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December 7, 1819 letter from W. Alers Hankey to Thomas Haweis

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Title	December 7, 1819 letter from W. Alers Hankey to Thomas Haweis
Post Date	December 7, 1819
Author	Hankey, W[illiam] Alers (1772-1859)
Recipient	Haweis, Thomas (1734-1820)
Date	1819-12-07
Physical Description	4 pp. total; 3 pp. text; 1 p. address
Dimensions	41.2 x 26.2 cm
Location (Box, Folder)	Box 1, File 58
Address To	Beaufort Buildings, Bath
Country To	England
Address From	London
Country From	England
Transcriber	Gareth Lloyd
Plain Text Transcription	From William Alers Hankey in London, to T.H. in Beaufort Buildings, Bath, Somerset. Hankey can assure T.H. that he is of no party in his actions or aspirations. Indeed, he would be doing a disservice to the [unreadable word] if he did attach himself to a particular party. His wish is to take a comprehensive view of the affairs of the [London Missionary] Society and not to attach himself more to one department than another, but rather to allot to each as its necessities and interests require. With regard to the mission for which T.H. feels such a natural attachment (South Seas), he can assure him that it is now receiving a chief share of the attention of the directors. Mr [James] Hayward has arrived and there is a committee sitting from day to day, receiving such information as he is in a position to provide. On all points relative to the islands and the mission, they have agreed concerning the measures to be taken and since Hankey’s return to London, they have sent off a considerable number of tools for cultivating crops. Other decisions will be taken as soon as Hayward’s information has been properly processed. The [mission] ship that bears T.H.’s name is now sailing between the islands and Port Jackson (natural harbor of Sydney, Australia) and since Hankey’s return to London, ‘we have insured £1000 for Mr [Samuel?] Marsden and his interest in the cargo she is taking. The coconut oil is come; it is the property of Mr Marsden …’ (Haweis was very aware of the possibility of underwriting the costs of missionary activities by simultaneously engaging in trade when the opportunity presented itself) Their friend Mr [Matthew] Wilks has suffered from a fracture in his leg after falling while climbing out of his coach. His is however showing signs of making a good recovery. As to the question of educating missionaries for their work, that question T.H. will know, was undecided on so long ago that it is now no longer necessary to even express an opinion on the matter. The scriptures are to be translated as well as explained by missionaries and this makes learning very necessary. Hankey need not remind T.H. of the great prestige the society has earned through [Robert] Morrison’s translation of the bible into Chinese. (1 sheet, 3p.) 7 December 1819 James Hayward (1769-1850) was born at Tisbury in Wiltshire. He was employed as a missionary to the South Seas for the London Missionary Society. Hayward served on Tahiti from 1801 to 1808, on Moorea from 1808 to 1809 and on Huahine and Moorea between 1809 and 1818. After a spell in England, he returned to Tahiti in 1821 but was forced by his wife’s poor health to return to England after little more than year, whereupon his association with the society ceased. Samuel Marsden (1765-1838) was born in Bagley, Kent, son of a butcher. Marsden’s early education was sponsored by the Elland Clerical Society and in 1790 he went up to Magdalene College, Cambridge. In 1793 Marsden was ordained and appointed chaplain for the convict colony of New South Wales. Marsden’s ministry in the colony was not successful and he earned more fame for his severity towards the convicts as the “flogging parson of Paramatta” than he did for his preaching. He was nevertheless a keen supporter of the London Missionary Society and he proved a valuable source of local information and advice. Marsden also acted as a missionary to the Maoris traveling to New Zealand seven times between 1814 and 1836. Robert Morrison (1782-1834) was born in Morpeth, Northumberland, son of a shoemaker and elder of the Scottish Presbyterian Church He experienced an evangelical conversion and studied for the Congregational ministry at Hoxton Academy. Morrison felt a vocation for overseas missions and was accepted by the London Missionary Society for an appointment to China. Morrison set sail for China in 1807 with the specific intention of translating the bible into Chinese. On arrival in Canton, he detached himself from the expatriate community for a year in order to immerse himself in the local language and culture. Morrison ran the risk of arrest by Chinese officials, eager to place distance between their country and foreigners. He soon acquired sufficient proficiency to be hired by the East India Company as an interpreter. Supported by his generous salary, Morrison completed his translation of the New Testament by 1813 and contributed to the setting up of the Anglo-Chinese College in Malacca. Morrison was at this time the only foreign missionary in the country and in 1816 was a member of Lord Amherst’s failed diplomatic mission to Peking. Morrison was awarded an honorary DD by the University of Glasgow in 1817 and returned to Britain in 1824. Morrison’s reputation had reached great heights by the time of his return home; he was presented to King George IV, elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and asked to become one of the directors of the LMS. He returned to China in 1825 and continued his extensive activities as a writer, official translator for diplomatic missions and missionary advocate until his death, which followed a period of failing health.
Digitization Date	Digitized: 2012
Digitization Process	Digitization process: Derivatives resized at 4030 pixels in height or width
Digital Publisher	Bridwell Library, Special Collections; Perkins School of Theology; Southern Methodist University
Rights	Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Head of Special Collections of the Bridwell Library
Decade	1810-1819