Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 3.djvu/397

 10* 8. III. APRIL 29, 1905.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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thing is it ! That those very Indians who inhabit near on the English Pale (not to mention some thousands of Negroes who slave in our Service) should still continue in most wretched Ignorance, and instead of knowing and worshipping the true God, should as yet reverence not only Stocks and Stones, but also adore the Devil himself. O Christians, Shall we covet and thirst after their lalents of Gold ? and yet keep hid in a Napkin that latent entrusted to us. Shall we greedily bereave them of their Precious Pearls? and not declare unto them the knowledge of the Pearl of Price. No ! No ! Let us not act as others have done in making Gold our God, and Gain the sole design of our .trading ; but let us effectually improve those choice opportunities (now in our hands) for the singular

CV 0ry J, our great God ' and of Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer. And let our Planters duly con- sider, that to extirpate Natives, is rather a trans- planting than planting a new Colony ; and that it's far more honourable to overcome Paganism in one, than to destroy a thousand Pagans. Each Convert is a Conquest.

Whether Gordon's scheme was actually re- sponsible for the foundation of the S.P.C.K. or not, he unquestionably took an interest in its progress. Allen and McClure in their 4 Bicentenary History of the Society ' (1898), though they apparently did not examine for themselves Gordon's proposal in his 'Geo- graphy,' make several references to his sub- sequent interest in the Society's work. On 15 July, 1701, writing from H.M S. Swiftsure offSpithead, he speaks of the S.P.C.K.'s lite- rature for the crews. In September he refers to his forthcoming voyage to America in order to propagate Christian knowledge among the native Indians. In other com- munications he speaks of his desire to pros- per the Society's noble designs, and he thinks that the gift of a little tobacco will have wonderful effects on the Indians, suggesting that a considerable quantity of " course tobacco" should be disposed of by each chaplain of a ship.

His correspondence with Sloane deals almost exclusively with matters of scientific interest. In one letter he describes a water- spout which he had seen in the Downs, and he says that he had seen several water- spouts in the Mediterranean some years before. Writing from H.M.S. Salisbury, in the Downs, 23 June, 1701 (Sloane MSS. 2038, f. 178), he tells Sloane of "our ingenious friend Capt. Hallay who was on board our shipp and I of his last Thursday. We wished prosperity to the venerable [Gresham] Society in a glass of excellent claret, and drank to all your good healths in cumulo."

He also got certain commissions from Mr. Pettive to carry out in the Canary Islands ' (1701), but the voyage was countermanded. | The last letter was written to Sloane from !

Portsmouth on 27 April, 1702, and runs as follows (Sloane MSS. 2038, f. 330) :

Portsmouth, April 27, 1702.

Honoured Sir, I'm sorry I was so hurry'd with business befor I left London that I could not attend the meeting of the Society at Gresham and receive the proper instructions and comands for the pro- vince of New York whither I 'm (God willing) to take shipp to-morrow and reside there for some years. If you'd please to put your letter on the New York bagg at the Sun Coffee house at the back of the Royal Exchange at any time it will come safe to hand by the first outward bound merchantman. This letter will be delivered to you by a brother of mine whom I daily expect from Scotland. It being naturall for all inquisitive strangers to see and know the learned men on the spot I need make no apology for introducing him by this letter to kiss your hands. Let me tender my humble respects to the venerable Society at Gresham, particularly yourselfe. I am in haste

Your very humble servant, P. GORDOK.

It is a very curious coincidence that another geographer with the missionary spirit strong upon him was called Peter Gordon, and that as little is known about him as of the Rev. Patrick. He wrote :

Narrative of the Imprisonment and Escape of Peter Gordon : second mate in the barque Joseph of Limerick, comprising a journal of the author's flight through French territory from Cambrai to Rotterdam and thence to the English coast. London, 1816.

Fragment of a Journal of Tour through Persia in 1820 [from Ochotsk to Astrachan]. London, 1833.

Christian Research in South India, 1823-8. Lon- don, 1834.

Official Correspondence from Peter Gordon to the Government of Madras. London, 1828. The letters resulted in Gordon's arrest.

He also wrote a chapter of Hugh Murray's ' Historical and Descriptive Account of China,' 1836. J. M. BULLOCH.

MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS : LETTER OF 1562. This exceptionally fine letter, sold at Messrs. Sotheby's on 30 March for 9001., was originally in the collection of Dawson Turner. The Daily News of 1 April in relating this fact gives other particulars that are somewhat inaccurate. I quote the most important paragraph :

" It is unknown how the late Mr. Dawson Turner became possessed of it, but when his splendid library came under the hammer at Puttick & Simp- son's in the late 1850's, the letter first appeared as part of a lot of ' Scottish Papers.' In that form it was withdrawn, and re-offered on July 16th, 1859, it then going to Lilly at 40/."

This library was sold by Sotheby March, 1853, and certainly did not include any such lot, or any letters or MSS. A letter of this great collector, already quoted in these pages (10 th S. i. 21), clearly confirms this. On 6 June, 1859, and four following days, Messrs. Puttick