The writer of this letter was an
evangelical Church of England clergyman the Reverend Gerard Edwards Smith (1805-1881)
and noted botanist; this letter describes an exhibition of “heathen
curiosities” put on in his parish of East Marden in West Sussex as a
contribution, it seems, to Church Missionary Society work. The “Mr Hanna” who
comes to speak cannot be positively identified among a number of possible
candidates. “your uncle Christopher’s collection of insects” refers to
Christopher Webb Smith (1793-1871) who served in the Bengal Civil Service and
was a noted ornithologist and illustrator. The “Peckham Museum” is probably the Blackfriars
Rotunda in Southwark which housed many artefacts from Cook’s third voyage
and which came to be widely dispersed. It is unclear if Smith now owns the
pieces described or whether they have been loaned.
Smith’s first published work
appeared in 1823 when he was an undergraduate at St John’s College, Oxford and
is titled “Stonehenge. A Poem” and attributed to “Sir Oracle, Ox.Coll.” The
British Library has re-published it; it falls within the category of
embarrassing juvenilia. His later botanical researches are described in a recent
work to which reference is made at the end of this piece.
The letter is addressed to Miss
Jessie Collett in Brighton and Smith signs it as her Uncle. She is the daughter
of his half-sister Frances Meyler Smith (ca 1790-1857) who married in 1809 the
Reverend Robert Collett of Westerham, Kent and thus Jessie is part of a
religious household.
Folded letter sheet, four sides
Transcription
Addressed to: Miss Jessie
Collett Mrs Robert Collett 13 Landsdowne Place Brighton
Postmarked: Compton Penny Post
and partly legible PETERSFIELD
Datelined at end of letter: East
Marden Jan 27 1840
Dear Jessie
According to my promise I sit
down to write you a short account of our late proceedings with the hope that my
hasty note may find you quite recovered from sickness & rapidly progressing
in health. That I have not previously written, I have only this one apology to
offer – the last influx of persons to see my collection of heathen curiosities
& the considerable portion of time which has been occupied in exhibiting it
to them. I should suppose that more than a hundred persons in sets of three
& more called to see the Museum; in which the clothing from O Tahaite &
New Zealand which once formed part of the museum at Peckham & came
originally to this country in Captain Cook’s ship Discovery has proved not the
least interesting part. To it were added some Idols, articles of domestic &
husbandry use from various parts, your uncle Christopher’s collection of
insects, a Birmese book from the Chichester Museum, & a few lithographic
Indian sketches sent for the occasion from Morden College & belonging to
“little Helen”. The people expressed great interest & much satisfaction in
the view of the whole - while on my part
I endeavored to impress their minds with a sense of the superior social &
domestic advantages with which the European arts fostered by the benevolent
spirit of the Blessed Gospel of Light, daily enriched us, as well as to suggest
to them the Christian believer’s privilege & abundant opportunities of
making heathen nations partakers of his comfort, his peace & his promises.
Through the tender mercy of God
we were led to fix for our night Meeting upon the only fine evening in the week
excepting Saturday. Last Wednesday afternoon the sun, after a morning of cloud,
rain & tempest, broke forth & shone with smiling favor upon the winter
scene. Our anxiously expected advocate, the Rev S W Hanna arrived also as the
members were mustering around the tea table & in the Museum. The Report of
which if I am able I will add a copy to this letter, was read, & we moved
off to the cottage, which to my joy I found completely filled with the
neighbors; & we listened after singing a hymn & humbly uniting in
prayer & thanksgiving, to a very interesting, clear and simply stated
account from Mr Hanna of the state of the heathen world, of what by the hand of
our Redeemer had been wrought for the emancipation of the natives from the
degrading thraldom of the Prince of darkness, & lastly of the duties,
responsibilities & blessedness of the Church of God as the appointed witness, herald &
dispenser of the truth which makes souls free, among all languages, climes
& kindreds.
I understand that his endeavors
were successful & that much & extensive interest has been the result of
them. I did not allow any collection to be made because I disapprove of the
practice of soliciting money upon sudden emotions & impulses, & trust
much more to the salutary & enduring influence of the abiding motives of
faith & gratitude, & pity & love. So that I cannot report to you an
amount of pounds, or shillings or pence gathered upon the occasion. The
influence is left to work its proper effects tho’ constantly watered by prayer,
& the fruit expected in faith. For I do not look for permanent
effects from the prevailing system of public speaking & instantly
collecting money. Much may seem to be done by a stroke of eloquence. But do we
not observe that hyacinths & narcissus’ forced in a house, & blooming
in a precocious forwardness prove afterwards weak at the roots, & decline
& fail when exposed to the vicissitudes of the open border in
after years? But the bulb which is planted in September does not flower
before May & yet how much more vigorous & how much more blooming
vigorously another & another season, than the hasty & untimely &
sickly shew of he forced one! Experience proves how transient in general are
the feelings which eloquent appeals and stirring narratives produce in our
hearts: and I feel secure of those alone as friends of Missions who, with
the Bible in their hands, well searched with a lively consciousness of
the invaluable fruits which that book has (under grace) brought faith in
their own once dark & barren souls, with praying spirits & warm
affections & hallowed zeal, go on taking every opportunity of teaching
& persuading small & great at home, & of sending help by every
suitable channel to the millions unknown [word lost when seal
broken] abroad; - & that, in the most unobtrusive manner looking [?]
for praise in the great day, & resting not upon any work, until
opportunities for working are ended with time in death & eternity.
I perceive that if I do not close
this sheet tonight, I shall be keeping you waiting for it over another post. I
reserve therefore for a future letter all other topics; & with the news
that we are both well for us, & the sanguine hope that you will all
echo those words, believe me, with our kindest love to your Mama, & to you
all,
Your affectionate Uncle G E Smith
East Marden Jan 27 1840
References
Graeme L. D. Coles, A Cudweed
New to Science: An outline of the life and botanical discoveries of the
Reverend Gerard Edwards Smith (2025)
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