Letters on the Moral and Religious State of South America / Written during a residence of nearly seven years in Buenos Aires, Chile, Peru and Colombia

by D.D. James Thomson

Lima, 1st September, 1824.

Many feelings, my dear friend, rush upon my mind on the present occasion. I shall, at once, give you to understand something of the number and the nature of these, by telling you,—that I have just now shut up my house, have taken leave of the children and of several warm friends, and go down immediately to Callao, to embark for Truxillo and Guayaquil; and from the latter place I intend to go to Bogotá; and thence onward from one place to another, until perhaps, and if the Lord will, I shall see you face to face. In consequence of these things, as you may easily suppose, I have my mind full of past, and of present, and of future objects. I think of my parting from you more than six years ago; I think of the wonderful way by which the Lord has preserved me, and led me, and blessed me in this foreign land; I think of the goodness of God in having allowed me to drop a seed here and a seed there in this continent, which appears a world of itself; I think of the affectionate parting I have this day had with many warm friends, and who are mostly priests, and of their sincere and earnest entreaties for my speedy return to them; and further, I think of the prospect of sowing the word of God on my journey,—of the pleasure, if such be the will of our Saviour, of seeing again all my dear brethren and friends in England,—of spending a few months with you in endeavours to forward the cause of our Redeemer in South America; and finally, I think of parting from you once more, and of returning again to this quarter of the world, to spend in it the remaining days of my life in seeking its welfare.

It is time to tell you the immediate cause of these projected movements. I say the immediate cause, for I suppose you know that these are not new arrangements. The reason, then, of my setting off at the present time is, because I conceive it the most favourable time I am likely to have of reducing these arrangements to practice. You know how the war rages here, and how it defeats every attempt to forward the education of youth, and the promoting of general improvement. What I have said applies to Peru in general, but more particularly to this city, where the sword has truly reached to the heart. We are here, I may say, in a beseiged city, having the enemy on all sides. Guerilla parties surround the city by land, and have several times come in at night, and carried off people and property; and on the other hand the port of Callao is actually blockaded by the Peruvian squadron under Admiral Guise. The distress which prevails in this city, in consequence of every thing being thus at a stand, is very great, and it is augmented by heavy contributions. This, perhaps, in former times, was, without exception, the richest city in the world, but now, I may say with equal certainty, that it is the poorest. The luxury and dissipation which prevailed, in consequence of this abundance of wealth, may be easily imagined; and I have often thought upon that passage in the 18th chapter of the Revelation, and have seen it applied, I think, to our case, “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her.”

Until, therefore, some change take place here, nothing more can be done than has already been done. Our school goes on, and I may say, with as much prosperity as could be expected under the circumstances above mentioned. The number of scholars has decreased from 230 to about 200. There are two causes for this decrease; the one is, that the bigger boys are afraid to go out lest they should be taken up by the recruiting parties; and the other is, the real poverty which exists, and which prevents many parents from sending their children, as they are unable to procure them shoes and clothes to enable them to appear decently among others. Whilst these two causes exist, the number may diminish, perhaps, still more, but the school will continue to maintain itself, and to support its character, I expect, in the progress of those who attend. There are two masters in it, who are well instructed in the plan, and the whole is under the direction of my good friend, the clergyman, of whom I have often spoken to you. What I have said applies to the model or central school. There is also another school in the city on the same plan, with about eighty scholars, which, I hope, will also continue to go on well, though subject, of course, to the same disadvantages.

I have thought, then, that I was called upon to seize this time as the most suitable for visiting other parts of this Continent, and for the objects I have in England. My principal business upon my journey will be the circulation of the Scriptures in the different places I may visit, and I hope that something may be done in this way, so as to make my journey not unprofitable. Of my progress on my road, and in my objects, I shall endeavour to inform you from time to time. I shall only farther observe, in regard to my intentions, that my route, &c. will be a good deal determined by the circumstances which may occur in the way by which the Lord may lead me.

These movements have, I trust, been entered upon in the fear of God, and after mature deliberation, and fervent supplication to the Father of lights, who has promised to guide in judgment those who seek his face in sincerity.

Guayaquil, 5th October, 1824.

I arrived in this place a few days ago, and seize the earliest opportunity to state to you the cause of my being here. You already know that the single object which I have in view in South America, is the promoting of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are, of course, various ways of doing this, and I have thought it best to allow myself to be guided in the manner of doing it, by the various circumstances and occasions which the providence of God opens up to me from time to time. The two things to which I have more particularly given my attention all along are, the education of youth, and the circulation of the Holy Scriptures. In regard to the latter, with which you are more immediately connected, I have stated to the Society, at different times, my desire of forwarding their work in this quarter, in every way which lies in my power. I have also informed the Society, on various occasions, as to the progress of their work in this continent. It has afforded me much satisfaction to observe the interest taken by you all for supplying South America with the sacred volume, and to read the repeated assurances you have communicated to me of your desire to carry forward this object in the most extensive and effectual way possible. The confidence I reposed in the Society in regard to this country, induced me to commence the translation of the New Testament on your account into the Quichua, or ancient language of Peru, and the answer I received from you some time ago, has shown me that I was not mistaken in regard to your views.

The same confidence as to the views of the Society, and a hope of being able to do something in the way of circulating the word of God, in places not yet visited, or but very partially, by this messenger of peace, has induced me to come to this city at the present time. It is my intention to set out from this place in two or three days for Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. In my way I shall pass through Riobamba, Ambato, Tacunga, Quito, and Popayan, all of which are populous cities, and where I expect to sell a considerable number of copies of the Spanish New Testaments.

The present state of the war in Lima renders abortive every attempt to forward education there, and very little can be done in the circulation of the Scriptures by sale, on account of the very great pressure of the war, which has reduced the city to much distress. Under these circumstances, I thought the best time I could find for visiting the quarters above mentioned, and perhaps for visiting my native land, was the present. I set out then from Lima with this intention, and to perform the part of an agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society. I am not sure, but I may feel myself under the necessity of petitioning you for my travelling expenses. I never intended to charge you for any services I might be honoured in doing for your Society, if possible to avoid it; but the low state of my funds at present, on account of the war here, may urge me to do what otherwise I should not have done. I mention this at present, only in case it should be necessary. The prosperous turn the war has lately taken in Peru, encourages me to hope that what is due to me by the government of that country will be paid in due time, and in that case my little services shall cost you nothing.