
hope will serve to bring them into notice, as well as being advantageous
to them in a pecuniary view. The difference, as to the expense of
printing, in the estimate made by these gentlemen and that of the
University Press, will doubtless as much surprise you, as it did me.
Here it follows:
'In respect to the printing of the New Testament in the Manchou
language, the undersigned oblige themselves to undertake the printing
of the said work. In the first place, as the Bible Society, and in
particular their agent Mr. Borrow, think fit to furnish the printers
with the necessary types and paper, the undersigned offer to supply
the sheet consisting of four pages with composition, clean and black
printing, at the rate of 25 roubles, paper currency, for a thousand
copies; for two thousand copies, five additional roubles assignats,
so that the same sheet, only by a greater edition, amounts to 30
roubles assignats; thirdly, for 3000 copies in the above proportion,
35 roubles. Fourthly, we promise during the interval of a certain
period to supply at the rate of three sheets per week.
SCHULTZ & BENEZE.'
You will perceive that the amount of this estimate is less, by more than
one-half, than the amount of the other. Schultz and Beneze's sheet
consists of four sides, and they charge less for it than the printers of
the University charge for theirs which consists only of two. I should
therefore think that upon this ground they are entitled to the
preference, were there nothing else to recommend them, which, in my
humble opinion, there is; for being young beginners, and not having very
much to do, they are more likely to push the work forward, than a firm
overwhelmed with business, from whom, whatever might be promised, a sheet
per week is the utmost to be expected, by which much valuable time must
be lost. Dr. Schmidt is acquainted with Messrs. S. & B., and highly
approves of their being employed.
Secondly, concerning paper, with which the printer has no concern. I can
as yet say little for certain upon this matter, which has been the
occasion of no little trouble and expense; for I have been obliged to
take no less than three journeys to Peterhof, a town about 30 _versts_
distant, where stands the paper manufactory, for there is no such paper
as we want in the Russian capital. In this manufactory they have about
50 _stopes_ or reams (we should require ten times that quantity for only
1000 copies) of the very paper, I believe, on which the Mandchou Gospel
of St. Matthew was printed, and some of the workmen said that they could
make as much more as should be required. Concerning the price of this
paper, I could obtain no positive information, for the director and first
and second clerks were invariably absent, and the place abandoned to
ignorant understrappers (according to the custom of Russia). And
notwithstanding I found out the director in Petersburg, he himself could
not tell me the price, but informed me that he would inquire, and
speedily send me word; but as I have as yet heard nothing from him, I
write lest it should be supposed in England that I am sleeping on my
station. _I shall write again in a few days on this point_; _in the mean
time you would oblige me by causing the accounts of Dr. Pinkerton's
expenses to be referred to_, for the purpose of ascertaining how much he
paid per ream for this kind of paper. I believe it to be extravagantly
dear, at least five times dearer than good common paper, which can be
procured for fifteen roubles per ream; and if that be the case, common
paper must be used and the book printed in the common fashion, unless the
Society be prepared to disburse thousands instead of hundreds; for if the
work were printed on this Chinese paper, four times more paper would be
required than if it were printed on the other, as five multiplied by four
make twenty, the expense of paper would be twenty times greater.
Thirdly, respecting Mr. Lipoftsoff, with whom I have of late had much
conversation. He has behaved very handsomely. He has made an immense
number of alterations in his translation, all of which are excellent
improvements, and all these are to be at our disposal gratis. He says
that he cannot receive any remuneration for looking over the work, being
bound to do so as Censor. I shall therefore edit it, and have the
supervision of the proof sheets, which he will peruse last of all. He
having examined me in Mandchou did me the honour to say I required no
assistance at all; but should the Committee and yourself be of opinion
that it would be advisable to procure a little, the 'pundit' would be
very happy for an extra six or seven shillings per week to collate with
me when wanted. I have derived great benefit from this man, who though
in many respects a most singular and uncouth being speaks Mandchou
gallantly, with the real pronunciation of _Pekin_, which differs
considerably from that of _Pekhan_ (the desert), being far more soft and
melodious. During the interval which will elapse between my writing to
you and hearing from you, I shall borrow from Baron Schilling the
Mandchou Old Testament and reperuse the notes in order to be able to give
a suitable opinion as to their value. My present opinion of them is no
mean one. In answer to your query _respecting the transcript of the Old
Testament_, I beg leave to inform you that it is in the hands of a Mr.
Merrilies, an English merchant, to whom Mr. Swan entrusted it. I believe
he starts for England by the first steam-boat.
I have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, sincerely yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S.--Since my last letter I have been laid up for some time with a
nervous fever, but thank God I am quite recovered. My best respects to
Mr. Brandram. Pray excuse the haste in which this letter is written, it
will be barely in time for the post.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. May 26th, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, April 28 (old style) 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Being at length able to communicate some positive
information respecting the price of the paper, which we are in need of, I
lose no time in doing so. The day after I despatched my last epistle,
which I hope you have received, I was favoured with a communication from
the director of the Peterhof Fabrik or Manufactory, a gentleman who
amongst other titles bears that of Councillor of State. He was kind
enough to say that I should have the 50 reams of paper which remained,
and which I before alluded to, at 75 roubles per ream; but that if any
more were necessary, one hundred roubles per ream would be required, and
not any reduction would be made. You may easily guess that I was
somewhat startled at this piece of information, for upon making a
calculation I found that one ream of paper would be little more than
sufficient for two copies of the entire Mandchou New Testament. There
are 480 sheets in a Russian ream, and I suppose that our book will
consist of seven parts, each containing about the same number of sheets
as the printed Mandchou Gospel of St. Matthew. Now that Gospel contains
31 sheets, and 31 multiplied by 7 amounts to 211 [_sic_], which
multiplied by 2 makes 422 sheets, leaving only a surplus of 58.
Therefore the paper necessary for 1000 copies only would amount to about
450 reams, the price of which, after allowance had been made for the 50
reams at 75 roubles, would exceed 40,000 roubles. The next day I hired a
calash, and spent the best part of a week in causing myself to be driven
to all the places in the vicinity of Petersburg where paper is made.
Knowing but too well that it is the general opinion of the people of this
country that Englishmen are made of gold, and that it is only necessary
to ask the most extravagant price for any article in order to obtain it,
I told no person, to whom I applied, who I was, or of what country; and I
believe I was supposed to be a German. In some places I had now the
pleasure of hearing that I could have the paper at 60 roubles per ream.
At last I came to a person whom, after having informed him that I was in
need of a very great quantity, perhaps a thousand reams or more, I beat
down from 50 to 40 roubles, from 40 to 35, and it is probable that I may
be able to obtain a large quantity at 30. I must inform you that I also
employed two agents, and we three going various ways have ascertained
that the necessary paper may be procured for between 30 and 40 roubles
per ream, paper of as good a quality--nay, better than that on which the
Gospel of St. Matthew was printed, and that for which 100 roubles were
demanded at Peterhof. It is therefore now time for the Committee to come
to a decision respecting the number of copies to be printed, and I wish
it to be borne in mind that the price of the paper per ream in some
degree depends upon the quantity required. I do not think it possible to
obtain any where paper of a similar quality at a less price than 30 or 35
roubles; for the specimens which I have obtained are very beautiful, and
a work printed on such paper need not be ashamed to show its face amongst
the most fastidious Tartars and Chinese. To print the Testament on
common paper would certainly not be advisable, as in that case the
probability is that notwithstanding the reverence of those singular
people for written or printed characters, the sacred volume, if put into
their hands, would be destroyed.
I am in conformity with your expressed desire getting every thing into
readiness for commencing printing, and therefore earnestly beg for a
speedy communication, informing me how much paper I am to bespeak, and in
what manner I am to pay for it. I must here observe that in all dealings
within Russia the purchaser must have his money ready in his hand;
consequently, if I am authorised to purchase any quantity of paper, I
must have a letter of credit upon some firm here resident, that I may be
able to pay for the article immediately upon its delivery.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S.--With respect to the paper, if purchased; would you have me deliver
the whole of it into the printer's hands at once, or should a small
apartment be hired in which to keep part of it until wanted? In this
country the wisdom of the serpent is quite as necessary as the innocence
of the dove.
To J. Thornton, Esq.
(_Endorsed_: recd. July 22nd, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, _June_ 27_th_, 1834.
SIR,--Having drawn upon Messrs. Simondsen and Company of St. Petersburg
for the sum of 2000 roubles (two thousand roubles) as a deposit upon an
order for 450 reams of Chinese paper, at _twenty-five roubles_ per ream,
I have to request that you will honour their draft to the like amount.
I remain, Sir, yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Our types are in the hands of the printer, they have
been cleaned and set in order. St. Matthew's Gospel has been corrected,
and the work of printing commences next week. Most truly yours,
G. B.
To John Jackson, Esq.
_Octr._ 1 (old style), 1834, ST. PETERSBURG.
MY DEAR SIR,--I am exceedingly sorry that you should have had the trouble
of writing to me to no purpose; for in respect to the letter, which it
seems by your favour of the 29th ult. you committed to a private hand to
be forwarded to me, I beg leave to state that I have never received it,
or heard anything of it. I must earnestly intreat that in future all
letters relating to business be despatched by the regular post, otherwise
great inconvenience and misunderstanding will be the result. Private
individuals seldom give themselves the slightest trouble to deliver
letters. If they chance to fall in with the persons for whom they are
intended--well and good! if not, the letters are flung aside and
forgotten. In respect to the monies furnished me by our friend Mr. Tarn
for my journey I have sent an account of the disbursement on the other
side, and also of what I have expended already upon the Mandchou New
Testament, of which _St. Matthew's Gospel has been completed and St.
Mark's entered upon_.
I remain, my dear Sir, most truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
To J. Tarn, Esq.,
_Under-Treasurer of the British and Foreign Bible Society_.
Account of the disbursement of certain monies received by me for my
journey to St. Petersburg in the service of the B. S.:--
Received of Mr. Tarn (if I mistake not) 30 pounds, and 7 pounds, making
together 37 pounds.
Paid for fare to Hamburg by steam-boat, diet not included, 7 pounds, 0s
0d
For expenses of conveying myself and baggage to the custom-house wharf,
and of getting on board, 0 pounds, 6s, 0d
Carry forward, 7 pounds, 6s, 0d
Brought forward 7 pounds, 6s, 0d
Expenses on board the packet, viz. diet, servants, and baggage fees at
Stade on the Hanoverian coast, 1 pound, 9s, 0d
Expenses attending my landing at Hamburg, conveyg. baggage to the hotel,
etc., 0 pounds, 5s, 0d
Expenses on the day of my arrival, for medical advice, physic, etc.,
having been seized by severe illness, 0 pounds, 7s, 0d
Expenses during three days' sojourn at Hamburg, viz. for lodging, diet,
and _valet de place_, 1 pound, 19s, 0d
Expenses of journey to Lubeck, namely hire of calash, driver, etc., 1
pound, 10s, 0d
Expenses of two days' sojourn at Lubeck, 1 pound, 7s, 0d
Expenses for removal of baggage to the river-side and journey down the
river Trave to steam-boat at Travemunde, 0 pounds, 7s, 0d
Fare from Travemunde to St. Petersburg, diet not included, 1 pound, 0s,
0d
For diet, servants, etc., 1 pound, 17s, 6d
Total, 27 pounds, 7s, 6d
Surplus of money, 9 pounds, 12s, 6d
From which surplus of 9 pounds, 12s. 6d. are to be deducted 7 pounds,
4s., or the salary of twelve days not drawn for, which twelve days were
spent in the journey. The salary commencing from the hour of
embarcation.
Surplus due to Mr. Tarn, 2 pounds, 8s, 6d
MY DEAR SIR,--At the expiration of this quarter I shall draw for the sum
of 47 pounds, 11s. 6d. instead of the usual 50 pounds, whereby my account
with you will be liquidated. I have, according to your suggestion when
we parted, deducted the salary of the days passed in journeying from the
money which I received from you, Messrs. Simondsen having received advice
to pay me from the day of my arrival at St. Petersburg, whereas by the
words of my agreement (see books) the salary commences from the time of
embarcation. I believe, previous to my departure, that I accounted to
you for the sums advanced for passports. I have had the good fortune, as
I suppose you are aware, to procure for 25 roubles per ream the paper for
which I was originally asked 60, and of which previously the very lowest
price has ever been 35. This paper is far superior to that for which the
Society formerly paid 40 (and which was not dear at 40), being far
stronger and more glossy. You will particularly oblige me by taking care
that Messrs. Simondsen's drafts are honored without the slightest delay.
If I were unable to pay for the paper at the stated time I should
probably be arrested, and, what would be far more lamentable, the
contract with the merchants would be broken; and upon a fresh contract I
could not obtain the paper in question for less than 60 roubles per ream,
for the winter has already come upon us, during which most of the paper
manufactories are at a stand-still, and an order for paper would be
consequently given under every possible disadvantage. I have forwarded,
according to your desire, an account of the sums of money hitherto drawn
for, and of the manner in which they have been disbursed. I intended to
have reserved my account for Christmas, by which season I hope, with the
blessing of God, to have brought out the four Gospels. Excuse these
hasty lines, and believe me, dear Sir, ever yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. Nov. 10th, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, _Oct._ 8 [old style], 1834.
I have just received your most kind epistle, the perusal of which has
given me both pain and pleasure--pain that from unavoidable circumstances
I have been unable to gratify eager expectation, and pleasure that any
individual should have been considerate enough to foresee my situation
and to make allowance for it. The nature of my occupations during the
last two months and a half has been such as would have entirely unfitted
me for correspondence, had I been aware that it was necessary, which, on
my sacred word, I was not. Now, and only now, when by the blessing of
God I have surmounted all my troubles and difficulties, I will tell, and
were I not a Christian I should be proud to tell, what I have been
engaged upon and accomplished during the last ten weeks. I have been
working in the printing-office, as a common compositor, between ten and
thirteen hours every day during that period; the result of this is that
St. Matthew's Gospel, printed from such a copy as I believe nothing was
ever printed from before, has been brought out in the Mandchou language;
two rude Esthonian peasants, who previously could barely compose with
decency in a plain language which they spoke and were accustomed to, have
received such instruction that with ease they can each compose at the
rate of a sheet a day in the Mandchou, perhaps the most difficult
language for composition in the whole world; considerable progress has
also been made in St. Mark's Gospel, and I will venture to promise,
provided always the Almighty smiles upon the undertaking, that the entire
work of which I have the superintendence will be published within eight
months from the present time. Now, therefore, with the premise that I
most unwillingly speak of myself and what I have done and suffered for
some time past, all of which I wished to keep locked up in my own breast,
I will give a regular and circumstantial account of my proceedings from
the day when I received your letter, by which I was authorised by the
Committee to bespeak paper, engage with a printer, and cause our type to
be set in order.
My first care was to endeavour to make suitable arrangements for the
obtaining of Chinese paper. Now those who reside in England, the most
civilised and blessed of countries, where everything is to be obtained at
a fair price, have not the slightest idea of the anxiety and difficulty
which, in a country like this, harass the foreigner who has to disburse
money not his own, if he wish that his employers be not shamefully and
outrageously imposed upon. In my last epistle to you I stated that I had
been asked 100 roubles per ream for such paper as we wanted. I likewise
informed you that I believed that it was possible to procure it for 35
roubles, notwithstanding our Society had formerly paid 40 roubles for
worse paper than the samples I was in possession of. Now I have always
been of opinion than in the expending of money collected for sacred
purposes, it behoves the agent to be extraordinarily circumspect and
sparing. I therefore was determined, whatever trouble it might cost me,
to procure for the Society unexceptionable paper at a yet more reasonable
rate than 35 roubles. I was aware, that an acquaintance of mine, a young
Dane, was particularly intimate with one of the first printers of this
city, who is accustomed to purchase vast quantities of paper every month
for his various publications. I gave this young gentleman a specimen of
the paper I required, and desired him (he was under obligations to me) to
enquire of his friend, _as if from curiosity_, the least possible sum per
ream at which the _printer himself_ (who from his immense demand for
paper should necessarily obtain it cheaper than any one else) could
expect to purchase the article in question. The answer I received within
a day or two was 25 roubles. Upon hearing this I prevailed upon my
acquaintance to endeavour to persuade his friend to bespeak the paper at
25 roubles, and to allow me, notwithstanding I was a perfect stranger, to
have it at that price. All this was brought about. I was introduced to
the printer, Mr. Pluchard, by the Dane, Mr. Hasfeldt, and between the
former gentleman and myself a contract was made to the effect that by the
end of October he should supply me with 450 reams of Chinese paper at 25
roubles per ream, the first delivery to be made on the 1st of August; for
as my order was given at an advanced period of the year, when all the
paper manufactories were at full work towards the executing of orders
already received, it was but natural that I should verify the old
apophthegm, 'Last come, last served.' As no orders are attended to in
Russia unless money be advanced upon them, I deposited in the hands of
Mr. Pluchard the sum of 2000 roubles, receiving his receipt for that
amount.
Having arranged this most important matter to my satisfaction, I turned
my attention to the printing process. I accepted the offer of Messrs.
Schultz and Beneze to compose and print the Mandchou Testament at the
rate of 25 roubles per sheet, and caused our fount of type to be conveyed
to their office. I wish to say here a few words respecting the state in
which these types came into my possession. I found them in a kind of
warehouse, or rather cellar. They had been originally confined in two
cases; but these having burst, the type lay on the floor trampled amidst
mud and filth. They were, moreover, not improved by having been immersed
within the waters of the inundation of '27 [1824]. I caused them all to
be collected and sent to their destination, where they were purified and
arranged--a work of no small time and difficulty, at which I was obliged
to assist. Not finding with the type what is called 'Durchschuss' by the
printers here, consisting of leaden wedges of about six ounces weight
each, which form the spaces between the lines, I ordered 120 pounds
weight of those at a rouble a pound, being barely enough for three
sheets. I had now to teach the compositors the Mandchou alphabet, and to
distinguish one character from another. This occupied a few days, at the
end of which I gave them the commencement of St. Matthew's Gospel to
copy. They no sooner saw the work they were called upon to perform than
there were loud murmurs of dissatisfaction, and . . . [four Russian
words] which means 'It is quite impossible to do the like,' was the
cry--and no wonder. The original printed Gospel had been so interlined
and scribbled upon by the author in a hand so obscure and irregular,
that, accustomed as I was to the perusal of the written Mandchou, it was
not without the greatest difficulty that I could decipher the new matter
myself. Moreover, the corrections had been so carelessly made that they
themselves required far more correction than the original matter. I was
therefore obliged to be continually in the printing-office, and to do
three parts of the work myself. For some time I found it necessary to
select every character with my own fingers, and to deliver it to the
compositor, and by so doing I learnt myself to compose. We continued in
this way till all our characters were exhausted, for no paper had
arrived. For two weeks and more we were obliged to pause, the want of
paper being insurmountable. At the end of this period came six reams;
but partly from the manufacturers not being accustomed to make this
species of paper, and partly from the excessive heat of the weather which
caused it to dry too fast, only one ream and a half could be used, and
this was not enough for one sheet; the rest I refused to take, and sent
back. The next week came fifteen reams. This paper, from the same
causes, was as bad as the last. I selected four reams, and sent the rest
back. But this paper enabled us to make a beginning, which we did not
fail to do, though we received no more for upwards of a fortnight, which
caused another pause. At the end of that time, owing to my pressing
remonstrances and entreaties, a regular supply of about twelve reams per
week of most excellent paper commenced. This continued until we had
composed the last five sheets of St. Matthew, when some paper arrived
which in my absence was received by Mr. Beneze, who, without examining
it, as was his duty, delivered it to the printers to use in the printing
of the said sheets, who accordingly printed upon part of it. But the
next day, when my occupation permitted me to see what they were about, I
observed that the last paper was of a quality very different from that
which had been previously sent. I accordingly instantly stopped the
press, and, notwithstanding eight reams had been printed upon, I sent all
the strange paper back, and caused Mr. Beneze to recompose three sheets,
which had been broken up, at his own expense. But this caused the delay
of another week.
This last circumstance made me determine not to depend in future for
paper on one manufactory alone. I therefore stated to Mr. P[luchard]
that, as his people were unable to furnish me with the article fast
enough, I should apply to others for 250 reams, and begged him to supply
me with the rest as fast as possible. He made no objection. Thereupon I
prevailed upon my most excellent friend, Baron Schilling, to speak to his
acquaintance, State-Councillor Alquin, who is possessed of a paper
manufactory, on the subject. M. Alquin, as a personal favour to Baron
Schilling (whom, I confess, I was ashamed to trouble upon such an affair,
and should never have done so had not zeal for the _cause_ induced me),
consented to furnish me with the required paper on the same terms as Mr.
P. At present there is not the slightest risk of the progress of our
work being retarded--at present, indeed, the path is quite easy; but the
trouble, anxiety, and misery which have till lately harassed me, _alone_
in a situation of great responsibility, have almost reduced me to a
skeleton.
My dearest Sir, do me the favour to ask our excellent Committee, Would it
have answered any useful purpose if, instead of continuing to struggle
with difficulties and using my utmost to overcome them, I had written in
the following strain--and what else could I have written if I had written
at all?--'I was sent out to St. Petersburg to assist Mr. Lipoftsoff in
the editing of the Mandchou Testament. That gentleman, _who holds three
important situations under the Russian Government_, _and who is far
advanced in years_, has neither time, inclination, or eyesight for the
task, and I am apprehensive that my strength and powers unassisted are
incompetent to it' (praised be the Lord, they were not!), 'therefore I
should be glad to return home. Moreover the compositors say that they
are unaccustomed to compose in an unknown tongue from such scribbled and
illegible copy, and they will scarcely assist me to compose. Moreover
the working printers say (several went away in disgust) that the paper on
which they have to print is too thin to be wetted, and that to print on
dry requires a two-fold exertion of strength, and that they will not do
such work for double wages, for it ruptures them.' Would that have been
a welcome communication to the Committee? Would that have been a
communication suited to the public? I was resolved 'to do or die,' and,
instead of distressing and perplexing the Committee with complaints, to
write nothing until I could write something perfectly satisfactory, as I
now can; and to bring about that result I have spared neither myself nor
my own money. I have toiled in a close printing-office the whole day,
during 90 degrees of heat, for the purpose of setting an example, and
have bribed people to work whom nothing but bribes would induce so to do.
I am obliged to say all this in self-justification. No member of the
Bible Society would ever have heard a syllable respecting what I have
undergone but for the question, 'What has Mr. Borrow been about?' I hope
and trust that question is now answered to the satisfaction of those who
do Mr. Borrow the honour to employ him. In respect to the expense
attending the editing of such a work as the New Testament in Mandchou, I
beg leave to observe that I have obtained the paper, the principal source
of expense, at fifteen roubles per ream less than the Society paid
formerly for it--that is to say, at nearly half the price.
As St. Matthew's Gospel has been ready for some weeks, it is high time
that it should be bound; for if that process be delayed, the paper with
be dirtied and the work injured. I am sorry to inform you that
book-binding in Russia is incredibly dear, and that the expenses
attending the binding of the Testament would amount, were the usual
course pursued, to two-thirds of the entire expenses of the work.
Various book-binders to whom I have applied have demanded one rouble and
a half for the binding of every section of the work, so that the sum
required for the binding of one Testament alone would be twelve roubles.
Dr. Schmidt assured me that one rouble and forty copecks, or, according
to the English currency, fourteenpence halfpenny, were formerly paid for
the binding of every individual copy of St. Matthew's Gospel. I pray
you, my dear Sir, to cause the books to be referred to, for I wish to
know if that statement be correct. In the meantime arrangements have
been made, and the Society will have to pay for each volume of the
Testament the comparatively small sum of forty-five copecks, or fourpence
halfpenny, whereas the usual price here for the most paltry covering of
the most paltry pamphlet is fivepence. Should it be demanded how I have
been able to effect this, my reply is that I have had little hand in the
matter. A nobleman, who honours me with particular friendship, and who
is one of the most illustrious ornaments of Russia and of Europe, has, at
my request, prevailed on his own book-binder, over whom he has much
influence, to do the work on these terms. That nobleman is Baron
Schilling.
Commend me to our most respected Committee. Assure them that in whatever
I have done or left undone, I have been influenced by a desire to promote
the glory of the Trinity and to give my employers ultimate and permanent
satisfaction. If I have erred, it has been from a defect of judgment,
and I ask pardon of God and them.
In the course of a week I shall write again, and give a further account
of my proceedings, for I have not communicated one-tenth of what I have
to impart; but I can write no more now. It is two hours past midnight.
The post goes away to-morrow, and against that morrow I have to examine
and correct three sheets of St. Mark's Gospel, which lie beneath the
paper on which I am writing. With my best regards to Mr. Brandram, I
remain, dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. BORROW.
_P.S._--I wrote to Mr. Jackson and Mr. Tarn last week.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. Nov. 14, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, _Oct._ 13_th_ (old style) 1834.
REVEREND AND DEAR SIR,--In pursuance of the promise given in my epistle
of last week, which I trust in the Lord you have received, I again
address you. In the first place I must intreat you to peruse and to read
to the Committee the enclosed Latin certificate penned by Mr. Lipoftsoff,
a gentleman as little inclined to be prodigal of praise, as was of old
the learned Scaliger himself, to whom in many points indeed, he bears no
faint resemblance. In the second place, I must inform you that a few
hurried lines are all that I can afford to write at present; my proof
sheets are rushing in so fast that time is exceedingly precious to me,
and I grudge every moment that is not devoted to my Maker or to my great
undertaking.
Before this letter reaches you St. Mark's Gospel will have passed through
the press. The two remaining Gospels will be printed before the arrival
of Christmas, and by the first of May the entire New Testament, in the
Mandchou language, will have been published. I wish this intelligence to
be communicated to the public, who are at liberty, provided the Lord does
not visit me with some heavy affliction, to hold me culpable, if my
assertion is belied by the event.
It is true that were I to pursue the common practice of editors, it would
be impossible to complete the work in less than two years; the quantity
of proofs, successively required for every sheet, fail not, in general,
to retard the progress of all such undertakings. My beloved friend Mr.
Swan published in this city a small tract in Mongolian; he found that it
was absolutely necessary to demand six proofs of every sheet, for in the
second, nay the third proof, there were frequently as many errors as in
the first, from the compositors not being able properly to read the
corrections. But I never entrust the task of making alterations in the
press to other hands than my own. Having corrected the first proof at
home, I proceed to the printing office and rectify all errors myself. I
consequently never require more than two proofs; the second, which I
generally show to Mr. Lipoftsoff, is frequently faultless. I am so
perfectly convinced of the excellence of this plan, that it is my firm
intention to pursue it in whatever foreign, or even English works, it may
be my destiny to edit.
I wish now to say a few words upon a subject, on which I have previously
said something. At the present moment my principal inducement to such a
step is the observation every now and then made to me, both by Christians
and no Christians, namely: 'You are printing Testaments for which you
will never find readers. Do not tell us that you can distribute them at
Canton and its environs, or on the coasts of China; there are not ten
individuals amongst a million of the aboriginal Chinese, and such
constitute the inhabitants of Canton, of the coasts and of the isles, who
understand the language in which your Testaments are printed. If you
wish for readers you must seek them amongst the masters of Pekin and the
fierce hordes of desert Tartary; but what means do you possess for
introducing them to Tartary or Pekin?' I stated in a former letter that
the town of Kiachta, upon the northern frontier of China, appeared to me
to be in many respects a suitable head-quarters for any person on whom
might devolve the task of endeavouring to supply the Mandchou Tartars
with the word of life in their own language. I am still of opinion, and
so are many individuals much more experienced than myself, that if a
passport could be obtained from the Russian Government, the Bible Society
would do well in despatching an agent to Kiachta, to see what might be
done at, or rather from, that place in the great cause. Kiachta is
little more than 800 miles from Pekin, and not more than half that
distance from Manjuria; he might therefore, trusting in the Lord, not
unreasonably hope to be able to penetrate to the Tartar of the capital
and the desert. True it is that his undertaking would not 'come within
the limits of safe and prudent speculation.' But is it possible for a
plan to come within the limits of safe speculation, which has in view the
conversion of the Tartar? Far be it from me to advise that the entire
stock of Testaments be hazarded in such an enterprise; 200 is the extreme
number which should be ventured, the others shipped for England, for a
seizure upon the agent and his books would be no improbable event. I am
a person of few words, and will therefore state without circumlocution
that I am willing to become that agent. I speak Russ, Mandchou, and the
Tartar or broken Turkish of the Russian steppes, and have also some
knowledge of Chinese, which I might easily improve at Kiachta, half of
the inhabitants of which town are Chinamen. I am therefore not
altogether unqualified for such an adventure. Were the attempt to be
made, the winter of the ensuing year would be the proper time for
starting, because the book will not be ready before next spring, and the
expenses of a summer journey would be enormous.
A few days since, upon taking leave of Prince Abbas Khoulgi, who has
departed from this place to his patrimonial territories, near the
Caucasus, I presented him with a Testament in the Russian-Tartar
language, which is his native tongue. He is without one exception the
most interesting man I have ever met. Though by religion a Mahometan he
is totally divested of the blind bigotry which so peculiarly
characterises the followers of the Camel-driver-warrior-pseudo-prophet,
but on the contrary is possessed of a mind ever restless in the pursuit
of truth, and which will doubtless eventually lead him to the narrow path
which leadeth unto salvation. The Testament which he received from me
was the very last, in the Tartar language, which remained in the shop at
which are sold the publications of what was once the Russian Bible
Society. It is a sad fact that though there are upwards of three
thousand Tartars in St. Petersburg, most of whom can read and write the
Turkish dialect which they speak, not one Testament is at hand suited to
their understandings. I have formed many acquaintances among these most
singular people, whose language I have acquired, during my residence in
the Russian capital, chiefly from conversing with my servant Mahomet
Djaffier, a native of Bucharia, son of the Iman or Mahometan priest of
this place. Notwithstanding the superstition and fanaticism of these men
I am much attached to them; for their conscientiousness, honesty, and
fidelity are beyond all praise. They stand in strong contrast with the
lower orders of the Russians, a good-natured, lowly-vicious, wavering
race, easily excited, easily soothed; whilst the former are sedate,
sober, temperate beings, with minds like Egyptian granite, from which it
is no easy matter to efface an impression, once made. How lamentable
that such people should in the all-important matter of religion have
embraced error instead of truth; what ornaments they would prove at the
present day to Christianity, if, instead of Mahometanism, Christianity
had originally come in their way! Of a surety they would reflect much
more lustre on the religion of Christ than millions whose deeds and
behaviour are more worthy of the followers of the impostor than of Him
'in whose mouth was found no craft or subtlety.'
I have much more to write and wish so to do, but I have really no time.
It is probable that you will not hear from me again before Christmas (old
style), but I entreat _you_ to inform me as soon as possible whether my
proceedings give satisfaction or not; but I must here take the liberty of
stating that if I were moved one inch from my own course, the
consequences might prove disastrous to the work, as I should instantly
lose all power of exertion. I want no assistance but that of God, and
will accept of none. Pray, I beseech you, that _That_ be granted.
You would, my dear Sir, be conferring a great favour upon me, if you
would so far trouble yourself as to write a few lines to my venerated
friend Mr. Cunningham of Lowestoft, informing him that I am tolerably
well, and that the work is going on most prosperously.
I remain, Reverend and dear Sir,
Your most humble and obliged servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S.--Baron Schilling wishes to have a Chinese Testament of the large
edition: pray, send one if possible, and direct it to me at the Sarepta
House. Be particular to remember that it must be of the large edition,
for he has one of the small already in his possession. He wishes
likewise to have Gutzlaff and Lindsay's Voyages.
_Enclosed in the letter is the following certificate_.
Testifico--
Dominum Burro ab initio usque ad hoc tempus summa cum deligentia et
studio in re Mantshurica laborasse.
LIPOVZOFF.
To J. Tarn, Esq.
ST. PETERSBURG, _Decr._ 15/27, 1834.
On the other side I send an account of the money disbursed since the
period of my last writing to you until the present moment. In respect to
the 75 roubles charged for the reprinting of three sheets of St. Matthew,
I beg leave to observe, that after several sheets of that Gospel had been
printed, after the same manner as that adopted in the first edition, Mr.
Lipoftsoff, the Censor, gave me notice that he had determined that the
position of the vowel-points should be altered; and I did not think
proper to make any opposition. But as common-sense informed me that it
was by no means expedient to exhibit two systems of pointing in the same
work, I subsequently caused the first sheets to be reprinted. I think it
necessary to offer this short explanation to prevent any
misunderstanding; for this superfluous expense must be attributed to the
Censor's not knowing originally his own mind, and not to any negligence
on my part. I am so pressed for time that I have not been able to refer
to my last account, which lies buried amongst the ocean of my papers, and
in stating that I retained in hand 123 roubles, I have merely trusted to
memory and calculation; but I am sure the Committee and yourself will
excuse my little inaccuracy, when I state my situation. My two
compositors, whom I had instructed in all the mysteries of Mandchou
composition, are in the hospital down with the brain fever, for every
kind of sickness is at present raging in this place; and during the last
three days I have been running about in all directions in quest of people
to fill their situation, until they recover.
Thanks be to the Lord, I have discovered and engaged the person who
composed the first Mandchou Gospel of St. Matthew, ten years since; and
as next week I shall again station myself in the printing office for the
purpose of assisting and instructing, the great work will not be delayed,
and in a fortnight or ten days I trust to be able, provided an
opportunity occurs, to transmit to England copies of the four Gospels.
With my best rewards to Mr. Brandram and Mr. Jowett (whose last letter I
have received), I remain, etc.,
GEORGE BORROW.
To J. Tarn, Esq.
ST. PETERSBURG, _Feb._ 1, 1835.
The last account which I had the honour of transmitting to you detailed
expenses in the editing of the Mandchou Testament as far as the first two
sheets of St. John. That Gospel having by the blessing of the Almighty
passed through the press, and a copy of it bound, and also copies of the
three other Gospels, having been forwarded to London, I snatch a moment
from my occupation to give an account of my late outgoings, the sums
drawn for having been considerable on account of my having many and large
bills to discharge. When I last wrote, I retained in hand 75 roubles 50
copecks, of the sum of 3500 drawn for; since which sum I have drawn for
the separate sums of 5000 and 500 according to the books of the Sarepta
House. I had advanced to the printer in consequence of the illness of
his compositors the sum of 250, which being deducted from the 5000 I
shall, in order to prevent confusion, take no notice of, and proceed to
give an account of the disbursement of
R. C.
5575 50
11 Jany. 4125
1835, paid
Mr.
Pluchard
for one
hundred and
sixty-five
reams of
paper at
25R. per
ream
27 Dec. 450
1834, paid
Mr.
Lauffert
for the
binding of
St. Matthew
Do. for 2 10
chests to
contain St.
Matthew
Jan. 2, 200
1835, to
printer for
3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10
of St. John
Do. for 60
printing
6000
titles,
being
sufft. for
6 of the 8
parts of
the Test.
Jany. 9, 150
from 10 to
16 of St.
John
Do. for the 4
casting of
6 large
type, for
titles, not
in Baron
Schilling's
colln., the
rest being
furnished
by him
Do. 16. 150
From 16 to
22 of St.
John
Do. 22. To 450
Mr.
Lauffert
for bindg.
St. Mark's
Gospel
Chests 10
Do. 22,. 22 112 50 5721 50
to 26 and a
half of St.
John
The Society 146R. 0C.
are
therefore
at the
present
moment
further
indebted to
me
Should you discover at any time any inaccuracy in the accounts which I
transmit, you will much oblige me by instantly making me acquainted with
the same, in order that a satisfactory explanation may be given. The
sacrifice of time to the correction of the manuscript and proof-sheets
scarcely allows me a moment's leisure, and I am moreover compelled to
superintend the printers and book-binders, for everything goes wrong
without a strict surveillance.
By the time these lines reach you the Acts of the Apostles (the Lord
willing) will have passed through the press. Next week I hope to write
to the Revd. J. Jowett.
I remain, etc.,
G. BORROW.
P.S.--I believe that the seven shillings may be accounted for in this
manner. I charged seven _pounds_ for my passage to Hamburg, whereas I
paid seven _guineas_.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. March 23, 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, _Febry._ 20 [old style], 1835.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I take advantage of the period of the Russian
Carnival, during which all business is at a stand-still, to transmit to
you some account of the manner in which I have been engaged, since the
time when I last addressed myself to you. True it is, that I have not
much to communicate; for the history of one day is that of a week, and a
month; and when I state that the printing of the Mandchou New Testament
is advancing rapidly to a conclusion, I shall have stated all I can of
much importance; but as you and our excellent friends at home have a
right to demand particulars, I will endeavour to be as particular as lies
within my power.
About a month since I placed in the hands of Baron Schilling bound copies
of the first four parts of the Testament, the Gospels; he having kindly
promised to cause them to be conveyed to London by one of the couriers
belonging to the Foreign Department, to which the Baron is attached. I
have reason to believe, however, that you have not received them yet, as
I have been informed that they remained in Petersburg some weeks after
they had been deposited in the Foreign Office; but in this respect I am
not culpable; and having no direct means of sending packets to London, I
am glad to embrace any which may come in my way, especially those not
attended with expense to the Society. In the mean time, I wish to inform
you that I am at present occupied on the last sheets of the fifth volume
of the Testament, namely, the Acts of the Apostles, in getting which
through the press I have experienced much difficulty, partly from the
illness of my compositors, and partly from the manner in which the
translation was originally executed, which has rendered much modification
highly necessary.
How I have been enabled to maintain terms of friendship and familiarity
with Mr. Lipoftsoff, and yet fulfil the part which those who employ me
expect me to fulfil, I am much at a loss to conjecture; and yet such is
really the case. It is at all times dangerous to find fault with the
style and composition of authors and translators, even when they come to
your door to ask for your advice and assistance. You may easily conceive
then, that my situation has been one of treble peril. Mr. L. is the
Censor of his own work, and against the Censor's fiat in Russia there is
no appeal; he is moreover a gentleman whom the slightest contradiction
never fails to incense to a most incredible degree; and being a strict
member of the Greek Sclavonian Church, imagines that the revealed word
and will of the Supreme are only to be found in the Sclavonian
Scriptures, from which he made his Mandchou version. Yet whenever
anything has displeased me in his translation, I have frankly told him my
opinion; and in almost every instance (and the instances have been
innumerable: for in translations of the sacred writings omissions and
additions must ever be avoided) he has suffered himself to be persuaded
to remodel what he originally concluded to be perfect, and which perhaps
he still does. So that in what has been hitherto printed of the
Testament, there is little, if any thing, with which any one but a
professed caviller can find fault.
I confess that in one instance I have not been able to carry my point;
though I assure you that I did not yield until I found that it was
absolutely of no avail to offer any further opposition. For although I
was convinced that Mr. L. was wrong, and I think when I state the
particulars that you will be of my opinion, he had on his side the
Chinese scholars of St. Petersburg, Baron Schilling amongst the rest, and
moreover being Censor he could have prohibited the work from proceeding
if I had been too obstinate. I will tell you the ground of dispute; for
why should I conceal it? Mr. L., amongst what he called his improvements
of the translation, thought proper, when the Father Almighty is
addressed, to erase the personal and possessive pronouns _thou_ or
_thine_, as often as they occur, and in their stead to make use of the
noun as the case may require. For example, 'O Father, thou art
merciful,' he would render, 'O Father! the Father is merciful'; 'Our
Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,' by 'Our . . . may the
name of the Father be made holy, may the kingdom of the Father come, may
the will of the Father be done on earth,' etc. I of course objected to
this, and enquired what reason he had for having recourse to so much
tautology. He replied that he had the best of reasons; for that amongst
the Chinese and Tartars none but the dregs of society were ever addressed
in the second person; and that it would be most uncouth and indecent to
speak to the Almighty as if He were a servant or a slave. I told him
that Christians, when they address their Creator, do not address Him as
if He were a great gentleman or illustrious personage, but rather as
children their father, with a mixture of reverence and love; and that
this mixture of reverence and love was one of the most characteristic
traits of Christianity. But he said that in China children never address
their parent in this manner; and that it was contrary to all received
usage; and that in speaking to a parent the children observe the same
respectful formula of phraseology as in addressing an Emperor or Viceroy.
I then observed that our object in sending the Bible into China was not
to encourage the Chinese in any of their customs or observances, but
rather to wean them from them; and that however startling any expression
in the Bible might prove to them at first, it was our hope and trust that
it would eventually cease to be disagreeable and extraordinary, and that
the Chinese were at present in a state which required stirring and
powerful medicine, medicine which must necessarily be disagreeable to the
palate to prove beneficial in another quarter. However, he said that I
talked '_pustota_' (emptiness or nonsense), and as he was not to be
moved, I was compelled to acquiesce with his dictum. This occurred some
months since, and I rejoice to see in the last letter with which you
favoured me a fortuitous corroboration of my views on this subject. I
allude to that part of your letter where you state that you do not desire
the Chinese to consider the Bible the work of a Chinese, etc. Nor do I;
and throughout the progress of the work I have collated every sheet with
the Greek Testament, and whenever I have found anything still adhering to
the translation which struck me as not being faithful to the original, I
have invariably modified it, so that, with the exception of the one
instance above mentioned, I can safely assert that the Word of God has
been rendered into Mandchou as nearly and closely as the idiom of a very
singular language would permit.
I have now received and paid for, as you will perceive by my accompts,
495 reams of paper, which will be barely sufficient for the work, which
will consist of eight parts, instead of seven, as we at first supposed.
I take the liberty of requesting that when the books arrive you will
examine the texture of the paper on which they are printed. Mr. L. is
exceedingly pleased with it, and says that it is superior to the paper of
the first edition of St. Matthew by at least ten roubles per ream; and
that it is calculated to endure for 200 years. It certainly does possess
uncommon strength and consistency, notwithstanding its tenuity, and the
difficulty of tearing it is remarkable. By my direction it received a
slight tinge of yellow, as no books are printed in China upon paper
entirely colourless. I must be permitted to say that the manner in which
the book-binder, Mr. Lauffert, is performing his task is above all
praise; but he has been accustomed for many years to this kind of work,
the greatest part of Baron Schilling's immense collection of Chinese
works having been bound by him. We may esteem ourselves very fortunate
in having met with a person so competent to the task, and whose terms are
so remarkably reasonable. Any other book-binder in St. Petersburg would
have refused double the price at which he has executed this important
part of the work, and had they undertaken the affair, would probably have
executed it in a manner which would have exposed the book to the scorn
and laughter of the people for whom it is intended.
A few months since I saw Mr. Glen, the missionary from Astracan, as he
passed through St. Petersburg on his return to England. He is a very
learned man, but of very simple and unassuming manners. The doom which
had been pronounced upon his translation seems to have deeply affected
him; but he appears to me to labour under a very great error respecting
the motives which induced the Editorial Committee to reject his work, or
at least to hesitate upon publishing it. He assured me that all that was
urged against it was the use, here and there, of Arabic words, which in a
language like the Persian, which on an original foundation exhibits a
superstructure nearly one moiety of which is Arabic, is unavoidable. As
I was totally unacquainted with the facts of the case, I said nothing
upon the subject; but I now suspect, from a few words dropped in your
letter, that the objection is founded not on the use of Arabic words, but
on attempts at _improving_ or _adorning_ the simplicity of the Bible.
However this may be, there can be no doubt that Mr. Glen is a Persian
scholar of the first water. Mirza Achmed, a Persian gentleman now living
at St. Petersburg, who resided some time at Astracan, informed me that he
had seen the translation, and that the language was highly elegant; but
whether or not the translation was faithful, and such as a translation of
the sacred volume ought to be, he of course was entirely ignorant; he
could merely speak as to the excellence of the Persian. Mirza Djaffar
also, the Persian professor here, spoke much to the same effect.
Mr. Stallybrass, the Siberian missionary, is at present here on his way
to England, whither he is conducting his two sons, for the purpose of
placing them in some establishment, where they may receive a better
education than it is possible for him to give them in Siberia. I have
seen him several times, and have heard him preach once at the Sarepta
House. He is a clever, well-informed man, and in countenance and manner
much like Mr. Swan--which similarity may perhaps be accounted for by
their long residence under the same roof; for people who are in the habit
of conversing together every day insensibly assume each other's habits,
manner of speaking, and expression of countenance. Mr. Stallybrass's
youngest son, a lad of fifteen, shows marks of talent which may make him
useful in the missionary field for which he is intended. The most
surprising instance of precocious talent that I have ever seen, or ever
heard of, is exhibited in a young nobleman, who visits me every day. He
is the eldest son of Count Fredro, Marshal of the Imperial Court, and
though only fourteen years of age, speaks eight languages perfectly well,
is a good Grecian and Latinist, is one of the best draftsmen in Russia,
is well acquainted with physics, botany, geography, and history, and to
crown all, has probably the most beautiful voice that ever mortal was
gifted with. A admirable _Chrishna_ again by metempsychosis; the
religion of the family, with whom I am very intimate, is the Romish. I
now and then attend the service of the Armenian Church, for the purpose
of perfecting myself in the language, and have formed many acquaintances
amongst the congregation: there are several very clever and very learned
Armenians in this place; one of them I will particularly mention, a
little elderly gentleman of the name of Kudobashoff, who is the best
Armenian scholar at present in existence. He is on the eve of publishing
a work, calculated to be very interesting to us: an Armenian and Russian
Dictionary, on which he has been occupied for the space of thirty-seven
years, and which will be of the highest assistance to any future editor
of the Armenian Scriptures; and be it known, that no place in Europe,
with perhaps the exception of Venice, offers more advantages to the
editing of the A.S. than St. Petersburg.
I will now conclude, and repeat the assurance that I am ready to attempt
anything which the Society may wish me to execute; and, at a moment's
warning, will direct my course towards Canton, Pekin, or the court of the
Grand Lama. With my best respects to Mr. Brandram, I have the honour to
remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. BORROW.
To J. Tarn, Esq.
(_Endorsed_: recd. May, 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, _April_ 28th [old style], 1835.
I send you an account of monies spent in the editing of the Acts of the
Apostles and the first volume of the Epistles. I beg leave at the same
time to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Jackson's letter. I am sorry that
any mistake should have occurred, but the cause of the one in question
was, that at the time I last wrote to you, I was unable to refer to my
previous account; however, the mistake now stands rectified.
I take this opportunity of informing you that I shall be obliged to order
sixty or seventy more reams of paper, as the quantity which I at present
possess will not be sufficient to complete the work. You will see the
reason of this in the account which I now send you. In the first volume
of the Epistles there are forty-three sheets, and in the second there
will be nearly the same number; these two volumes in thickness will be
equal to three of the previous parts. During the last month I have
experienced great difficulty in keeping the printers at work on account
of the festivals of the season, but I am glad to say that I have never
failed to obtain six sheets every week.
I have received the Revd. Mr. Jowett's letter, and shall write to him in
a few days.
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. June 1, 1835)
_May_ 3, 1835 [old style], ST. PETERSBURG.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I write a few hasty lines for the purpose of
informing you that I shall not be able to obtain a passport for Siberia,
except on the condition that I carry not one single Mandchou Bible
thither. The Russian Government is too solicitous to maintain a good
understanding with that of China to encourage any project at which the
latter could take umbrage. Therefore pray inform me to what place I am
to despatch the Bibles. I have had some thoughts of embarking the first
five parts without delay to England, but I have forborne from an
unwillingness to do anything which I was not commanded to do. By the
time I receive your answer everything will be in readiness, or nearly so,
to be forwarded wherever the Committee shall judge expedient. I wish
also to receive orders respecting what is to be done with the types. I
should be sorry if they were to be abandoned in the same manner as
before, for it is possible that at some future time they may prove
eminently useful.
As for myself, I suppose I must return to England, as my task will be
speedily completed. I hope the Society are convinced that I have served
them faithfully, and that I have spared no labour to bring out the work,
which they did me the honour of confiding to me, correctly and within as
short a time as possible. At my return, if the Society think that I can
still prove of utility to them, I shall be most happy to devote myself
still to their service. I am a person full of faults and weaknesses, as
I am every day reminded by bitter experience, but I am certain that my
zeal and fidelity towards those who put confidence in me are not to be
shaken. Should it now become a question what is to be done with these
Mandchou Bibles which have been printed at a considerable expense, I
should wish to suggest that Baron Schilling be consulted. In a few weeks
he will be in London, which he intends visiting during a summer tour
which he is on the point of commencing. He will call at the Society's
House, and as he is a nobleman of great experience and knowledge in all
that relates to China, it would not be amiss to interrogate him on such a
subject. _I again repeat that I am at command_.
In your last letter but one you stated that our noble President had been
kind enough to declare that I had but to send in an account of any
extraordinary expenses which I had been put to in the course of the work
to have them defrayed. I return my most grateful thanks for this most
considerate intimation, which nevertheless I cannot avail myself of, as
according to one of the articles of my agreement my salary of 200 pounds
was to cover all extra expenses. Petersburg is doubtless the dearest
capital in Europe, and expenses meet an individual, especially one
situated as I have been, at every turn and corner; but an agreement is
not to be broken on that account.
I have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your obedient humble
servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
To J. Thornton, Esq.
(_Endorsed_: recd. July 20, 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, _June_ 15, 1835.
SIR,--Having drawn upon Messrs. Asmus, Simondsen & Compy. of St.
Petersburg for the following sums, I have to request that you will honour
this draft to a like amount,
1000 roubles (one thousand), received the 11th May.
2000 (two thousand), received at the present moment.
I take the liberty of stating that the printing of the Mandchou Testament
is brought to a conclusion, and that six of the eight parts are bound.
As soon as the other two are completed I shall take my departure for
England.
I have the honour to remain, Sir,
Your most obedient and most humble servant,
G. BORROW.
To J. Tarn, Esq.
(_Endorsed_: recd. 17 Aug. 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, _July_ 16, 1835.
MY DEAR SIR,--I herewith send you a bill of lading for six of the eight
parts of the New Testament which I have at last obtained permission to
send away, _after having paid sixteen visits to the House of Interior
Affairs_. The seventh part is bound and packed up; the eighth is being
bound and will be completed in about ten days. It would have been ready
a month since, having been nearly six weeks in the book-binder's hands,
but he was disappointed in obtaining the necessary paper; I hope to have
shipped all off, and to have bidden adieu to Russia, at the expiration of
a fortnight. I take this opportunity of informing you that I was obliged
to purchase additional 85 reams of paper, of every sheet of which I shall
give an account. 1020 copies of every sheet I ordered to be printed, that
we might have a full 1000 at the conclusion. 20 reams have at various
times been sent to the binder for frontings and endings to the work, and
there were 36 sheets in the seventh and 33 in the eighth part,
consequently the demand for paper is not surprising. Since my last
drafts upon the Treasurer I have received two thousand roubles from
Asmus, Simondsen and Co., for which I shall give them a draft on my
departure when I receive my salary. My accompt since the period of my
last writing to you, when I held in hand 518 roubles of the Society's
money, I shall deliver to you on my arrival.
I have the honour to remain, Dear Sir,
Truly yours,
G. BORROW.
Pray excuse this hasty letter, which I write from the Custom House.
To Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 14th, 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, _Aug._ 12, 1835.
As it is probable that yourself and my other excellent and Christian
friends at the Bible House are hourly expecting me and wondering at my
non-appearance, I cannot refrain from sending you a few lines in order to
account for my prolonged stay abroad. For the last fortnight I have been
detained at St. Petersburg in the most vexatious and unheard-of manner.
The two last parts of our Testaments have been bound and ready for
shipping a considerable time, and are at present in the warehouse of a
most pious and excellent person in this place, whom the Bible Society are
well acquainted with; but I have hitherto not been able to obtain
permission to send them away. You will ask how I contrived to despatch
the first six volumes, which you have doubtless by this time received.
But I must inform you that at that time I had only a verbal permission,
and that the Custom House permitted them to pass because they knew not
what they were. But now, notwithstanding I obtained a regular permission
to print, and transacted everything in a legal and formal manner, I am
told that I had no right at all to print the Scriptures at St.
Petersburg, and that my coming thither on that account (I use their own
words) was a step in the highest degree suspicious and mysterious, and
that there are even grounds for supposing that I am not connected with
the Bible Society or employed by them. To-day, however, I lost patience,
and said that I would not be trifled with any longer; that next week I
should send away the books by a vessel which would then sail, and that
whosoever should attempt to stop them would do so at his peril--and I
intend to act up to what I said. I shall then demand my passport and
advertise my departure, as every one before quitting Russia must be
advertised in the newspapers two weeks successively. Pray do me the
justice to believe that for this unpleasant delay I am by no means
accountable. It is in the highest degree tormenting to myself. I am
very unwell from vexation and disquietude of mind, and am exposed to
every kind of inconvenience. The term for which I took my chambers is
expired, and I am living in a dirty and expensive hotel. But there is
One above who supports me in these troubles, and I have no doubt that
everything will turn out for the best.
I take this opportunity of sending my accounts to Mr. Tarn; if there be
any inaccuracy let him excuse it, for the post hurries me.
G. BORROW.
Report of Mr. George Borrow
_To the Members of the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible
Society_.
GENTLEMEN,--It is now about two years since I quitted England for St.
Petersburg in consequence of the duty which you have been pleased to
confide to my hands, namely, that of editing at the Russian capital the
New Testament in the Mandchou language which has been translated by Mr.
Lipoftsoff, at present Councillor of State and Chinese Translator at that
place, but formerly one of the members of the Russian mission at Pekin.
On my arrival, before entering upon this highly important and difficult
task, I, in obedience to your command, assisted Mr. Swan, the missionary
from Selinginsk, to complete a transcript which he had commenced some
time previous of a manuscript translation of the principal part of the
Old Testament into Mandchou executed by Puerot, who, originally a Jesuit
emissary at Pekin, passed the latter years of his life in the service of
the Russian mission in the capacity of physician. The united labours of
Mr. Swan and myself speedily brought the task in question to a
conclusion, so that the transcript has for a considerable time been in
the possession of the Bible Society. I will here take the liberty of
offering a few remarks upon this translation; but as the work is not at
the present moment before me, it is impossible to enter upon a critical
and minute examination of its merits. Nevertheless, having either
transcribed or at various times perused it, I have formed a general
opinion concerning it which, though very probably a faulty one, I shall
lay before you in a few words, which at any future time I hope you will
permit me to recall, if fresh lights upon the subject compel me to
believe that my original conclusion was an erroneous one; having no doubt
that those who are embarked in so noble a cause as the propagation of The
Great Truth, will be at all times willing to excuse error when confessed,
as by the confession of error the truth becomes more glaringly manifest.
The merits of this translation are, upon the whole, of a very high order;
but it would be an untruth and an absurdity to say that it does not
exhibit defects and blemishes of a striking and peculiar kind--peculiar,
from the singular fact that those portions of the original which, being
narrative are exceedingly simple as to idea and style, have been
invariably rendered in a manner the most liable to censure, exhibiting
not only a slovenly carelessness in regard to diction, but not
unfrequently a disregard of accuracy when the slightest particle of
attention was only necessary to render the meaning which the sacred
writer endeavours to convey. These are its greatest, and, it may perhaps
be said, its only defects; for if a regard for truth compel me to state
that the style of the translation frequently sinks far below the original
when at its lowest grade, that same regard compels me to say that in yet
more instances it rises with the same [to a degree] which I believe it is
scarcely possible for any individual with the limited powers of
uninspired man to surpass. This soaring tendency is particularly
observable in the version of the Book of Job, which is certainly the most
beautiful, is believed by many to be the most ancient, and is confessedly
one of the most important portions of the Old Testament. I consider
myself in some degree entitled to speak particularly of this part of the
Mandchou version in question, having frequently at the time I was engaged
upon it translated into English several of the chapters which
particularly struck me, for the purpose of exhibiting them to Mr. Swan,
who invariably sympathised with my admiration. The translation of most
of the writings of the prophets, as far as Puerot went, has been executed
in the same masterly manner, and it is only to be lamented that, instead
of wasting much of his time and talents upon the Apocryphal writings, as
is unfortunately the case, the ex-Jesuit left behind him no Mandchou
version of Isaiah and the Psalms, the lack of which will be sensibly felt
whenever his work shall be put in a printed state into the hands of those
for whose benefit it is intended, an event most devoutly to be wished for
by all those who would fain see Christ reign triumphant in that most
extraordinary country of which the Mandchou constitutes one of the
principal languages, being used in diplomacy and at court, and being
particularly remarkable for possessing within it translations of all the
masterpieces of Chinese, Tibetian, and Brahmanic literature with which it
has been enriched since the period of the accession of the present Tartar
dynasty to the Chinese throne, the proper language of which dynasty it is
well known to be.
To translate literally, or even closely, according to the common
acceptation of the term, into the Mandchou language is of all
impossibilities the greatest; partly from the grammatical structure of
the language, and partly from the abundance of its idioms. The Mandchou
is the only one of any of the civilised languages of the world with which
the writer of these lines has any acquaintance, whose grammar stands far
aloof from the rest in wonderful singularity; the most remarkable feature
of which is the want of some of those conjunctions generally considered
as indispensable, and which are certainly of the first utility. The
result of this peculiarity is that such a combination of other parts of
speech must be employed as will express the idea without the aid of the
conjunction; but as these combinations are invariably and necessarily
lengthy, much more space is required in the translation of a sentence
into this language than the original occupies. I am induced to make this
remark, which I am afraid will be considered an excursory one, from the
apprehensiveness that some, observing the translations of the Scriptures
into this language to be bulkier than the originals, might conclude that
extraneous and unnecessary matter had crept in, which a knowledge of the
above fact will prevent.
The transcript of the Mandchou Old Testament having been brought to a
conclusion and permission having been obtained to print the New at St.
Petersburg--the accomplishment of which last point was, as you are well
aware, attended with much difficulty--I set myself seriously to work upon
the principal object of my mission. With the recapitulation of my
labours I wish not to trouble you, the various particulars having been
communicated to you in letters written at various times upon the subject.
I will content myself with observing that within ten months from the
commencement of printing, the entire work, consisting of eight volumes,
had with the blessing of the Almighty passed through the press, and, I
believe, with as few typographical errors as would have been the case had
a much more considerable portion of time been devoted to the enterprise,
which, it is true, I was in haste to accomplish, but in a manner not
calculated to render the undertaking futile nor cast discredit upon the
Society and myself [being well aware that an edition of the Scriptures
exhibiting marks of carelessness must at best be a futile work, and that
the speed with which it was executed could be no apology; as few will be
tempted to deny that no edition at all of the sacred volume in the
languages of the heathen is far preferable to one whose incorrectness
would infallibly and with some reason awaken ridicule, which, though one
of the most contemptible, is certainly one of the most efficacious
weapons in the armoury of the Prince of Darkness and the Enemy of Light,
as it is well known that his soldiers here on earth accomplish by its
means what they would never be able to effect by the utmost force of
eloquence and carnal reasoning, in the use and management of which they
are, however, by no means unskilled, as many a follower of Jesus from his
own individual experience can testify].
After the termination of my editorial task, having little to employ
myself upon whilst the two last volumes were undergoing the process of
binding, I determined upon a journey to Moscow, the ancient capital of
the Russian Empire, which differs widely from St. Petersburg in
appearance, structure, and in the manners, habits, and opinions of its
inhabitants. I arrived there after a journey of four days. Moscow is by
far the most remarkable city it has ever been my fortune to see; but as
it has been frequently described, and with tolerable correctness, there
is no necessity for me to enter into a particular account of all that
presented itself to my observation. I ascended the celebrated tower of
Ivan Velike, situated within the walls of the Kremlin, from the top of
which there is a glorious view of Moscow and of the surrounding country,
and at the foot of which, in a deep hole in the earth, is the gigantic
bell which weighs 27,000 _poods_, or eight hundred and seventy thousand
pounds. I likewise visited the splendid church of the Kremlin, and had
much conversation with the priest who is in the habit of showing its
curiosities to strangers. He is a most intelligent and seemingly truly
pious person, and well acquainted with English spiritual literature,
especially with the writings of Bishops Taylor and Tillotson, whom he
professed to hold in great admiration; though he asserted that both these
divines, great men as they undoubtedly were, were far inferior writers to
his own celebrated countryman Archbishop Teekon, and their productions
less replete with spiritual manna--against which assertion I felt little
inclined to urge any objection, having myself perused the works of the
great Russian divine with much comfort and satisfaction, and with which I
can only regret [that] the devout part of the British public are up to
the present moment utterly unacquainted.
As one of the principal motives of my visit to Moscow was to hold
communication with a particular part of its population, which from the
accounts I had received of it had inspired me with the most vivid
interest, I did not fail shortly after my arrival to seek an opportunity
of accomplishing my work, and believe that what I have now to communicate
will be of some interest to the Christian and the philosopher. I allude
to the people called Zigani or Gypsies, or, as they style themselves,
Rommany, of which there are several thousands in and about Moscow, and
who obtain a livelihood by various means. Those who have been accustomed
to consider these people as wandering barbarians, incapable of
civilisation and unable to appreciate the blessings of a quiet and
settled life, will be surprised at learning that many of those in Moscow
inhabit large and handsome houses, appear abroad in elegant equipages,
and if distinguishable from the genteel class of the Russians [are] only
so by superior personal advantages and mental accomplishments. Of this
singular phenomenon at Moscow the female Gypsies are the principal cause,
having from time immemorial cultivated their vocal powers to such an
extent that, although in the heart of a country in which the vocal art
has arrived at greater perfection than in any other part of the world,
the principal Gypsy choirs in Moscow are allowed by the general voice of
the public to be unrivalled and to bear away the palm from all
competitors. It is a fact notorious in Russia that the celebrated
Catalani was so filled with admiration for the powers of voice displayed
by one of the Gypsy songsters, who, after the former had sung before a
splendid audience at Moscow, stepped forward and with an astonishing
burst of melody ravished every ear, that she tore from her own shoulders
a shawl of immense value which had been presented to her by the Pope, and
embracing the Gypsy compelled her to accept it, saying that it had been
originally intended for the matchless singer which she now discovered was
not herself. The sums obtained by these performers are very large,
enabling them to live in luxury of every description and to maintain
their husbands in a princely way. Many of them are married to Russian
gentlemen; and every one who has resided for any length of time in Russia
cannot but be aware that the lovely, talented, and domesticated wife of
Count Alexander Tolstoi is by birth a Gypsy, and was formerly one of the
ornaments of a Rommany choir at Moscow as she is now one of the principal
ornaments of the marriage state and of illustrious life. It is not,
however, to be supposed that all the female Gypsies in Moscow are of this
high, talented, and respectable order; amongst them there are a great
number of low, vulgar, and profligate females who sing in taverns, or at
the various gardens in the neighbourhood, and whose husbands and male
connections subsist by horse-jobbing and such kinds of low traffic. The
principal place of resort of this class is Marina Rotche, lying about two
_verses_ from Moscow, and thither I drove, attended by a
_valet-de-place_. Upon my arriving there the Gypsies swarmed out from
their tents and from the little _tracteer_ or tavern, and surrounded me.
Standing on the seat of the _caleche_, I addressed them in a loud voice
in the dialect of the English Gypsies, with which I have some slight
acquaintance. A scream of wonder instantly arose, and welcomes and
greetings were poured forth in torrents of musical Rommany, amongst
which, however, the most pronounced cry was: _ah kak mi toute
karmuma_--'Oh, how we love you,' for at first they supposed me to be one
of their brothers, who, they said, were wandering about in Turkey, China,
and other parts, and that I had come over the great _pawnee_, or water,
to visit them. Their countenances exactly resembled those of their race
in England and Spain, brown, and for the most part beautiful, their eyes
fiery and wildly intelligent, their hair coal-black and somewhat coarse.
I asked them numerous questions, especially as to their religion and
original country. They said that they believed in 'Devil,' which,
singularly enough, in their language signifies God, and that they were
afraid of the evil spirit, or 'Bengel'; that their fathers came from
Rommany land, but where that land lay they knew not. They sang many
songs both in the Russian and Rommany languages; the former were modern
popular pieces which are in vogue on the stage, but the latter were
evidently very ancient, being composed in a metre or cadence to which
there is nothing analogous in Russian prosody, and exhibiting an internal
character which was anything but European or modern. I visited this
place several times during my sojourn at Moscow, and spoke to them upon
their sinful manner of living, upon the advent and suffering of Christ
Jesus, and expressed, upon my taking a final leave of them, a hope that
they would be in a short period furnished with the word of eternal life
in their own language, which they seemed to value and esteem much higher
than the Russian. They invariably listened with much attention; and
during the whole time I was amongst them exhibited little in speech or
conduct which was objectionable.
I returned to Petersburg, and shortly afterwards, the business which had
brought me to Russia being successfully terminated, I quitted that
country, and am compelled to acknowledge, with regret. I went thither
prejudiced against the country, the government, and the people; the first
is much more agreeable than is generally supposed; the second is
seemingly the best adapted for so vast an empire; and the third, even the
lowest classes, are in general kind, hospitable, and benevolent. True it
is that they have many vices, and their minds are overshadowed by the
gloomy clouds of Grecian superstition, but the efforts of many excellent
and pious persons amongst the English at St. Petersburg are directed to
unveiling to them the cheering splendour of the lamp of the Gospel; and
it is the sincere prayer of the humble individual who now addresses you
that the difficulties which at present much obstruct their efforts may be
speedily removed, and that from the boundless champains of Russia may
soon resound the Jubilee hymn of millions, who having long groped their
way in the darkness of the shadow of death, are at once blessed with
light, and with joyful hearts acknowledge the immensity of the blessing.
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. Oct. 27, 1835)
_Oct._ 26 [1835.] WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Pray excuse the liberty I take in troubling you with
these lines, which I write for the purpose of informing you that I am
perfectly ready to undertake anything which yourself or Mr. Brandram may
deem expedient. I should be most happy to explore Portugal and Spain,
and to report upon the possibility of introducing the Gospel into those
countries, provided that plan has not been given up; or to commence the
Armenian Testament forthwith, if the types are ready. If you would so
far condescend as to return an answer as soon as it suits your
convenience, you would confer no slight obligation upon me, for I am
weary of doing nothing, and am sighing for employment.
I have the honour to remain, Revd. and Dear Sir, your most obliged and
most obedient servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(_Endorsed_: recd. Oct. 28,1835)
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,
27 _Octr._, 1835.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have received your letter of the 26th, as I
suppose Mr. Jowett has received mine of the same date which I needlessly
sent. As you ask me to favour you with my thoughts, I certainly will;
for I have thought much upon the matters in question, and the result I
will communicate to you in a very few words. I decidedly approve (and so
do all the religious friends whom I have communicated it to) of the plan
of a journey to Portugal, and am sorry that it has been suspended, though
I am convinced that your own benevolent and excellent heart was the
cause, unwilling to fling me into an undertaking which you supposed might
be attended with peril and difficulty. Therefore I wish it to be clearly
understood that I am perfectly willing to undertake the expedition, nay,
to extend it into Spain, to visit the town and country, to discourse with
the people, especially those connected with institutions for infantine
education, and to learn what ways and opportunities present themselves
for conveying the Gospel into those benighted countries. I will moreover
undertake, with the blessing of God, to draw up a small volume of what I
shall have seen and heard there which cannot fail to be interesting, and
if patronised by the Society will probably help to cover the expenses of
the expedition.
On my return I can commence the Armenian Testament, and whilst I am
editing that, I may be acquiring much vulgar Chinese from some unemployed
Lascar or stray Cantonman whom I may pick up upon the wharves; and
then--to China. I have no more to say, for were I to pen twenty pages,
and I have time enough for so doing, I could communicate nothing which
would make my views more clear. Many thanks to you for enclosing the
letter from St. Petersburg: it was written in Danish, and came from a
very dear and excellent friend who rendered me in Russia services of no
common nature.
I have the honour to be, Revd. and Dear Sir, your most obedient servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S.--There has been a Bible meeting at Oulton in Suffolk, to which I was
invited. The speaking produced such an effect that some of the most
vicious characters in the neighbourhood have become weekly subscribers to
the Branch Society. So says the _Chronicle_ of Norfolk in its report.
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(_Endorsed_: recd. Dec. 8, 1835)
LISBON, 30 _Nov._ 1835.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I arrived safe at Lisbon on the twelfth of the
present month after a passage which, considering the season in which it
was made, may be termed a fair one. On the morning of the tenth we found
ourselves about two leagues from the coast of Galicia, whose lofty
mountains gilded by the rising sun presented a magnificent appearance.
We soon passed Cape Finisterre, and standing farther out to sea speedily
lost sight of land. On the morning of the eleventh the sea was very
rough, and a most remarkable circumstance occurred. I was on the
forecastle, discoursing with two of the sailors, [and] one of them who
had just left his hammock told me that he had had a most disagreeable
dream, for, said he, pointing up to the mast, 'I dreamt that I fell into
the sea from off the cross-trees.' He was heard to say this by several
of the crew besides myself. A moment after, the captain of the vessel,
perceiving that the squall was increasing, ordered the topsails to be
taken in, whereupon this man with several others instantly ran up aloft.
The yard was presently loosened, and in the act of being hauled down,
when a violent gust of wind whirled it round with violence, and a man was
struck down from the cross-trees into the sea, which was raging and
tumbling below. In a few moments he emerged, and I saw his head
distinctly on the crest of a wave, and I recognised in the unfortunate
man the sailor who shortly before had been relating his dream. I shall
never forget the look of agony he cast us whilst the ship hurried past
him. The alarm was given, and in a moment everything was in confusion.
It was at least two minutes before the vessel was stopped, and the man
was left a considerable way behind, but I still kept my eye upon him, and
could perceive that he was struggling gallantly with the waves. A boat
was at length lowered, but the rudder unfortunately was not at hand, and
only two oars could be procured, with which the men who manned her could
make but little progress in the tremendous sea; however, they did their
best, and had arrived within ten yards of the man who had continued
struggling for his life, when I lost sight of him, and the men on their
return said that they saw him below the waters at glimpses, sinking
deeper and deeper, his arms stretched out and his body to all appearance
stiff, but they found it impossible to save him. Presently afterwards
the sea, as if satisfied with the prey it had received, became
comparatively calm, and the squall subsided. The poor fellow who was
drowned in this singular manner was a fine young man, twenty-seven years
of age, the only son of a widowed mother. He was the best sailor on
board, and beloved by every one who was acquainted with him. The event
occurred on the 11th of November 1835, the vessel was the 'London
Merchant' Steamship, commanded by Captain Whittingham. Wonderful indeed
are the ways of Providence.
I experienced some difficulty in landing at Lisbon, the custom-house
officers being exceedingly dilatory in examining the baggage. I had yet
more difficulty in obtaining a lodging, but at last found one, dark,
dirty, and exceedingly expensive, without attendance. I shall not
trouble you with a description of Lisbon, for as I have much that is
important to communicate I must not waste paper with uninteresting
details. I will merely observe that it is a noble town, situated on
seven hills on the left bank of the Tagus, the houses are very lofty,
like castles, the streets are in general precipitously steep, and no
animals of burden but mules, asses, and oxen can traverse them with
safety. I found the streets by no means so dirty as they have been
represented, and at night they are tolerably well lighted, but between
the hours of nine and twelve they swarm with robbers and assassins.
I should have written to you before, but I wished to transmit in my first
letter a stock of information which would enable you at once to form some
idea as to the state of this country; and in order to acquire such I have
visited every part of Lisbon, entered into discourse with the people on
all occasions, and have made a journey of nearly one hundred miles about
the country, during which I visited Cintra and Mafra, at the former of
which places I remained four days, making excursions in the meanwhile on
foot or on a mule amongst the mountains, and visiting whatever villages
are contained within its beautiful and picturesque neighbourhood.
In Lisbon carelessness for religion of any kind seems to prevail. The
people appear in general to have shaken off the old superstition and to
feel no inclination to bend their necks to another yoke. Many of them
have told me that the priests are the veriest knaves in the world, and
that they have for many years subsisted by imposing upon them, and that
they wished the whole body was destroyed from the face of the earth. I
have enquired of many of the lower orders whether they ever confessed
themselves, whereupon they laughed in my face and said that they had not
done so for years, demanding what good would result to them for so doing,
and whether I was fool enough to suppose that a priest could forgive sins
for a sum of money. One day whilst speaking to a muleteer I pointed to a
cross over the gate of a chapel opposite to us, and asked him if he
reverenced it; he instantly flew into a rage, stamped violently, and
spitting on the ground said it was a piece of stone, and that he should
have no more objection to spit upon it than the stones on which he trod:
'I believe that there is a God,' he added, 'but as for the nonsense which
the priests tell us I believe no part of it.' It has not yet been my
fortune during my researches in Lisbon to meet one individual of the
populace amongst the many I have addressed who had read the Scripture or
knew anything of its contents; though many of them have assured me that
they could read, which in many instances I have found to be the fact,
having repeatedly taken from my pocket the New Testament in Portuguese
which I constantly carry with me, and requested them to read a few
verses, which they were able to do. Some of these individuals had read
much in their own language, which indeed contains a store of amusing and
instructive literature--for example, the chronicles of the various kings
of Portugal and of the heroes who distinguished themselves in the various
wars of India, after Vasco da Gama had opened the way into the vast
regions of the East by doubling the Cape.
Amongst the many public places which I have visited at Lisbon is the
Convent of San Geronymo, the church of which is the most beautiful
specimen of Gothic architecture in the Peninsula, and is furnished with
the richest shrines. Since the expulsion of the monks from the various
religious houses in Portugal, this edifice has served as an asylum for
orphans, and at present enjoys the particular patronage of the young
[Queen]. In this establishment upwards of five hundred children, some of
them female, are educated upon the Lancastrian system, and when they have
obtained a sufficient age are put out to the various trades and
professions for which they are deemed most suited, the tallest and finest
of the lads being drafted into the army. One of the boys of his own
accord became my guide and introduced me to the various classes, where I
found the children clean and neat and actively employed upon their tasks.
I asked him if the Holy Scripture (_Santa Escritura_) was placed in the
hands of the scholars. He answered in the affirmative; but I much doubt
the correctness of his answer, for upon my requesting him to show me a
copy of the Holy Scripture, he did not appear to know what I meant by it.
When he said that the scholars read the Holy Scripture he probably meant
the vile papistical book called 'Christian Doctrine,' in which the office
of the mass is expounded, which indeed I saw in the hands of the junior
boys, and which, from what I have since seen, I believe to be a standard
school-book in Portugal. I spent nearly two hours in examining the
various parts of this institution, and it is my intention to revisit it
in a short time, when I hope to obtain far better information as to the
moral and religious education of its inmates.
On my arrival at Lisbon I was disappointed in my expectation of finding
Mr. Wilby, who was in the country and was not expected for a week. I
therefore had at first no person to whom I could apply for counsel as to
the best means of proceeding; but unwilling to remain idle till the
period of his arrival, I at once commenced operations at Lisbon as I have
narrated. At the end of four or five days I started for Cintra, distant
about four leagues from Lisbon, situate on a ledge of the northern
declivity of a wild and picturesque mountain. Cintra contains about
eight hundred inhabitants, and in its environs are many magnificent
_quintas_ or country seats of some of the first families in Portugal; it
is likewise a royal residence, for at its north-eastern side stands an
ancient palace, which though unfurnished is preserved in [good repair],
and which was the favourite residence of the ancient kings. On one of
the ridges of [this] mountain are seen the ruins of an immense castle,
which for centuries was the stronghold of the Moors in this part of the
Peninsula. The morning after my arrival I was about to ascend the
mountain to examine it, when I observed a person, advanced in years,
whom, by his dress, I judged to be an ecclesiastic; upon enquiry I found
in effect that he was one of the three priests of the place. I instantly
accosted him, and had no reason to repent for so doing, for I found him
affable and communicative. After praising the beauty of the scenery, I
made some enquiry as to the state of education amongst the people beneath
his care. He told me that he was sorry to [say that] they were in a
state of great ignorance, that very few of them could either write or
[read], that there was no school in the place but one at which a few
children were taught the alphabet, but which was not then open, that
there was a school at Colhares, about a league [distant]. He said that
nothing so surprised him as to see English, the most learned and
intelligent people in the world, visiting a place like Cintra, where
there was no literature and nothing of utility (_aonde no ha nem
leitura_, _nem sciencia_, _nem alguma cousa que presta_). You may easily
guess that I was in no slight degree surprised to hear a priest of
Portugal lament the ignorance of the populace, and began to entertain
hopes that I should not find the priests in general so indisposed to the
mental improvement of the people as I at first imagined.
That same day I visited Colhares, a romantic village lower down the
mountain to the west, near the sea. Seeing some peasants collected round
the smithy I enquired about the school, and one instantly offered to be
my guide thither. I went upstairs into a small apartment where I found
the master with about a dozen pupils standing in a row, for there was but
one chair, or rather stool, to which, after having embraced me, he
conducted me with great civility. After some discourse he shewed me the
books which he used for the instruction of his pupils; they were
spelling-books like those used in our village schools and the
before-mentioned 'Christian Doctrine.' Upon my enquiring whether it was
his custom to use the Scripture in his school, he told me that long
before the children had acquired sufficient intelligence to understand
the Scriptures their parents took them from school in order that they
might assist them in the labours of the field, and that in general they
were by no means solicitous that their children should learn anything, as
they considered the time occupied in acquiring learning as squandered
away. He added that all the village schools in Portugal were supported
by the Government, but that many of them had lately been discontinued, as
the schoolmasters experienced the greatest difficulty in obtaining their
salaries; but that he had heard that it was the intention of the
Government to establish schools in all parts of the country on the
Lancastrian system--which since my return to Lisbon I have discovered to
be a fact. He told me that he had a copy of the New Testament in his
possession, which I desired to see; but on examining it I discovered that
it was only the Epistles (from Pereira's version) with long Popish notes.
I asked him whether he considered that there was any harm in reading the
Scripture without notes; he said that there was certainly no harm in it,
but that simple people without the assistance of notes could derive but
little benefit therefrom, as the greatest part that they read would be
unintelligible to them. Whereupon I shook hands with him, and on
departing said that there was no part of Scripture so difficult to
understand as those very notes which were intended to elucidate it, and
that the Almighty would never have inspired His saints with a desire to
write what was unintelligible to the great mass of mankind.
For some days after this I traversed the country in all directions,
riding into the fields where I saw the peasants at work, and entering
into discourse with them; and notwithstanding many of my questions must
have appeared to them very singular, I never experienced any incivility,
though they frequently answered me with smiles and laughter. (I have now
communicated about half of what I have to say; the remainder next week.
G. BORROW.)
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(_Endorsed_: recd. Jan. 10, 1836)
EVORA IN THE ALEMTEJO, 15_th_ _Dec._, 1835.
At length I departed for Mafra; the principal part of the way lay over
steep and savage hills, very dangerous for horses, and I had reason to
repent, before I got back to Cintra, that I had not mounted one of the
sure-footed mules of the country. I reached Mafra in safety; it is a
large village, which has by degrees sprung up in the vicinity of an
immense building, originally intended to serve as a convent and palace,
and which next to the Escurial is the most magnificent edifice in the
Peninsula. In this building is to be seen the finest library in
Portugal, comprising books in all sciences and languages, and which, if
not suited to the place in which the building stands, which is almost a
desert, is yet well suited to the size and grandeur of the building which
contains it. But here are now no monks to take care of it; they have
been driven forth, some of them to beg their bread, some of them to serve
under the banners of Don Carlos in Spain, and many, as I have been
informed, to prowl about as banditti. The place is now abandoned to two
or three menials, and exhibits an aspect of solitude and desolation which
is truly appalling. Whilst I was viewing the cloisters an exceedingly
fine and intelligent-looking lad came up to me, and asked (I suppose in
the hope of obtaining a trifle) if I would permit him to show me the
village church, which he told me was well worth seeing. I said 'No,' but
that if he would show me the village school, I should be much obliged to
him. He looked at me with astonishment, and assured me that there was
nothing to be seen in the school, at which not more than half a dozen
boys were instructed, and that he himself was one of the number; but I
told him that he should show me no other place, and he at last
unwillingly attended me. On the way he said that the schoolmaster was
one of the brothers of the convent who had lately been expelled, and that
he was a very learned man and spoke French and Greek. We went past a
stone cross, and the boy bent and crossed himself with much devotion: I
mention this circumstance, as it was the first instance of devotion which
I had observed amongst the Portuguese since my arrival. When near the
house where the schoolmaster resided, he pointed it out to me and then
hid himself behind a wall, where he waited till I returned.
On stepping over the threshold I was confronted by a short stout man,
between sixty and seventy years of age, dressed in a blue jerkin and grey
trousers, without shirt or waistcoat. He looked at me sternly, and
enquired in the French language what was my pleasure. I apologised for
intruding upon him, and stated that, being informed that he occupied the
situation of schoolmaster to the place, I had come to pay my respects to
him, and to beg to be informed respecting the manner of instruction which
he adopted. He said that whosoever told me that he was a schoolmaster
lied, for that he was a brother of the convent. I replied that I had
heard that all the friaries had been broken up and the brothers
dismissed; whereupon he sighed, and said it was too true. He was then
silent for a minute, and his better nature overcoming his angry feelings
he produced a snuff-box and offered it to me. The snuff-box is the
olive-branch of the Portuguese, and he who wishes to be on good terms
with them, or to conciliate them, must never refuse to put his finger and
thumb into it when preferred; I took therefore a large pinch, though I
detest the dust, and we were soon friendly enough. He was eager to
obtain news, especially from Lisbon and Spain. I told him that the
officers of the regiments at Lisbon had the day before I left that place
gone in a body to the Queen, and insisted upon her either receiving their
swords or dismissing her Ministers; whereupon he rubbed his hands and
said, 'I am sure that things will not remain tranquil at Lisbon.' Upon
my saying that the affairs of Don Carlos were on the decline, he frowned,
and said that it could not possibly be, for that God was too just to
suffer it. I felt for the poor man, who had been driven from his home in
the noble convent close by, and from a state of comfort and affluence
reduced in his old age to indigence and misery, for his dwelling seemed
to contain scarcely an article of furniture. I tried twice or thrice to
induce him to converse on the school, but he always avoided the subject
or said shortly that he knew nothing about it; the idea of being a
schoolmaster was evidently humiliating to him.
On my leaving him, the boy came from his hiding-place and rejoined me; he
said his reason for hiding himself was fear that his master might know
that it was he who brought me to him, for that the old man was ashamed of
appearing in the character of a schoolmaster. I asked the boy whether he
or his parents were acquainted with the Scripture and ever read it; but
he did not understand me. I must here observe that the boy was fifteen
years of age, and that he was in many respects very intelligent and had
some knowledge of the Latin language; nevertheless he knew not the
Scripture even by name, and I have no doubt that at least one half of his
countrymen are, in that respect, no wiser than himself. I have
questioned the children of Portugal at the doors of village inns, at the
hearths of their cottages, in the fields where they labour, at the stone
Mountains by the way-sides where they water their cattle, about the
Scripture, the Bible, the Old and New Testament, and in scarcely one
instance have they known what I was alluding to or could return me a
rational answer, though in all other instances I had no reason to
complain of their want of apprehension. Indeed nothing has surprised me
more than the free and unembarrassed manner with which the Portuguese
peasantry sustain a conversation, and the purity of the language in which
they express their thoughts; and yet very few of them can write or read,
whereas the peasantry of our own country, whose education is in general
much superior, are in their conversation coarse and dull almost to
brutality, and absurdly ungrammatical in the language which they use,
though the English tongue, upon the whole, is more simple in its grammar
than the Portuguese.
On my way back from Mafra to Cintra I very nearly lost my life. As the
night was closing in fast, we left the regular road by the advice of the
guide, and descending the hill on which Mafra stands reached the bottom
of the valley, from which there is a narrow pathway winding round the
next hill, exceedingly steep, with a precipice on the left side; the
horse on which I was mounted, and which was by no means suited for such
climbing, in his violent struggles to accomplish the ascent burst the
girth of the saddle, so that I was cast violently off, with the saddle
beneath me. Fortunately, I fell on the right side, or I should have
rolled down the hill and probably have been killed; as it was, I remained
stunned and senseless for two or three minutes, when I revived, and with
the assistance of the guide and the man who waits on me, walked up the
remaining part of the hill, when, the saddle being readjusted, I mounted
again. I was very drowsy and stupid for two or three days, from the
influence of the fall, but I am happy to say at present, thanks to the
Almighty, I have long ceased to feel any inconvenience from it.
On my return to Lisbon I saw Mr. Wilby, who received me with great
kindness; the next ten days were exceedingly rainy and prevented me from
making any excursions into the country, and during this time I saw him
frequently and had a good deal of conversation with him, concerning the
best means of causing God's glorious Gospel to be read in Portugal. He
informed me that four hundred copies of the Bible and New Testament were
arrived, and he thought that we could do no better than put them into the
hands of the booksellers; but I strongly advised that at least half of
them should be entrusted to colporteurs, to hawk about, upon receiving a
certain profit on every copy they sold. He thought the idea a good one,
as far as regards Lisbon, but said that no colporteur would venture to
carry them about the country, as the fanatical priests would probably
cause him to be assassinated. He was kind enough to promise to look out
for people suited to make the essay in the streets of Lisbon; and as the
lower orders are very poor I wrote to Mr. Whiteley at Oporto, requesting
to be informed whether he had any objection to our selling the books to
the populace at Lisbon at a lower price than a _cruzado novo_, which he
had determined to sell them at. I thought it but right to consult him on
the subject, as the Society are under great obligations to him; and I was
unwilling to do anything at which he could possibly take umbrage. During
one of my conversations with Mr. Wilby I enquired which was the province
of Portugal, the population of which he considered to be the most
ignorant and benighted: he replied, 'The Alemtejo.' The Alemtejo means
'the other side of the Tagus.' This province is not beautiful and
picturesque like the other portions of Portugal, it has few hills or
mountains; the greatest part of it consists of heaths, broken by knolls
and gloomy dingles, swamps, and forests of stunted pine. These places
are infested with banditti, and not a week passes by without horrible
murders and desperate robberies occurring. The principal town is Evora,
one of the most ancient cities in Portugal, and formerly the seat of an
Inquisition far more cruel and baneful than the terrible one of Lisbon.
Evora lies about sixty miles from the farther bank of the Tagus, which is
at Lisbon three leagues broad; and to Evora I determined on going with a
small cargo of Testaments and Bibles. My reasons I need not state, as
they must be manifest to every Christian; but I cannot help thinking that
it was the Lord who inspired me with the idea of going thither, as by so
doing I have introduced the Scriptures into the worst part of the
Peninsula, and have acquired lights and formed connections (some of the
latter most singular ones, I admit) which if turned to proper account
will wonderfully assist us in our object of making the heathen of
Portugal and Spain acquainted with God's holy word. My journey to Evora
and my success there shall be detailed in my next letter.
G. BORROW.
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 15, 1836)
Badajoz, _Janry._ 8, 1836.
JOURNEY TO EVORA
An Extract from My Journal
On the afternoon of the sixth of December I set out for this place,
accompanied by my servant Anthonio. I had been informed that the tide
would serve for the _felouks_, or passage-boats, employed in crossing the
Tagus, at about four o'clock, but on reaching the river's side opposite
Aldea Gallega, between which place and Lisbon they ply, I found that the
tide would not permit them to start before eight o'clock. Had I waited
for them I should probably have landed at Aldea Gallega at midnight, and
I felt little inclination to make my _entree_ in the Alemtejo at that
hour; therefore as I saw small boats which can push off at any time lying
near in abundance, I determined upon hiring one of them for the passage,
though the expense would be thus considerably increased. I soon agreed
with a wild-looking lad to take us over, who told me that he was in part
owner of one of the boats. I was not aware of the danger in crossing the
Tagus at any time in these small boats at its broadest part, which is
between Lisbon and Aldea Gallega, but especially at close of day in the
winter season, or I should certainly not have ventured. The lad and his
comrade, a miserable object, whose only clothing, notwithstanding the
severity of the weather, was a battered jerkin and trousers, rowed until
we had advanced about half a mile from the land; they then hoisted a
large sail, and the lad, who seemed to be the principal and to direct
everything, took the helm and steered. The evening was now setting in;
the sun was not far from its bourne in the horizon, the air was very
cold, the wind was rising, and the waves of the noble Tagus began to be
crested with foam. I told the boy that it was scarcely possible for the
boat to carry so much sail without upsetting; upon which he laughed, and
began to gabble in a most incoherent manner. He had the most harsh and
rapid articulation that has ever come under my observation; it was the
scream of the hyena blended with the bark of the terrier; but it was by
no means an index of his disposition, which I soon found to be light,
merry, and anything but malevolent; for when I, in order to show him that
I cared little about him, began to hum: '_Eu que sou contrabandista_'
('I, who am a smuggler'), he laughed heartily, and clapping me on the
shoulder said that he would not drown us if he could help it. The other
poor fellow seemed by no means averse to go to the bottom; he sat at the
forepart of the boat looking the image of famine, and only smiled when
the waters broke over the side and drenched his scanty clothing. In a
little time I had made up my mind that our last hour was come; the wind
was becoming higher, the short dangerous waves were more foamy, the boat
was frequently on its beam-ends, and the water came over the lee side in
torrents; but still the wild lad at the helm held on, laughing and
chattering, and occasionally yelling out parts of the Miguelite air
'_Quando el Rey chegou_' ['When the King arrived'], the singing of which
in Lisbon is punished with imprisonment. The stream was against us, but
the wind was in our favour, and we sprang along at a wonderful rate. I
saw that our only chance of escape was in speedily getting under the
shelter of that part of the farther bank of the Tagus, where the bight or
bay commences at the extremity of which stands Aldea Gallega, as we
should not then have to battle with the waves of the adverse stream,
which the wind lashed into fury. It was the will of the Almighty to
permit us speedily to gain this shelter, but not before the boat was
nearly filled with water, and we were all wet to the skin. At about
seven o'clock in the evening we reached Aldea Gallega, shivering with
cold and in a most deplorable plight.
Aldea Gallega, or the Galician Village, for the two words have that
signification, is a place containing, I should think, about four thousand
inhabitants. It was pitchy dark when we landed, but rockets soon began
to fly about in all directions, illumining the air far and wide. As we
passed along the dirty unpaved street which leads to the _Largo_ or
square in which the town is situated, a horrible uproar of drums and
voices assailed our ears. On enquiring the cause of all this bustle, I
was informed that it was the Eve of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin.
As it was not the custom of the people of the inn to provide provisions
for the guests, I wandered about in search of food, and at last seeing
some soldiers eating and drinking in a sort of wine-house, I went in and
asked the people to let me have some supper. In a short time they
furnished me with a tolerable meal, for which, however, they charged two
crowns.
Having engaged with a person for mules to carry us to Evora, which were
to be ready at five next morning, I soon retired to bed, my servant
sleeping in the same apartment, which was the only one in the house
vacant. I closed not an eye during the whole night; beneath us was a
stable in which some _almocreves_, or carriers, slept with their mules,
and at our back in the yard was a hog-stye. How could I sleep? The hogs
grunted; the mules screamed; and the _almocreves_ snored most horribly.
I heard the village clock strike the hours until midnight, and from
midnight till four in the morning, when I sprang up and began to dress,
and despatched my servant to hasten the man with his mules, for I was
heartily tired of the place, and wished to leave it.
An old man, but remarkably bony and hale, accompanied by a bare-footed
lad, brought the beasts. He was the proprietor of them, and intended to
accompany us to Evora with the lad, who was his nephew. When we started
the moon was shining brightly, and the morning was piercingly cold. We
soon entered a sandy, hollow way, emerging from which we passed by a
large edifice, standing on a high, bleak sand-hill, on our left. We were
speedily overtaken by five or six men on horseback, riding at a rapid
pace, each with a long gun slung at his saddle, the muzzle depending
about two feet below the horses belly. I questioned the old man as to
the cause of their going thus armed; he answered that the roads were very
bad (meaning that they abounded with robbers), and that these people
carried arms for their defence. They soon turned off to the right
towards Palmella.
We reached a sandy plain studded with stunted pine; the road was little
more than a footpath, and as we proceeded the trees thickened and became
a wood, which extended for two leagues with clear spaces at intervals, in
which herds of cattle and sheep were feeding. The sun was just beginning
to show itself, but the morning was misty and dreary, which together with
the aspect of desolation which the country exhibited had an unfavourable
effect on my spirits. I got down and walked, entering into conversation
with the man. He seemed to have but one theme of conversation, 'the
robbers' and the atrocities they were in the habit of practising in the
very spots we were passing. The tales he related were truly horrible,
and to avoid them I mounted again and rode on considerably in front.
In about an hour and a half we emerged from the forest and entered upon
wild broken ground covered with _mato_ or brushwood. The mules stopped
to drink at a shallow pool, and on looking to the right I saw a ruined
wall. This, the guide informed me, was the remains of the Vendal Velhas,
or the old inn, formerly the haunt of the celebrated robber Sabocha.
This Sabocha, it seems, had, about sixteen years since, a band of forty
ruffians at his command, who infested these wilds, and supported
themselves by plunder. For a considerable time Sabocha pursued his
atrocious trade unsuspected, and many an unfortunate traveller was
murdered, in the dead of night, at the solitary inn by the wood's side,
which he kept; indeed a more fit situation for plunder and murder I never
saw. The gang were in the habit of watering their horses at the pool,
and perhaps of washing therein their hands stained with the blood of
their victims. The brother of Sabocha was the lieutenant of the troop, a
fellow of great strength and ferocity, particularly famous for the skill
he possessed in darting a long knife and transfixing his opponents.
Sabocha's connection with the gang at last became known, and he fled with
the greatest part of his associates across the Tagus, to the northern
provinces. He and his brother eventually lost their lives on the road to
Coimbra, in an engagement with the military. His house was razed by
order of the Government.
The ruins of this house are still frequently visited by banditti, who eat
and drink amongst the stones and look out for prey, as the place commands
a view of the road. The old man assured me that about two months
previous, on returning from Aldea Gallega with his mules from
accompanying some travellers, he had been knocked down, stript naked, and
had all his money taken from him, by a fellow who, he believed, came from
this murderers' nest. He said that he was an exceedingly powerful young
man with immense moustaches and whiskers, and was armed with an
_espingarda_ or musket. About ten days subsequently he saw the robber at
Vendas Novas, where we were to pass the night. The fellow on recognising
him took him aside and threatened, with horrid imprecations, that he
should never be permitted to return home if he attempted to discover him;
he therefore held his peace, as he said there was little to be gained and
everything to be lost by apprehending him, as he would have been speedily
set at liberty for want of evidence to criminate him, and then he would
not have failed to have his revenge, or would have been anticipated
therein by his comrades.
I dismounted and went up to the place, and saw the vestiges of a fire and
a broken bottle. The sons of plunder had been there very lately. I left
a New Testament and some tracts amongst the ruins, and hastened away.
The sun had dispelled the mists and was beaming very hot; we rode on for
about an hour, when I heard the neighing of a horse in our rear, and our
guide said that there was a party of horsemen behind. Our mules were
good, and they did not overtake us for at least twenty minutes. The
foremost rider was a gentleman in a fashionable travelling dress; a
little way behind were an officer, two soldiers, and a servant in livery.
I heard the principal horseman, on overtaking Anthonio, enquiring who I
was, and whether I was French or English. He was told I was an English
gentleman, travelling. He then asked whether I understood Portuguese;
the man said I understood it, but that he believed I spoke French and
Italian better. The gentleman then spurred on his horse and accosted me,
not in Portuguese, or in French, or Italian, but in the purest English
that I have ever heard spoken by a foreigner. It had indeed nothing of
foreign accent or pronunciation in it, and had I not known by the
countenance of the speaker that he was no Englishman (for there is a
peculiarity in the English countenance which, though it cannot be
described, is sure to betray the Englishman), I should have concluded
that I was conversing with a countryman. He continued in company and
discourse until we arrived at Pegoens.
Pegoens consists of about two or three houses and an inn; there is
likewise a species of barrack, where half a dozen soldiers are stationed.
In the whole of Portugal there is no place of worse reputation, and the
inn is nicknamed _Estalagem de Ladroens_, or the hostelry of thieves; for
it is there that the banditti of the wilderness, which extends around it
on every side for leagues, are in the habit of coming and spending the
fruits of their criminal daring; there they dance and sing, feast on
fricasseed rabbits and olives, and drink the muddy but strong wine of the
Alemtejo. An enormous fire, fed by the trunk of a cork-tree, was blazing
in a niche on the left hand on entering the spacious kitchen; by it,
seething, were several large jars, which emitted no disagreeable odour,
and reminded me that I had not yet broken my fast, although it was now
nearly one o'clock and I had ridden five leagues. Some wild-looking men,
who, if they were not banditti, might easily be mistaken for such, were
seated on logs about the fire; I asked them some unimportant question, to
which they replied with readiness and civility, and one of them, who said
he could read, accepted a tract which I offered him.
My new friend, who had been bespeaking dinner, or rather breakfast, now
with great civility invited me to partake of it, and at the same time
introduced me to the officer who accompanied him, and who was his
brother, and also spoke English, though not so well as himself. I found
I had become acquainted with Don Geronimo Joze d'Azveto, Secretary to the
Government at Evora. His brother belonged to a regiment of hussars,
whose headquarters were at Evora, but which had outlying parties along
the road; for example, at the place where we were stopping. Rabbits at
Pegoens seem to be a standard article of food, being produced in
abundance on the moors around. We had one fricasseed, the gravy of which
was delicious; and afterwards a roasted one, which was brought up on a
dish entire. The hostess having first washed her hands proceeded to tear
the animal to pieces, which having accomplished she poured over the
fragments a sweet sauce. I ate remarkably heartily of both dishes,
particularly of the last, owing perhaps to the novel and curious manner
in which it was served up. Excellent figs from the Algarves and apples
completed our repast, which we ate in a little side room with a
mud-floor, which sent such a piercing chill into my system as prevented
me from deriving that pleasure from my good fare and agreeable companions
which I might otherwise have experienced. Don Joze d'Azveto had been
educated in England, in which country he passed his boyhood, which to a
certain degree accounted for his proficiency in the English language, the
idioms and pronunciation of which can only be acquired by a residence in
the country at that period of one's life. He had also fled thither
shortly after the usurpation of the throne of Portugal by Don Miguel, and
from thence had passed over to the Brazils, where he had devoted himself
to the service of Don Pedro, and had followed him in that expedition
which terminated in the downfall of the Usurper and the establishment of
the constitutional government in Portugal. Our conversation rolled
chiefly on literary and political subjects, and my acquaintance with the
writings of the most celebrated authors of Portugal was hailed with
surprise and delight; for nothing is more gratifying to a well-educated
Portuguese than to observe a foreigner taking an interest in the
literature of his nation, of which he is so justly proud.
About two o'clock we were once more in the saddle, and pursued our way
through a country exactly resembling that which we had previously been
traversing, rugged and broken, with here and there a clump of pines. The
afternoon was exceedingly fine, and the bright rays of the sun relieved
the desolation of the scene. Having advanced about two leagues, I caught
sight of a large edifice in the distance, which I learnt was a royal
palace, standing at the farther extremity of Vendas Novas, the village
where we were to halt. It was considerably more than a league from us,
yet, seen through the clear transparent atmosphere of Portugal, it
appeared much nearer. Before reaching it, we passed by a stone cross, on
the pedestal of which was an inscription commemorating a horrible murder
of a native of Lisbon, which had been perpetrated on that spot. It
looked ancient, and was covered with moss, and the greatest part of the
inscription was illegible, at least it was to me, who could not bestow
much time on the deciphering of it.
Having arrived at Vendas Novas and bespoke supper, my new friends and
myself strolled forth to view the palace. It was built by the late King
of Portugal, and presents little that is remarkable in its exterior. It
is a long edifice with wings, and is only two stories high, though it can
be seen afar, owing to its being situated on elevated ground. It has
fifteen windows in the upper and twelve in the lower story, with a
paltry-looking door something like that of a barn, the ascent to which is
by a single step. The interior corresponds with the exterior, offering
nothing which can gratify curiosity, if we except the kitchens, which are
indeed magnificent, and so large that food enough might be prepared in
them to serve as a repast to all the inhabitants of the Alemtejo. I
passed the night with great comfort in a clean bed, remote from all those
noises in general so rife in a Portuguese inn, and the next morning at
six we again set out on our journey, which we hoped to terminate before
sunset, as Evora is but ten leagues from Vendas Novas. The preceding
morning had been cold, but the present one was far more, so much so that
just before sunrise I could no longer support it whilst riding, and
therefore dismounting ran and walked until we reached a few houses, at
the termination of these desolate moors. It was in one of these houses
that the commissioners of Don Pedro and Miguel met, and it was there
agreed that the latter should resign the crown in favour of Donna Maria;
for Evora was the last stronghold of the Usurper, and the moors of the
Alemtejo the last area of the combats which so long agitated unhappy
Portugal. I therefore gazed on the miserable huts with considerable
interest, and did not fail to scatter in the neighbourhood several of the
precious little tracts with which, together with a small quantity of
Bibles, my carpet-bag was provided.
The country began to improve, the savage heaths were left behind, and we
saw hills and dales, cork-trees and _azineirias_, on the last of which
trees grows that kind of sweet acorn called _bolota_, which is pleasant
as a chestnut, and forms in winter the principal food on which the
numerous swine of the Alemtejo subsist. Gallant swine they are, with
short legs and portly bodies, of a black or dark-red colour, and for the
excellence of their flesh I can avouch, having frequently partaken of it
in the course of my wanderings in this province. The _lumbo_, or loin,
when broiled on the live embers, is delicious, especially when eaten with
olives.
We were now in sight of Monte Moro, which as the name denotes was once a
fortress of the Moors; it is a high, steep hill, on the summit and sides
of which are ruined walls and towers. At its western side is a deep
ravine or valley, through which a small stream rushes, traversed by a
stone bridge; farther down there is a ford, through which we passed and
ascended to the town, which commencing near the northern base, passes
over the lower ridge towards the north-east; the town is exceedingly
picturesque, and many of the houses are very ancient and built in the
Moorish fashion. I wished much to examine the relics of Moorish sway on
the upper part of the mountain, but time pressed, and the shortness of
our stay in this place did not permit me to gratify my inclination.
Monte Moro is the head of a range of hills crossing this part of the
Alemtejo, and from hence they fork towards the east and south-east, in
the former of which directions lies the direct road to Elvas, Badajoz,
and Madrid, and in the latter the road to Evora. A beautiful mountain,
covered to the top with cork trees, is the third in the chain which
skirts the way in the direction of Evora. It is called Monte Almo; a
brook brawls at its base, and as I passed it the sun was shining
gloriously on the green herbage, on which flocks of goats were feeding
with their bells ringing merrily, so that the _tout ensemble_ resembled a
fairy scene; and that nothing might be wanted to complete the picture, I
here met a man, a goat-herd, beneath an _azineiria_ whose appearance
recalled to my mind the Brute-man mentioned in an ancient Danish poem:
'A wild swine on his shoulders he kept,
And upon his bosom a black bear slept,
And about his fingers with hair o'erhung
The squirrel sported and weasel clung.'
Upon the shoulders of the goat-herd was a beast, which he told me was a
_lontra_ or otter, which he had lately caught in the neighbouring brook,
it had a string round its neck which was attached to his arm; at his left
side was a bag from the top of which peeped the heads of two or three
singular-looking animals; and beside him was squatted the sullen cub of a
wolf, which he was endeavouring to tame. His whole appearance was to the
last degree savage and wild. After a little conversation, such as those
who meet on the road frequently hold, I asked him if he could read; but
he made no answer. I then enquired if he knew anything of God or Jesus
Christ; he looked me fixedly in the face for a moment, and then turned
his countenance towards the sun which was beginning to sink, nodded to
it, and then again looked fixedly upon me. I believed I understood this
mute reply, which probably was, that it was God who made that glorious
light which illumines and gladdens all creation; and gratified with this
belief I left him, and hastened after my companions who were, by this
time, a considerable way in advance.
I have always found amongst the children of the fields a more determined
tendency to religion and piety than amongst the inhabitants of towns and
cities, and the reason is obvious; they are less acquainted with the
works of man's hands than with those of God; their occupations are
simple, and requiring less of ingenuity and skill than those which engage
the intention of the other portion of their fellow-creatures, are less
favourable to the engendering of self-conceit and sufficiency, so utterly
at variance with that lowliness of spirit which constitutes the best test
of piety. The sneerers and scoffers at religion do not spring from
amongst the simple children of nature, but are the excrescences of
overwrought refinement, and though their baneful influence has indeed
penetrated to the country and corrupted many there, the fountain-head was
amongst crowded houses where nature is scarcely known. I am not one of
those who look for perfection amongst the rural population of any
country; perfection is not to be found amongst the children of the fall,
be their abode where it may; but until the heart disbelieve the existence
of a God, there is still hope for the possessor, however stained with
crime he may be, for even Simon the Magician was converted. But when the
heart is once steeled with infidelity, infidelity confirmed by carnal
reasoning, an exuberance of the grace of God is required to melt it,
which is seldom or never manifested; for we read in the blessed book that
the Pharisee and the Wizard became receptacles of grace, but where is
mention made of the conversion of the sneering Sadducee? and is the
modern infidel aught but a Sadducee of later date?
_To be continued_.
To the Rev. Andrew Brandram
(_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 29th, 1836)
_Journal continued_
BADAJOZ, 10th _January_ 1836.
The night had closed in before we reached Evora, and having taken leave
of my friends, who kindly requested me to consider their house my home,
myself and my little party proceeded to the Largo de San Francisco, where
was a hostelry, which the muleteer informed me was the best in the town.
We rode into the kitchen, at the extreme end of which was the stable, as
is customary in Portugal. The house was kept by an aged gypsy-like
female and her daughter, a fine blooming girl about eighteen years of
age. The house was large; in the upper story was a very long room, like
a granary, extending nearly the whole length of the house; the further
end was partitioned off, and formed a tolerably comfortable chamber, but
rather cold, the floor being of tiles, as was that of the large room in
which the muleteers were accustomed to sleep on the furniture of their
mules. Having supped I went to bed, and after having offered up my
devotions to Him who had protected me through a dangerous journey, I
slept soundly till the morning.
Evora is a walled town, but not regularly fortified, and could not
sustain a siege of a day. It has five gates; before that to the
south-west is the principal promenade of the inhabitants; the fair on St.
John's Day is likewise held there. The houses are mostly very ancient;
many of them are unoccupied. It contains about five thousand
inhabitants, though twice that number would be by no means
disproportionate to its size. The two principal edifices are the See or
Bishop's Palace, and the Convent of San Francisco, opposite to which I
had taken up my abode. A large barrack for cavalry stands on the
right-hand side on entering the south-west gate. The adjacent country is
uninteresting; but to the south-east, at the distance of six leagues, is
to be seen a range of blue hills, the highest of which is called Serra
Dorso. It is picturesquely beautiful, and contains within its recesses
wolves and wild boars in numbers. About a league and a half on the other
side of this hill is Estremoz.
I passed the day succeeding my arrival principally in examining the town
and its environs, and as I strolled about I entered into conversation
with various people that I met. Several of these were of the middle
classes, shopkeepers and professional men; they were all
Constitutionalists, or pretended to be so, but had very little to say,
except a few commonplace remarks on the way of living of the friars,
their hypocrisy and laziness. I endeavoured to obtain some information
respecting the state of instruction at Evora, and from their replies was
led to believe that it must be very low, for it seemed that there was
neither book-shop nor school in the place. When I spoke of religion,
they exhibited the utmost apathy, and making their bows left me as soon
as possible. Having a letter of introduction to a person who kept a shop
in the market-place, I called upon him, found him behind his counter and
delivered it to him. I found that he had been persecuted much whilst the
old system was in its vigour, and that he entertained a hearty aversion
to it. I told him that the nurse of that system had been the ignorance
of the people in religious matters, and that the surest means to prevent
its return was to enlighten them in those points. I added that I had
brought with me to Evora a small stock of Testaments and Bibles, which I
wished to leave for sale in the hands of some respectable merchant, and
that if he were desirous to lay the axe to the root of superstition and
tyranny he could not do so more effectually than by undertaking the
charge of these books. He declared his willingness to do so, and that
same evening I sent him ten Testaments and a Bible, being half my stock.
I returned to the hostelry, and sat down on a log of wood on the hearth
within the immense chimney in the common apartment. Two men were on
their knees on the stones; before them was a large heap of pieces of
iron, brass, and copper; they were assorting it and stowing it away in
various large bags. They were Spanish _contrabandistas_, or smugglers of
the lowest class, and earned a miserable livelihood by smuggling such
rubbish from Portugal into Spain. Not a word proceeded from their lips,
and when I addressed them in their native language they returned no
answer but a kind of growl. They looked as dirty and rusty as the iron
in which they trafficked. The woman of the house and her daughter were
exceedingly civil, and coming near to me crouched down, asking various
questions about England. A man dressed something like an English sailor,
who sat on the other side of the hearth, confronting me, said: 'I hate
the English, for they are not baptized, and have not the law' (meaning
the law of God). I laughed, and told him, that according to the law of
England no one who was not baptized could be buried in consecrated
ground; whereupon he said; 'Then you are stricter than we.' He then
asked: 'What is meant by the lion and the unicorn which I saw the other
day on the coat of arms over the door of the English consul at St. Uves?'
I said that they were the arms of England. 'Yes,' he replied; 'but what
do they represent?' I said I did not know. 'Then,' said he, 'you do not
know the story of your own house.' I answered: 'Suppose I were to tell
you that they represented the lion of Belem (Bethlehem) and the horned
monster of the flaming pit in combat as to which should obtain the
mastery in England, what would you say?' He replied: 'I should say that
you gave a fair answer.' This man and myself became great friends; he
came from Palmella, not far from St. Uves; he had several mules and
horses with him, and dealt in corn and barley.
I again walked out in the environs of the town. About half a mile from
the southern wall is a stone fountain, where the muleteers and other
people approaching the town are accustomed to water their cattle. I sat
down by it, and there I remained about two hours, entering into discourse
with every one who halted at the fountain; and I will here observe that
during the time of my sojourn at Evora I repeated my visit every day, and
remained there about the same time, and by following this plan I believe
that I spoke to near two hundred of the children of Portugal upon matters
connected with their eternal welfare. Of those whom I addressed I found
very few had received any species of literary education; none of them had
seen the Bible, and not more than half a dozen had the slightest
knowledge of what the Holy Book consisted. I found that most of them
were bigoted Romanists and Miguelites at heart. When they told me they
were Christians, I denied the possibility of their being so, as they were
ignorant of Christ and His commandments, and rested their hope of
salvation in outward forms and superstitious observances which were the
inventions of Satan, who wished to keep them in darkness in order that at
last they might stumble into the pit which he had digged for them. I
said repeatedly that the Pope whom they revered was a deceiver and the
prime minister of Satan here on earth, and that the monks and friars, to
whom they had been accustomed to confess themselves, and whose absence
they so deplored, were his subordinate agents. When called upon for
proofs, I invariably cited the ignorance of my hearers respecting the
Scripture, and said that if their spiritual guides had been really
ministers of Christ they would not have permitted their flocks to remain
unacquainted with His word. Since this occasion I have been frequently
surprised that I received no insult or ill-treatment from the people
whose superstitions I was thus attacking, but I really experienced none;
and am inclined to believe that the utter fearlessness which I displayed,
trusting in the protection of the Almighty, may have been the cause.
When threatened by danger the best policy is to fix your eye steadily
upon it, and it will in general vanish like the morning mist before the
sun; whereas if you quail before it, it becomes more imminent. I have
fervent hope that the words which I uttered sunk deep into the hearts of
some of my hearers, as I observed many of them depart musing and pensive.
I occasionally distributed tracts among them, for although they
themselves were unable to turn them to much account, I thought that by
their means they might become of service at some future time, and might
fall into the hands of others to whom they might be instruments of
regeneration; as many a book which is cast on the waters is wafted to
some remote shore, and there proves a blessing and a comfort to millions
who are ignorant from whence it came.
The next day, which was Friday, I called at the house of my friend
Azveto; I did not find him there, but was directed to the Episcopal
Palace, in an apartment of which I found him writing with another
gentleman, to whom he introduced me. It was the Governor of Evora, who
welcomed me with every mark of kindness and affability. After some
discourse we went out together to examine an ancient edifice, which was
reported to have served in ancient times as a temple to Diana. Part of
it was evidently of Roman architecture, for there was no mistaking the
beautiful light pillars which supported a dome, under which the
sacrifices to the most captivating and poetical divinity of the heathen
Theocracy had probably been made; but the original space between the
pillars had been filled up with rubbish of a modern date, and the rest of
the building was apparently of the architecture of the latter end of the
middle ages. It is situated at one end of the building which was once
the seat of the Inquisition, and I was informed that before the erection
of the present See, it served as the residence of the Bishop.
Within the See, where the Governor now resides, is a superb library,
occupying an immense vaulted room, like the aisle of a cathedral, and in
a side apartment is a collection of pictures by Portuguese artists,
chiefly portraits, amongst which is that of Don Sebastian. I hope it did
not do him justice; for it represents him in the shape of an awkward lad,
of about eighteen, with staring eyes and a bloated booby face, and
wearing a ruff round a short apoplectic neck.
I was shown several beautifully illuminated missals and other
manuscripts, but the one which most arrested my attention, I scarcely
need say why, bore the following title:--
_Forma sive ordinatio Capelli illustrissimi et xtianissimi principis
Henrici sexti Regis Anglie et Francie am diu Hibernie descipta serenissio
principi Alfonso Regi Portugalie illustri per humilem servitorem sm Willm
Sav Decanum capelli supradicti_.
It seemed a voice from the olden times of my dear native land. This
library and picture-gallery had been formed by one of the latter Bishops,
a person of commendable learning and piety.
In the evening I dined with Don Joze d'Azveto and his brother; the latter
soon left us, in order to attend to his military duties. My friend and
myself had then much conversation of considerable interest. He lamented
feelingly the deplorable state of ignorance in which his countrymen were
at present buried, and said that his friend the Governor and himself were
endeavouring to establish a school in the vicinity, and that they had
made application to the Government for the use of an empty convent called
the _Espinhero_, or thorn-tree, at about a league's distance, and that
they had little doubt of their request being complied with. I had before
told him who I was; and now, after expressing my joy at the plan which he
had in contemplation, I urged him in the most pressing manner to use all
his influence to cause the knowledge of the Scripture to be the basis of
the education of the pupils in the intended school, and added that half
of the Testaments and Bibles which I had brought with me to Evora were
heartily at his service. He instantly gave me his hand, [and] said he
accepted my offer with the greatest pleasure, and would do all in his
power to further my views, which were in many respects his own. I now
told him that I did not come to Portugal with the view of introducing the
dogmas of any particular sect, but with the hope of introducing the
Bible, which is the well-head of all that is useful and conducive to the
happiness of society and individuals; that I cared not what people called
themselves, provided they read the Scripture, for that where the
Scripture was read neither priestcraft nor tyranny could long exist; and
instanced my own country, the cause of whose freedom and happiness was
the Bible, and that only, for that before the days of Tyndal it was the
seat of ignorance, oppression, and cruelty, and that after the fall of
ignorance, the oppression and cruelty soon ceased, for that the last
persecutor of the Bible, the last upholder of ignorance--_the bloody and
infamous Mary_--was the last tyrant who had sat on the throne of England.
We did not part till the night was considerably advanced; and the next
day I sent him the books, in the steadfast hope that a bright and
glorious morning was about to rise upon the night which had so long cast
its dreary shadow over the regions of the Alemtejo.
The day after this interesting event, which was Saturday, I had more
conversation with the man from Palmella. I asked him if in his journeys
he had never been attacked by robbers; he answered 'No,' for that he
generally travelled in company with others; 'however,' said he, 'were I
alone I should have little fear, for I am well protected.' I said that I
supposed he carried arms with him. 'No other arms than this,' said he,
and he pulled out a long, desperate-looking knife of English manufacture,
like that with which every Portuguese peasant is provided, and which I
should consider a far more efficient weapon than a dagger. 'But,' said
he, 'I do not place much confidence in the knife.' I then enquired in
what were his hopes of protection. 'In this,' he replied; and
unbuttoning his waistcoat he s
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