Letter: William Wilberforce to Reverend Josiah Pratt, 4 March 1814
William Wilberforce
University of Otago Library
Digitised from the Hocken LibraryCollection Number MS-0498/049
Digitised by the Marsden Online Archive
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Letter
Maori Subject Headings
Reverend Josiah Pratt
4 March 1814
London, England
14 March 1814
British English
Missionaries
Hope
Committees
Kensington gore
1814
Hardcastle
Missionaries
Marsden
Hope
Marsdens
Committee
Wilberforce
Pratt
Kensington Gore March 4, 1814 My Dear Sir, It appears from the account I have received from Mr Hardcastle that the Vessel now Building by the Missionaries in the South Sea Island is by no means such as to answer the purpose, or supersede the necessity of the plan recommended by Mr Marsden. If therefore our Society paused upon the execution of the scheme
which it had determined to adopt on the credit of an adviser so intelligent and experienced as Mr Marsden in the hope, or at least expectation, that the Missionary’smissionaries Vessel would be adequate to the objects in view, it may probably resume its intention and proceed to the carrying into execution of the measure recommended by Mr Marsden. I am grieved, I own, to reflect that we are loosing
so much precious time, after Mr Marsden’s having so strongly encouraged us to adopt the plan several yeas ago, and when we find that subsequent experience has tended only to confirm his original persuasion— The unwillingness to comply with his advice appeared to me to arise from the plan being mistakenly supposed to be primarily of a commercial nature rather
than of a Missionary kind properly so-called— But if any Gentlemen who are under this impression will attentively peruse Mr Marsden’s various communications, they will, I am persuaded, lay aside those ideas, and admit the reasonableness of Mr Marsden’s measures. Let me beg you to have the goodness to inform me whenever the subject is to be under consideration, if I mean, it is to be regarded
as a measure on which the Board has not made up its mind on the principle; which I must confess I understood to be the case, that I may have an opportunity of attending. It would give me however far more pleasure to hear that the Committee appointed to carry the scheme into execution was proceeding with its work.— I am always with esteem & regard My Dear Sir your faithful ServtServant W. Wilberforce Revd J. Pratt
P.S. I trust you will excuse my dictating as I have far more writing than agrees with my eyes—