Beschreibung:

2 pp.+ outer stampless address leaf. To the Presbyterian Missionary Board, New York. The Presbyterian Heritage Center describes the literate writer as a Black teacher at Settra Kroo, Liberia, who emigrated to Africa with his wife; she soon died, Wilson passed away the year after he wrote this rare letter. The “Fish Town” to which he refers was a settlement south of Monrovia, where, ten years before, unarmed African-American settlers were massacred by native Africans who were upset by the colonists’ disruption of their local slave trade. Wilson writes: “The Sinon Mission is at this time as prosperous as might reasonably be expected. My school for the children of colonists is better attended than it ever before has been. My sabbath school is at this time very interesting. And my school at fish town begins to convince me that I have not laboured in that field altogether in vain. I have recently had two very interesting interviews with the fish people. In those interviews, I did not attempt to preach to them any thing like a regular sermon but I set before them important truths, and suffered them to make such answers as they thought proper. I tried to enforce the fact that their inferiority to the colonists, and the white people that they had seen, was altogether owing to their not having the Bible, and that the truth of the Christian religion is amply proved by the advantages it give its [persons?] over all who do not possess it. They seem more willing to hear the truth than I had ever before seen them, and they said that they often wished to have fine things like the white people, but when they earned money their father take it away from them, and thereby forced their old heathen customs upon them. This I believe in some cases is true, it is evident that they are not looked upon as men acting for themselves till they are about 40 years of age. The fish people are the most troublesome to the colonists and the most degraded of all the natives of this part of the coast of Africa. Their having no part of the coast that can rightly claim as their own, and their being on the sea beach by permission of the tribes who own the land cause them to be very [wicked?] but when I am discouraged by this thought I remember that when God’s elect is called together some of all nation are to be there and that God would pour out his spirit upon this people and [bring?] them to a knowledge of the truth. I am sorry to inform you that I did not receive the school books, you spoke of in one of your last letters. I am now every much in need of spelling books and Slates. I have recently received a barrel of Flour and a barrel of Bread. The person in Norolk whom you requested to send me these barrels coud not get any Meal in Norfolkt that would stand the African climate and the colonial schooner which brought the barrels from Monrovia carelessly threw the Maceral over board…Please do not fail to send me the [?]for my pantaloons, and satin for my Vest and a second hand or cheap… hat and a barrel of Good Pork. I want Tobacco but I am afraid to order it because I have lost so much by having it brought from Settra Kroo. I fear you think my extravagance but you must not forget that I have 5 small children and they consume a great quantity of food…The native assistant teacher has now been with me 3 months during which time he has been very useful to me. Please to excuse the bad [litature?] of this letter it was wrote very late at night when I was very tirerd.”